A smark is abbreviated professional wrestling slang. The term is an amalgam of "smart mark," two other terms in their own right. A "smart" is a person who is privy to the behind-the-scenes operations and understands that pro wrestling is scripted, whereas a "mark" is one who believes that pro wrestling is real. A "smark," therefore, is a combination of the two, a wrestling fan who realizes that pro wrestling is scripted, but still enjoys the on-screen product as much as the sordid off-screen affairs.
Smarks are a small and anomalous subset of the pro wrestling fanbase. They are not the stereotypical unemployed rednecks with mullets and missing teeth that the media likes to paint a picture of. Rather, they are often intelligent, middle-class and anywhere from "Internet geek" to "well-adjusted," usually in their teens to late 20s. Many smarks are part of the "IWC," or Internet Wrestling Community, a general term for the legions of fans of wrestling that use the Web as their means of communication. Smarks also make themselves heard on television, much to the chagrin of show producers: cities like New York, Philadelphia, and the major Canadian cities are notorious for having an audience that knows just a little too much.
Smarks define themselves by embracing the "workrate," or talent level, of wrestlers. They will spite the celebrated "big men" like The Big Show, Hulk Hogan, and The Undertaker in favor of smaller, faster wrestlers with a wider variety of moves. Eddie Guerrero, A.J. Styles, and Chris Jericho are noted smark darlings, with 19-year wrestling veteran and Edmonton native Chris Benoit as the paramount among smarks.
These views, however, are broad generalizations, and are not necessarily true to all educated fans.
The main place to find smarks is on the Internet. Websites like The Smart Marks have forum communities with over 2,000 members who discuss not only wrestling, but current events, sports, film, music, education, relationships, and life in general.
See also: professional wrestling slang
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