Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the return edition of ‘The Everlasting’ Ramble. I know I have been gone for quite some time, and most probably don’t remember who I am, so let’s refresh those minds shall we?

My name is Brian; I am 17, about to enter my senior year of High School. I LOVE being involved with communications and media, and hope to study it when I leave for college. I am currently apart of the production group for my high school. I have designed websites, radio shows, and in the process of writing a few TV shows for the local channel where I live.

I love wrestling. I honestly can’t get enough of it. Most people have their favorite “company” and stay away from others, and I really can’t do that. I am a WRESTLING fan, which means I love almost all types of wrestling, company doesn’t matter. I enjoy everything from WWE, to the old territory stuff with the NWA, and AWA.

Now, with that in mind, as you can tell by my age, I am NOT a wrestling historian. I don’t know who won the WWWF title in a certain arena on a certain day. What I am able to tell you are my opinions, educated opinions. I am the first to admit that I don’t know everything about wrestling, but I hate the people who pretend they do.

Well…with that out of the way, let’s get this party rolling

This article is entitled “What’s wrong with wrestling fans today” for a reason. I have been a wrestling fan since the peak days of WCW, and only 4-5 years ago really became educated with the business as much as my abilities can take me. I have found wrestling to be interesting, exciting, and different.

There are several points I will try and hit within word limits. What I am saying is nothing to take offensively, as I will not name names, but will be as raw as I feel is needed

Let’s start way back. The internet was first created around the 1960s. It was a revolutionary invention as you could beam anything from point A to point B, without worry. You could show someone something anywhere you had access to the internet.

But with the internet, you had websites, and with websites, you had wrestling-themed websites, and with the wrestling themed websites, you had naked diva’s (just kidding) you had tidbits of what people “heard” from “sources” and results posting.

My opinion is clear and easy to understand, so I won’t jump around on it too much. The internet killed the magic of the wrestling business. The internet created a cult of people who sit in their mother’s basements looking up the results for the week’s tapings, follow exactly what they are told by “sources” who say that this person is getting a push, and this person has been bad mouthing this other person. It’s created a cult following of people who can’t formulate their own opinions on subjects like… Why Rey Mysterio got a five year contract extension, and what really did happen with the Undertaker. It’s created a group of self-absorbed people who would rather get results and say “Ohz that match iz gonnnaz suk” before watching something that could be an instant classic (your welcome goldust)

The internet can be a great tool for wrestling as well, don’t get me wrong. You have promotions like Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and other promotions who are trying to make a dent in the seemingly invincible armor surrounding the WWE Headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut. TNA is probably one of my favorite wrestling companies that use the internet, because they strive on. With their pre-shows, twitters, facebooks, and everything else they do, they are utilizing what these social networks intended for their sites to be. Free marketing.

WWE has slowly begun to swerve where they find appropriate. If, for whatever reason, you have never heard of the term “swerve” it is a term used to describe an action that completely “swerves” you off one thing, and onto another. Take this as an example:

Edge is in the ring, about to face his mystery opponent. Before coming out to the ring, he was arguing with WWE Champion John Cena…Think it’s Cena? Nope! Randy Orton causally walks out to the ring as the roof explodes off the arena.

WWE has begun turning fans whenever someone is leaked out on the internet. The best situation I can pull from would be the return of Chris Jericho (otherwise known as WWE’s Worst Kept Secret) EVERYONE knew it was Y2J preparing to save us, but no one knew when. Everyone kept saying “oh well Orton is going to come out and do this, and he will return” or “Well, at this pay per view, they will have a mystery opponent match and he will return there.” What WWE was forced to do was to delay it and delay it until the fans reached a point of getting angry. They reached a point where the fans were unsuspecting (well most were) and have him return.

Another example involves “Captain Charisma” Christian. After leaving TNA, everyone knew he was returning to WWE. After speculation of him already signing, and if his usual amigo Tomko was coming back, everyone assumed “Raw” was his eventual destination.

WRONG!

WWE blew our minds when they no hyped Christians return on ECW, or how the internet fans coined it, Extremely Crappy Wrestling (Thanks King)

My definitions of Smarks, or Internet wrestling fans, are those who take what they hear, and don’t form their opinion about it, and just use what they heard from someone else as their opinion.

The internet has brought the shock and awe that wrestling has brought out in the sports entertainment industry to a thud when you see what you read about four months prior come true.

There are bright points to the internet though, don’t get me wrong. YouTube has become a mark’s home when it comes to finding long lost memories. You can get everything from Hogan against Andre at Met’s Stadium down to the littlest of the things including the debut of Vince/Finlay/Ken Kennedy’s? (Hope I don’t get sued for using that name) bastard son Hornswoggle.

The internet is a kingdom waiting to be conquered. I haven’t seen a part that hasn’t been met with a smile and a laugh. Wrestling is a business that is progressing through the mediums and progressing through the ages that call for it. There is a lovely interview (oddly enough) on YouTube featuring “The Icon” Sting from WCW where he is being asked by Mike Teney about certain topics.

When the internet and what it has done for the business was brought up, Sting stated “I don’t follow the internet, even when people were writing good things about me.” “They just rip and tear it apart; it’s the people who just want to rip it apart. They watch because they love it, so start talking positive about it” And that’s about how it sums it up

The internet and wrestling go hand in hand now a day. You have people like me who can submit any sort of article and say what I feel about the product.  The internet is full of people who think they know one thing, but don’t care to know the facts.

When it comes to the internet and wrestling, it’s no secret that we don’t get the whole story. We never have. We, as the Internet Wrestling Community hold on every word leaked by every so and so expert. Every person who has gotten in contact with this guys brothers cousin’s former roommate who is the janitor that stood next to Vince McMahon’s door when he said that John Cena was getting the title. We never have had all the facts. Wrestling is a product of mystery and magic. You get lost in it, or at least you should.

As a member of the IWC, I have fallen victim to the lame post of something big happening and it not being true, you just have to be able to weasel the lies and the truths out before you fall to the post that Carlito is getting a main event push (not cool)

In conclusion, Wrestling and the Internet have been, and will be hand in hand for year and years to come. Wrestling is a business, and as long as you have websites like facebook and twitter around, you will get wrestling post there.  Wrestling news sites are ran like TMZ. They post either the newest true story or a huge hyperbole of something that went from Stephanie McMahon breaking a nail to Stephanie McMahon breaking a nail in a fight with her nail stylist before firing someone.

Let my words in this article ring true. Don’t be a mark. Don’t be a person who believes every force fed stuff that is shown on TV just because a guy in Stanford Connecticut told you so. Be your own wrestling fan. Make YOUR OWN opinions, and not someone who is “apparently the owner of some site where he writes weekly” is the guy you speak through.

I am Zodiac, and this was the Everlasting Ramble.