User:NegroSuave/Smark

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Smark is abbreviated professional wrestling slang. The term is a portmanteau of "smart mark," two other terms in their own right. A "smart" is a person who is privy to the behind-the-scenes operations and understands that professional wrestling is choreographed, whereas a "mark" is one who believes that professional wrestling is real. A "smark", therefore, is a combination of the two, a wrestling fan who enjoys following the on-screen product and the off-screen, backstage affairs equally. Both of these terms are part of the overall atmosphere of kayfabe which is the term used to describe the choreographed goings on of the Professional Wrestling Industry.

Smarks are a subset of the professional wrestling fanbase. They come from many different social backgrounds and are often referred to as "smart" fans. Smarks also make themselves heard on TV through signs and crowd chants. Depending on who is using the term, it can either have a positive or negative connotation.

At their very best, smarks are fans who, while aware of the machinations of the wrestling industry, can still enjoy wrestling matches for what they are. Many so called smarks use the terminology as a badge of honor naming their personal sites with the word smark as a tribute to their fandom.

[edit] Criticisms of Smarks

Smarks have been looked down upon by wrestlers and other wrestling fans alike because they are seen as fans who are incapable of suspending their disbelief. Because of thir rampant insider knowledge, it makes it hard to maintain kayfabe. Some within the industry see them as people who were once fans but now only watch wrestling out of habit.

Smark fans that attend arena shows also have a tendency to try to promote their knowledge of the business as well as their personal tastes over the action in the ring by initiating chants such as "Boring" and otherwise heckle the wrestlers in the ring. This is normally not appreciated by the wrestlers in the ring.

[edit] See also

[edit] Citations

 The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.
  • Alfonso A. Castillo Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.) (Sept. 22) “A Rowdy, Bawdy Brawl” p. G6: Smart mark—(n) an informed fan, who follows the business closely, but lets his hair down to enjoy the show (also “smark").
  • Sunday Mail (Malaysia) (Feb. 11) “Be a smark, talk the talk” p. 71: Smark or Smart: A fan who understands some of the inner workings of the wrestling business.
  • Mike Steele ProWrestling.com (Dec. 14) “The 5 Star Truth: Student Of The Game”: Smarks are the ones who go to shows and chant “BORING!” and heckle the wrestlers. They claim to love wrestling the most but seemingly bitch 100% and never really praise anything, as if they were wrestling fans when it was good and they only still watch out of habit now.
  • Hanna Compton Gamers (Nov. 1) p. 99: I am a smart fan. Or more accurately, I am a smark, a smark mark, someone hip to the inner workings of the industry who at the same time is willing to give himself over to the pleasures of the spectacle, and the possibility that some of it might actually be real. A smart mark.…Fusing smart fan and mark, the term was apparently coined by the industry itself to name the contradiction of being a smart fan who nonetheless relishes the game, someone awed by and engaged in viewing professional wrestling despite being expert in its construction.