So You're A REAL Wrestling Fan?

Wrestling is much like any form of entertainment but there is a certain stigma when it comes to the idea of discussing what it is to be a true wrestling fan. The aim of this article is to correct those who judge others for not being a "real wrestling" fan. Hopefully with a little bit of investigation we can get to the root of the situation and define what a wrestling fan is. 

In order to understand the term "Real Wrestling Fan" we must first look at the definitions of the words individually. The Oxford English dictionary describes "REAL" as the following;

"Actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed"

Now if this definition is not real enough (pun intended) for you then we can site another source. Thefreedictionary.com defines "REAL" as;

"Being or occurring in fact or actuality" 

If these sources are to be believed then we can safely assume anyone with the ability to show interest in wrestling or having a conversation about "real wrestling fans" is in fact real. There is no denying that. Now this leads us to the definition of fan. 

"A person who shows a strong interest in or admiration for a particular thing or person"

In it's purest form - those who enjoy something. 

Now as someone who often contributes to conversations on social media and someone who witnesses people everyday being branded as "fake" fans I find it hard to believe that it is actually possible to label someone as anything other than a "real" anything. I mean surely the only thing that can denounce any person as anything but real would be a higher power (if there is such a thing). The ideology of someone or something denouncing someone or something as "fake" suggests the individual would feel they are above the subject at hand. Let us be clear. THIS IS NEVER THE CASE. Regardless of whatever topic or subject is being discussed it will always be above those discussing it because without the original topic there is no dispute or case of discussion and this shows an improper lack of respect.

This is one of the main reasons the IWC is a difficult thing to be involved with. The lack of respect of some individuals within the community is actually much lower than that of the level they receive. If the community was equal however there would very rarely be deemed as exciting or full of life. This however does not mean there can't be mutual respect and understanding when it comes to the idea that fans are all alike. Some fans know little and have only just joined the product, some fans have watched for years but know very little. It's a simple solution. Be fair to each other and don't judge because someone may know less about something than you. Instead of judging try bringing up a way where they could learn from something you know and vise versa. 

What  do you think? Is it possible? Are there such things out there as "REAL WRESTLING FANS"? Let us know by sending in a response on our new android app tinyurl.com/lajzwvj  Or by leaving a comment below. 

Creative Can Be Creative

I think we have all watched WWE at some point and said "That's not how I would have booked it" or even "Man i could have done a much better job." 

There is nothing wrong with this situation other than the fact that 9 times out of 10 the product usually sucks. I understand that a product will not always be 100% and can not always be 100% but there is no excuse for missing out on good story telling. Now please know that what I am about to discuss is not an elaboration on how Creative teams in wrestling should book stories. That is a situation that too many writers feel they know everything about when really we know very little. This topic is about what a company can do to remain creative. 

Today's fans are almost polar opposites to those fans in the early 50s and there is no denying it. But this doesn't mean that we will be amazed by the same things. The newer generation of fans has a more open grasp on story lines due to the ever expanding use of dirt sheets and rumor websites. Many will tell you that the internet has ruined wrestling but I do not believe this to be the case. I believe the inability of wrestling writers to expand their field of study on the lack of interesting stories. 

Rarely will we see a story line that blurs the lines of truth and kayfabe. Fans find it hard become invested in stories that they can already work out the pathways to. I mean when you had The Undertaker debut at Survivor Series very few people knew that would happen so it had bigger impact. Creative stories would be much the same if there wasn't rumors that were leaked occasionally but we, as fans, demand to know everything. This is where rumor mills come in. Everyone reads them. At one point or other a wrestling fan has visited one of these sites. So why hasn't WWE began using these sites to their advantage? 

For example, superstar returns get ruined by these sites reporting where and when a superstar has been spotted etc so why not pay these sites to report the exact opposite? Is it really that hard? Much easier than trying to keep creative ideas between the writers and roster as there are far too many variables to keep up with.

