| Mark (professional Wrestling) |
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Some examples of beliefs which a 'mark' might hold would be:
A mark can also refer to a devoted fan, either of a particular wrestler, wrestling company, or the Sport itself. Another common meaning of the word mark is someone who believes everything about a certain wrestling organization is good. This type of mark tends to overlook bad decisions that the organization makes (or to cast said descisions in a positive light) and overreact to the good ones. BACKGROUND The term mark derives from pro wrestling's early days as a carnival sideshow, where those who were unaware or not privy to the workings of the business were seen as gullible ' Marks ' who would believe anything they were told. Another source may be that the operator of a carnival booth would identify potential customers whom they thought were gullible, and then persuade them to patronize their booth (which often included a game rigged so it could not be won, or one that sold shoddy, overpriced merchandise); someone who fell for the operator's tricks would be seen as a mark. FOLLOWINGS Following is a term for a wrestlers fanbase. For the most part, followings are composed of marks that tend to favor a certain wrestler, despite work rate, in ring ability, or being facing/heel. They tend to have an undying loyalty to their particular wrestler. Wrestlers such as John Cena , Randy Orton , and Carlito are known for having large followings. Most of their followers tend to jump to their defense, despite being greatly disliked by Smark s. SMARKS AND MARKING OUT Not all pro wrestling fans are marks, but rather Smarks who know that wrestling is staged but enjoy it anyway. Smarks often take great offense at being called a "mark", since it implies that they are stupid and/or gullible. Both marks and smarks also become offended when another person attempts to "educate" them on the sport's staged nature, since it would greatly diminish or ruin his/her enjoyment. Someone who enjoys wrestling "for what it is" rather than analyzing its staged nature often marks out (which such moments called Marking Out ). Critics of the WWE often allege that the organization plays to the marks' liking, while poking fun at the smarks. However, this is not always true, particularly with Storylines associated with The Clique as well as the feud that involved the real life turmoil of Matt Hardy and Edge over an affair with female wrestler Lita . SEE ALSO |
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