In
wrestling terminology, a 'mark' is anybody who is not privy to the inside knowledge of the wrestling industry.
The term undoubtedly was borrowed from the
carnivals where wrestling first emerged, but rather than being the '
sucker' who was to be beaten by the
carney champion, nowadays the terms is more often heard pluralised to describe the mass of wrestling fans without access to the insider information of
websites and
dirtsheets - ie. those who either consider
pro wrestling to be 'real', or who know it's
choreographed, but nothing further.
The opposite of being a mark is being a '
smart'. The term '
smart fan' is used by many
internet wrestling fans to describe themselves (as they use 'mark' as a
derogatory remark about others) - after all, they read the result
spoilers, hear about the backstage
bustups, the contract wranglings and the gossip and rumour first. Of course, the ironic thing is that they, by definition, don't know what truly goes on in the arenas and on the road - nobody does apart from the promoters, the
wrestlers and the employees of an organisation. We are being
kayfabed nearly all the time - the trick lies in sifting the shit for the sparkle of gold.
I am one such internet wrestling fan. And I choose to describe myself in the terms coined by the late
Brian Pillman - a '
smark'. We smarks know what gets leaked out, we know a certain amount of the 'real life' of the wrestling business, but when it comes to watching
RAW every week, we're in the dark just as much as the kid who cried when he watched
Hulk Hogan buried by the
Undertaker.
For those that believe, no explanation is required.
For those that don't, no explanation is good enough.
-Jeff Jarrett