Why do we "hate" certain wrestlers?

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

What's up with smart marks "hating" certain wrestlers? If you're a self-proclaimed "smart mark" (And I agree with Pillman and Jericho, there is NO SUCH THING!) then you are basically saying that you know more about the business than the casual fans. Well, if you know so much about the business, then you should know what these guys go through night in and night out to entertain us. The brutal travel schedule, the pain, the nagging injuries, the stress...and yet a lot of us still don't respect that. Case in point: The Undertaker.

 

Everyone goes, "I hate The Undertaker! He's soo slow!" Well, Jesus Christ, he's 6'10" and 305, what do you expect, a f'n tope con hilo?! There are many different styles of wrestling, and the big man style is one of them. Do we criticize Tajiri because he can't do a Last Ride powerbomb? No. He's a cruiserweight, so we expect him to wrestle a cruiserweight style. This isn't exactly rocket science, guys. And for the record, Taker is one of the most athletic and agile big men in the history of the business. But that's not even the point.

 

Point is, this guy is 38, he's been busting his ass for us for 12 years, he's got two bad hips, and he is STILL striving to be the best that he can be. Why? Because he CARES about the company and he CARES about the fans. Let's face it, he's a legend in the WWF...he could easily sit on his laurels and be lazy. But no, he constantly evolves his character, he loses weight so that he can go with the younger guys...I don't care if you don't like his matches, you have to at least respect the effort.

 

Bottom line is, "hate" is a pretty strong word. If you didn't like the match, okay. That's your right as a fan. You have the right to not like a match. You can even "hate" a wrestler for not having "good" (because it is YOUR opinion) matches, but it's ludicrous. Maybe we would all be a little bit humbler and little bit more respectful of the wrestlers if we had to deal with stuff like bad hips and bone chips in our elbows and fractured knee caps and torn quads.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

Didn't he used to could do a Topé con Hilo?

(I know, that was terrible grammer, so it's already been said)

[Guest Anglesault]

Everyone goes, "I hate The Undertaker! He's soo slow!" Well, Jesus Christ, he's 6'10" and 305, what do you expect, a f'n tope con hilo?!

 

Irony or something, right?

[Guest Trivia247]

AMEN!

[Guest Trivia247]

Actually Amen to the TheSmarkzone

since 5 people replied before I was done LOL

[Guest Dangerous A]

You know Smarkzone, for your 4th post you come correct.

 

On this board the hate is usually generated by 1) who plays politics 2) who is considered a shitty worker 3) who has a really dumb gimmick or look.

 

I usually reserve my hate for specific instances or incidents and such. Not for a wrestler just because of who he is.

 

Except Scotty 2 Hotty. That son of a bitch can go to hell.

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

Side note: I'm not directing this rant towards people who give hard-working wrestlers' matches bad ratings. I mean, that's what a good ranter does: looks past the effort and the circumstances and rates the MATCH. But then there are ranters like Scott Keith who have to take it a step further. I remember when Taker "squashed" Kurt Angle at Fully Loaded 2000, Scott went OFF on Taker. First off, I doubt it was Taker who determined who was going over and how. If you wanna vent at someone, vent at Vince McMahon or Bruce Pritchard or Pat Patterson the people who, you know, make those decisions. To hate The Undertaker just because he went over a wrestler that you like is retarded.

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

I think its more of the "Lets jump on the band wago" type thing. A pseudo celebritish smark, SK 1Bob, whatever, says something about a wrestler and then people start saying the same thing. If SK said that Angle is bad for buisness, whatever, than about 40-50 percent(rough estimate) would say the same thing on this board. The 'hate' is never singular, it is always in waves.Because people wanna be this Smart mark so that latch on to the current Smart Mark trend. Hell I know people who worship Benoit but they didn't even care about him until they read that everyone loves him. Same goes with the hate.Billy Gunn isn't a terrible wrestlers, but he has been labeled as so by the Smart Marks, so he must be. Its High School all over again, only geekier.

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

It's funny you say that, Dangerous, because if any wrestler SHOULD be getting heat from the smart marks, it's Scotty 2 Hotty. It seems that we always crucify the guys who bust their asses but fall short of our impossible expectations. What about Scotty? Here is a guy who has vastly superior athletic ability and conditioning compared to a guy like Taker, yet he sits on his laurels and milks The Worm for all its worth.

[Guest Anglesault]

Are Ravenbomb and I the only ones who remember the Taker con Hilo?

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

Yes. That's why I said it. It was sarcasm directed at those who question Taker's athletic ability.

