The Difference Between Internet Fans & Casual Fans

Today’s column will be a little bit different. Hope you all enjoy it! First, an explanation…

I tend to think of myself as pretty set in my ways as a columnist. Doing this for over seven years, I know what works and what doesn’t. Yet, at the same time, if I sense something is off or not being translated clearly enough to my audience, I have no issues changing it up. Going in a new direction. Trying a unique concept. Asking for feedback. Blah, blah, blah. All that fun stuff.

That is just the thing though. The vocal minority (you reading this column) is never afraid to share their opinions because you know – fake screen names, no repercussions, anonymity, etc. However, what about the silent majority that do not roam forums all day long, read backstages NEWZ(!!!), check out dirt sheets, or even know that junk exists? A few months ago, I wrote a small column about them speaking out about wrestling (on another website) but felt more needed to be said. On the eve of WWE Summerslam, I figure now is the time to continue that discussion!

Before getting to the main subject, how about some quick reader feedback? Sure.

Reader Feedback

harveyd: Do a what was better of
Bret hart vs Undertaker W/HBK as ref SS 97
or Cena vs Punk w/HHH as ref SS 11
&
Bret vs Bulldog SS 92
Or
Austin vs Angle SS 01

John Cena vs. CM Punk in 2011 and Stone Cold vs. Kurt Angle in 2001 win. Column over.

: )

CS 22: Went with 2014. In terms of buildup and match quality, Cena vs Bryan is much better, imo. However, whereas that match was all but forgotten 10 minutes later, Cena vs Lesnar had a very long lasting effect. It was more shocking too. Because while you might not have expected Bryan to beat Cena clean, you definitely didn’t expect Lesnar to squash him.

Agree and disagree. Agree in that Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena was absolutely unique and just something so new to this generation, especially for a WWE World Title match in the main event of Summerslam, whereas Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena was ‘only’ a very good wrestling match. Disagree on your last point. Both bouts ended just as expected. Bryan won clean. Brock won in convincing fashion. There were bumps in the road along the way, but the final destinations were not shocking in the least.

Scott: Clicked by mistake, won’t happen twice

You have been reading my columns for a long time now and are likely reading again this week (but won’t comment). We are well beyond “twice.” Thanks!

Naitch: Arrive. Watry. Leave.

Awesome. I love it! Nice Steve Austin catchphrase. Mind if I use this elsewhere? I would appreciate it.

greg: cena/bryan and its not even close

At last check, the poll results were 65% vs. 35%. Fairly close battle but expected victory for WWE Summerslam 2013.

AG Awesome: If I had to take a guess he is not liked for the following:

– Condescending tone when talking about stuff he perceives “online fans” dont/do like if he holds an opposing view

– Brags about “calling things” as if it’s a badge of honor (like people did in elementary/middle school)

– Started watching wrestling around 2005 and has given an arrogantly dismissive view about stuff that happened before that time frame as not being as good (rather than just saying he didnt know about it so he doesnt feel comfortable discussing it)

– Did an extremely bad job when he took over “Ask 411” column (this got him the most haters of all)

– Is invited to take part in columns where you are expected to give rankings and opinions on certain topics (like top fives lists) and he will usually not explain his top choices, instead saying “no explanation needed”. Though I find complaints ironic since most people dont like his picks anyway and dont want to read what he has to say

– Will not curse and says stuff like “heck on a deck” (bothers some people a bit, lol)

– He constantly suggest readers “google him” or check out other articles from other sites he has written for rather than explaining something in his current article.

I dunno, I see a lot of the arrogant and annoying/frustrating stuff when I read him, but I like wrestling and talking about wrestling too much to hate the kid. He is annoying but at least he takes the time to write about pro wrestling and starts discussion. Plus sometimes he plays up on the hate and I get a chuckle out of it.

Your comments are usually respectful, so I will reply to one of your many wrong assumptions here.

I did NOT start watching wrestling around 2005. I must have imagined that Hulk Hogan pillow I owned as a baby, fabricated attending Taboo Tuesday 2004 second row in Milwaukee, lied about telling my buddy how awesome it was to see The Rock take TWO Stunners at WrestleMania 15, and daydreamed stories of watching wrestling weekend mornings as a kid. No idea where you got the 2005 story from but as usual, if you are have a question, ASK ME! The comment section or “what you heard” is going to be wrong 99% of the time. It is not that difficult to get in touch with me. It probably takes a grand total of 30 seconds to send me a message. I am very easy to reach and will happily respond via email or Twitter.

See, ain’t it fun?

A few months ago in my Jay’s Ways column, here is what I wrote after meeting two 8 year old WWE fans:

Since they are young, I am not going to use their real names…

*starts up random name generator*

Okay, I will call them Timmy and Jimmy. Little Timmy and Little Jimmy? R-Truth would be proud.

Instead of breaking down the whole conversation word for word (as best I recall), I will use bullet points and rely on my memory for the rest. First up was who their favorite wrestler of all-time was…

Timmy: Shawn Michaels is the greatest. I love him.

Keep in mind this is an eight year old. I said I agreed, he was the greatest. Of course, Timmy followed that up by telling me he also really liked Shawn Michaels’ brother wrestle – Triple H! Huh, learn something new every day…I guess they were brothers? At this point, the first wave crashed into my face just how HUGE the difference is between ‘internet fans’ and the new PG ‘casual fans’ just turning on the product at a young age. HBK and HHH were apparently brothers, who did DX. Well then.

Jimmy: Ultimate Warrior!

