PWP Nation’s Zak Fellows examines the critic in all of us.
While you cannot really cover a topic relating to the reactions of an audience that you are a part of without sparking certain outcries, I admit to once being a part of a certain group in the Internet Wrestling Community. I was under the mind-set that if you do not enjoy what you are watching and cannot find a point of positivity in the product than you probably shouldn’t be watching because…why watch what will probably make you miserable and angry?
(Aside from the obvious masochism argument).
If you spend much time in social media circles that revolve around a certain product you will still see the typical argument of “sit back and enjoy” because it not only plays to the idea of don’t watch what you don’t like but also to start enjoying something as a fan as opposed to how a dedicated audience member may be looking at a show: as a critic.
Criticism has a certain negative connotation towards its definition because it does establish perceived flaws and failings as it relates to the subject matter from wrestling to TV to some random fast food restaurant. It is a universal concept and one that can be provided by all of us as human beings and fans of our chosen medium.
So, why does the idea of criticism of a wrestling product from the perspective of a certain demographic tend to trigger feelings of frustration?
To truly answer this we must first acknowledge what the purpose of criticism is. In spite of its connotation, Criticism, often popularized as finding points of negativity in a product, is intended to be used for the purpose of improvement. Allow me to use a generalization by saying that ALL wrestling fans want to see not just WWE but every wrestling promotion improve upon what works for them to better their landscape as a whole.
Even if a point of perfection is impossible, and it is so don’t fool yourself, there will always be a point where wrestling itself is so popular to the point that every promotion develops a significant following. That is what happened in the 90’s with WWE, WCW and ECW and a chain reaction that helped the smaller unknown promotions too. And it is through that desire for improvement where criticism plays a role as an individual picks what does and doesn’t work in their opinion on a typical show.
Let me be clear by saying that the opinion of one or even the opinion of many make something a fact which is why criticism on potential areas for improvement will ALWAYS exist. After all what works for me may not work for you, where I see problems you might see none and, thanks to the creation of user friendly platforms of discussion that came with the internet, fans have a means to discuss among themselves what they think could be improved through their critiques of both the bad and the good.
Unfortunately, the trouble with wrestling fans…scratch that, the trouble with MOST fandoms is the development of an almost religious gravitation to something that a group enjoys to the point that it makes it very difficult to acknowledge fair flaws without being, for lack of a better word, hounded. While this is very much a sign of a devoted fan who sometimes does not want to let the opinions of others influence or taint their own personal enjoyment, it does often result in the fragmented and clique like behavior of an audience landscape.
For the benefit of those who may not fully understand, on occasion you will see the critiquing of something phrased in a way that reads “If you don’t like such and such than you must be a fan of so and so” (Specific point “Those who don’t like NXT are John Cena Fanboys”) THIS is an example of sectioning each other off in such a way that it almost acts as a denial that there is anything wrong or anything right with two different subject matters.
Without wishing to sound forceful, it is important to acknowledge both the good and the bad of every single wrestling product if you can find those points. The good can be acknowledged as the points that need little in the way of improvement beyond what you can see while the bad can be acknowledged as flaws but also that there is a way of making it better.
To end with a bit of advice: NEVER let anybody dismiss the opinion of a single fan because their opinion matters just as much any other fan or group. Just because you yourself may not see a flaw doesn’t mean that somebody else won’t. Some fans may criticize a promotion without really watching it but a lot can be told by what they see on paper as opposed to education and the paper theory is, in a way, the first huddle to watching a product.
The best bet as a fan, not to force you to alter your viewing patterns by the word of one person, is to not have a blind spot or a hate spot: Don’t treat yourself like a devout follower who must rush to the defense of their precious wrestler or company but rather…be a mercenary. Have loyalty to yourself and your tastes and if that means one company satisfies that than great. But if more than one satisfies it you open yourself up to watching a lot more…what do you think the WWE Network can be used for? It ain’t just about watching Kayfabe breaking videos and then complaining about them breaking Kayfabe.
[Zak Fellows bends as opposed to breaks.]
Wrestling fan mercenaries…sounds unhealthy.
For more news, rumors, videos, podcasts and exclusive articles, follow us on Twitter @PWPNation.