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

It's funny you say that, Dangerous, because if any wrestler SHOULD be getting heat from the smart marks, it's Scotty 2 Hotty. It seems that we always crucify the guys who bust their asses but fall short of our impossible expectations. What about Scotty? Here is a guy who has vastly superior athletic ability and conditioning compared to a guy like Taker, yet he sits on his laurels and milks The Worm for all its worth.

Hey its an over move and people pop for it, whats wrong with that? And as far as Smarks loving people busting ass etc. Scotty has wrestled so much that from wear and tear his neck is basically mush. Worse than Austin's was. He has already had like 2 surgerys and he is out again for another.

 

And I remeber the UT tope con hilo. Still, he deosn't deserve all the heat he recieves.

[Guest Trivia247]

Taker Vaulting over The Ropes Last time he did that I remember was Just before Invasion PPV when He Dove over the ropes Hitting the Alliance Mob.

[Guest RobJohnstone]

show me a 39 y/o 6'10 300 punder who can still do crazy flying moves like tope con hilo like they were in their mid 20's, and I will show you a bad triple crown match from 94. Smarkzone you are the man, I agree fully with you. You get my official endorsement

 

--Rob

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

Well, I don't hate Scotty. I'm just playing Devil's advocate here. If Taker gets so much heat, why not Scotty? That's all I'm saying.

[Guest Fook_Hing_Ho]

I don't have anything against Taker's character or style unless he's intolerably slow like his match with Austin at Backlash. I just don't like the fact that he's pushing 40, can barely run, is STILL the champion, and is running over all the younger guys. Hopefully his reign will end next thursday and usher in a long and prosperous Angle run.

[Guest Downhome]

Not to sound like some high-and-mighty ass hole, but I personally hate how everyone seems to jump on the hate-bandwagon. I do not allow backstage pull, past occurances, etc... I base my thoughts on guys in the present day on what they are doing on my TV. I will openly admit to being entertained by The Undertaker. I think he's doing a fine job for what it is right now. I will openly admit to being a fan of Kevin Nash, HBK, Hogan, and all of those other guys, because I still think they have a lot to offer, be it in the ring or on the mic.

 

I don't expericane what goes on backstage, and I prefer that stuff to stay back there, not in my mind to dictate who I hate and who I love. The only time I DO allow stuff like that to piss me off is when someone keeps a younger star that I really want to break out from doing so. However, even in that situation, I do not end up hating whoever does it on TV. I just hate what they did, but my liking for them doesn't really go down.

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

You got the perfect mindset for ENJOYING wrestling, downhome. Me, I've come full circle. I used to be a bitter, jaded "smart mark". Then I realized that I was being ignorant and that my ignorance was making wrestling less enjoyable for me. Now I call a spade a spade. I don't expect a Benoit-like match out of a Test or an Undertaker or a Kane. I appreciate them for what they bring to the table. I expect nothing more and nothing less. And speaking of underrated and underappreciated wrestlers, Test has to be at the top of the list. I don't know why everybody has this grudge against Andrew Martin...was it the Stephanie wedding angle? Was it the Motley Crue bodyguard gimmick? Anyway, I was damn proud to see him carry the extremely talented but extremely green Brock Lesnar to one of the top 3 matches of the night at KOR. The crowd was into 3 matches: RVD and Y2J, RVD and Brock, and Brock and Test.

[Guest Dangerous A]

"What about Scotty? Here is a guy who has vastly superior athletic ability and conditioning compared to a guy like Taker, yet he sits on his laurels and milks The Worm for all its worth."

 

It's exactly why I can't stand the son of a bitch. He was kicking ass early 2000. Did he bother to improve? No. He just rested on his laurels and his worm. Not his work. His worm. If he were to have improved his workrate and matches and actually constuct a decent match around the worm a la Rock and the people's elbow, then I could respect him. Don't get me wrong, the worm is crazy over, but I can't stand it and can't stand Scotty. Fuck him.

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

Serously, I just take in what I see on tv. Much more entertaining that way.

 

But yeah Downhome hit it on the spot.

[Guest Trivia247]

Basic Premise of The Undertaker still being where he is today.

 

asides Decade plus of Tenure

 

He only been World champion in WWF 4 times

 

Rock came in late 96 and had like what 8 so far?

 

Taker was always a character driven wrestler Instead of Basic Athletics Since the beginning we can't complain about what he can't do. In last few years Undertaker used his slowly increasing limitations and tried to Better himself slightly with additional moves and so forth.

 

And despite being Top guy, He still got his a## pasted by two Non main eventers in the Hardys to further a mini feud/angle that wasn't related to a PPV.

 

and I may be mistaken and people may somehow know more than me about the backstage goings on of wrestling promotions but Undertaker never made the kind of Politic Stinks a Nash, or Michaels, or HHH had done.

