That Was Stupid!

[cd213 0]

I hate how wrestlers will just wait for finishers to be done to them. Example: whenever The Rock would face someone and he stand around waiting for his opponent to get up and the opponent would "get his barrings" back and walk right into the Rock Bottom. Finishers should be able to be applied quickly. I might not have liked Stone Cold but the Stunner/Diamond Cutter/Ace Crusher could be done at any time and with the quickness.

[JST 0]

I hate how wrestlers will just wait for finishers to be done to them. Example: whenever The Rock would face someone and he stand around waiting for his opponent to get up and the opponent would "get his barrings" back and walk right into the Rock Bottom. Finishers should be able to be applied quickly. I might not have liked Stone Cold but the Stunner/Diamond Cutter/Ace Crusher could be done at any time and with the quickness.

 

Drama, my friend.

 

Jingus, you could kiss a baby in that ring, and give out puppies to the hicks. But in the real Podunk towns, the ref will always be enemy #1.

[King Cucaracha 0]

To add to the above- anyone who falls on their ass in the corner when wrestling Rikishi, anyone who falls across the middle rope when wrestling Rey Mysterio, everybody who happened to run chest first into the turnbuckles instead of back first when wrestling The Cat, anyone who walked across the length of the ropes to the middle and stopped in perfect position for the facecrusher against Scotty 2 Hotty...

 

 

[TheFranchise 0]

Speaking of no DQ matches, I hate it when wrestlers come up with schemes to distract the referee ("accidentally" knocking him out, manager or cornerman distraction, etc.) so someone else can run and/or a weapon can be used. Why bother with the scheming, you can do whatever you want.

 

Yea, I've never understood those things either.

This thread could be full of things about No-DQ matches.

 

For example, why not bring a half decent weapon into a match with someone you truly hated (eg Summerslam 2002 streetfight), if HHH was prepared to break his back with a sledgehammer, why not bring a proper weapon into a match?

 

 

[yankovic fan 0]

This could end up being the longest thread in TSM history. The entire mindset of wrestling demands that the fans believe the wrestlers all have the intelligence of a hydrocephalic 5-year-old.

 

One thing that always gets me is the perpetually stupid wrestling referees.

That annoys you? Try BEING one of those referees. Especially in a Southern fed where you still get people who Truly Believe. I've had to claim I was narcoleptic, suffered partial hearing loss, had tunnel vision, was intensely ADHD, all kinds of shit just to explain why I didn't catch on to the obvious cheating. And hell, I wasn't even trying to be unbiased, I had been the announcer before so I was a pretty blatantly babyface ref who bitched out the heels something fierce every time I caught them doing something. And I still caught hell every night from the crowd. Because of the lazy booking on a lot of these shows, the referees end up with more heat than most of the heels.

 

You might as well be a cop, the law is the enemy you know.

 

 

 

 

On the No DQ rope breaks, maybe it could be argued the ref counted it and the wrestler broke it out of habit. If its a face that broke the hold, you could maybe he did it to be 'honorable' or something. I think I've seen a few matches where the wrestler applying the hold didn't break it but I honestly can't think of an example.

 

 

I always hated Wrestler A (usually a face) having to stop and argue with the small petite valet of Wrestler B (usually a heel). She's small and frail She isn't going to do much damage. Ignore her taunts!

 

Also, don't chase anyone in an arena. Especially up the aisle where there's curtains by the entrance and you cannot see your foe's buddies waiting to jump you.

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

What I can't stand is a no-DQ tag match where the tag rules are enforced. See Nasty Boys/LOD at Summerslam '91 for an example. Also every ECW tag match.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I love it when wrestlers walk slowly towards their opponent with their arms raised very high in the air in an axe handle position. Yeah, THAT's gonna be a good attack on your opponent, leaving yourself completely open for attack.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Ah yes, the Honky Tonk Man perfected that. A great tactic to use when my buddies and I would backyard wrestle back in that era. Fuck hitting each other with lights when you can hold your opponent by the hair, ask the crowd (usually 1-2 people) if he should be hit again, then do the crazy Sgt Slaughter windmill before clonking the opponent.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Steve Austin's gaff in the 1999 Royal Rumble may be the worst of all time. He and Vince are the last two, and are duking it out in the ring. So the Rock decides to saunter on out from the back, get on the apron, and Austin immediately goes after him, and WHOOPS, Vince dumps Austin out. For all the time he was built up as a sly guy who always seemed to be able to see things coming and 1-up on the ol' boss, he really fucked up big time. It was totally out of character.

