Skip to main content

QOTD #8: Your Favorite Wrestling Trope

Happy weekend to everyone! I hope you’re not bogged down at work like I am today, and getting a chance to roll into Independence Week with family, friends, and BBQ.

Today’s Question: What’s your favorite wrestling trope?

We’ll check out your answers tomorrow. If you want to skip yesterday’s answers, please scroll right to the comments.


The IWC loves it some great wrestling. Over the years, it has latched on to wrestling’s greatest showstoppers, but deep down inside we’re entertainment fans at heart; and some of wrestling’s greatest slugs can win us over. And yesterday we were talking about those awful wrestlers you loved anyway. We had a great turnout, so let’s get to it.

brocore: Mike Shaw, specifically Norman the Lunatic. Norm was just such a fun character, and Shaw nailed it and was clearly having fun with the role.

The first time I saw Norman the Lunatic was at Clash of the Champions VII, and I was completely enamored with it. The idea that the man was so dangerous they needed doctors nearby with cattle prods to keep the man in check before they hauled him back to the asylum was a great twist on the normal “monster” character – and exactly the kind of thing that could be recycled today on a new wrestler, or someone like Kane.

Garth Holmberg, C.C.: Andre The Giant, the later years. This is more nostalgia from me, because as a kid renting Coliseum Video's, seeing an Andre match was always a big deal to me. It didn't matter that all he could do was hang on the ropes and choke people: He was an intimidating giant who made even the largest superstars look like midgets. His presence alone was enough to make me want to watch his matches, and even now, I could look past his physical limitations because of the aura surrounding him that I don't think anyone else has ever been able to capture.

Starscreamlive: I'm a big mark for Kamala. Terrible ring skills and a cheesey gimmick, but I bought it as a kid. He's still one of my all time favorites.

I saw him at an independent show about 7 or 8 years ago, and I told him how much I loved his match with the Undertaker at SummerSlam. He looked up at me, and through that facepaint, and wild eyes, he informed me autographed photos were $10 each.

Biscuit!: The Mean Street Posse really sticks out for me. Just hot garbage in the ring but the gimmick was a riot. To be really fair almost every Memphis wrestler was kinda bad in the ring but all of them were so good at getting heat.


Magoonie NOT Teddy Belmont: I know he's not considered "terrible" but everybody seems to hate on him, Kevin Nash. And I'm not even talking about where he was trying to put on good matches as Diesel. I'm talking about when he kinda stopped caring in WCW. I was still a big fan of his.

You’re preaching to the choir; I once ran Kevin Nash Appreciation Month on my ShootingStarPress webpage, concluding with a poll to determine once and for all who the greatest wrestler of all time was. Choices included Kevin Nash, Oz, Vinnie Vegas, Diesel, and Master Blaster Steel. And of course, his announcing was top of the line.



Jared Bellow: Everybody has this big thing about Sid only being "carried" to good matches. Fuck no. The dude had the look, the charisma, and a good amount of ability in the ring. He only really had bad matches with guys he had no chemistry with. So Sid, Vader, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart allll just carried him, right on their backs? No. Sid is awesome. However, he is usually put on these lists.

Jared, you win – you were the first of over a dozen folks who named the Master and Ruler of the world as the greatest slug of all time. I tend to agree, Sid worked with good workers, and struggled against the useless lumps, despite having half the brain of Kevin Nash. There was a Montreal promotion that aired a pay-per-view in Canada in 2003 I believe, and one match was a battle royale which featured Sid just powerbombing everyone for 10 minutes. The fans ate it up. I also got to witness him crush Johnny Devine at an indy show, and after nearly blowing out my lungs in the front row chanting “SID” – he made a beeline for my friend and I, gave us each two giant sweaty fist bumps, and demanded to know “WHO’S THE MAN?” Sid, of course.

Mike_N: Mikey Whipwreck. Decent worker and hilarious when teaming with Foley as the perpetual deer in headlights. That gimmick could only work in ECW, but it was fun for what it was.

Beardmoney: I've heard some knuckleheads claim Hillbilly Jim was actually a "terrible" wrestler. I'm sorry, just because he didn't do the 450 Corkscrew Shooting Star Phoenix Splash off the top of a 20 foot ladder to put his opponent through a stack of flaming barbwire wrapped tables 7 nights a week, doesn't mean the guy was a bad worker. He just employed a less is more style. It was as much about the moves he didn't do, rather than just executing random Avalanche Burning Hammer Psycho Powerbomb Destroyer Drivers 365 nights a year. His ring-work actually meant something, accomplishing just as much with a simple Bearhug and a couple of well placed dance steps as your modern "extreme" grappler accomplishes by hitting 12 No Hands Flying Super Dragon Sliced Bread DDT Deathdrops.

It’s more of a revisionist history that’s been less kind to Hillbilly Jim, I don’t think anyone from the era would disagree the man was a good ring general. He was perfect for the over the top 80’s era, and could put on a show when needed to.

Stranger In The Alps: As a young Stranger, I was a huge mark for Hercules Hernandez, both as a heel and face. Looking back on his matches today, he was horrible. Especially in his bloated physique toward the end of his run after the Power & Glory split.

Petrock: At the time I really enjoyed JBL's title run. From day one he just completely owned that character.

He definitely owned the character, but I won’t lie – 2004 Smackdown was simply death with him at the top of the card. It seemed the more the fans revolted, the harder McMahon pushed him just to prove us wrong.

Piperfan01: Jimmy "The Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant, NWA, early-mid eighties, Charisma with a capital C, but when I look back now, simply horrible in the ring. I still mark out for his matches though, don't care.

Jobber123: So sid is my official answer but goddamnit I loved Mongo too. I can't get enough of his promos or him on commentary. I don't know if he's brain damaged, or just really stupid or what but that dude made me laugh every time he came on TV. The first time I remember seeing him was with LT during the Bam Bam angle and omg was he hysterical. His backstage promo is the best part of wm11. My all time favorite mongo moment was when he slapped a coffee out of goldbergs hand and yelled in his face "YOU DON'T DRINK COFFEE IN FRONT OF A MAN"

When I reviewed all the 1996 WCW shows, Mongo was a pretty standard whipping boy. One night he promised Mean Gene he’d whoop all the pretty boys, starting with Randy Savage (the hell??). He carried around that Haliburton like he’d never heard of a chequing account. And please don’t get me started on the stupid ferret. Still, nothing can top the coffee segment with the British Bulldog on Thunder in 98. We all learned a valuable lesson about when it’s appropriate to drink coffee.

dirtyearsbilly: I can't really say why, but I've always loved Balls Mahoney. We didn't get ecw here on the west coast until the tnn days, but my best friend had an illegal cable box and we used to watch all of their ppvs. As a 12/13 year old, there was something great about him. The airbrushed chairs, the tattered jean shorts, the fact that everyone yelled balls whenever he punched someone. I still love the guy.

Bones: Buff Bagwell...If any man wears a top hat with a likeness of himself and is an asshole about everything is alright by me.

A personal favorite Bagwell moment came during one of his entrances. Pointing proudly to his perfectly groomed facial hair, with all the class he could muster, Bagwell turned to the camera and belted out “BUFF HAS A NEW MOUSTACHE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Andy PG: Let's be honest: Tommy Dreamer has mediocre mic skills, very basic offense, and his back was messed up for so long he can't sell correctly to save his life. But WOW were his matches fun to watch.

Rusty Shackleford: Scott Steiner is a huge favourite due to being an awesome worker in the first half of his career and an absolute psychopath in the second half.

I saw one of his Nitro matches with Chris Jericho from early 99 not long ago, and the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that Steiner genuinely looked like he might kill someone. He kept stalling to go beef with the fans in the front row, and there was more than one occasion that night he got into a face to face screaming match with a fan just daring him to step over the line … and you really thought he just might. Whether it was a brilliant, calculated make-over, or roid rage, Steiner’s White Thunder was great.

Tom Dawkings: Surprised no mention of Warrior yet. The guy was getting the rocket push at the time I first started watching wrestling so Warrior was my 'Hulk Hogan'. Plus Warrior was a cooler version of Hogan as he was younger, more energetic and had a better look.

Basscase: Nathan Jones, only because he could refresh himself with a tall glass mid-match.

I legit laughed out loud at this.

catfishhedberg: I really enjoyed Kronik in the dying days of WCW. I've always been a mark for the invincible power teams. I also liked the KISS Demon for some reason.

Dirty_Dave_Delaney: The most awful wrestler that I found bizarrely entertaining has to be Heidenreich. His pre-match disaster-piece poetry promos, his over the top facial expressions, his Naziesque theme music combined with shitty in-ring work always guaranteed me being not far off from hysterical laughter. Plus he gets extra points for trying to rape Michael Cole! Also have to give a little bit of love to Snitsky for the whole 'IT WASN'T MY FAULT' baby-killing storyline over on Raw around the same time which of course lead to Snitsky and Heidenreich's epic gruntling and snarling confrontation at I think Survivor Series 2004.

I was writing weekly articles at that point – and I could not damn either of these guys with enough praise. Between their meeting at the 2004 Survivor Series (“I LIKE YOUR POETRY!” “AND I LIKE WHAT YOU DO TO BABIES!”), and the 2005 Royal Rumble (“I LIKE YOU JON!” “I LIKE YOU TOO GENE! BUT I STILL HATE CASKETS!”), this was truly a bromance that not only needed more segments, but quite frankly, their own spinoff.

YankeesHoganTripleHFan: Earthquake....I didn't love him, but when he was a heel between injuring Hogan, Tugboat, Andre, squashing the snake and sending all those jobbers out on stretchers the mark in me feared him, thus his matches were always fascinating because you knew he could leave someone laying in a heartbeat.

Jonathan Meisner: Beefcake. Loved him as a kid. The outfits, the synth heavy entrance music. And, the greatest thing to ever be thankful for, from the original Coliseum release of Survivor Series '89. "I'm thankful for wresting, cuttin' and struttin'!!"