 

a few days ago He did a Interview for WWE.com which sounded about a Shoot as one can be as a employee of a wrestling company... and the blood thirsty mob here couldn't wait to rip him to threds in whatever he said.

 

why?

[Guest Downhome]

I don't know why everybody has this grudge against Andrew Martin...was it the Stephanie wedding angle? Was it the Motley Crue bodyguard gimmick?

I like to think of myself as one of the biggest Test marks that there are. I've liked him since day one, and I STILL like him to this day. I wished to God they had done something with the poor guy way back in that angle with Steph, but alas, they ditched that totally. I think he has a great look, can actually move around for the size that he is, and I LOVE his finisher, even though he almost killed Crash with it one time. I mark like a bitch ever time he does it (the roll-of-the-dice in case you are wondering which move).

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Fuck Effort. If you give 100% and you suck, you still suck and should let someone else take your spot.

 

I don't think anyone honestly 'hates' a wrestler, dislike yes, but not hate. People just throw it around like they would 'I am going to kill you for doing that!'.

[Guest claydude14]

i guess im the opposite of a lot of you...

my sig does the talking.

[Guest CanadianChick]

Well claydude, I've got to say that u are unique on this board.

[Guest TheSmarkzone]

Test is f'n awesome. Here is why:

 

1. His look. He's a got a killer look. He's got the body of a Greek god, and he just looks like one mean motherfucker. Notice that despite his lack of a monster push, the fans were buying him as a legitimate threat to Brock from the moment that they stood toe-to-toe? LOOK.

 

2. Athletic ability. He's 6'7" and he can MOVE. Seriously, name one other big man in the business that moves like Test. He's even faster than Mike Awesome. And I'm sure that everybody has seen his flying elbow off the top. The guy comes off the top like HBK, and he's 6'7", 287! Hell, I think he might have gotten even more air than HBK a few times.

 

3. Snug. He is SNUG. Everybody talks about how snug Benoit is. Well, Test is just as snug. Watch his punches and kicks. They are very credible. He's got this pissed-off look on his face, and he throws them with AGGRESSION. Don't forget that wrestling is all about suspending your disbelief. When some guys punch or kick or throw a forearm, you go, "Ah, that's so fake." When Test throws a punch or a kick, you go, "Ow."

 

4. Finishers. He's got like 12 finishers (which you "smart marks" should love, since it's so puro-esque...), and they all rock. The Big Boot, the Roll The Dice, the Pumphandle Powerslam, the Flying Elbow, the Doctor Bomb...

 

5. Cheesy promos. His promos are so BAD they are GOOD. Who hasn't cracked up upon hearing his electrifying introduction of Mr. Perfect, or his hitting on the WWE Divas?

[Guest claydude14]

by gawd hes making me like test

[Guest CanadianChick]

I don't think that Test is the best or anything, but some people on this board don't give him enough credit.

[Guest TestKick]

the idiots here hate Test because they are jealous. Test has the best look in the WWE and is the best big man in the WWE. I seriously do not know why Test hasn't had a few title runs by now. The man oozes charizma and talent

[Guest Anglesault]

Test is f'n awesome. Here is why:

 

1. His look. He's a got a killer look. He's got the body of a Greek god, and he just looks like one mean motherfucker. Notice that despite his lack of a monster push, the fans were buying him as a legitimate threat to Brock from the moment that they stood toe-to-toe? LOOK.

 

2. Athletic ability. He's 6'7" and he can MOVE. Seriously, name one other big man in the business that moves like Test. He's even faster than Mike Awesome. And I'm sure that everybody has seen his flying elbow off the top. The guy comes off the top like HBK, and he's 6'7", 287! Hell, I think he might have gotten even more air than HBK a few times.

 

3. Snug. He is SNUG. Everybody talks about how snug Benoit is. Well, Test is just as snug. Watch his punches and kicks. They are very credible. He's got this pissed-off look on his face, and he throws them with AGGRESSION. Don't forget that wrestling is all about suspending your disbelief. When some guys punch or kick or throw a forearm, you go, "Ah, that's so fake." When Test throws a punch or a kick, you go, "Ow."

 

4. Finishers. He's got like 12 finishers (which you "smart marks" should love, since it's so puro-esque...), and they all rock. The Big Boot, the Roll The Dice, the Pumphandle Powerslam, the Flying Elbow, the Doctor Bomb...

 

5. Cheesy promos. His promos are so BAD they are GOOD. Who hasn't cracked up upon hearing his electrifying introduction of Mr. Perfect, or his hitting on the WWE Divas?

...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA