Welcome to rec.sport.pro-wrestling

Generated September 1, 1995

The rec.sport.pro-wrestling newsgroup is dedicated to the discussion of
professional wrestling and related topics. You'll find that the traffic 
on r.s.p-w (as the newsgroup is commonly referred to) is a mix of rumors,
reviews, discussion about current and past events, and speculation about
future events.

Preface:

Oliver Postlethwaite summed it up perfectly when discussing what r.s.p-w is. 
"[R.s.p-w is a newsgroup and is part of] Usenet, a collection of newsgroups.
This does not restrict itself to 'News. Now. Dammit.' (tm Dave Scherer)
Intelligent discussion and opinion can be news, too. Look at what you're
posting --- it's called an ARTICLE. Think about what you'd write if you were
publishing an article in a newspaper. Would what you write here get past your
editor?"

r.s.p-w is not an echo, a roundtable, a conference, a bulletin board, or 
a special interest group. Although you might be reading r.s.p-w on one of 
these, please remember that r.s.p-w is first and foremost a Usenet 
newsgroup. So, please conduct yourself in a manner that is appropriate to 
Usenet. As Oliver Postlethwaite stated recently, "*EVERY* single poster 
to r.s.p-w [should take] responsibilty for his or her own actions."

Discussion about e-mail/fantasy wrestling can be found in the more 
appropriate newsgroup rec.sport.pro-wrestling.fantasy.

Consider the rest of this post a mini survival guide. It is everybody's 
best interest to read this post: both old-timers and new comers alike 
would be well served to read this.

The Welcome message briefly touches on what r.s.p-w is all about and some 
basic posting rules and things. If you wish to know more information 
about a particular wrestler, wrestling organization, and the like, read 
the r.s.p-w Frequently Asked Questions list (commonly referred to as the 
FAQ). If you can't find the FAQ at your site, you can FTP it from the 
following locations:
 
site:           rtfm.mit.edu
location:       /pub/usenet-by-group/rec.sport.pro-wrestling
filename:       [rec.sport.pro-wrestling]_FAQ_(part_01_02)
filename:       [rec.sport.pro-wrestling]_FAQ_(part_02_02)

site:           istrain.health.ufl.edu
location:       /pub
filename:       rspw-faq.zip

The editor and maintainer of the rspw FAQ is Dominic Macika. It is posted
usually the last Sunday of the month.
Contact Dominic politely at <macika@grumpy.emich.edu> with subject line
GET FAQ and he'll send it to you.

Remember that, and set type binary when FTPing from the istrain site.
 
The rest of this post answers the following questions:

  Is wrestling "real"? Don't you know wrestling is "fake"?!
  Has wrestling always been fake/scripted/fixed?
  I'm new to r.s.p-w. Besides getting the FAQ, what else should I do?
  Who is the best wrestler? Which is the best wrestling promotion?
  I'm going to reply to a post. What should I do?
  I can't post. Is there a mail-to-news gateway I can use?
  Someone just insulted me! Any last words before I flame away?
  Common acronyms

Please direct your comments, questions, and suggestions regarding this 
post to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com (original author) and/or jesoria@infi.net 
("new" author).
Diffs have been marked accordingly with a pipe symbol (|).

------------------------------
 
Is wrestling "real"? Don't you know wrestling is "fake"?!

Yes. To both questions.

We know that wrestling matches have predetermined outcomes. Don't bother
telling us that wrestling is "fake" or that it's "fixed": we already know
that. We know that the punches and kicks are pulled (ie, they don't land
with full force). We know that a wrestler doesn't really choke another 
wrestler. Don't cause yourself untold grief by telling us that wrestling 
is scripted or fake.  The average r.s.p-w reader knows much more about 
the business end of professional wrestling than the average fan does.

Finally, remember that we are reading rec.sport.pro-wrestling because we
want to talk about professional wrestling. This is not the place to argue
whether professional wrestling is worthwhile.
 
------------------------------

Has wrestling always been fake/scripted/fixed?
 
First, read the previous answer.

Second, to answer the question, yes, the outcomes to professional 
wrestling matches have always been predetermined.  Even back in the early
days (the late 1800s and the early 1900s) most wrestling matches had
predetermined
outcomes.
 
Some reports have early professional wrestling matches (pre 1920s) being
real matches (ie, the outcome was not predetermined). However, over time the
exhibition matches -- as the matches with the predetermined outcomes were
then known -- became popular. Before too long, the exhibition matches took
over the entire sport. Although the exact date is unknown, the 1920s are
usually regarded as the end of "real" matches in professional wrestling.
 
To put it bluntly, unless you're 70+ years old, the matches you saw as a kid
were just as predetermined (ie, "fake") as the ones today. The style of
wrestling may have been different but the underlying concept was the same
(ie, the winners and losers were predetermined).
 
------------------------------

I'm new to r.s.p-w. Besides getting the FAQ, what else should I do?
 
1) Finish reading this document.
 
2) Whether you're new to the net, or just r.s.p-w, give yourself a couple
weeks to get a feel for the newsgroup.
 
Think about it. You normally do not join a conversation by just walking up
and talking. Instead, you listen first and then join in when you have
something pertinent to contribute. The same applies to the net. You
shouldn't post to groups you do not read, or post to groups you've only read
a few articles from -- you may not be familiar with the on-going conventions
and themes of the group. Give yourself time.  You'll be glad you did. We
will too.
 
Once you get comfortable with r.s.p-w, do not feel obligated to post a reply
to everything you see. If you do, you'll piss off a lot of people quickly.

3) Go to the news.announce.newusers newsgroup and read the following posts:

Hints on writing style for Usenet
A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community
What is Usenet?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet
Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette
How to Create a New Usenet Newsgroup
 
Seriously, all of the above posts are full of sage advice. You'll be glad
you read them. We will too. (Note: oldtimers would do well to read the above
listed posts too.)
 
4) It is a good idea to make a test post if you are new to the net, or if
you aren't sure how to post to r.s.p-w, or if you want to try out your new
.sig. Please keep the following in mind when making a test post:
 
post your test to the misc.test newsgroup.

add a line saying "Distribution: local" to the header of your test post.
This way, your test post will only go to your site and will appear exactly
as if it had been sent around the world.
 
By following these simple suggestions, you will save the net money and you
will avoid the almost-certain flames associated with world-wide test posts.

------------------------------
 
Who is the best wrestler? Which is the best wrestling promotion?
 
Despite what you will read on r.s.p-w or what you will see on television,
there is no such thing as the best wrestler, nor is there is such thing as
the best wrestling organization.

There are many criteria that can be used in evaluating wrestlers,
promotions, and matches. These include athleticism, technical wrestling
skills, wrestling style, workrate, realism, heat, angles and story lines,
gimmicks, personality, and "look," among others.

Different people place widely different emphases on the various criteria.
Thus, two people can have widely divergent opinions of the same wrestler or
same wrestling promotion. Both opinions are neither wrong nor right; they
are just opinions.
 
You might have strong opinions on which criteria are the most important and
which wrestlers and promotions best live up to those standards, but trying
to convince somebody else that you are right could very well be a mammoth
exercise in futility.
 
------------------------------
 
I'm going to reply to a post. What should I do?
 
Recently Oliver Postlethwaite posted some very good advice on replying to a
post. Read these tips carefully as you think about replying to an article.
 
"You may have a slow newsfeed. Find out if you do and if so try and refrain
from posting an article that purports to break some sort of news. This also
explains why you don't see results for a few days after a PPV. It is a given
that someone will post results. In fact too many people post results so it
is completely unnecessary to ask for them (unless say it's an indy show that
only one r.s.p-w-er may have attended). If you want the results right away
through e-mail then try and e-mail someone you know that has a good feed and
ask him or her to pass them along."
 
You may have a good newsfeed. If so, read all of the remaining articles at
your site. You might find that your query has already been answered or that
somebody has already made the same point you were about to make.

"Take the time to edit your articles. Contrary to what you may believe,
appearance does count." Here are some tips to improve the appearance of
articles while editing:
 
o   Mark your reply with a keyword or two in the subject. For example, if
    you want to know about Vince McMahon, you might use a subject of "[WWF]: 
    McMahon?". This may help reduce the number of threads on one particular 
    topic.
 
o   Keep your reply topical, short, and to the point. *Please*, *PLEASE*
    WEED OUT THE STUFF THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO YOUR REPLY. Nobody wants to see 
    50 lines of quoted text so you can post a 5 line comment. Learn how to use 
    your editor. Please, do not post replies until you know how to incorporate 
    and edit quoted text.
 
o   *Please* try to make your post as grammatically correct as possible. It
    just takes one instance of a misused "it's" for "its" (or such similar
    grammatical/spelling errors) to cause someone's gasket to blow. Such 
    errors *DO* make the poster somewhat less intelligent than he/she really 
    is. "Basically take the time to read over what you just wrote. Decide who 
    your audience is. Is it just the one person you are addressing [or
    agreeing with]? Then send e-mail. Personal e-mail is a much more effective 
    way to communicate your point directly." Common examples of replies that 
    should be e-mailed and not posted include: flames, survey responses, 
    responses to buy/sell merchandise offered on the net, and answers to "who 
    was" questions. If you do decide to post, keep in mind that it will be 
    going to thousands of sites around the world. Is it really important for 
    everyone to see your "me too" post?
 
------------------------------
 
I can't post. Is there an mail-to-news gateway I can use?
 
Why, yes. If you use this address, your article will appear on r.s.p-w:
 
 rec-sport-pro-wrestling@cs.utexas.edu
 
There are a couple more sites that you can send your articles to. Check out
Dominic's FAQ for the correct addresses.
 
------------------------------

Someone just insulted me/us! Any last words before I flame away?

Yes. *Don't.*

While their remarks may be annoying or insulting, it is nothing in
comparison to the bandwidth that is wasted by dozens of rebuttals and
counter rebuttals. Unfortunately, some people make these posts to get
attention. You'll only be stroking their ego if you respond. Remember, it is
futile to yell at people who can tune you out with the press of a key. David
Peal <dpeal@netcom.com> says that "Flame wars... [are] fun." TRUST US HERE
ON RSPW, FLAME WARS ARE *NOT* FUN.
 
If you must reply, DO SO THROUGH E-MAIL. Spare the rest of the group.

Keep a sense of humor. There is extremely little room for self-righteous
stuffed shirts in the world of Usenet.

People do make mistakes. Even little insignificant grammatical errors. As
sure as there is professional wrestling, someone will let you know when you 
make one. (It could very well be me.) Try to keep a thick skin about it. Don't 
crank up the flamethrower to "high" just because you misused "it's" for "its." 
It's not worth it. (If you remember to know which is which, you won't have 
that problem. But then again, some people never learn.)

The :-) is a "smiley" and is used to denote humor or a joke. The winking 
smiley ;-) indicates sarcasm. Hint: tilt your head to the left and look 
at the smileys. Despite your feelings or beliefs about the use of 
smileys, it helps tremendously to put in an occasional smiley here or 
there. It can help reduce misunderstandings that can result in flamewars.

Finally, remember that as long as there is professional wrestling, there 
will be people who believe it is their mission to remind us that 
wrestling is fake. Ignore them and they will probably go away.

------------------------------
 
Common acronyms
 
While reading r.s.p-w or any other newsgroup, you are bound to run into a 
bunch of acronyms that you do not understand.  Here are a few
wrestling-related acronyms and some net.acronyms that should help get you 
started:
 
DCO     Double Count Out
DCOR    Double Count Out of the Ring
DDQ     Double Disqualification
DQ      Disqualification
JTTS    Jobber to the Stars (MA Bagwell, Adam Bomb, Tom Zenk, etc.)
BTW     by the way
IMO     in my opinion
IMHO    in my humble opinion
IMNSHO  in my not so humble opinion
IMODO   in my own damn opinion
MWT!    Me Want Tape!
Ob      obligatory, as in ObWrestling
ROTF    rolling on the floor
ROTFL   rolling on the floor laughing
RTFM    read the FAQ man, read the f*cking manual
STFU    be quiet :-)
TTYTT   to tell you the truth
WRT     with regard to
WTF     what the heck :-)
YMMV    your mileage may vary
 
Thank you for reading this far and welcome to rec.sport.pro-wrestling.
 
And now, let's go to the ring....
 
--
Send suggestions/comments/etc. to:
rspw-faq@Data-IO.com or ...!pilchuck!rspw-faq (original author), or
jesoria@infi.net or Jsultwarr@aol.com or BKUP51B@prodigy.com ("new" 
author).

"Those that cannot remember history are doomed to repost it every month, 
with diffs marked with change bars." -- Ed Vielmetti <emv@msen.com>