Jabber2: David BOWTUNGA. My phone autocorrected that to all caps, which should tell you something. The swank jacket. The ridiculously jacked up physique. Rubbing the baby oil on himself. The sweater vests. The obnoxious slurping.

Daniel Swinney: ERNEST. MILLER. Very few men in wrestling have provided me as many laughs on the mic as him. The time he was basically asked to go out and kill seemingly ten minutes on Nitro and started just ripping on fans. "I'ma whoop everybody in this arena one by one! Sit down fat boah I can't fight you you ain't in my weight class. I'll whoop... entire NWO all by myself!" "Scott Steiner you big dumb stupid bitch! You know I HATE yo dumb ass!" Or the time he escaped a Bigelow beatdown by proclaiming, "I LOVE you. You my hee-ro!"

I could not agree more Daniel; Ernest Miller also happens to be my choice. There was something positively hysterical every single time they sent Miller out to rip on the entire crowd. You’d sit there for upwards of ten minutes, wondering what in the bloody hell was the point – and all he’d do is keep going. I can remember him being on the Bottom Ten Wrestlers list week after week in 1999 on WrestleLine, but that’s only because the masses hadn’t caught on to the greatness of the Cat.

Some of my personal favorite memories include him beating up Scott and Steve Armstrong one night, and demanding they send out the Bullet so he can whoop him too. On a random Thunder, he once entered the ring wearing a cowboy hat, and demanding Sonny Onoo sing “Purple Rain” in honor of the fact he was fighting Prince, then complaining that Prince Iaukea wasn’t the Prince he wanted to whoop at all. And finally, Catbo.


The Easter egg in the video above, was that the 1-800 number led directly to Eric Bischoff’s office – which had to be immediately changed following the airing of this. Late 90’s WCW simply cannot be topped for sheer incompetence and hilarity, no matter how hard TNA tries.

See you tomorrow!

Comments

  1. Ah yes, Chet Lemon and Black Snow, probably my favorite episode of Impact for the commentary alone.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Does anyone actually read yesterday's answers and your responses? Might want to cut that way down.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the heads up. Much appreciated. Forever grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Please be aware that this film contains frequent strong language and alcohol abuse throughout."


    No....really?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I do mainly to see if I get mentioned, but that's about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do. When there are 600 comments in a thread what he does becomes very helpful. I didn't even see the Catbo thing yesterday. Funny stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSandJune 28, 2014 at 10:17 AM

    I skim it for good stuff. Especially because most of these threads get jacked all of the place.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I still have Chet Lemon's baseball card around here somewhere. Wait...what?

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite trope is the oversell of the Undertaker's chokeslam. Specifically, the spot when he takes his arm all the way back to grab someone's neck. Then they just start jumping up and down instead of trying to get out of the hold.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I do. I actually like this format.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The babyface in peril/hot tag. It's so formulaic nowadays that it shouldn't even be a thing anymore, but it still is very effective getting the crowd into a match.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Those last couple of counts were terrible by that ref. I get that was to be part of the finish, but holy shit have some cadence to that sucker.


    Also, I did love the Hogan boot to the finish. Might be the only time I've seen someone do the "jump-off-the-top-boot-to-counter" that looks good. Also it makes sense to get a pin off of that (in the 80's especially) because Macho Man was flying down with no protection and ran into a stuck up foot. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MikeyMike, King of ClevelandJune 28, 2014 at 10:31 AM

    What's a trope?

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was wondering the same thing, I googled it and I still don't understand the definition.

    ReplyDelete
  15. a trope is a sequence that always happens. ex. Ric Flair's toss into the corner, flip the ropes, run to other turnbuckle, get tossed off.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSandJune 28, 2014 at 10:37 AM

    Conventions

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm guessing he means a plot device that's been overused. Like the evil authority figure is a wrestling trope that I think we are all sick to death of.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those were all very uncalled for by me. I yellow card myself.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wrestlemania II - Hulk Vs Macho?


    I wonder if they ever considered it after this series of matches set the gate aflame?

    ReplyDelete
  20. I like to laugh at the racial stereotype gimmicks. Can't get enough Samoan savages, black theifs and servants, African wild men, prissy English and French guys, Mexicans driving lawn mowers, Italian guys playing Indians, fightin' Irishman, black pimps, etc etc

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dig the Hulk Hogan cartoon music as his ring intro.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The "Trophy/Cake" rule.

    The best Trophy incident was Bret Hart at WMIV

    The best cake incident is here: http://youtu.be/C19W2Pc6cxI

    ReplyDelete
  23. Don't forget black guys playing Italians.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Trying to make Cena submit,every heel/face with a submission finisher should just give up before the match.It's clear he's not gonna tap.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Samoans have hard heads because....wrestling?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSandJune 28, 2014 at 11:16 AM

    It's the island diet.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The spanish announce table always being the one that gets destroyed.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Well they definitely all have man-boobs.

    ReplyDelete
  29. He was still using "Eye of the Tiger" at this point and did not switch over to Real American until the Spring of 1986.

