Those three words have become, perhaps, the worst words in all of wrestling. The term implies a greater understanding of wrestling as a whole than the average fan supposedly has, and allegedly gives the fan a wiser, more insightful introspect for critique and, eventually, judgment. The "smart wrestling fan" prides him/herself on knowing all that there is to know about backstage politics, proper booking and what constitutes good match quality, yet there seems to be one downfall plaguing the vast majority of "smart" wrestling fans: they are never satisfied. During the Kayfabe era of professional wrestling, even once we were all well aware of how scripted and choreographed professional wrestling was, we still allowed ourselves to be fully immersed in the storylines and character development that we were given. If someone didn't like a particular wrestler, the most likely reason was because that wrestler was "heel", and was not supposed to be liked. When we cheered our asses off for someone, it was most likely because that was exactly what we were supposed to do. That was the way it was, because that was the way is was supposed to be, and nobody seemed to have a problem with it.

With the advent of the Internet as a "reliable" source of news and information, wrestling fans began to take their fandom to another level. They began to read behind-the-scenes information about their favorite stars. Unlike the "behind the scenes" information that one could get from "PWI" or any of the other wrestling magazines, this information was based far more on what happened out of character. We began to judge wrestlers based not only on what happened in the ring and on camera, but what happened when we were not looking, because in a way, we were always watching them. It seems that not a single event backstage can escape the grasp of Internet media, and the impact on professional wrestling cannot be missed.

WWE.com has taken it upon itself to get into the mix and begin bringing us information that, prior to recent times, they would most likely have never divulged. The suspension or Randy Orton, the arrests of Sabu and Rob Van Dam and numerous other incidences of "backstage reporting" have lead to WWE's concession to the "smart" Internet fan. The most blatant use of the "smart" Internet fan would have to be the entire storyline between Kane, Edge, Lita and Matt Hardy. A vast majority of the Internet wrestling fan base, myself included, were less than pleased with the loss of Matt Hardy in WWE, and the circumstances surrounding his departure. The Internet wrestling community, for the most part, was turned on its head by Hardy's surprise appearance on RAW, and at that moment, we had to admit that, as a whole, we had been duped. With that storyline in place, the "smart" Internet wrestling fans had been acknowledged, and their seemingly infinite knowledge of backstage politics had been exploited.

This, of course, has lead to the idea of planting false seeds of information on the Internet, in the hopes of keeping the "smart" Internet wrestling fans on their heels. While this theory could certainly be looked upon with admiration as a near-brilliant ploy, it can also be easily misconstrued as a sad, desperate ploy, attempting to gain the attention of fans who are otherwise sick of the WWE product. The question that remains throughout all of this is one that is inherently difficult to answer: why are they sick of the WWE product"

It seems that the Internet fan base feels that an exceptionally few WWE wrestlers are worthy of main event status of championship reigns. More so, it seems that such gripes only come forth once said superstar is a champion. Whether it is Triple H (In my opinion one of the finest WWE champions in history), John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Rob Van Dam, Randy Orton, John Bradshaw Layfield, Booker T... okay, you get the point. It seems as if the Internet fan base is reluctant to welcome any champion, and that being crowned a champion in WWE is a catalyst for immense criticism across the Internet. Whether the champion is too small to be a legitimate champion, someone who should just be a transitional champion, someone who has held the championship for too long, someone who isn't ready to be a champion, or any of the numerous other reasons for criticism... there never seems to be a champion with whom the majority of Internet wrestling fans are happy, or even content.

I know that many fans long for the "Attitude" era of the then-WWF to return, but it's time to face the simple fact that those days have passed. Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Undertaker, Mankind, Stone Cold... their times have come and gone. Yes, many of us, myself included, miss Kane's mask. We miss the New age Outlaws, the Dudleys, Edge & Christian and the Hardys. We miss Stone Cold and The Rock. We miss the wrestlers who made us love wrestling, and it seems as if many of us are reluctant to accept what wrestling has become. If you ask three generations of fans who the greatest wrestler of all time is, you may get a list that includes Bruno Sammartino, Vern Gagne, Kerry Von Erich, Nick Bockwinkel, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Chris Benoit, Undertaker and Kurt Angle. Each generation will certainly stand a good chance of saying that their generation of wrestling was the best, but that's how it goes. For people in their teens to their mid-twenties, the "Attitude" era was what really defined wrestling for us. Either that or the N.W.O. era. Either way, those eras are gone.

The only reason we think wrestling is getting worse by the minute is because we won't give it a chance. We bicker about backstage politics and why certain people deserve more than others, when we should just be sitting back, cheering for our favorites and booing the hell out of their enemies.

by L.D. Grant..