jwk1979 said:The same can be said about Wrestling back in the day. I have heard of Heel Wrestlers in some towns having to drive old clunkers to where they were wrestling in order to keep some of the fans from slashing their tires and doing damage to their cars because they could not separate FACT FROM FICTION.Lkeller said:
There are lots of loosely wrapped people in the world, and they watch TV like the rest of us. I've heard more than a few stories about actors who play soap-opera villains. When they're recognized in public, people will curse them, and even spit on them. It's not surprising that there are a considerable number of sad people with not much to do in their lives who watch way too much TV. The soaps in particular, seem to become reality for these people.
Good points here. A practical example:
San Bernardino, Ca., circa 1963. Parking lot of the old San Bernardino Arena, now departed, a small, dumpy venue seating maybe 2,000 at the most. About an hour before bell time, Freddie Blassie, already a legend in wrestling, and at the prime of his career, pulls up into the parking lot. He is driving a brand-spanking new Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Portraying the number one villian at the time, he is met with jeers by a few bystanders.
During his match, he "finds a way" to clutch victory out of the hands of defeat, in other words, cheat, as wrestling heels often do. This enrages the crowd. The show is over, and he goes to take his shower. His shower is interrupted by another wrestler, telling him he better go outside immediately.
His brand new Coupe de Ville has been torched. It becomes a total loss. There are many witnesses to the fire, but no one can identify who did it. It's suspected that the mob was protecting whoever did it. Blassie refuses to wrestle in San Bernardino again, a vow that lasted for at least two years.
Having grown up in San Bernardino, I can testify that refusing to do much of anything there is always a good idea.