    ReplyDelete
  30. QOTD writers that ignore feedback.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSandJune 28, 2014 at 11:19 AM

    Haha never seen it before, that is good.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Aren't those just accurate portrayals of the way things are in real life?

    ReplyDelete
  33. MikeyMike, King of ClevelandJune 28, 2014 at 11:22 AM

    Okay, I get it.
    Randy Orton slamming his hands on the ground is fucking annoying. And he never hits the RKO when he does that in a big match anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  34. The officiating in the 80's house show matches could be downright awful at times. The screwy finishes would happen all of the time in order to sell tickets for the following month.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I think every show with a substantial children's audience has to have a certain amount of educational programming.

    ReplyDelete
  36. My gf got me this shirt for my birthday. Best gift EVER

    http://www.thisnext.com/item/6D908E20/Chet-Lemon-Inspired-Design-Tee

    ReplyDelete
  37. Exactly. Its a public service really.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Absolutely. Best episode of impact, PLUS they had the greatest ring announcer in history of the biz

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-YVNP1G0KSA

    ReplyDelete
  39. Lol remember when he fucked his wrist up doing that

    ReplyDelete
  40. The phrase "Tonight in this very ring."
    I wish one would say "dang I wanted it to be tomorrow across the street."

    ReplyDelete
  41. I also like the cheap pop/heat. "Yay he said our city's name." "Boo he hates our basketball team"

    ReplyDelete
  42. The referee refusing a blind tag to a babyface making a comeback, but falls for it every time the heels clap their hands and fake making tags. I love me a good face (or Ricky Morton style) beatdown in tag matches, and the heels doing as much as possible to work the crowd is always a good thing.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Also, bleached hair. Excessive bleached hair.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Uncrusimatic_Buck_NastyJune 28, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    CenaWinsLOL

    ReplyDelete
  45. Yeah, for the last couple months of 1985, he alternated between the cartoon theme and "Eye of the Tiger". By the very end of the year, he was using "Real American" as he had it at the December MSG show for his match with Savage.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Please post the WAR they had from January 86' at MSG.

    ReplyDelete
  47. It's kinda weird to think that all tropes started somewhere. At some point someone sat down in a booking meeting and was like "Yeah. I buy that Bobo Brazil has a head of cement. Let's go with that."

    ReplyDelete
  48. The Wargames 2nd face entrance. Absolutely electric everytime. Especially when you get a Roadwarrior or Sting in. They hit that first punch, crowd goes BOOOM. Great stuff

    ReplyDelete
  49. And then it totally got over.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Yep. They switched to "Hulk Hogan's Theme" just prior to the release of The Wrestling Album in late '85, no doubt to sell better. "Real American" was still Windham & Rotundo's music at that point. But in early '86 they switched to "Real American" for Hogan and recycled "Hulk Hogan's Theme" for the cartoon, which I believe debuted in the fall of '86.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Jerry Lawler's power is dampened by his shoulder strap.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Not nessesarly over used. Tropes are not evil, they are just plot devices. All fiction is just a collection of various tropes presented in a new way
    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

    ReplyDelete
  53. And Italians playing Muslims.

    ReplyDelete
  54. In Memphis, Piledrivers are life ending. Conversely, if you have a Mohawk, wear spiked shoulder pads, and sport face paint, you are invincible to piledrivers.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Used a lot or common anyways.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 28, 2014 at 11:50 AM

    Wouldn't say, but one that always makes me laugh is the 'discuss our nefarious scheme backstage in front of a camera'.

    ReplyDelete
  57. He put the comments after the jump this time though.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I like the cheap pinfall tropes that we've been conditioned to buy as finishes. For example, the heel's manager distracts the face, the face turns around, and the heel rolls him up and pulls the tights; or the heel pins the face with his feet on the ropes; or the heel nails the face with an "international object" behind the refs back. We've seen these finishes work so many times that when the face kicks out now, we're actually surprised. It's similar to kicking out of finishing moves, except that probably happens more frequently in the modern era.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Oh ok, thanks for that.

    ReplyDelete
  60. I guess he gets partial credit for that.

    ReplyDelete
  61. "We’ll check out your answers tomorrow. If you want to skip
    yesterday’s answers, please scroll right to the comments."

    ReplyDelete
  62. Turning heel on your tag partner in the middle of the match, as long as there is a sensible reason. Savage-Hogan is the obvious and probably the best one, but God was it awesome when Windham did it to Luger. Luger had turned his back on Windham to join the Horsemen a year or so earlier, and it elevated Windham to maybe the hottest heel act in wrestling.

    Sid-Hogan was solid also. This one clearly had to be done to give people some reason to boo Sid over Hogan since Hogan was such a dick at the Royal Rumble when Flair won it. Hogan usually got betrayed for being a dick.

    I liked Martel turning on Santana at Wrestlemania also. And who can forget when Tyson Kidd betrayed DH Smith?? Everybody? Ok.

    ReplyDelete
  63. The underdog stealing one or causing real doubt about possibly winning one he wasn't supposed too, specifically the wonderful Hurricane v. The Rock dynamic from a buncha years ago. Naturally Daniel Bryan even though he was already a world champion, and then Santino in the Elimination Chamber.

