Pro wrestling is big business. With the industry seemingly in a boom period, there are a lot of people taking an interest in it. And with there being so many fans, there are going to be a whole load of different kinds of them. Here are six different types of wrestling fans.
- The Sports Bettor
Although wrestling might not be entirely on the up and up (but don’t tell Eddie Kingston), the Sports Bettor doesn’t really care, because no matter what happens, there’s a bet to be made. Whether it’s through All Elite Wrestling’s partnership with DraftKings or checking out wrestling odds on domestic or overseas sportsbooks, the Sports Bettor is trying to make money from his knowledge of pro wrestling. If they are at a show, it’ll be a larger one, because that’s where the books are made, and they’ll be looking at their phone to place their bets. If nothing else, they love a bit of booking rumor, so they can be a useful source for that. How accurate those rumors will be is another matter entirely, though.
- The WWE Maximalist
The WWE is the biggest promotion, so it is only inevitable that it has the most fans. But within any E crowd, there will be a certain sort of person who only exists for the Stamford company. You might not notice them immediately, but a conversation about any other form of wrestling with a WWE Maximalist gets knocked back with, at best, a dismissive shrug. These people are obsessed with TV ratings to the extent that any other company gaining viewers is their worst nightmare. There’s a good chance they aren’t just willing to defend the indefensible; they are willing to endorse it. And woe betide you if you happen to wear a t-shirt from another company at a WWE show. Titan Towers will forever be their spiritual home.
- The Wrestlehipster
In some ways, Wrestlehipsters are the opposite of WWE maximalists. On the other hand, they are basically the same person, only they swap their love of TV ratings for a love of Dave Meltzer’s ratings. To be found anywhere that isn’t the WWE, they are only too keen to try to hijack the show with their unusual facial hair and annoying chants. Oh, and they are going to try to dissect the in-ring action, using the latest insider term they’ve learned, to the extent that it could make the most hardened sceptic dream of the glory days of kayfabe. If you see one with a glint in their eye and a Bullet Club logo on their chest, just know that you might be in for a lecture.
- The Returner
The Returner is like a newbie, only not quite. They’re someone, usually of a certain age, who had a deep and abiding love of pro wrestling that never really went away in their youth, but they stopped watching. At some point over the last few years – possibly during the pandemic – they started watching again and realized that, yes, they loved professional wrestling. They’re a font of knowledge on things like the Golden Age and the Attitude Era, but there is a possibility you could talk about the SuperCena era, or Raw guest hosts, or Hulk Hogan’s dalliance with TNA, and they will look a little baffled. On the other hand, they can probably tell you who Lance Storm beat to become Intercontinental Champion in 2001 (it was Albert) or wax lyrical about the cut of Steve Blackman’s, admittedly stylish, martial arts trousers.
- The Treasure Hunter
No matter what people say, we all like to feel like we’ve discovered something. The Treasure Hunter is on a constant mission to find the Next Big Thing in wrestling. Although they’ll enjoy the big promotions, they are never happier than when attending a small indie show in the hope that they’ll witness future greatness. They probably never saw Bret Hart in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, or a young Will Ospreay at a community centre in Essex, but that’s not for want of trying. One day, they hope, their merch collection will be worth a lot of money. If it isn’t, they’re considering leaving it to the as-yet-unfounded Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- The Regular Wrestling Fan
Finally, we come to the sort of wrestling fan that doesn’t make a noise, doesn’t wind people up, and doesn’t, in some cases, even come across like a wrestling person. And that’s the Regular Wrestling Fan. The truth is, despite what you might read on the internet, most people who like wrestling have regular jobs and regular lives. They might not have wrestling as their number one thing, but that’s OK, because they are the real lifeblood of the game. They buy their tickets, watch the shows – when they can – and they are the sort of person who every promoter worth their salt wants to attract to the show. They might not talk about “spots”, or make up chants, or be able to hold forth about the legacy of Kenta Kobashi, but they are out there, and they are, perhaps thankfully, the majority.
