BC Steele entered the world of professional wrestling in July of 2001 as a referee under the name Mark Steele. Having done everything from music, to gopher (go for this, go for that), ring crew, etc… Steele has been around the business learning since 1998. Steele stopped reffing (or in some cases, was FIRED) in October of 2003 to pursue a career on the managerial side of things. Thru his career he has worked with the likes of Psychosis, Juventued Gurrera, Chris Hamrick, Matt Hardy, Rhyno, Nova (Simon Dean – WWE), CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, Low Ki (Senshi – TNA), Dan Severn, the late Shinya Hashimoto, and many more. Steele is never at a loss for words and thus shall be proven here in this column.
#1 - "You ain't in the business, what do you know?"
Let me start off by saying "Yes I realize this isn't a daily column I am writing" but Daily Dose just sounds better. Just read the thing everyday. Also, I am not a literary scholar so I apologize for any errors in grammar or word usage. I thank you for reading this although it should be YOU who thanks me. I take my time to take the thoughts in my head and type them out just for you. Be grateful. My opinions are not those of anyone else's but they probably should be. If you are offended, get over it. If you have something constructive to say (good or bad) then e-mail me. If you don't have my email, check my website. Same goes for if you have an idea of a topic for me to write about.
I was thinking of what I could write for the debut of DDVS. I could write about myself, which I know quite a bit about. It's also my favorite subject. I am great, hell just ask me. I am honest. I am intelligent. I am modest. Ok ok, this column isn't meant to put myself over. It is meant to hopefully entertain and possibly even drum up some intelligent conversation. That is something that can be a rarity among wrestling fans.
For my first go round with this I'm going to talk about a stigma that has bothered me before I got in the business. It bothers me being in it. It will probably bother me till my dying days. I will offer the point and counterpoint. Then, let the intelligent debate begin. There is an opinion of some that people who are not in the business know nothing about it. They feel that not being in the business gives you no right to speak on it.
I agree with this to an extent. There are some people that believe they know what is best for the business. Look no further than the internet. Some of the people that see the fans as "know nothing marks" are people that have an old school mentality. I agree that being in the business definitely changes your views on it and I think some people who insist they know what is best have no clue what is going on. I sometimes see on message boards and things of the like, fans discussing what is best for the promotion, as if they had some financial backing in the company. Or there is my other pet peeve of ripping apart a guy just because he isn't their favorite style of worker. "This guy should go over." "This guy is terrible." "What I wanted to happen, didn't happen and it sucks." What ever happened to simply enjoying a show? Cheer the good guys, boo the bad ones, and just have fun. Why must everything be gone thru with a fine tooth comb? I know of wrestlers who have quit promotions or wrestling all together because of something some smartass fans thought. Let's put aside for a second the fact of fans trying to get over on a message board or worse, on a show. I'll save that for another column. I can understand not enjoying a particular part of a show or wrestler. Fact of the matter is, criticism is one thing. Thinking you are some wrestling genius is another. If you truly feel you can do it better (be it from a wrestling or booking standpoint) then do it you prick.
Now, to flip the coin and offer the other side, which I also understand. I am not a chef. I will probably never cook roasted duck. But if I order it, and it tastes like crap, I do not expect the chef to tell me "You're not a chef. You aren't in the food industry so you don't know what you are talking about." Most people can tell what they like and don't like. It's just a matter of being respectful of how you handle it. I don't like the food. I can politely let someone know. Or I can spit on it and ask the chef why I got served roasted turds. Another argument for this side is the ECW fans. A lot of those fans were creative in their signs, dress, ideas, etc… Stevie Richards even mentions it on the "Rise and Fall of ECW" DVD. So fans CAN be helpful.
Another point is that some people that ARE in the business just don't have a clue. I have worked a show or two with people that are beyond noticeably terrible. Some names, which I shall not include here, think they are the next Thesz or Flair. When in actuality, they are hardly trained, IF at all. People like that support the "if THAT guy is a wrestler, I can be" argument. Not saying I am the best worker ever (if you've seen me wrestle, you can attest I am NOT) or because I am in the business I am better.
Maybe in this day in age (yeah listen to me, the grizzled vet that I am) the fans, marks, smart marks, WHATEVER you want to call them ripping things apart is accepted. Maybe I am just too touchy on things like that. Fact of the matter is, if you have an opinion, that's great. Give it respectfully. Don't bitch and moan and complain and do nothing about it. Speak up. But don't be a dick. If you are a dick, don't be surprised to be called out or, to quote a famous unnamed poet, "don't be surprised if you get punched in your cocksucker". To workers and those in charge I say listen to the fans but also understand what they are saying. Don't think that all of the fans out there are just there to rip everything apart. Understand not EVERY fan thinks they can do it better.
With all of that said, I'd like to change my line from earlier. If you have something to say, I don't care, you aren't a columnist so you can't do it better. Kidding…. No really. Send opinions my way. I now end with a link for the masses. It may be a youtube video. It might be randomness. It may be something useful to your daily life. Today it is a Magnum TA promo athttp://youtube.com/watch?v=nvalrcu1eYU
This has been your Daily Dose (yeah I KNOW) of Vitamin Steele.
1 comment:
I remember when I first started going to indy shows. A lot of guys were out of shape and wrestling in a t-shirt and swish pants. The mere suggestion that they work out and buy gear was met with, you've never wrestled, you don't know anything.
Yet I know there are guys working now who paid however much to train but don't have half a mind for the business.
I go to McDonald's and when my hamburger isn't cooked, I know it, even though I never worked the grill.
I go to a movie, and I know when I am not entertained, although I have never been on the big screen.
I go to a wrestling show, and I know what's over based on what the crowd pops for. I know what I like, that is my opinion. I try to offer most of my criticism constructively, but sometimes even that's not good enough. When the backlash comes, fans get a harder edge, and the wrestler/fan relationship breaks down to You Suck vs. You don't know anything Mark...
Hopefully this site can facilitate discussions from both those in the business and those outside of it, and they can happen with respect.
Haha, yeah, and maybe world peace will break out tommorow too.
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