Define what a pro wrestling "Mark" is?

[Sevb33]

I've seen various definitions, many saying it is someone who believes wrestling is totally legit, and/or an obsessed pro wrestling fan.

What do you think?

[War Machine]

Mark
a fan who believes that the characters and events of some or all of professional wrestling are real.The term can also be applied to a fan who idolizes a particular wrestler, promotion, or style of wrestling to a point some might consider excessive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profess...restling_slang

[MaskedManiac]

Someone who pays to be involved in pro wrestlling for the sake of saying they are involved or know someone............Thats just one of the many definitions........

[C-Squared]

Originally Posted by MaskedManiac

Someone who pays to be involved in pro wrestlling for the sake of saying they are involved or know someone............Thats just one of the many definitions........

haha that's what I always say it is - wrestling is a business, and a mark is simply anyone that pays money for wrestling.

[alicairo]

a mark is what c-squared is for CM Punk

[Sevb33]

Originally Posted by C-Squared

haha that's what I always say it is - wrestling is a business, and a mark is simply anyone that pays money for wrestling.

Seems like most wrestlers themselves were marks, at least one point in their lives. Indy guys have to start somewhere, paying to be trained, perform for free on their own gas money, etc.

Is it always meant in a derogatory sense? No marks, no fans, no wrestling, no money.

[nyr469]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

Seems like most wrestlers themselves were marks, at least one point in their lives. Indy guys have to start somewhere, paying to be trained, perform for free on their own gas money, etc.

Is it always meant in a derogatory sense? No marks, no fans, no wrestling, no money.

well there is a difference between 'being a mark' and 'marking out'...if i go to a show, for the 3 hours or so that the show is going on i 'suspend reality' so to say. buy into the whole thing and 'markout' when the guy i like wins or boo the heel i dislike cause it makes it more fun. but obviously i still know that its fake and everything but its no fun to sit there saying oh thats so fake'

[BoungYuck]

Originally Posted by MaskedManiac

Someone who pays to be involved in pro wrestlling for the sake of saying they are involved or know someone............Thats just one of the many definitions........

Cary Silkin?

[Sevb33]

Originally Posted by nyr469

well there is a difference between 'being a mark' and 'marking out'...if i go to a show, for the 3 hours or so that the show is going on i 'suspend reality' so to say. buy into the whole thing and 'markout' when the guy i like wins or boo the heel i dislike cause it makes it more fun. but obviously i still know that its fake and everything but its no fun to sit there saying oh thats so fake'

Fake? I prefer pre-determined. I don't go calling stage plays fake.

[nyr469]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

Fake? I prefer pre-determined. I don't go calling stage plays fake.

yes pre-determined, scripted whatever you want to call it

[Popcorn_fart]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

Fake? I prefer pre-determined. I don't go calling stage plays fake.

tru but i can understand ppl calling it fake when they do lame punches or kicks but then a spinebust aint fake i guess.

A mark is what i was when HHH returned when Punk cashed in against Edge etc etc. I marked out because for those 15 minutes or so im a mark!

[Alex Cooper]

Originally Posted by Popcorn_fart

tru but i can understand ppl calling it fake when they do lame punches or kicks but then a spinebust aint fake i guess.

A mark is what i was when HHH returned when Punk cashed in against Edge etc etc. I marked out because for those 15 minutes or so im a mark!

Don't forget watching Wrestlemania live!

[GoToSleep]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

I've seen various definitions, many saying it is someone who believes wrestling is totally legit, and/or an obsessed pro wrestling fan.

What do you think?

Anyone who has to ask what a mark is, is a mark.

[Sevb33]

Originally Posted by GoToSleep

Anyone who has to ask what a mark is, is a mark.

So a "mark" is a despicable, horrible person to be looked down the nose at? I know pro wrestling is pre determined, but yet I am mark because I enjoy it? Who in here that likes pro wrestling is NOT a mark?

I had to ask, because it seems there is not set definition, only opinions as seen in the responses above, it seems people have varying definitions. Never have understand why people bite the hands that feed them, no marks, less money. What the hell is the difference between a mark and a fan?

Originally, before wrestling was "exposed" as entertainment, all wrestling fans were called "marks" because the closely guarded secrets were believed to make all fans think everything in wrestling was real. "Smarks" came about when the internet made the widespread passing of information almost instantaneous.

A "mark" is someone who believes everything in wrestling is real. And, a "mark" is also someone who knows that wrestling is entertainment (like the movies) but thinks that wrestling fans don't have the intelligence to know it, as well. They spend quite a lot of time trying to convince wrestling fans how fake wrestling is. These "marks" are quite funny.

A "smark" is short for "smart mark". These people are really in to wrestling. They devour all the information they can find from the "gossip" and "spoilers" websites. They like to "educate" (a lot of times, condescendingly) the regular wrestling fans with their "insider" knowledge of what's going to happen, sometimes weeks in advance. They are convinced that the "gossip" they read are facts. The WWE (and the other wrestling companies) know about the internet, the gossip and spoilers websites, and the "smarks"; the wrestling companies dole out misinformation to fool the "smarks" in order to keep everybody guessing and wanting to watch their shows. These "smarks" can be irritating (akin to someone coming out of a movie theater you're standing in line for and blurting out the ending of the movie you want to see). There are quite a few "smarks" in Yahoo! Answers. I'll probably get a lot of "thumbs down" from them.

