Just one of those fun threads we all need every so often. Obviously, we have all accepted some degree of “phoniness” to be fans of pro wrestling in the first place. But we also don’t enjoy having our intelligence insulted. So what are some things that are OK with you, and what are some things that drive you crazy?
I don’t want to take all of the good ones, but here are a few of mine to break the ice.
Acceptable Fake
It takes a minute or two (but NOT five) for a new referee to get down to the ring
I guess one unacceptable fake for me is selling something that missed by a mile. Mistakes happen, but then you have someone like Charlotte Flair who misses boots and moonsaults on a regular basis. She’s pretty much a prime example but an example in a good way I think involved Roxxane Perez where her opponent didn’t hit her properly and she didn’t sell it.
I guess an acceptable fake is theatrics. The prime example is Ospreay vs Ricochet.
I can’t stand a knockout finisher (like a Stunner) that suddenly makes guys pop back up to get thrown over the top in a battle royal, or roll out of the ring in a three-way because it’s not the finish.
Unacceptable when a guy has a match won or is about to injure someone and that run in music hits and they just stop and wait for the run in to happen. Like you have time. Lol.
Acceptable: no move is an “instant tap out” in pro wrestling even if, in the octagon, it would result in a broken arm or leg to be in it for even 10 seconds.
-ref how is knocked out or hurt and misses interference
-someone is able to drop their hands twice but raise it on attempt 3
-someone stands there waiting for someone to climb a rope and jump on them
Unacceptable
-selling extreme size difference as legit back and forth (ie Marko Stunt going toe to toe with a large dude)
-ref whose back is turned and misses chair shot heard in upper deck
-music being played for run ins
-being able to survive chair shots and table spots but losing to a weak finisher (ie orange punch, rainmaker)
I’m gonna riff on this and say that for me, unacceptable is someone in a blood or air choke fighting for more than like 15 seconds to stay conscious. Joint locks, fight all day because I can buy that you’re holding on. But with blood and air chokes, once they hit a few seconds either get out of the hold or the performers need to move to the person being choked passing out and the ref needs to start raising their wrist or something.
Maybe I’ve just been beaten down by decades but I just don’t take wrestling all that seriously. As long as it’s fun it’s acceptable. Most of what everybody is listing has just been an accepted trope of wrestling for decades.
Acceptable:
-Music during run-ins. Most of the time they are running near the guerilla position to get to the ring. Kayfabe wise somebody in guerilla saw them and played the music.
-Overreactions to finishing moves.
-Wrestlers facing anyone of any size and being able to put on compelling matches.
-Interference in Cage matches and Hell in a Cell matches. It’s a staple of the stipulation.
-Slowly climbing ladders or cages to give time to opponents needing to follow.
There is one UNACCEPTABLE I can think of:
-DQ’s in non-disqualification matches.
What irks me is usually more production related issues than what goes on in the ring.
-Two matches in a row that tell the same story. An example is two matches in a row where the story of the match is that the opponents are targeting an arm. That’s poor booking and poor producing to not communicate.
-When the same story is used twice in one week. This will happen when there’s a brand split and the writers for each brand don’t seem to be talking to each other. So a performer will give a speech or do a segment one night that’s virtually identical to a segment on the B show. Poor communication backstage.
I can pretty much accept anything if it’s done in an enjoyable way (to me). I mean I’m the TNA guy, so if i can accept murder, resurrection , the Undead Realm in general, then I can accept anything lol
Worst example of this… at This Tuesday in Texas, they do the incredible Savage/Jake angle where Jake slaps Liz. It’s played dead serious and Jake is basically the devil.
Two matches later, Virgil slaps or kisses or otherwise put his hands on Sensational Sherri, and it’s played for a babyface pop.
I’m also not a fan of ladder matches and multi-person matches where wrestlers disappear for 10 minutes. It often just feels like a bunch of disconnected singles matches rather than a multi match.
Ladder matches in general are completely overdone and way too many things take me out of it. I’d love a character to come along who wins a ladder match in like three minutes. Outsmart everyone and actually climb the ladder at a normal pace.
I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for a lot of shit, but one thing that kills it for me is when guys take 10+ seconds getting their balance or whatever before doing a move. Pac is an example of a wrestler that is totally believable as a badass because he’s so jacked and pissed-off looking, but when he stands on the ropes for so long before attempting his Broken Arrow or whatever, it kills his whole gimmick in that moment. That is not what Pac the psychotic badass would do.
Very much so. It was horrendous. Acceptable fake is when the guy who got hit rolls into position but if he doesn’t then pick the guy up and hit another move or stomp him until he rolls. Rolling 3/4 away from you towards the ropes just caused the suspension of my disbelief to shatter.
Acceptable Fake: Most matches should be at least 60/40 (if not 50/50) and should be 10 minutes or longer.
Obviously, I don’t think No Way Jose should go 20 minutes and get multiple near falls on Brock Lesnar. But if a top guy is wrestling on TV, he should be having an entertaining match, even against a midcarder.
Top guys having 3-5 minute squashes only worked when you were trying to showcase your stars to sell the house show circuit. But TV is the main product now.