In the days of Twitter and Facebook, we as wrestling fans are involved like we never have been before when it comes to interacting with performers, giving our opinions, and getting an "inside look" at some of the lives of those performers we see on TV each and every week. Is this a good thing though? Are the likes of Freddie Blassie, Lou Thesz, and Wahoo McDaniel all rolling over in their graves? Well, they may be, but for a number of reasons besides this. Let's take a look from the perspective of a common fan.
Everyday millions of wrestling fans sign into Twitter and Facebook for multiple reasons. Some include keeping up with friends and/or loved ones, or for the sole purpose to garner attention and belittle others. We usually see the best of both worlds everyday when it comes to the uses for social networking. In wrestling, kayfabe has been dead for many years, but are we seeing an evolution now with it being, well, deader than dead? I find it very interesting that some wrestlers stay half in character and out of character, and others completely disregard the fact that they're anything but the characters portrayed on TV. It's certainly not a black and white.
It's amazing to see where technology takes us. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I could follow a wrestler's every move via the Internet, I would have thought it to be near impossible. But fast-forward to the present and here's where we are now. Social networking can be seen as both a good thing and a bad thing for wrestling in my opinion. It's hard to mask that "reality" that the companies want to portray on TV, whereas if a wrestler is being himself on the Internet, that "reality" is lost.
On the one had, the positives can be plentiful. Shows can be plugged, angles can be mentioned, storylines can be progressed, etc. A handful of really beneficial things can arise, and with companies like WWE going afte the younger fan base, the social networking can help with the older age groups. It also gives characters a bit more realism if fans can "follow" them outside the ring on a regular basis. This gives more insight, and more depth at times to a character at the same time.
Of course on the negative side of this, it's very difficult to seperate the "real world" and the "wrestling" world. Some may view this as a good thing but to me fans can easily fall into an "I don't give a crap" perspective when two feuding performers are all buddy-buddy on the 'net. You also have on the company side, more chances that secrets are let out, inappropriate things are said, and the odd chance that the company in question is slammed by someone on the inside. Granted, few would be this stupid in my opinion, but it happens.
All in all, the way I see it is that social networking is not going anywhere. TNA, WWE, ROH, and pretty much any promotion taking advantage of this needs to internally decide how they're going to go about using this amazing tool. They'll also have the know the obvious pitfalls with doing so. Ultimately as I said above, people who use Twitter, Facebook, etc. will never be perfect in what they say. Controversy WILL happen. Another essential pro/con situation in the wrestling business.
I'll use WWE in this example on how I would personally try to use social networking if I were to run the company;
Each performer would have his or her Twitter/Facebook/etc. pages to match their in-ring personality. At this point, management will determine how close to the chest they can keep the current storyline. This way, the performer knows how often he or she should tweet, generally what about, if they have a bit of freedom, etc.
From there, and I would imagine they have positions for this in todays time, but for the company side someone should be monitoring all of the company created accounts. This way issues can be dealt with/removed in house immediately. I understand this process may already be in order, and if it is, good for them.
The main difference that I would have though would be that, if the performer wants to be in touch with his or her family, that their accounts be set for private. This way no fan interaction can take place if in fact they notice the difference. I believe that this at least attempts to not only give the performers a chance to have a life outside the limelight, but also a chance for the fans to interact with each individual without having to worry about storylines being disrupted, or characters being broken. And granted, most heels in this case would have a blast. To those that already stay in character, kudos to them. With kayfabe already well and dead, this is at least a chance to salvage what's left from the old school perspective.
To wrap up these thoughts I wanted to rant about those that abuse this form of communication. I find it insulting to fans that people do absolutely nothing but bitch, moan, and complain about their current situation or employer. This is obviously a problem not just with those in the wrestling business, but to anyone who using social networking tools. Many time people are in fact, tools. It's sad, pathetic, and a misuse of an otherwise very useful social/advertising tool.
One thing I give wrestling promotions credit for is promoting on these mediums. Usually I see advertisements all over for WWE, TNA, and even ROH. Hell, I try to use these same mediums for this blog/podcast. The fault at times though is relying way to heavily on them, without realizing that some of their younger fanbases don't have access to the same websites others do. It's all about finding a balance for what suits each company best, and who they're going after for their viewership.
So is social networking making kayfabe deader than dead? Maybe. It certainly will if it gets out of hand. I personally enjoy following some of my favorite performers from all promotions and have no problem when they're in character or out. I prefer in-character tweets for example over advertisements. I love Fozzy, but part of me wishes Chris Jericho had his own accounts for the wrestling character and the singer. Not a big deal though in my opinion. If promotions can keep their social networkers under control, while still allowing them to have lives outside of the business, this tactic will succeed for years to come. Either way, whether we like it or not, it's here to stay.
Thanks for reading everyone, and until next time, this has been your perspective from a common fan.
Programming Notes- As I'm in the process of moving to Nashville/Brentwood, TN I'll be pretty busy so don't expect another blog for at least a few weeks. Until then though we have our usual episode of Perspectives of the Common Fan this Wednesday at 9 PM EST, as well as the week after (October 6th, 13th). On Wednesday, October 20th I won't be on the air but may have Steve host the show with a guest co-host. We're going to see how things roll but worst case if that doesn't happen, we'll re-run an archive episode for your listening pleasure. We'll certainly keep you all posted and appreciate as always all the support. In the meantime check our our website under construction over at;
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Many thanks once again and until next time, enjoy the wrestling whether it sucks or not. This Wednesday Steve and I will give our usually thoughts on each show including a look at TNA's Live Impact! and the debut of Smackdown on Syfy. Thanks peeps!
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