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'''Smark''' is abbreviated [[professional wrestling]] [[professional wrestling slang|slang]]. The term is a [[portmanteau]] of "smart mark," two other terms in their own right. A "[[smart (professional wrestling)|smart]]" is a person who is privy to the behind-the-scenes operations and understands that professional wrestling is choreographed, whereas a "[[mark (professional wrestling)|mark]]" is one who believes that professional wrestling is real. A "smark", therefore, is a combination of the two, a wrestling fan who enjoys following the on-screen product and the off-screen, backstage affairs equally.

Smarks are a subset of the professional wrestling fanbase. They come from many different social backgrounds and are often referred to as "smart" fans. Many smarks are part of the "IWC", or [[Internet wrestling community|Internet Wrestling Community]], a general term for the legions of fans of wrestling who use the [[Internet]] as their means of communication. Smarks also make themselves heard on [[television|TV]], much to the chagrin of promoters and show producers. Cities such as [[New York City|New York]] and [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], as well as any city in [[Canada]], are notorious for having an audience who knows just a little too much.

Smarks define themselves by embracing the "[[workrate (professional wrestling)|workrate]]", or talent level, of wrestlers. They will spite the celebrated "big men" in favor of smaller, faster wrestlers with a wider variety of moves. As well, as followers of off-screen politics, smart marks typically despise those whom they see as wielding too much power backstage and support underdogs who they feel have been overlooked by management.

Some smarks have turned to [[Total Nonstop Action Wrestling]] and [[Ring of Honor]] rather than [[World Wrestling Entertainment]], as their supposed wrestling-based [[meritocracy]] is seen to them as superior to WWE's [[sports entertainment]] orientation. Others also investigate foreign wrestling, particularly [[Japan|Japanese]]. 

==Criticisms of Smarks==
Smarks have been looked down upon by wrestlers and other wrestling fans alike because they are seen as fans who are incapable of [[suspension of disbelief|suspending their disbelief]]. As such, they are very critical of matches and often have negative reviews of wrestling matches, [[angle (professional wrestling)|storylines]], and wrestlers in general.  

Also, smarks are often instinctively critical of wrestlers who are heavily "[[push (professional wrestling)|pushed]]", even if the wrestler in question is greatly [[over (professional wrestling)|over]] with crowds or even if they originally supported them before their push. For instance, [[John Cena]] was once well liked by a section of the smark community as a dedicated and underappreciated young worker with great charisma and significant potential in the ring. Today, he has become one of the industry's biggest stars and is one of the most hated wrestlers among that same section of smarks due to having a now repetitive moveset, dropping the more popular points of his original gimmick (freestyle, having the crowd curse for him, etc.), as well as being more kid friendly as opposed to the original gimmick having a more adult feel. 

Also, many smarks are seen as hypocrites for decrying the fact that the WWE seems to have a prejudice for big men, while at the same time expressing similar feelings of their own about the smaller, faster wrestlers. These views, however, are broad generalizations and do not apply to all wrestling fans (for example, some smarks recognize talent in big men, such as expressions of hope for [[Franklin Lashley|Bobby Lashley]] and [[Samoa Joe|Samoa Joe]]).

Smarks have rightly been blamed many times by various wrestling promotions (mostly WWE) of killing [[kayfabe]], or the suspension of disbelief within the business even though it was WWE owner [[Vince McMahon]] himself at his high publicized [[steroid]] trial in the early 90s, saying publically and under oath that it is all a predetermined spectacle. 



[[Category:Professional wrestling slang]]