8 Easy Ways To Be A Better Wrestling Fan
2. Don't Hate, Uplift
Traditional sports not only support tribalism, they also stoke it. Yet, professional wrestling is closer to a cast than individual franchises in a competitive league. Despite this, in such a heated and emotive area as wrestling, preferences quickly take on the qualities of love and hate. John Cena was the perfect spokesman for the slogan "Rise Above Hate" after feeling the wrath equally as much as the love from the fanbase.
Outside of the face and heel dynamic, devotion and hatred is often misplaced away from the ring. As easy as it is to log on to dispense negativity, ask yourself:
1) Do I really need to tag the performer's handle?
2) Is the best place for this critique under a post of a wrestler celebrating their sibling's birthday?
3) How would you feel if QT Marshall criticised your proficiency with a QWERTY keyboard?
As easy as it is to focus energy on the wrestlers who don't appeal to you, it is even easier to uplift one of your favourites. Recommend a favourite match, reminisce about a classic moment, hype them up. If it is feasible buy their merch, attend meet-and-greets, support their other projects (i.e. Twitch streaming). Or for the artists in the fandom, there's nothing quite as touching as fan art.