    ReplyDelete
  64. The purpose of the mohawk is to provide a buffer against potential piledrivers.

    ReplyDelete
  65. And southern hillbillies with missing teeth wrestling in overalls

    ReplyDelete
  66. Thread jack: omg because of summerslam poster that leaked gave away the summerslam main event we all predicted and wanted they are considering having Orton win the belt tomorrow and drop it to cena in a triple threat at battleground with reigns as the third guy. Can you imagine the reaction if Orton wins the belt tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Oh I get that. But that seemed even worse that it should be.

    ReplyDelete
  68. my least favorite current wrestling trope is that finishers need to be facing the hard camera. God its so annoying when Cena/Punk/Lesnar all set up their moves, then turn to face the camera, THEN hit the move. Rock was bad at it as well.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Just give a guy like ADR the win because It's a ladder match. It's all luck.Feed him a few midcard faces to build to Battleground. If they insist on doing a short shit reign like that, does Orton need to be damaged again? He's staying, Del Rio is probably leaving soon.

    ReplyDelete
  70. people should know better than to trust leaked posters. They've never meant anything to who was winning or who was going to be in main event.

    ReplyDelete
  71. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Rumble_(2014)



    Cena! Bryan! Punk! I bet one of those guys win the Royal Rumble! Oh but Orton is on top of them all, so maybe he wins the WWE title!

    ReplyDelete
  72. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_Chamber_(2014)



    Stephanie McMahon is revealed to be a witch in control of the Elimination Chamber!

    ReplyDelete
  73. At least WWE doesn't do what TNA does where they do their promos facing the hard camera and looking directly in it.

    ReplyDelete
  74. That scenario makes just as much sense as giving it to Cena. They're the two biggest guys in the match, they're the ones that WWE knows they can rely on. It may be a waste of a PPV to put a title on Orton at this point, but only slightly more of a waste than putting it on Cena, only because we all want Cena-Lesnar for the belt at the SummerSlam.


    I don't really have a problem with it.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Perfect on the facecake. The way it transitioned the MX from the R&R to Watts/JYD (as Stagger Lee) was well done.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 28, 2014 at 12:57 PM

    OK, what's a "trope"?

    ReplyDelete
  77. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 28, 2014 at 12:58 PM

    Am I the only one that sees the ending being Cena grabbing one belt and Orton grabbing the other?

    ReplyDelete
  78. Even better when the faces "hijack" part of the routine in teasing the heels (the "clap tag" being done by the faces seconds/minutes after the heels pull it off), and do it with shit-eating grins.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Lawler, and Angle. Angle popping the strap back on just to pop it off again is a classic.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Damn straight on Windham/Luger. That match is Heel Turn 501, the Master's-level course.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Devalues title with a short run and focuses the show around Orton for several weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Here's one nobody has mentioned yet: The Hulk Up (created in some form WELL before Hogan, for the record), but specifically the Hogan variation. Also called the "I's stood all I's willing to stand" approach, at least in Popeye's dialect.


    Heel is beating on Hogan, or working him over with a rest hold. Hogan starts to power out, shaking and convulsing as he walks around the ring. Eventually, he turns around after one too many heel shots, finger pointed right at the soon-to-be hurting evildoer. (Bonus points when the crowd yells YOU! in unison with the point.) Cue beating, Big Boot, Legdrop, 1-2-3.


    As I mention above, it was used before Hogan, but he made an art form out of the comeback.

    ReplyDelete
  83. I want a Samoan wrestler to totally buck that trend and have his entire gimmick being based around not wanting to be hit in the head. It's a terrible idea, but I'd be amused.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Also runs the risk of the world having to experience another Cena vs Orton title match.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Yeah. As a kid who loved most of Hogan's opponents, hot fucking damn did I hate Hulk-ups.

    ReplyDelete
  86. We don't see it much any more because of the length of tag matches, but the Ricky Morton face in peril type routine is great. 15 minutes of ass whoopin' until you magically crawl for a tag.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Just occurred to me... I know the Genius somewhat subverted this trope by having the good sense to get away from the hulk-up, but did any of his heel opponents ever have the smarts to just try and wrestle a respectful, scientific match against Hogan so that he never had righteous indignation?

    ReplyDelete
  88. So...Abeyance is in 2nd now, and closing on Jef.


    Dude. I like you, and you seem like a nice guy. But, damn. That's a lot of time on this here BoD.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Like Hogan would have stood for that. Being outwrestled would have been taken as a serious slight and inspired the dreaded hulk-up. And yeah, I got to the point where I fucking hated it too.

    ReplyDelete
  90. MaffewOfBotchamaniaJune 28, 2014 at 1:33 PM

    Ah, fond memories of this. My lecturer at University spoke highly of it...likely because he knew the bloke who made it.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Not exactly. As I said, Hogan alternated between two themes for a bit. For this match with Savage in October, he had the cartoon theme, but the next month at the Wrestling Classic PPV, he had "Eye of the Tiger".
    By the end of the year, he had settled on permanent music as there was an MSG show on December 30 where he came out to "Real American". That might have been the first time he used it.

