Paying the Dues.
08. Jan, 2010 
3 Comments
I just read a great article over at FTWNews from Joey Image. Before you read on here, take a glance at it at http://ftwnews.com/2010/01/insider-terms-for-outsiders/ – It’s OK, I’ll wait for you. Go on, hurry up.
Back? Good. Please take note of what Joey said – because every word is true.
However, there IS a problem with what he said, and it has to do with the subject matter of what I wrote yesterday entitled “What, Again?” We live in an era where the boundaries have been pushed aside as much as possible, a time where we can no longer have both a Face & Heel entrance – the days of kayfabe are far behind us no matter how much we’d love it to still be in effect. Because of this closeness, the business has gained many things that make up for the loss of the mystique. Nowadays, Wrestling is in the spotlight with many of the better players moving on to be respected Actors/Actresses, moving on to Music careers, you name it. No longer is being a Wrestler sneered at, or thought of as a joke – except of course by the intelligentsia – many of whom actually watch anyway, and lie about it.
So is it any wonder why some people WANT to appear to be Smart? Sure, you have the moronic news geeks who want to use ‘insider terms’ to appear as if the belong. Or people who think they can get into a WWE event by pretending to be an Indy worker. Them I could care less about – You tell em, Joey! But those who *honestly* think that by emulating a Wrestler they are honoring the business – they deserve a break.
After all, Joey talks about traveling for a no payoff, going to find they’ve been bumped or going to get less than they were told. Is it any different than a fan who travels to the next town over, or even to another state for an Indy show starring their favorite wrestler – only to find that they no-showed? Or maybe those that have actually paid for tickets in advance, and upon arriving at the Armory sees a sign that the show is canceled – and no info at all about getting a refund? Yes, it’s true they never paid dues the way we did, by bumping till our backs were raw, lugging the Ring in and out of storage sheds to put them up at a show and the same in reverse after. And yes, they never even had to (As good promoters do) payoff everyone their agreed amounts despite the show being a bust. They didn’t pay our dues – they paid their own version in quite a few cases.
Not all – some. But is IS a distinction WE have to remember. Not everyone using the words ‘gimmick’ or ‘Worker’ is disrespecting us – quite the opposite, many think they are honoring us. We have to remember, they haven’t been TOLD the unwritten rules, despite the 100 or so times I’ve seen a variation of Joey’s post. We also have to remember – if THEY didn’t want to see Pro Wrestling, then those in the business would not have a single reason to do it. Without THEM, Wrestling could go the way of Vaudeville – a wildly popular entertainment that was displaced & destroyed by Moving Pictures. And if that happened, no amount of running the ropes is going to let you be a Wrestler – it would be over.
Disrespect isn’t always intentional. I learned a long time ago that at times it’s VERY hard to know when someone is being intentionally disrespectful, or when they honestly think they are showing respect via imitation. If we want people to know the unwritten rules – it’s up to US to write them, and I don’t mean on Websites. The problem is – once we do THAT, the curtain WILL be fully raised, and we’d all be exposed.
Tough choice, isn’t it?
I liked this post alot.. I have to admit.. I’ve used the term gimmick on occasion, but never in disrespect to the men performing.. I’ve been a fan for close to 30 years and I’ve always realized I would only be a fan (no matter how many dreams I’ve had of arenas full of fans chanting my name..
.) The internet made wrestling more accessible to everyone which was a good thing for the business.. That being said for every good thing you have to expect some bad.. That’s how balance works.. I’m from St. Louis and I’m sure you know that at one time this city was the Mecca.. Wrestling at the Chase was a mainstay.. I remember watching Dirty Dick Murdoch on a 9 in black and white television.. I look back on those days and wonder how those guys careers would have flourished had the internet been used then?? I personally have the internet to thank for showing me that small Philly promotion that brought a ton of change to the wrestling world..
What I’m rambling towards is this.. I appreciate that the wrestlers have their own codes and I don’t know them.. I enjoy the mystery.. Real fans normally read those posts by the “internet journalists” and shake their heads (at least I personally do of course I can tell when someone is trying to make themselves sound more important than they are).. And I wanted to thank you for realizing that as a fan we have paid dues in ways that only we as fans can know.. Just like a fan could never understand what the wrestler he is watching has gone through to get where they are.. So if my vote means anything leave the curtain down, and let the moronic be the less you pay attention to them the more silent they become..
Thanks for the response, Mac.
I tend to agree – there needs to be SOME mystery in order for fans such as yourself to enjoy the spectacle. Knowing too much can (and does) lead to less enjoyment of Wrestling as a whole.
I remember when I was just a fan, long before I got into the business. I didn’t even know the term “Indy” existed, let alone there was such a thing going on. Then after my best friend at the time started a promotion in Phoenix Arizona (He wrestled as Mr murder), I got smartened up quickly even though i was still just a fan. I used the terms around the boys – and yes, more than one shunned me because of it. But *I* believed that I was showing them an honor by trying to learn their ways.
It wasn’t until years later after I started working for UWC in North Carolina that it all gelled in my brain that I was (back then) doing a bad thing in their eyes. I was an outsider daring to speak their language – a language they earned the right to use and I hadn’t.
But today, things are different. Words like Gimmick grew out of being just a Wrestling term and now has it’s own meaning in other venues. So even though Fans use the word – it’s no longer disrespect in most cases, because it’s now mainstream.
Again, Thanks!