Our panel, which features a varied understanding of the genre of pro wrestling, allows both casual fans and long-time viewers the same opportunity to gain a better understanding of this classic wrestling match. We all come from different backgrounds, and our relationship with pro wrestling is at very different stages. The reason why our panel is so worthwhile is because it's unbiased, which would be hard for a panel of experts to ever be able to achieve. This site’s value to ardent wrestling fans is that our analysis furthers their already extensive knowledge of the business, and it is helpful to both casual fans and non-fans because it offers a more relatable perspective and look into the world of professional wrestling than they have ever had the opportunity to experience. Our squad feels that there should be more initiatives like ours, because it is very hard for new fans to become exposed to professional wrestling if all the content they consume is always created by media professionals. For example, many fan-driven news outlets are becoming more pervasive in today’s media environment, such as Bleacher Report. That site, which features writing from amateurs and freelancers alongside seasoned professionals, is in the same vein as our idea. The idea that anybody, from the most passionate fan, to someone who’s never seen what’s being written about, can enjoy the content, is a very interesting idea to us, and one that we feel is the way of the future as far as journalism goes.
Doing this analysis in the context of this class definitely helped shape our approaches differently. For longtime fans like Connor and Drake, studying pop culture in the way they did for the class changed the way they thought about not only every wrestling performance they had ever seen, but all they ones would view in the future. Like Drake told Sam one time in class, watching professional wrestling with a more critical eye sometimes takes the fun out of enjoying and watching matches that seem so enjoyable if they are watched casually. That is where the value of casual and non-fans like Jacob and Tristen comes from, because the knowledge of analyzing wrestling that they gained from the class allows them to be able to understand the performance and enjoy it in a way that they would not have been able to before. So, Tristen and Jacob can watch and enjoy, and their newfound fandom allows Connor and Drake to also feel like new fans again, which leads to a four-way of creativity and good vibrations from the group. If it wasn’t for this class, professional wrestling would not have been viewed and analyzed by two intelligent people, which would be a shame, especially considering the fact that the common stereotype of someone who enjoys professional wrestling is definitely not the same as other more "intellectual" endeavors.
