A spot I don't understand.......

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Ok yes I've been watching Puro for a while now but unfortunately my viewing of it is still limited as I have no job(yes i fit the poor college student stereotype perfectly) so I can't order tapes that fast. So my knowledge of all the little things and some of the big things just doesn't fly.

So I see this spot in some of my tapes, a few times actually and it confuses the hell out of me. I was wondering if some of the deinzens of this board could explain it to me.

 

Ok I've seen it in the Sasuke/Lyger semi-final match at JCup 94 and the Kobashi/Misawa match at CC95.

One wrestler hits the other wrestler with a paticuarly devastating kick or elbow and the other wrestler drops like a ton of bricks. I mean he's down and out cold. Suddenly the match just stops as the ref jumps down to check on him and the other wrestler either shows concern or paces. I mean why not just pin him? I mean I'm sure they could have the match right there. Is it just no honorable to pin him or what? Could someone who understands this tell me? Or is it one of those weird things that happens but is unexplainable in the wrestling world?

 

Also another thing that bugged me was sometimes I'll see the ref jump down to one wrestler and start shaking him and patting him, telling him to go for the cover. What gives? Isn't the ref supposed to remain neutral? Why is he cheerleading one wrestler?

 

Thanks for your help in advance guys.

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

28 views and nobody has answered....hmm...I'm going to guess it's one of those inexplicable wrestling things that can't be explained.

[Guest Jubuki]

Feds that use KO finishes are rare. Typically with something like that, it's more a way to get the crowd behind whoever got knocked down - the opponent doesn't really want to win like that, they want the best their opponent has to give and they want a real fight, and the ref could start a 10-count anyway, so it's not much more than a chance to build up some heat and slow down the action some.

[Guest Johnny Blaze]

I've always assumed that it's similar to a boxing referee who stops the fight to make sure one of the fighters can still defend himself, or if the fight needs to be stopped. The ref in your example is checking to see if the victim of the strike is willing and able to continue the match, or if he needs to stop it. I also think that the reason the other wrestler doesn't cover him is because they don't disobey refs in japanese matches. When he tells you to break, you break.

 

This is all just assumptions i've made while watching wrestling, and are not necessarily even close to the truth.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

I've noticed that they'll usually roll under the ropes or at least a get limb under them, like say Hokuto did after Kandori choked her out in the 93 match(the more famous ***** one, forgot date at the moment) . Kawada also does it in the Tiger Suplex opening spot of 10/95 as well as in the Backdrop/Sleeperspot in 6/3/94. Techincally the rules are, you can't attack someone who's touching the ropes, but everybody does it anyway. As others said, it's way to add realism and break up the action after a high spot.

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Yeah sometimes it just seems....if you jump down there and pin the guy you'd win the match. But you know that doesn't show any fighting spirit.

[Guest XdojimeX]

"Also another thing that bugged me was sometimes I'll see the ref jump down to one wrestler and start shaking him and patting him, telling him to go for the cover. What gives? Isn't the ref supposed to remain neutral? Why is he cheerleading one wrestler?"

 

I could be wrong but I think Kyohei Wada popularized this spot (famous All Japan ref, not the bald guy the younger one). Like Jubuki said it's just something to add to the drama of the match and put heat on the moment. Wada's body language was tremendous in his day, almost like a third worker in the ring. Easily the best ref I've seen in that regard.

 

My favorite KO spot was from the '93 Carny. Misawa catches Kawada with a wicked elbow and just deflates the man. The ref is freaking out, the crowd is shocked and Misawa's shaking the cobwebs. Pin 123. Kawada's selling was amazing there.

[Guest J*ingus]

Um, could that spot sometimes be caused by a worker getting legit knocked out for a couple of seconds? These are living, breathing, bleeding human beings in there, and sometimes they're hitting each other in the head pretty damn hard.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

The 7/29/93 Misawa/Kawada example is TOTALLY WORKED. I haven't seen the Misawa/Kobashi CC 95 match but I am guessing that is too. AJPW used to do that to spice things up every once and a while.

 

Tim

[Guest XdojimeX]

"Um, could that spot sometimes be caused by a worker getting legit knocked out for a couple of seconds? These are living, breathing, bleeding human beings in there, and sometimes they're hitting each other in the head pretty damn hard."

 

Nah. Usually when that happens they find a way to cover and kill time for a bit until they can figure out if they need to take it home or not...not play it up for dramatic purposes like they do in a worked situation. The difference between theater and "oh shit something's wrong" ain't that hard to spot.

 

And i was talking about their match in March Tim. CARNY.

[Guest gansobomber]

Its probably just to let the power of the move sink in to the crowd's minds. I read somewhere (probably in rollinggermans...) that TAKA sold a Minoru Tanaka kick to head (in Battlearts) for almost a full 10 count AND almost a full 10 ringout count. As the reviewer said, that was good selling. It let the crowd know how devastating the kick can be.