|
This is On Duty! and it is my duty
to let you know that this column will
be a continuous deep-seated search into
every aspect of independent professional
wrestling. I have been attending Indy
shows nonstop for about 6 months, and
I attend at least 10 shows a month.
I am a wrestling enthusiast and my writings
are from my experiences thus far. The
first column discusses the chemistry
between the fans and wrestlers during
a match.
I love being a wrestling fan, sure
it's great watching the stars do their
thing, it's what makes the show, but
being a fan has its advantages. If you
were a WWF or WCW fan, then you wouldn't
know what I'm talking about. Indy fans
you hear me loud and clear. Allow me
to explain.
I attended 7 straight WWF events dating
from Wrestlemania XV to a televised
raw episode. The highlight of those
events: I got to see an interpromotional
heavyweight competition between HHH
and Tazz, I got to see the Dudleyz put
the first women ever on WWF television
through a table, I got to see the beginning
of the HHH heel turn, I got to see Big
Bossman hanging from a noose, I got
to see the formation of Head Cheese,
and I got to see over 15 fights between
drunken fans, fighting over who was
the more dominant wrestler (Funny you
didn't see HHH or the Rock out there
defending the fans J). But it was not
until I attended my very first Indy
show that I realized how wrong I was
to call myself a fan up to that point.
Before I get serious heat from WWF and
WCW defenders, allow me to explain.
When you attend a WWF event, it is
almost like attending a movie at a theater.
You buy refreshments before the show,
you take your seats, and you sit back
and enjoy the show. But the one thing
that the main event federations such
as WWF and WCW are missing is fan interaction.
When you are at a WWF show, all you
can do is cheer and hold up signs, that
is your way of being noticed at these
events. It's no fun to attend a show
and not have the wrestlers acknowledge
you. It's the thrill of feeling like
you are apart of something.
That is the key ingredient that makes
independents work so well, fan interaction.
The wrestlers thrive and grow off that,
and the fans get a serious thrill off
of having a wrestler acknowledge them,
whether for good or bad intentions.
Every person that watches wrestling
wants in some way to mimic or have that
same stature of popularity as those
they worship.
So what better way to reach that level
in some aspect then to high five a wrestler
coming out, or handing him a chair to
use during the match, or pat him on
the back as he and his combatant are
wrestling through the crowd. How about
when a heel comes out to wrestle, and
you get the chance to scream at him
during his match and he confronts you.
Or starts talking trash at you during
or before the match, or better yet throws
you in a creek as Jack Victory did to
a fan at a recent PWF show I attended.
And how many times have you seen a wrestling
fan grab a chair from a wrestler during
a match so he doesn't hit the "face",
and get away with it in the WWF?
The best of all fan interactions is
during intermission or after the show,
when all is ended and the wrestlers
come out from the backstage for a soda
or to converse with a friend that attended
the show. For me the first time it was
a surreal environment getting to see
the wrestlers that I just watched and
screamed at for 3 hours enter again,
only this time they were normal citizens,
not whatever character they portrayed.
After time, you get to know the people
behind the characters, and they adore
the feedback given to them after matches,
something WWF superstars don't get to
have. How many fans were backstage clapping
for Mick Foley the many times he literally
killed himself?
The Fan/Wrestler interaction is one
of the many great parts about attending
a live independent show. The small environment,
close seating, and interactions between
the wrestlers during the matches are
what is missing in the Main Event promotions.
Due to the enormous popularity of WWF,
it would be nearly impossible for them
to address the fans on as personal a
level as independents do, but for me
it decreases my interest and respect
for them.
So ends column one of my long-term
search into the world of Independent
Wrestling. Next week I will search into
the world of the fan. But only the most
special of fans can be analyzed. I am
going to look into the world of the
"Mark" fan. I will compare and contrast
a WWF fan with an independent fan. Both,
to me, are the best and worst parts
of Pro Wrestling and next week you'll
find out why!
|
