Fans or marks

This is probably the whisky talking but hear me out. I work in criminal law – for me the term “mark” has a specific meaning as being the target of a con. And in wrestling’s past, that’s exactly what it meant – fleecing marks for as much money as you could with the least amount of effort.

I was listening the other day to Bryan Alvarez tear apart the HIAC Rollins/Fiend debacle, and he said “WWE sees you all as just a bunch of marks.” And I understand where he is coming from. But AEW Dynamite has felt a lot more like being a fan than a mark. You are giving them money, sure – but they aren’t disrespecting you for being a fan of the business because they love the business too. You’re getting what you pay for, and even if you don’t necessarily like everything you see, you can see the effort put into it.

So what say you? Are we all still just marks if we can still feel that love for the business when we see it being done well? Or is there a distinction between just being a mark and being a fan?

Hey, some people still like WWE. My desire is for both companies to be good because that way I make the most money.