The difference between the two is, "marks" are usually very young and haven't yet discovered the truth about pro wrestling (or are the type of "mark" I mentioned above). "Smarks" are usually male, teenage to young adult, and frequently act superior because of some "insider" information they read somewhere they are convinced is true (sometimes that information IS true, but not always. Case in point, John Cena was going to lose his title to Randy Orton months ago because the "gossip and spoilers" websites said so).

"Marks" are uneducated about pro wrestling; "smarks" KNOW they have all the answers.

[GoToSleep]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

So I am a "mark" which makes me a despicable, horrible person? I know pro wrestling is pre determined, but yet I am mark because I enjoy it? Who in here that likes pro wrestling is NOT a mark?

I had to ask, because there is not set definition as seen in the responses above, it must be a mix, because it seems people have varying definitions. Never have understand why people bite the hands that feed them, no marks, less money.

...

[ShangTsung]

If that's the case, I definitely enjoyed wrestling much more when I was a "mark" (ala a kid).

I still mark out a lot. I don't have a problem with enjoying the technical aspect and analyzing, but anyone that has a problem with "marks" needs to get the stick out of their ass.

[C-Squared]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

Seems like most wrestlers themselves were marks, at least one point in their lives. Indy guys have to start somewhere, paying to be trained, perform for free on their own gas money, etc.

Is it always meant in a derogatory sense? No marks, no fans, no wrestling, no money.

Ya that's totally true, and where the irony lies - only the divas and "bodybuilder that wanted some fame" types weren't marks themselves... I think anything getting into believing what is fake is real gets into stuff deeper than just a "mark"

[Sevb33]

Originally Posted by C-Squared

Ya that's totally true, and where the irony lies - only the divas and "bodybuilder that wanted some fame" types weren't marks themselves... I think anything getting into believing what is fake is real gets into stuff deeper than just a "mark"

That's my main problem with the term it seems some mean it as an insult, some as not.
What pro wrestlers today were not fans of it first? Very few, I'd guess.

[C-Squared]

Originally Posted by Sevb33

That's my main problem with the term it seems some mean it as an insult, some as not.
What pro wrestlers today were not fans of it first? Very few, I'd guess.

Ya I think there needs to be a new word made for what most people call "marks"... if you look at the term "smark," its a fan who understands what's going on and wants to be in on what isn't presented in the ring - a "smart mart" - but if a "mark" is someone gullible, the term "smart mark" is just an oxymoron.

EDIT: Actually, in his ECW debut, Brian Pillman said "a mark is someone who spends their last $20 on crack cocaine!"... but then he also says "a mark is someone who believes that OJ didn't do it!"... so even within the business, it flip-flops haha

[jimbob007]

A mark is someone who thinks OJ didn't do it, now I am going to do the only thing I can do- yank out my johnson & piss in this hellhole.

[mattitude]

Marks are what keep wrestling alive...

[MaskedManiac]

Originally Posted by BoungYuck

Cary Silkin?

Yes......

[wings_unhinged]

Mark, from what I understand, is anyone that wrestles or watches wrestling that suspends their disbelief and perceives it as real. Smarks, or Smart Marks, are people down the middle, right?

I love being a Mark.

[Popcorn_fart]

if u watch wrestling and never mark out change the channel cos it would be boring as brew

[ri0t67]

Why does it matter? Do you enjoy wrestling? Then quit worrying about "marks," "smarts," and "marking out" and just keep enjoying it.

[ProWrestleFan]

People on forums and in person that think they're "above" what they're watching. People who think their opinion actually means something to the "industry"... People who think they could do better then the WWE writing team. People who use wrestlers first names like they're on a first name basis with the said wrestler. There's too many to list.

[wings_unhinged]

Originally Posted by ProWrestleFan

People on forums and in person that think they're "above" what they're watching. People who think their opinion actually means something to the "industry"... People who think they could do better then the WWE writing team. People who use wrestlers first names like they're on a first name basis with the said wrestler. There's too many to list.

I agree with most of the stuff you said. It's like any form of "art" (especially the music industry where the fans are even more snobbish), but I think forums and websites definitely get noticed by people involved in wrestling. It doesn't help the "smarks" that some pro wrestling gurus are involved in blogging - Heyman, Cornette, even Ross adding to internet controversy.. Heck, even Undertaker has commented on the "People form the internet" and I think someone mentioned that Superstars themselves sometimes check things out (we'd all Google our own name if we were famous, I'm sure).

[TheChamp316]

A mark means different things depending on where you are at in the wrestling world....

Basically if you have never truly seen the backstage world of pro wrestling...im talking about being a worker, promoting, running a show, and ect...then the word mark means over the top obcessed with pro wrestling and thinking its real.

Smart Mark means thinking you know everything about pro wrestling based on reading the internet or talking to someone who is actually in the business....

Now if your in the business, the term "Mark" usually refers to a wrestler who believes his own hype, lives the gimmick, **** like that...from my experience the only time workers use the term mark is when they are talking about other wrestlers...

Money Mark means you give money just to be a part of the show or have some type of impact on the show without wanting or expecting a return on thier money(Paying for names, shows, ect.)