DFS From a Wrestling Fan Perspective

In wrestling, there are multiple roles that need to be played, with every role needing to happen in order to produce a quality product. The same is said for the daily fantasy sports industry. Below is how to view daily fantasy sports from the perspective of a wrestling fan.

One Brand or Multiple-Brand Person

Wrestling Side: The top wrestling promotion by a large margin, WWE, is split into two brands, RAW and Smackdown. They have a separate roster of entertainers, their own PPV’s, and unique is just about everything including their colors. WWE also has their developmental brand in NXT. Although it could be considered developmental, they are selling out stadiums across the nation currently. If you are just a fan of wrestling, and not the entertainment side, the smaller brands such as ROH and NJPW have very strong following, and have matches that go viral online, but although they have their own PPV’s, they don’t have nearly as many watching as the three WWE brands.

DFS Side: The two large DFS products are DraftKings & FanDuel. They have their separate roster structure, their own live championships, and unique sports offered. FantasyDraft and Yahoo! reach a broader audience through live meet & greets, trips, soccer contests, and season long championships. Sites like BOOM and Draft have a strong following, and are making their case known through social media word of mouth.

Figuring out if you are a one brand or multiple brand type of dfs player is your first choice. It’s always best to see if you like a certain show first before you decide you to hit record entire series on your dvr. The same should be done for dfs. Play a few freerolls on all legit sites before deciding which one to invest in. With both occassions, liking all of them could be possible without a full commitment.

The Jobber

Wrestling Side: The jobber is the wrestler that is there to lose while making their opponent look strong while winning. Every now and then the jobber may look strong, or even pull of a win, but when you see a jobber out there, you are under the impression that they are about to be killed.

DFS Side: Contests are filling up quickly, so entering a dummy lineup or reservering your entry is a common method now on dfs. You don’t want to be that person who forgets to change their lineup. You can see this in many large gpp’s or free entry contests, as well as entries that include players from a postponed game or not starting. The other way to be a jobber is by not knowing your competition. The jobber believes they can beat their opponent, even though they are clearly outmatched. You will also see in some contests, users that pick a roster in order to see their names at the top of the leaderboard if only for a few minutes.

Don’t play the jobber role in dfs. Set an alarm ten minutes before roster’s lock, don’t post H2H contests that anyone can join, double check the slate’s weather, and don’t take on top players just to see if you can beat them.

The Mid-Card

Wrestling Side: Not everyone can be a superstar, but WWE alone has six hours of weekly wrestling programs each week, and that doesn’t include PPV’s or house shows. There needs to be those types that can keep an audience engaged while being placed in a less sexy position on the nightly card. Mid-Carders still can make a very solid living, while also having the opportunity to get over with the audience, and move up the ladder. Daniel Bryan is the perfect example as well as The New Day.

DFS Side: I’ve never entered the ThunderDome or four digit entry fee contest, or have one a quarter arcade or freeroll before contest before. Being a casual player doesn’t mean you can’t become a superstar, but creating a strong strategy, and doing the best with your mid-card role (getting over with the audience), will place you in a position to move up the ladder.

The Superstar

Wrestling Side: These are the ones that barely ever lose, and it the very least, are a central part of the storyline. They are the ones that sell the tickets, moves merchandise, make people watch the shows, and sometimes, are the ones you dislike the most due to their standings with the company. Roman Reigns and John Cena are two current examples.

DFS Side: If you have played long enough, you notice that the same names continue to make the top of the leaderboards, and fighting for the championships. At the same time, without these superstars, the mid-carders and jobbers would not have as much of an opportunity, if any. As Vince McMahon said nobody has replaced Cena cause nobody is grabbing the brass ring like Cena, Stone Cold, the Rock, and many others who came from mid-card to superstardom without having it handed to them.

As much as both are in the entertainment industry, they both are in place to make their product money.

The Heel and Face

Wrestling Side: Heel & Face are terms referring to the “bad” and “good” sides of the match. Those they expect you to root for or against. As a heel, your role is to make the audience want to see you be punched, slapped, and eventually lose. The best heels are the cocky champions that don’t care about others, and just in it for themselves or their family. As a face, your role is to be a fan favorite, and best used in a chasing mode, trying to overcome obstacles in their path to the victory or title.

DFS Side: Heels in dfs could be looked at in a few ways. First, you have the mass entry players, and those that gobble up your H2H contests within two minutes. While you can’t punch or slap them, DraftKings allows you to block players from you head to head contests, and single, three, and 20 entries max contests provides an opportunity away from mass entry. There are also those too much contrarian type players. Those that you see their lineups, and wonder how they even got to that type of roster. Finally, there are just some players that you don’t like. Think of when AJ Pierzynski played, or maybe Bryce Harper to some currently. The role of the face in dfs is those players who won a cheap satellite, and turned into a superstar. Daniel Bryan and Stone Cold are not built like a superstar, and did not start out that way. You don’t need the bankroll or be in every contest to become a dfs superstar.

Every role in dfs needs to happen in order for the sport to continuing growing. Adding new types of contests, sports, live events, and more each year will continue to keep those already engaged coming back, while bringing in a new audience of players all hoping for a shot at a title someday. Pick your site or sites, build a strategy for how you want your role in dfs to be defined, and most importantly, stay away from being known as a jobber.