WWE: Dean Ambrose Talks About Fans Spoiling Storylines – “Taking the Magic Away”
WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose recently spoke with Game Stop to promote this year’s new video game, WWE: 2K16. In the interview, the former United States Champion gave his thoughts about fans spoiling storylines, getting his picture taken at airports, and wanting to maintain the “magic” of wrestling.
Ambrose talks about how more public scrutiny has taken the magic out of wrestling:
“Yeah, a lot of fans kinda take the magic away. But it’s been like this for years now, where they dig and search for every little bit of info and spend so much time deciphering everything and over thinking things. That’s just an outlet for their passion for wrestling, but it does take away the magic sometimes, so I almost wish people would stop doing that.”
On unknowingly getting his picture taken at airports:
“If you take a picture of somebody and post it online, you’re an asshole. I hate having my picture taken in general. And if I’m not allowing it… and it’s just gotten worse over time. I don’t understand pictures at airports. And I hate the word selfie. Any man that uses it needs to re-evaluate a lot of their life.”
How he feels about fans spoiling surprises for the shows:
“I can’t imagine, I can’t get in the mind of a wrestling fan who wants to break news that spoils a surprise for somebody. Would you want a surprise spoiled? Say you saw Sting at the airport and tipped everybody off that Sting was going to make an appearance that night, and then you ruin the surprise for people who went out of the way not to get the surprise ruined. Would you want your surprised ruined? I’d be, ‘Don’t tell me, don’t tell me who you saw at the airport.’ I like to live a spoiler-free life.”
You can click here to read this interview in its entirety.
Mark’s reaction:
I can definitely empathize with Ambrose’s sentiments. I also don’t like spoilers, especially ones that have to do with surprise returns. However, in today’s wrestling world, it’s almost impossible to avoid spoilers completely. I have a rule where on the Sunday of a WWE PPV, I’ll try and avoid social media or certain sites I know may spoil what’s going to happen on the show that night, as best as I possibly can. The rest of the week is fair game but I like to try and stay spoiler-free the days of big shows.
There’s definitely something special about surprise returns you don’t see coming. For instance, the Dudley Boyz returning to the WWE on the Raw following this year’s SummerSlam. This felt “magical” to me because its news was kept so quiet that, at the moment, it genuinely shocked me. The same could be said for Chris Jericho’s Royal Rumble return in 2013. I think moments like these feel even more “magical” for the simple fact of the internet’s ever growing presence and its role in wrestling today. News can spread so quickly and almost nothing is hidden anymore…yet, somehow the Dudley Boyz and Chris Jericho managed to keep everything under wraps. Its cases like these that make you remember the moment even more.
I don’t get angry if I come across news spoiling a storyline or return, but there is something taken away from the experience a little bit. For instance, I loved Sting’s TNA debut. However, the magic dwindles a little when Jeff Jarrett’s in the middle of the ring and the crowd randomly starts chanting “Sting! Sting! Sting!” It surely still feels cool. It’s still an awesome moment, but if I had the choice I (like Ambrose) would rather be surprised.
Getting into the conversation of spoilers and its impact on wrestling is a slippery slope. There’s lots of different opinions and preferences from fans so I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Does reading spoilers for a big surprise return of a wrestler ruin the “magic” for you or not? Do you prefer reading spoilers? Are reading spoilers about the direction of a particular storyline the same to you as reading ones about a surprise return? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.