[evilhomer 0]

Speaking of no DQ matches, I hate it when wrestlers come up with schemes to distract the referee ("accidentally" knocking him out, manager or cornerman distraction, etc.) so someone else can run and/or a weapon can be used. Why bother with the scheming, you can do whatever you want.

The only defense for that one is that even though you won't get DQ'd, you're still not allowed to do it. The ref might grab the chair, chew you out rather than count the pin, etc.

 

 

Anybody who has wrestled The Undertaker and stood there while he goes old school. I don't care how loopy he's knocked you, he's walking on the ropes, the slightest push or pull will knock him down.

 

 

Back to Flair, the 999,943rd time he went to the top rope only to get thrown off. Dude, it hasn't worked for over 5 years, stop trying.

(Of course having said that, he has hit it a few more times recently).

[Chazz 0]

Wrestler A goes to put Wrestler B through the announcers table, but decides to remove the t.v. monitors first. He wants to hurt his opponent bad enough to put him through a table, but not bad enough so that one of the monitors might end up falling on him.

[Jingus 0]

What I can't stand is a no-DQ tag match where the tag rules are enforced... every ECW tag match.

Oh GOD yes. And I'm a confirmed ECW mark, but that shit never made sense, especially when in the same match they'd go back and forth between tornado brawling and waiting for the hot tag!

 

I love it when wrestlers walk slowly towards their opponent with their arms raised very high in the air in an axe handle position. Yeah, THAT's gonna be a good attack on your opponent, leaving yourself completely open for attack.

That's one of those things that's become a cliche because of intellectually lazy wrestlers putting together cookie-cutter matches. In general, it's a thing that heels do to pantomine "hey face, hit me, fire up for a comeback". It's also got the added advantage that if the guy doesn't turn around in time, you can just club him over the back, and then raise 'em back up in the axe handle so he can hit you this time. But when it's used in an identical fashion damn near every time you see it, it loses its effectiveness. Just like my biggest pet peeve, the sleeper hold spot that puts the babyface down on the mat, the ref checks him, the arm drops twice but somehow in between #2 and #3 he magically regains consciousness, stands up, elbows the guy in the guy exactly three times, then bounces off the ropes to continue the match. Jesus CHRIST I got tired of seeing that spot three, four, five times a night back when I was a commentator.

[hyperchord24 0]

At a high point in the match of X vs Undertaker, wrestler X tries to go for the Tombstone piledriver on UT, only to have it reversed. Not that stupid, I guess, but why does EVERY opponent have to try to give UT his own finisher?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I always hated when a babyface would have their opponent almost beat, and then when the heel manager/authority figure/whatever would get in the ring, the face locks that person in their finishing hold, and of course ends up getting waffled with a chair or eating their opponent's finisher. Chris Jericho did this multiple times in WWF/WWE, and it made him look like a total idiot. "Yeah, I'm about to win the title...wait! There's Stephanie McMahon! I'm going to lock her into the Walls of Jericho while turning my back to the opponent!"

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

While it is an obvious heel trap, there is SOME face logic to it, especially if it is a title match. The good guys are well aware that heel managers and allies will run in and break up sure pinfalls or submissions so a title can be retained by a DQ finish, attacking them first prevents them from getting away with that plan (unless a vengeful Mr. Perfect is the special guest referee). Unfortunatley, like you said, it allows the heel to set up some other dastardly scheme.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

The Van Daminator was always silly to me. It's like "oh wait, I have a chair! Let me hold it in front of my face and turn towards RVD."

[King Cucaracha 0]

What I can't stand is a no-DQ tag match where the tag rules are enforced. See Nasty Boys/LOD at Summerslam '91 for an example. Also every ECW tag match.

 

Didn't the Andersons/R&R Express have a Cage Match with enforced tag rules? I swear I've seen at least one, which is maybe even worse than a straight No-DQ with tags.