Another example of being creative in order to blur the lines would be to start using more relevant stories. If fans do learn about something within the business then why not just turn the whole lot on it's head? Imagine a fan finds out a superstar is dating another superstar or that one star had a real fight with another star, now imagine taking all that speculation and all those rumors and creating your own rumor/story to link it all together so it seemed so real. Today's fans create their own stories so why not use that against them? That's how people get shocked. When you watch a movie and you speculate the ending you get sucked in to the product but if the pay off doesn't suffice then the movie sucks. So often WWE get fans invested and then they just push them out the door like an unwanted one night stand. If they managed to keep fans invested and provided a pay off then there would easily be more fans watching today. 

Look at it this way, if Commissioner Gordon new that Batman was Bruce Wayne would he use the bat light or just drop a text?

Let us know your thoughts over at twitter on @LevellerLOW or, of course leave a comment below. 

The Smartest Mercenary Alive

*EDITORS NOTE - BE SURE TO CATCH UP WITH LOWDOWN AND BREAKDOWN ALONG WITH PODCASSTS FROM RINGSIDE RAMBLERS, #JUSTSAYIN AND MOC OVER AT LEVELSOFWRESTLING.PODBEAN.COM."

Brock Lesnar is the smartest man in pro wrestling right next to Matt Hardy and AJ Styles. He is the guy working his own contract exactly how he chooses to and gets paid a S*** ton to do so. WWE paid Brock Lesnar 5 million dollars to sign for two years and now suddenly the two years comes to an end the night after Wrestlemania. WWE is up the creek and Brock is standing watching while he snaps the oar over his knee. 

In the last two weeks it became common knowledge that Brock and Vince argued backstage to the point where people were concerned for Vince. No one really knows what the argument was a bout and if someone claims to know please ignore them. Many have said it was about money while others say it was Roman Reigns failing a drug test. BROCK DOESN'T CARE and why should he? He knows he is the money. Vince may as well follow this guy with his wallet and just pay for everything for him. Brock Lesnar is in the main event of Wrestlemania against who we all believe to be the next golden poster boy of the company Roman Reigns. Now if you were Brock Lesnar and you knew you could be leaving the night after Reigns possibly beats you what is the first thing you do? You prove your worth.

Last week Brock Lesnar did just that by proving he is still a name that every household can recognize by showing up to a UFC PPV and was seen on camera talking to Dana White. Is this not just the best bargaining chip? Brock just guaranteed that WWE would up their offer. Not to mention the fact that if fans see him doing this then they are going to start their own rumors and cause a fuss. All Brock needs now is to receive offers from UFC and Bellator and he has Vince's grapefruits in hand. 

Brock Lesnar could easily leave WWE and have a more than comfortable life. But he won't. Many behind the scenes still believe that Brock will re-sign with WWE and that he will continue to have the same kind of schedule he is currently on. This is not a bad thing. I can already hear fans moaning on twitter but what if, what if Brock re-signs and beats Reigns to retain at mania? What option do you prefer then? Reigns as champ, a champ who a lot of you believe is undeserving and green or a champ who is rarely there? I know what I prefer from those two options. But there is a third option. What if the whole thing is a work by HHH, Brock and Paul Heyman? Wouldn't it get fans behind Reigns if Brock threatens to leave with the belt that he rarely shows up with anyway? Imagine Brock left and goes to UFC for a year but upon returning to UFC programming he does a Madusa and trashes the belt and denounces the WWE as garbage. 

*note for this to work Vince needs to agree to Brocks terms of working for both UFC and WWE and Reigns would have to lose at Wrestlemania*
Brock would go between the two shows like he said and you can have him constantly belittle the show until one day Reigns shows up at a UFC event and gets in Brock's face. He challenges Brock to a Hell In A Cell match at Wrestlemania 32. Year long build and the fans get behind Reigns for defending WWE. 
It's along shot but this could all be storyline for all we know. But what we do know is that Brock has set himself up as the most dominant wrestler on WWE's roster and he certainly the most coveted star right next to John Cena and Sting. Follow my blog with Bloglovin