Gray shades in wrestling: Fan's point of view

If you’re confused by the name of the article, let me break it down. There are two types of things in the wrestling world – the good and the bad. Everybody knows that. But wrestling, being such a wonderful ‘sport’, has more than just what meets the eye. The reason I’m a wrestling fan is not because of a couple of individuals, well at least not entirely. The business itself is so intriguing, that it takes a life of its own. Can someone say that about football? How about tennis? Can you see something other than booing or cheering in any other sport? The answer is no. I’m a fan of other sports, but that’s because of the players, or the clubs, or the nations. Not because of the sport itself.

People say art imitates life sometimes, and that is the case in wrestling more often than not. But sometimes, it goes in a circle, which is art imitating life imitating art. Kind of confusing, isn’t it? That’s professional wrestling for you. So, in wrestling, you just don’t have the good and the bad. In wrestling terms, you have something called a ‘tweener’, which we call the ‘Gray shade’ in wrestling. For example, after the Bret vs Austin match at WrestleMania, there were people booing Bret even though he was the good guy at that time, and were cheering the bad guy, who was Austin. Why was that? Or why do so many people cheer for Cena, while the others boo him? The answer is once again, the gray shade in wrestling. It isn’t as clear cut, which makes it so interesting.

We can write articles about wrestling, the superstars, the managers and the other things, but for now, I’m writing something which is intangible, the source of the gray shade, which is a wrestling fan. When you ask someone, they say they like Dwayne, and say he’s the best ever. When you ask someone else, he says Dwayne is just a glory hunter, and that the Undertaker is the best. Perspectives change, but why? In the end, aren’t we seeing the same thing? It is different with other sports, because you see players in real life, real emotions, and you relate with whatever they’re doing. But in wrestling, some people dislike guys whom the others like. So why does this happen? The answer lies much deeper than a simple ‘perspective’. That’s where the art imitates life.

In wrestling, there are two terms to define a fan: A ‘mark’ and a ‘smark’. A mark is usually someone who thinks whatever is happening inside the ring is real, and a smark is a guy who knows that the professional wrestling business is scripted. In the end, we can say all of us are smarks, (Smark = Smart mark). Back in the 80s, when there was no internet, people used to believe that Pro Wrestling was real. Most of the times, the bad guys were escorted out of buildings or even towns, because they were afraid the people might attack them if they find them. So, can we blame the internet for making this whole charade so much difficult? Or should we blame Vince McMahon, who was the one who came out and said pro wrestling wasn’t real? We can say both, or none.

Ultimately, the gray shade is a concept that arises through the fan’s perspective, which explains the title of this article. This is meant to go a little in depth to understand why this happens in wrestling; why a guy like Daniel Bryan gets booed everywhere, but gets cheered in a city which is known for its knowledgeable wrestling fans (Like Miami, Chicago, Pennsylvania or New York). The fans are the ones who can turn a guy into a good guy or a bad guy. But the funny thing is, fans don’t think alike, which creates a unique balance in the wrestling world. In a perfect scenario, every fan would boo Punk and every fan would cheer for Cena. But what’s the fun in that? When you have dueling chants for both of the guys, that’s when the arena lights up. That’s when people get interested, that’s when a good match becomes great. You can take the examples of Hogan vs Rock at Wrestlemania, Punk vs Cena at MITB, and some other matches, which will be remembered for the fans’ interaction much more than what the superstars brought on that night.

Think of it this way. When Austin comes out and kicks someone in the guts, people go wild. What would happen if Austin did that to Cena? People would go nuts! But why? Isn’t Cena the good guy? And therein lies the answer. The gray shade in wrestling is one of the funniest, and the most interesting thing about the ‘sport’. If you like someone, rest assured, there will be many others who dislike him, and will have their own reasons and opinions to do so.