Recently there was a discussion on social media spiked by the controversy around Ariane Andrew’s favourite match. When asked by Stone Cold, she answered with a match between Melina and Alicia Fox that took place back in 2010. Not only did she immediately get mocked for her response, but people nowadays still use this answer to ridicule her and to doubt her experience as a wrestling fan.
But why is it that when asked for a favourite match, one has to answer with a so-called “classic” to be taken seriously? Doesn’t the wording of “favourite match” imply that it is the match that one most enjoyed and liked? Then why is it then not acceptable to name something else instead of some classic?
The reasoning behind this is all too often what I will call subjective objectivity.
Objectivity in itself is an illusion since everything has something subjective about it. Even when many agree on something, there is always others who will disagree.
This also, of course, applies to wrestling.
Taking a look at classic match shows that they are branded as classics because many fans liked it, or other wrestlers praised it, or wrestling critics gave it a good rating, or it had an impact on the wrestling world itself or any combination of those. This all, though, is bound to subjectivity: sure, a good amount of people like it. But that doesn’t mean everyone will.
Some people will not bother watching classics, or liking classic wrestlers, and that is perfectly fine.
You don’t have to know every classic wrestling thing to be a fan. This gate-keeping, often practiced by other wrestlers in the industry and then being enforced by the fan base, does more harm than good. It will keep many away from becoming fans in the first place.
A wrestling fan is someone who likes wrestling. That is it. No requirement of watching classics. Or liking classic wrestlers. Shouldn’t watching wrestling make fun?
It is always bewildering to see people argue against that.
Wrestling is a form of entertainment, and those fans ruin said entertainment immediately when they grab the pitchforks just because someone doesn’t like classics.
In the last few years, wrestling has slowly started to progress into a better direction in regards to diversity and its embracement. We shouldn’t stop there. The fanbase should embrace said diversity as well, and accept a very easy rule: To each their own.
