Converting somebody into a fan

[joeg]

If you're trying to convert a friend, family member or significant other into being a wrestling fan how would you do it?  What episodes, promos, matches, would you show them?  

[brockobama]

When I was trying to expose friends and S/Os to wrestling during college in the early to mid 2010s I usually went with some amalgamation of PWG and Chikara, sometimes with a little Dragon Gate too. With younger folks I felt that showing them relatively recent flashy, colorful, smaller scale, often character-driven wrestling was better than something older or more violent or more melodramatic, the sorts of things that might confirm all their suspicions and preconceived notions of wrestling. It also didn't hurt that a lot of the people in those promotions were a bit younger and more real-world attractive than your average 80s vet or musclebound freak.

This was a while later but Lucha Underground was real helpful too. Having something that looked and felt more like your average TV drama and less like Monday Night RAW made a big difference and I found that the cultural/language barrier wasn't so bad so long as people understood ahead of time that this was a fantastical, semi-foreign sort of thing.

As far as specific wrestler are concerned, I found that an endearing underdog worked to hook someone in far better than a sculpted adonis or charismatic heel. No matter how strange and absurd the situation is, people can immediately understand a little guy getting beat up by someone bigger. I got a lot of mileage out of people like Bayley, Rey Mysterio, The Colony, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Mikey Whipwreck, etc. 

[NintendoLogic]

To be honest, I don't think it's possible for the most part. I really think that wrestling is something you have to get into as a child so that nostalgic attachment can override the logical part of your brain.

[Ricky Jackson]

20 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said:

To be honest, I don't think it's possible for the most part. I really think that wrestling is something you have to get into as a child so that nostalgic attachment can override the logical part of your brain.

I used to think so myself until actually getting to know a few people in the last decade who became fans in adulthood. One even trained to be a wrestler and worked for a few years, and the other ended up becoming a pretty massive fan of Japanese wrestling and a lot of non-WWE wrestling in general. A fellow wrestling-loving friend of mine helped convert them through his enthusiasm, but they were both really intigued by realizing wrestling is theatre, with all the possibilities that entails, and disregarding the negative perceptions of wrestling that are often a barrier to people getting into it 

[MoS]

The two famous Bret-Austin matches are what I turn to usually.

[Badlittlekitten]

Orange Cassidy.

[cactus]

I've been making my way through the How2Wrestling podcast where the host tries to convert his girlfriend into a fan and it's great giving insight on what a new, modern fan might like. They've always said that starting off with the first TLC match or the 'Taker/Mankind HIAC match is a big no-no. It's just way too much to process for a new fan. Anything NXT from the last five years is a good starting point. It's modern, fast and has storylines that don't require them to sit through too many in-ring promos that might put them off.

I also used to go to RevPro's big shows with a friend who would always bring along non-fan friends with him and they always had a blast. I don't too many of them follow the product nowadays, but they definitely came out of the venue with a newfound respect for this mental, fake sport we all love. 

[brockobama]

3 hours ago, NintendoLogic said:

To be honest, I don't think it's possible for the most part. I really think that wrestling is something you have to get into as a child so that nostalgic attachment can override the logical part of your brain.

I didn't get into it until well into my teens and I know maybe two dozen people for whom that applies. If anything I'd wager that's becoming more and more common, especially as accessible alternatives to WWE are popping up. The logic of it doesn't have to appeal to any sort of ingrained nostalgia more than in any other media. It's not like the only people watching superhero movies these days are folks who read Action Comics #1 when they were a tyke.

48 minutes ago, cactus said:

I've been making my way through the How2Wrestling podcast where the host tries to convert his girlfriend into a fan and it's great giving insight on what a new, modern fan might like.

Haven't listened to it in a long time but that's a cute show. Might frustrate a longtime fan for how surface it is, somewhat by design, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone venturing into wrestling for the first time.

3 hours ago, Ricky Jackson said:

A fellow wrestling-loving friend of mine helped convert them through his enthusiasm, but they were both really intigued by realizing wrestling is theatre, with all the possibilities that entails, and disregarding the negative perceptions of wrestling that are often a barrier to people getting into it 

This is definitely a big help too, illustrating to people how wrestling compares to or connects to things like theatre and sports instead of separating it on a bizarre little island.

[Laz]

While she's not going to watch it or seek it out on her own, I got my girlfriend into it by just watching it with a friend and her. She initially laughed at how we were so into guys pretending to fight while wearing spandex, but when we explained kayfabe and blading and how to take a bump? She was more intrigued. 

If I were to take a friend and get them interested, that's probably what I'd do, similar to Ricky's method of explaining it as theater. The key then would be to find other theatrical presentations they enjoy (TV, stage, film) and finding acts/products that are similar. My girlfriend loves grimy horror flicks (one reason we started hitting it off) and "edgier" superhero fare, and she gets into guys like Moxley and Darby Allin. Friends I used to go to punk/metal gigs with? They can watch hardcore/deathmatch stuff but think WWE is lame.

[funkdoc]

the way to do it for younger folks is to draw parallels to anime or comic books or whatever shit like that they're into.  anime is the most common i find, it's kinda the "alpha fandom" in a sense.  and that's basically what wrestling's been for quite a while now anyway!

WWE in general isn't likely to work tho, just because of the sheer amount of content to keep up with.  AEW's much more reasonable.

[Coffey]

On 5/5/2020 at 10:59 PM, joeg said:

If you're trying to convert a friend, family member or significant other into being a wrestling fan how would you do it?  What episodes, promos, matches, would you show them?  

For me, the one consistent over the years has been never trying to force it. I just watch the stuff that I watch & if someone shows an interest, or asks any questions, I just try to answer in a kind & logical way so they can follow-up on any intrigue created there. Like, you don't want to be the know-it-all talking about backstage politics & shit. Just answer their questions & don't talk down to them or patronize them. It's a great thing to have someone express some interest in something that you enjoy & pro-wrestling is no different. If you can help to create a new fan, you might have someone new to share your hobby with.

For example, my girlfriend became interested in Asuka after I was watching some NXT. We ended up watching a few TakeOver shows together & the consistent was her interest in Asuka. When Asuka was called-up to the main roster, my girlfriend lost a lot of interest in NXT & eventually stopped watching altogether. Now she enjoys watching the old stuff with me because I'm passionate about it. 

At the end of the day, it's always going to be about the characters & stories more so than the matches. At least that has been my experience. 

[gordi]

Once the crisis is over: Take 'em to a live show. If there is anything running within driving distance that doesn't actively suck, the live experience is 10 times more powerful at helping someone understand what is fun and what is great about pro wrestling.