From: jap@cbnews.cb.att.com (james.a.parker)
Subject: Re: This Group Should Be Killed & John Arezzi
Organization: AT&T
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 22:24:18 GMT

In article <19182@mindlink.bc.ca> Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper) writes:
>So you should...I have come to the conclusion that John Arezzi has to be the
>biggest idiot in the world...
>
>All his "hard work" in exposing Vince did NOTHING.  WHy bother?  The shit
>that goes on behind the curtains is no one else's business.  If one of the
>boys had a legit complaint, let him deal with it in his own way.  But for
>Arezzi to be the so-called ringleader and stick his nose in where it does not
>belong just shows his ignorance.  He should get a real job so he CAN pay his
>bills instead of whimpering and whining about Titan hoping for a settlement
>to keep his mouth shut.

Not knowing Arezzi, I suggest he might consider himself a journalist.  Such
people *do* feel that informing people about non-obvious events is appropriate.
This can be an effective guard against abuses which occur in secret.

This is not to say that I am convinced any such abuses have occurred in the WWF.

>And as for his supposed book that will expose the business, well, if it goes
>to print you can expect to find him dead somewhere.  NONE of the boys will
>put up with that.


Death threats are not a nice thing.  Would you suggest that Bruiser Brody's
murder should have been covered up completely?

>Speaking of exposing the business, I have to make this comment.  You people
>that write to this newsgroup think you are all "insiders" to the business.
>You ain't Jack SHIT!  Just because you know a few keywords and such does not
>make you an insider.  If you guys had ANY respect for this business which you
>all say you love, this entire newsgroup would be in a mailing-list format,
>NOT a public group.  I cannot count the times that a mark has "discovered"
>this group, posted a simple mark question, and been flamed for being
>ignorant.  That person then just sits in the back and reads for a month or
>so, realizes what wrestling is all about, and boom...there is one less mark
>that will come out to the house shows and help pay the paycheque of the boys.
>There are too many people making a living off of this business to have it
>ruined by Expose' groups like this.

The readers of this group are more savvy about the mechanics of the wrestling
business than the general public.  Admittedly, there are any number of
"armchair quarterbacks," but this should not be disparaged as long as they
realize that they are not in the game.

Flaming "marks" is not a good idea, but this gets into "netiquette"; the
social rule that one should read a group for some period of time to get to
know the "culture" of the group before posting.  Posters who do not, and ask
foolish questions or make "inappropriate" comments are not always well
tolerated.

>Now, realize that since New York got TV, all the independents have had a
>rough time.  Yes, New York really ruined a lot of things for the indie's, but
>it is groups such as this that have ruined the believability of pro
>wrestling.  It is so sad to see an industry go down the shit chute.
The "believability" of wrestling is, I believe, overblown as legitimate topic.
One cannot reasonably watch wrestling and believe that the wrestlers actions
correspond with a desire to defeat there opponents.  Moves whose apparent
"damage" has no correlation to what would be expected, the frequent
"stupidity" of wrestlers (e.g., turning their backs), the otherwise excess
violence (in what other venue would the police not break up people hitting
one another with chairs?) make it obvious that what is shown is not the whole
story.

No, what happens in wrestling is a suspension of disbelief, not unlike that in
movies.  In this light, the knowledgeable wrestling fan is similar to the
film buff who recognizes how lighting is done, how special effects are created,
when music is used to affect mood, etc.  This knowledge enhances the experience
for the buff, and causes him or her to remain a fan.

Yet other than boring non afficionados, the buffs in both worlds do little 
damage.  They do not dispel belief, since these people do not *want* to
believe, at least while they are watching.
 
>One other thing...be advised that what you write here DOES go all over the
>place.  As an example, everything written about Portland, good or bad, is
>read by Sandy and the boys.  The match reports are considered good input.
>All the Whiff stuff (the interesting stuff, not the stupid bullshit gossip)
>is read by the boys in the locker room, along with middle management (Garea,
>Strongbow etc).

This is probably good for the industry; a lack of feedback can cause a loss
of contact with the public being served.  The problem is compounded in
wrestling, since there is an insistance on maintaining a fiction in contact
with the public which makes it difficult to get feedback.

>So on that note, I would really like to put it to the people "in charge" so
>to speak, to turn this group into a MARK group, and any of you that think you
>are insiders, keep it to an E-mail mailing list.    I don't know much about
>the computer end of this request, but just to see this Expose' disappear
>would be great.

There is no one person or group "in charge" of RSPW; usenet is a functional
anarchy.  

>Ya know, I passed on a bunch of interesting posts to someone that has been in
>the business for many years, and that person said to me, "Marks can get this
>shit anytime?"  That's my feeling too.  It's not right.  Change it.  For the
>good of this business that you people all say you love, change it.

The concept of "marks", I believe, is a mistake in wrestling.  A knowledge of
how wrestling "really" operates (as opposed to the fiction presented to the
audience) in most cases enhances the interest of the fan, which in turn adds
revenue to the business.  In sports there are lockerroom interviews and
instant replays with telestrators ("here's *why* this worked").  In television
and movies there are behind the scenes looks at how things are done, stories
about the actors (separate from the characters they play), and tabloid (the
Enquirer).  These help, rather than hurt, these industries.

By propagating this mentality, the wrestling industry is stifling itself.
The problems in wrestling today are not so much that people see what is going
on under the surface (really, now, who *really* cares if wrestlers use steroids
or cocaine, or are involved in sex scandals?), but rather that the promotions
are not encouraging exciting, athletic wrestling or believable angles and 
personas.


                                   James Parker
                                   jap@cb1focus.att.com