    ReplyDelete
  92. If only Xanax had existed back then and someone had mixed them in with Hogan's vitamins.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Neidhart too.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Would've made for interesting promos.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSandJune 28, 2014 at 1:45 PM

    Explained down thread.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Then the next week he could even turn it into a PSA about making sure you know what you're taking and never letting anyone tamper with your shit. "I learned a lesson, Mean Gene! All my little Hulksters need to make sure they know their limits and they trust their deale-- doctors... brother."

    ReplyDelete
  97. That would be a terrible idea. Has Orton even been on TV the last several weeks?

    ReplyDelete
  98. Along with select black wrestlers.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Letting the arm drop twice and then reviving yourself before three when in the sleeper hold. Predictable, beaten into the ground and solely used for a wrestler to get a rest, but damned if it doesn't rile up the crowd.

    ReplyDelete
  100. TJ : Ochocinco has his first CFL reception. That is all.

    ReplyDelete
  101. What sells that spot is how well the cheated babyface tag partner bitches and yells about getting hosed to the ref. For some reason Jim Neidhart with the Hart Foundation always sticks out. He always looked like he was about ready to straight-up murder his ass when he tries to push him away and tell him to get back to his corner.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Was hoping his moment with the belts on Smackdown assured an Orton free result tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
  103. If they're really putting the title on Lesnar at SummerSlam, anyone who wins it tomorrow night, really, has a short run. Two months isn't really breaking any records.

    ReplyDelete
  104. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I do. I'm already here, so why skip stuff?

    ReplyDelete
  106. That's an evil thing to do, sending people to that site. It's a rabbit hole.

    ReplyDelete
  107. And a few more. He's lookin' alright so far.

    ReplyDelete
  108. FIFTEEN MILLION TIMES IN A LIFETIME! Seriously, Orton-Cena has to be the worst "#1 vs. #2 of their era" marquee matchup of all time for the company.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Twice as long as one month though, anything that leads to less title change hot shotting is fine by me as a wwe fan.

    ReplyDelete
  110. I think that discussion was slightly more racist and probably a lot more negative on the reasons for Bobo's "special ability."

    ReplyDelete
  111. Anyone else here think Halloween Havoc 1993 is one of the best ppvs of all time. Pretty much every match is good and the main event is probably 5 stars if it had a finish.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Because white people.

    ReplyDelete
  113. I think it probably had something to do with guys protecting themselves, they'll take the 3 but they're up right afterwards quick enough to dispute it.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Another reason why managers like Cornette are vital: you can further a feud by humiliating a manager and it puts more heat on the feud without forcing the two teams to wrestle.

    ReplyDelete
  115. I still love it.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Breaking news says Wade, Bosh, and Haslem are all opting out so that the Heat can try to give LeBron a max deal and rebuild. I have a feeling that if Carmelo ends up there that the league might step in.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Give a Samoan Martel's model gimmick and make him avoid being hit in the face at all costs.

    ReplyDelete
  118. All of this occurs mainly because of dumb league rules. Players figure out a way to game the system and the leagues answer is to make up more rules. Just remove the cap and let stuff fall where they may.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Virgil's Gimmick TableJune 28, 2014 at 2:35 PM

    More and more Abeyance reminds me of Tommy Gunn from Rocky V.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I never paid it much attention but I bet Hogan "hulked up" at a certain point in a match. I imagine he's on the mat selling with a little clock in his head and then goes "welp, bout that time".

    ReplyDelete
  121. I don't know why the league just doesn't adopt a hard cap. No more Bird exceptions, legacy rules, etc. It's ridiculous that people have to use a freakin' trade machine to figure out transactions. A hard cap created more parity in the NFL and NHL. It would do wonders for competitive balance in the NBA.


    At least now the video games make transactions easier. I remember trying to play NBA Live '05 and never being able to make trades because every team except the Bobcats was over the cap.

    ReplyDelete
  122. I like how they programmed the Hulk up in WWE 2k14. The first time I faced Hulk I was playing as Ted DiBiase and I had the match won until he freakin' hulked up, got that combo, and beat me. I was pissed, but it was sort of realistic so kudos for that.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Yeah but one short reign is better than two.

    ReplyDelete
  124. I would like to see no cap but if they must have one then make it a hard cap. This Bird rule, luxury tax stuff is stupid. It makes the NBA look like wrestling when the players are trying to put one over on the authority figures.

    ReplyDelete
  125. The only reason I'd be against a no cap rule is that it would probably prejudice larger markets versus smaller markets. Granted, that's what we have right now, but I just think a hard cap would bring greater parity. That said, the players would definitely prefer not having a cap because they could earn much larger salaries.

    ReplyDelete
  126. The NBA wants players to stay with their teams. Obviously, the salary cap is not deterring that so it's useless to have. Sit down with the players and find out why they are moving then go from there.

    On the surface, the biggest problem seems to be incompetent management (LeBron, K-Love, etc). Address it that way somehow instead of trying to put all the onus on the players.