He then proceeded to pretend to shake the ring ropes and make a growling sound. Again, remember their ages here. It may not have been the right followup, but I told him how sad everybody was when he passed away last year. To my shock, Jimmy looked at me bug eyed and said, “He did?” I can not explain the feeling I had, realizing I just broke the news to this poor kid that his favorite wrestler was dead. I guess that is what happens when you assume, right? After the somber mood passed, I asked about current favorite wrestlers.

Both spoke highly of John Cena. Obviously. Then it was Timmy who jumped in…

Timmy: The Miz because he is awesome. And funny.

My response to that was “Really? Really?” Each time, the answer was yeah, yeah. Say what you will about The Miz, but he has his fanbase and works VERY hard behind the scenes living and breathing the business. As for the current favorite of Jimmy…

Jimmy: Kane! He is a monster. Scary.

He demonstrated by doing the ‘fire’ pose he does in the ring and acting like fire was coming out everywhere. Sarcastically, I said he may be like Shawn Michaels soon – retired. Finally, both kids really praised Andre the Giant. I believe it was Jimmy who keep calling him ANDRE! ANDRE! ANDRE! Timmy mentioned the battle royal, which confirmed my suspicion that the two only knew him from recent WWE mentions on television. No idea if they had the WWE Network. Being they were so young, I asked how they knew he was so great if he wrestled before they were even born. Heck, almost before I was born!

What do I know? Timmy and Jimmy just kept repeating how great “Andre” was. I am sure I could remember more, but this was two weeks ago, and my memory is already getting fuzzy. Regardless, it was a fun day, and these two kids taught me more in five minutes than I have on the internet in the past ten years when speaking with supposed “adults” about wrestling.

That was a few months ago, and it still hits home with me every time I log in and enter this wacky world of online wrestling discussion. Despite any assumptions made in 2015, there is absolutely a massive difference between the so called internet fans and casual fans.

Well, that was proven once again last week when I discussed the upcoming WWE Summerslam event with a casual wrestling fan, this time a grown male adult (late 30’s). Doesn’t read dirt sheets, has no clue about the backstage nonsense, who supposedly is in trouble behind the scenes, who is dating who, and yes, he has an internet connection but has no desire to use it for WWE purposes, etc. I will not use his real name but like the conversation outlined above, this is 100% real.

Casual fan watched the Rowdy Roddy Piper tribute video and barely recognized anybody on the Raw stage.

Who are all those girls? Is that Hornswoggle in a mask? Yeah, that is Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. I am willing to bet all of us reading this could name every single person on the RAW stage that night with ease. One by one. A casual fan turns on the show for the Piper tribute…and recognizes HHH and Steph. Vince McMahon too. Cesaro? Kevin Owens? Who?

Casual fan asks which pay-per-view channel the WWE Network is on.

Ding, ding, ding! Even in August 2015, WWE has not done a good enough job of explaining WHAT the WWE Network is. I wrote about this when it launched. There is a reason why 100,000 fans paid full price for Survivor Series 2014 when it was $9.99 on the WWE Network and also FREE for all new subscribers. No, it is not on DirecTV or Time Warner Cable. I told him about all the ways to watch, plus the first month being free. He seemed intrigued but could only get it through his phone, which is not worth it due to the screen size.

Casual fan had no idea who Stephen Amell was.

No shame here because…I had no idea who Stephen Amell was either. Not an Arrow viewer and before this Stardust feud, I had never even seen this guy. The reason I mention this is even though I LOVED their segment(s) last week on Raw, the mainstream buzz may not be quite what WWE/Arrow fans suspect.

Casual fan wants Attitude Era elements to return – blood, 20 foot cage dives, bra and panties matches, RIC FLAIR, Hardcore Title, etc.

Yeah. I did my best to tell him all of that junk was an anomaly to the business and NOT representative of the big picture. Wellness testing, concussion concerns, sponsors, society’s thinking in 2015, and more. It was a once in a lifetime 2-3 year time period that will never (ever!) happen again and in hindsight may have done more damage to the industry long-term than its short-term success. Of course, he didn’t care. He wanted chair shots to the head, Flair to come back, hot girls in mud wrestling, and at that point, I knew I was fighting a losing battle.

Casual fan thinks The Undertaker will defeat Brock Lesnar at Summerslam because…well, because he is The Undertaker. Duh!

If you ask around, my guess is 90-95% of the internet fans will be predicting a Brock Lesnar victory this Sunday. He is The Beast. He is the man who ended The Streak. He is the one riding a wave of momentum and not having been beat in over two years. He is the younger star and will be more of a ‘draw’ for WWE full-time moving forward. We get that and understand all the logic behind him destroying the legend (and much older) Deadman at Summerslam.

For the casual fan, The Undertaker is The Undertaker. Of course, he will beat Lesnar. He is THE UNDERTAKER! Backstage reason, politics, future story lines, ‘protecting’ Brock – none of that stuff registers to a casual fan. They have no idea what you are talking about…and hey, maybe Taker will win this Sunday? Never say never…

Remember, he is The Undertaker!

Summary

We discussed more obviously, but you get the point. It baffles my mind when I read people claim that everybody is an internet fan because they have an internet connection, and it is 2015. Um, no. I know multiple people who are wrestling fans and have daily access to the internet but no, they are not considered internet wrestling fans by any stretch of the imagination. They do not search for WWE stuff online and only watch the product once in awhile. Thus, they would be a casual fan. Hopefully, this column is the wake up call some need…

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