You love pro wrestling. If you didn't you wouldn't be reading this article. With the advent of the internet, wrestling's popularity took on an entirely different direction. Many fans went from being "marks" who cheered on their favorite to vanquish the bad guy who wronged him to "smart marks" or "smarks" who took as much of an interest in the behind the scenes stories as the in ring product. Oftentimes the lines between a performer and their character can become blurred. The Chris Benoit tragedy is a classic example of this. Benoit had such a dedicated fanbase that many of his admirers are still able to detach themselves from the horrors he committed and enjoy his matches. Others are unable to separate fact from fiction and prefer he be erased from wrestling's history. Neither stance is wrong, it's just a matter of personal preference. But if you look too closely at wresting's underbelly, you won't always like what you find. This year's Hall of Fame class is quite possibly the most controversial one inducted yet. With the exception of Paul Bearer, the other six members of this class have a few scandals and questionable behaviors that will always be a part of their legacy. This isn't meant as an indictment of their character because it's hard to argue that any member of this class doesn't have the merits for inclusion. But if we're going to assess this year's Hall of Fame class it's important to look at the performers from all angles.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