    ReplyDelete
  127. The "Hulk Up," from Hogan.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Uh, no. But I haven't watched it in a very long time. I remember loving that main event and generally being not that excited about the rest.

    But I've got three hours to kill in the car here so I'll give it a second look!

    ReplyDelete
  129. A QOTD request for tomorrow (and any other PPV/Special Event Sunday) - predictions for the show tomorrow night.

    ReplyDelete
  130. You'll love it. The opener is bad though, but ventura is pretty funny on commentary through it. Then Orndorff vs Steamboat , nastys vs Scorpio and buff, and rude vs Flair are really good, sting vs sid is actually really exciting, and Dustin vs Austin and regal vs dbs have ***ish matces. And then the main event...wow

    ReplyDelete
  131. Caps work when done right though.

    The NHL has as close to parity as you want.
    Everyteam has made the playoffs post cap, so they can all stay competitive--but a few teams (Bruins, Kings, Blackhawks) are still a step above, so it's not just an entire league at .500

    ReplyDelete
  132. Not gonna lie, still get chills when he Hulk's up at WM18

    ReplyDelete
  133. I love these big old house shows, and Macho always brought the fun.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Does "Sting descends from the rafters and beats everybody up with a baseball bat" count as a trope? I think they did it enough times for it to be a trope.

    ReplyDelete
  135. Salary caps make players move more often.

    Hockey players switch teams because one couldn't fit a player's new worth under the cap then any other reason.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Maybe not a "wrestling trope" as a "Sting trope". I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  137. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

    ReplyDelete
  138. It is. I liked to it then spent like 3 hours there.

    Mass Effect fans must really like the site. Seperated by alphabet AND alien race AND game.

    There's that many damn tropes listed

    ReplyDelete
  139. How about Sting trusting someone absolutely, positively sure to turn on him? I feel like that qualifies.

    ReplyDelete
  140. It's too specific "decend from rafters to be a trope"

    It's an example of a trope, (several really--pier 6, true neutral, etc.)

    ReplyDelete
  141. Yeah--overly trusting guy getting burned is a perfect example of a trope

    ReplyDelete
  142. Hey look! Big Show's carrer in a nutshell

    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeelFaceRevolvingDoor

    ReplyDelete
  143. If that's the case then it's not doing what the NBA wants. I don't think a salary cap is the answer for the issues they are trying to address. They want players to stay put and they want competitive balance. The salary cap isn't bringing forth either of those things.

    ReplyDelete
  144. Yeah--caps serve two purposes:

    1) parity where small and big market teams can both afford competitive talent

    2) curbing inflating salaries so the big market owners don't have to pay ludicrous money to satisfy the fanbase (hello yankees!). Once you hit cap fans can't complain about the owner having to pony up.

    ReplyDelete
  145. 1) that's the purpose but in the NBA it's not happening.

    2) As you stated, this let's the owners off the hook. That's nonsense

    3) why not look for other alternatives to address these issues. Maybe tying salaries to revenue. Or developing some more talent. The talent level of the average NBA player is horrible. There are more ways to attack this issue than just harping on the salary cap.

    ReplyDelete
  146. "If you're a TNA wrestler prepare to flip-flop more than a goldfish surrounded by water and a broken fishbowl."



    BWAHAHAHA! But all the pro wrestling examples are good ones, whether 100% true, humorous, or both.

    ReplyDelete
  147. I don't think it is nonsense though--and I'm a big market fan.

    If a team can't compete they shouldn't be in the league.

    All markets are Small markets when expansion starts. The nhl has a HARD CAP, and it's worked. SOFT CAPS are pointless and don't do shit.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Is Roman Reigns 100% Samoan? If so, maybe that's why they're keeping him in the vest. Long term planning.

    ReplyDelete
  149. Salary caps are awful. If a team wants to spend money, let them. Salary caps exist only because owners are stupid. The salary cap was so ineffective in the NHL they had to step in and have another lockout

    ReplyDelete
  150. Why should we be punishing the players because the owners are stupid and willing to spend money. No cap at all. If you are willing to spend, go ahead. It doesn't guarantee success

    ReplyDelete
  151. But then you have teams like the Sens and Predators that despite a cap still refuse to spend money. And you have the issue of the cap going up so fast that teams still can't keep up. Also, you see teams getting penalized for bonuses like the Blackhawks.


    No salary cap in all sports. If someone wants to spend, let them.

    ReplyDelete
  152. The lockout had nothing to do woth the cap, it was over revenue splits that, as I understand it, don't count towards the cap

    ReplyDelete
  153. I'm a Warhammer 40k fan. You may have noticed has it's own corner of the site, like wrestling. It's fucking insane.

    ReplyDelete
  154. The owners realized that the salary cap didn't work because it took GMs and players oh 5 seconds to find the loopholes. If the NHL didn't have a cap, it'd be doing just fine

    ReplyDelete
  155. Seriously, I think there is a 0% accuracy rate when it comes to guessing spoilers due to those posters. In like 50 cases.

    ReplyDelete
  156. The Santino one was great, because it left Daniel Bryan, World heavyweight champion as the overwhelming favorite to retain his title. It was kind of surreal, as he wasn't totally solidified yet.