 

Or even better, the half-dozen Table Matches where for some reason the tag rules were enforced. Dudleys vs. D-X being the one I seem to remember. Always guaranteed to piss me off, that one.

 

 

Not sure if it counts, but the Puro Headdrop No-Sell. Every now and then, sure, don't have a problem with it. Every big match in Japan? Gets a little old. Every big match anywhere involving a Japanese wrestler? Again, little testing. Every big match involving any American wrestling a Japanese style? Enough already. Thank you.

 

I forget which match I'm thinking off, but there was a sequence of what had to be at least six consecutive suplex to no-sells. The only thing I can compare it to is the Sideshow Bob rake sequence. It's good at first, then bad, then funny simple because it goes on for so long. Ditto the Kobashi/Tenzan 10 minute chop exchange.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Didn't the Andersons/R&R Express have a Cage Match with enforced tag rules? I swear I've seen at least one, which is maybe even worse than a straight No-DQ with tags.

 

Yeah, but I'm not certain that was specifically a no-DQ match. It was at Starrcade '86, by the way.

 

Or even better, the half-dozen Table Matches where for some reason the tag rules were enforced. Dudleys vs. D-X being the one I seem to remember. Always guaranteed to piss me off, that one.

 

Agreed. Saw Dudleys vs. Three Minute Warning/Rico at a house show. It was a perfect formula six-man except with a table spot at the end.

[10 Pounds 0]

How come when Wrestler A irish whips Wrestlers B into the ropes and lifts his arm up in the air for a split-second before the contact, Wrestler B will counter Wrestler's A back body drop ? Or when Wrestler A does a shoulderblock to Wrestler B and there is a small pause, Wrestler A will run into the ropes, jump over Wrestler B, who will leapfrog over Wrestler A and, not until then, there will be an attack ?

 

Not really stupid things but these must be universal rules of wrestling because it seems to happen every time.

[cabbageboy 0]

The Van Daminator is a curious spot, since it can be bad ass if done as a shock (Bill Alfonso tosses it to a guy, RVD nails him with a blindside kick....or the Jeff Hardy spot at Invasion with RVD begging). It can also look a bit too staged if it's just RVD tossing a guy the chair and kicking him.

 

Speaking of ECW, they had some tag matches that were mainly just crazy brawls. Anything with the Dudleys and Rotten/Mahoney, quite a few RVD/Sabu tag matches were just mayhem.

[Robert 0]

Wrestler A goes to put Wrestler B through the announcers table, but decides to remove the t.v. monitors first. He wants to hurt his opponent bad enough to put him through a table, but not bad enough so that one of the monitors might end up falling on him.

 

Isn't that how Angle got his concussion at Summerslam 2000? Didn't he hit the monitor when the table break before the Pedigree? Anyways, the monitor ends up getting used a weapon, after it gets taken out.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

The Van Daminator was always silly to me. It's like "oh wait, I have a chair! Let me hold it in front of my face and turn towards RVD."

 

Steve Blackman vs Funaki - pre-taped Heat match airing before Fully Loaded 2000, Hardcore title on the line.

 

*Blackman tosses a garbage can at Funaki, Funaki catches it, Blackman kicks it*

 

Michael Hayes: Why did Funaki catch the garbage can?

Kevin Kelly: (defensive answer I forget, followed by this line) "I'm just going to the garbage can hit me in the face! Good thinking Michael"

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Wrestler A goes to put Wrestler B through the announcers table, but decides to remove the t.v. monitors first. He wants to hurt his opponent bad enough to put him through a table, but not bad enough so that one of the monitors might end up falling on him.

 

Similar spot which lacks logic in favour of "looking cool" - doing a move on the hood of a car instead of the pavement below it.

 

Brock Lesnar F5-ing Undertaker into a bag of packing peanuts is one of the dumbest visuals intended to be a serious plot point I've ever seen.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

How come when Wrestler A irish whips Wrestlers B into the ropes and lifts his arm up in the air for a split-second before the contact, Wrestler B will counter Wrestler's A back body drop ? Or when Wrestler A does a shoulderblock to Wrestler B and there is a small pause, Wrestler A will run into the ropes, jump over Wrestler B, who will leapfrog over Wrestler A and, not until then, there will be an attack ?

