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A mark is a professional wrestling fan who doesn't realise that sports entertainment operates under kayfabe, and believes what they see is legitimate. The term derives from professional wrestling's days as a carnival sideshow, where people not knowing the insides of a particular part of the carnie business were seen as marks ready for grifting.
Please note that not all professional wrestling fans are marks; there are also many smarks who realise professional wrestling is worked, but derive enjoyment from it anyway.
A moment of enjoying wrestling 'for what it is' rather than analysing its staged nature is known as marking out, and can be a sought-after experience for fans whose insider knowledge can make them jaded of its entertainment aspect.
These days World Wrestling Entertainment seems to prefer to play to the marks liking while, at times, seemingly poking fun at the smarks. But, this has not always been the case, as can be seen in the events and storylines of the Clique.
Many smarks also tend to disagree with the way World Wrestling Entertainment is presenting its shows and storylines these days, as can be seen by the numerous polls and reports online in the smark community.
See also: professional wrestling slang
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