    ReplyDelete
  157. Yes, because Cena is the only top babyface in wrestling history guilty of that.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Favorite wrestling trope? Easily the "Heel Authority Figure that uses Convoluted Plans That Always Backfire, Instead of Just Doing the Sensible Thing and Firing the Person That They Don't Like". Yup, if there's one thing we need more of in wrestling, it's HAFTUCPTABIOJDTSTAFTPTTDLs.

    We need more "Smiling, Pandering Faces that Don't Take Anything Seriously and Make Lots of Poop Jokes", as well. We're unnervingly low in that department.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Same here - the way they (Trips, Steph, Cole, etc.) keep repeating "we absolutely guarantee a new champion" has me nervous.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Austin/Rock, it certainly isn't.

    ReplyDelete
  161. To be fair, if it's just one guy solo, or a group of people, then no; however, having two people on the poster pretty much implies that the match is pending.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Taka vs HHH, one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Upvote because of my love for unwieldy acronyms.

    ReplyDelete
  164. Seriously though, my favorite trope is either that pretty much any ridiculous weapon or item (like a canoe) you could imagine could be under the ring and nobody questions it, or the Spanish Announce Table getting broken.

    ReplyDelete
  165. The NBA and the MLS are the only two major American leagues (okay, it's debatable if MLS is major, but for the sake of argument as the biggest American soccer league) that cap individual player salaries, and MLS has ways to overcome the max (DPs, allocation funds, etc).


    The individual max salary in NBA makes it so other factors are more important, still favoring large markets.

    ReplyDelete
  166. +1 for that poor, poor table.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Exactly. The NFL addressed this with revenue sharing. In order to really make markets fair (as far as they can be) then you have to make them equally profitable. Instead, they just put all the onus on the players to make this work. That's just crap to me.

    ReplyDelete
  168. No doubt. I remember back in the heydays of the IWC, every new poster would get posted and be dissected 8 ways to Sunday and they would never mean anything in the long run.

    ReplyDelete
  169. I don't fully agree with this. Not a big hockey guy but as I understand it, owners were signing contracts they couldn't afford. The salary cap addresses that somewhat but it still doesn't address the real issues. As you said upthread, it doesn't fix their stupidity to sign those deals in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  170. They shouldn't have signed the contracts. No one has a gun to their head.

    ReplyDelete
  171. the "would you pull your mother/wife in front you" chatter is the type of details i love in a match. great announcing

    ReplyDelete
  172. On that we agree.

    ReplyDelete
  173. I always blame the lockout on the Rangers signing Bobby Holik. That's when it got out of control

    ReplyDelete
  174. Is this the infamous match where Ventura almost blows a gasket because Savage (more or less) pinned Hogan and then Savage kicks out right at three when Hogan twarts Savage's second elbow?

    ReplyDelete
  175. Maybe, Brian - but both the original broadcast of the Jan 1986 SNNE has Hogan using real American and a old broadcast of MSG on December 30 also has Hogan using Real American. And it officially is declared his theme by the Feb/March SNME that featured Bundy breaking his ribs.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Savage clearly kicked out. But then again Bundy kicked out at the Boston Garden in November - so it was commonplace.

    ReplyDelete
  177. An oldy but goody is veteran turns on protege or vice versa. My favorite was Magnum TA & Mr. Wrestling II from Mid-South. It doesn't happen as much because those relationships are not a standard story line anymore, but it had the ability to create nuclear heat for guys. You could argue this is simply an overall example of tag-team wrestler turning on partner, but the teacher-student dynamic was always effective in my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Nothing like a well-executed "Cocky heel issues open challenge and regrets it immediately" trope. Examples:

    Honky Tonk Man/Ultimate Warrior
    Chris Jericho/Rey Mysterio Bash at the Beach 1998
    Triple H/Undertaker to set up their Wrestlemania X-7 match (Not quite the same thing, but I really liked that feud.)

    ReplyDelete
  179. Virgil's Gimmick TableJune 29, 2014 at 1:39 AM

    He has an increasingly huge post count (winning streak) and is about to be number one (heavyweight champion) but only because Rocky (both cult and jobber) have taken a step back, Apollo (Farva) is no longer with us and Clubber and Drago got beat. And people STILL think he's a robot.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Virgil's Gimmick TableJune 29, 2014 at 3:31 AM

    My favorite for laughs alone is when a wrestler is cutting a promo on their arch enemy and then it cuts to the back, showing said arch enemy standing there watching the promo on TV, arms crossed, their head turned at an unnatural angle and their face 4 inches from the screen.

    ReplyDelete
  181. I would love it even more if it at least SOMETIMES would end up with the guy putting it on winnig*. even as a kid after I have been watching I few months I had realized that once the ref gets to third time the good guy will get out of it.


    * even weirder: I have seen DiBiase win against jobbers with the Dream but in those matches the ref didn't check the arm three times but ended it after the first one.

    ReplyDelete
  182. I don't see what the robot part has to do with the Tommy Gunn thing. And, where's the betrayal angle? That was rather important to the film.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment