Fan Loyalty: Then & Now

[Deleted]

I just responded to a thread in the Mattel section and had commented on how amazed I am at the fact that last year this time, everyone was high on Miz as he was The Champ heading into Mania to defend against Super Cena. Everyone was marking for Miz and hating on Cena, talking about how Miz had always been a fan etc etc.

One year later, many of the same are talking about how bad Miz is, keeping his figures in a bin and such.

Yes, he botched the catch with Truth in the Raw HW Contender match a few weeks ago, but that happens sometimes in the business (Owen/Austin, Goldberg/Bret).

I'm not saying Miz is any spectacular wrestler by any means, but I like him because he is consistent and always seems to want to be The Best, whether it's jobbing to Riley, getting beaten up by Truth or destroyed by Punk.

Back in the 80's-90's range, you never saw fans turn on the wrestlers like that when they were removed from the spotlight. Flair would lose the title. When a major player was put into a mid card spot, the fans still supported them both heel and face (Steamboat, AA, Tully, Warriors all come to mind).

Granted, there was no WWW to allow people to share their thoughts in such a large forum, but there seemed to be so much more loyalty to the wrestlers.

It just frustrates me sometimes.

[wabarrett]

While I've basically never enjoyed the Miz at all (though I warmed to him a bit because I thought he did a solid job as WWE Champion) I do agree with this. When he was getting that push he didnt deserve IMO, where within a year he won the U.S. Title, Tag Team Title, MITB and then finally the WWE Title, there was talk of him being the best mic worker in the company (lol), and the phrase 'he's improved so much' was shoved down the throats of any naysayers. Gradually, seemingly everyone on WF had him in their sigs. Now, not so much lol. Barely a mention of the guy, and when there is it's usually a negative comment.

Fickle fans is nothing new though, and not just a thing on the internet. CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, Matt Hardy, John Cena, John Morrison, Michelle, Melina, Batista, R-Truth and others have been subject to complete 180s by many fans in recent years.

[Robert69]

I don't think you need to look any further than the turn on The Rock to see how easily someone can sway.

That said, I never did and never will like The Miz.

[LeighD]

I think with today's fans, they are going to jump to whom they can identify with the most. Whereas in the yesteryears of the WWF, fans would stick with their favorites regardless.

No question about wrestlers in the 80s and 90s had their share of 180s by fans. But more or less, fans would stand their grounds. Nowadays, it seems to be fans siding with whomever is the coolest (Punk, Jericho, etc) or trashing those whom most everyone hates (Cena, etc)

I've generally always stayed with whom I liked ever if no one else does. Undertaker, HHH, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Punk, Cena, and others are the main ones I follow and for the most part, enjoy watching. I know popular guys like Rey, HBK & Jericho are loved by a lot of the WWE Universe, but I just cannot get into the guys overall. I love their ring work, but I just don't care for them all that much.

But often guys will "soften" over time and become less desirable to watch. Biggest name that comes to mind is RVD. In ECW RVD was THE sh*t to watch towards the company's end. Once in the WWE he continued to be. However, somewhere along the lines, his matches became too "cookiecutter" for me as I felt like I was watching the same match just different opponents.

[vivalaraza1331]

I think there are a few factors to deal with when talking about The Miz. In my case, I think it is clear that Miz's work has deteriorated since he lost the WWE Championship. Does that mean the title was motivation for him? Maybe. But as a fan, it has appeared one too many times that he is going through the motions. With more motivation, and reports saying he is in line for a post-Wrestlemania push, maybe that will change.

The other factor is one that comes into play, especially on the internet, way too many times. For whatever reason, internet fans are quick to take a liking to a guy they think is "underrated" or "deserves a bigger push." When that guy gets pushed, and they are no longer the underdog and the fans are no longer "cool" for liking him first, they jump ship to a new guy. I've been guilty of it.

I do agree that it happens way too much in wrestling today. Even guys like John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, and CM Punk (to a lesser extent) have fallen victim to it. In the 80s and 90s, if Hogan and Savage were your guys, they had your loyalty for life. That isn't the case today.

[kazoosandstreamers]

My views on The Miz have never changed. I didn't care for him when he debuted, didn't care for him a year ago, and still don't care for him now.

I will give him credit. He achieved way more than I ever thought he would.

[500DaysofNight]

I think they have big plans in store for him for WM. If he doesn't become part of the GM match, he WILL make some sort of impact.

[threehgame]

On The Miz: I think in part so many people jumped on his bandwagon because he was fighting Cena and managed to keep the title off of Cena.

On loyalties over time: In the 80's the wrestlers were larger than life and carried a super-hero/movie character image. Liking them was like being a fan of Batman or Superman. the early to mid 90's had Bret and HBK who were not larger than life but were so supremely athletic they carried the super-hero vibe going. Austin and Rocky brought the larger than life thing back around. Now the wrestlers are more like athletic reality tv stars and the fans react as such. Some of that is how the WWE markets it's talent and some of that is the new generation of fans.

[cordless2016]

I've always hated Miz. I remember 95% of the people on here constantly bashing me and the few who actually saw the Miz for the crappy wrestler and character he was. Now people have turned on him and are acting like they never marked out for that piece of crap. I was never a big Alberto Del Rio fan either and got bashed for disliking him when he debuted, but now people could give two craps about him.