 

Not really stupid things but these must be universal rules of wrestling because it seems to happen every time.

 

 

Universal rules of wrestling. Those spots the way you described them (countering back body drop/pause after shoulderblock leading to the leap frog) are intentional.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Wrestler A goes to put Wrestler B through the announcers table, but decides to remove the t.v. monitors first. He wants to hurt his opponent bad enough to put him through a table, but not bad enough so that one of the monitors might end up falling on him.

my theory on that (aside from the reality of not wanting to get shocked) was always they didnt wanna risk destroying the monitors and having to buy new ones for Vince (a sorta you break it you buy it rule), which must obviously cost 1/2 a million dollars given the inflated values and weights of objects in WWF-land...but of course that contradicts with breaking the table itself so I dunno..

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

"that's a $10,000 microphone!"

[Jingus 0]

Not sure if it counts, but the Puro Headdrop No-Sell. Every now and then, sure, don't have a problem with it. Every big match in Japan? Gets a little old. Every big match anywhere involving a Japanese wrestler? Again, little testing. Every big match involving any American wrestling a Japanese style? Enough already. Thank you.

To me, that one's all about context. Kobashi doing it in a big dome show main event? Fine. Super Dragon doing it in the midcard of some random indy show? Ugh.

 

I forget which match I'm thinking off, but there was a sequence of what had to be at least six consecutive suplex to no-sells.

Might be that one big Kobashi vs. Akiyuma match from a couple years back, I remember they did some completely laughable sequence at the end where they kept hitting finishers on each other and popping right back up as if they were playing a game of fuckin' leapfrog.

 

? Or when Wrestler A does a shoulderblock to Wrestler B and there is a small pause, Wrestler A will run into the ropes, jump over Wrestler B, who will leapfrog over Wrestler A and, not until then, there will be an attack ?

Okay, the bit where the guy randomly jumps over the other guy who's been knocked down? Another case of a good spot ruined through lazy repetition. In theory, the guy on the ground is supposed to dive sideways towards the other guy's feet, trying to trip him up as he's running (traditionally called a "drop down"). But guys who don't know how to work have turned it into one of those rope-running spots they do for pointless fast-paced motion in order to simulate action going on inside the ring, when really they're just running around not touching each other.

 

Isn't that how Angle got his concussion at Summerslam 2000? Didn't he hit the monitor when the table break before the Pedigree?

Nah, he bounced his face right on the concrete, you can see it clearly in slo-mo.

 

 

I agree with the Van Daminator sometimes looking like the coolest spot in history, sometimes looking like "why the hell did the guy just sit there for ten seconds straight holding that chair over his face?!". But all those people who bitch about how the other guy NEVER just hits RVD with the chair are wrong, I've seen that particular swerve done several times.

[Epic Reine 0]

When the face allows himself to get pinned while the heel is just slightly pulling face's tights or slightly holding onto one of the nearby ropes. I think pulling tights or grabbing the bottom rope with your arm gives you magic powers or something.

[JHawk 0]

Regarding referees letting the heels get away with the blind tag (and I've done some refereeing myself, so this is my kayfabe excuse):

 

The heels have usually made the full switch, thus the legal guy is now on the apron and, conceivably, they made the tag.

 

Usually both faces are still in the ring, so it appears they're illegally double teaming.

 

The way I do it is if the teammates switch places before I turn around, I allow the "tag". Makes me look stupid to the fans, but at least I can justify it if I'm called out.

[evilhomer 0]

Wrestler A goes to put Wrestler B through the announcers table, but decides to remove the t.v. monitors first. He wants to hurt his opponent bad enough to put him through a table, but not bad enough so that one of the monitors might end up falling on him.

my theory on that (aside from the reality of not wanting to get shocked) was always they didnt wanna risk destroying the monitors and having to buy new ones for Vince (a sorta you break it you buy it rule), which must obviously cost 1/2 a million dollars given the inflated values and weights of objects in WWF-land...but of course that contradicts with breaking the table itself so I dunno..

That theory goes out the window when you see them pull the things out and let them drop to the floor (cables permitting).