Wrestling cliches that should be brought back

[GOTNW]

Wrestlers pointing their finger at the camera during interviews. Heels calling for a time out during a match. FACE FALLS FOR HEEL'S HANDSHAKE SPOTS.

[cwoy2j]

Wrestlers pointing their finger at the camera during interviews. Heels calling for a time out during a match. FACE FALLS FOR HEEL'S HANDSHAKE SPOTS.

 

I have a friend who did the fake handshake thing in a fight. And it actually worked! It started out as one of those "I push you, you push me" sorta arguments and my friend goes, "this is dumb, truce?" Offered up his left hand and immediately I thought, "oh god, that's his off hand. We're gonna have to fight out of this party or defuse the situation" and sure enough, BAM. Hit the guy with his right. My friend was kind of an asshole back then.

[cwoy2j]

I just want to see certain moves make a return. I don't even know when the last time I saw a side russian leg sweep on WWE TV, and that makes me sad.

 

I also would like to see more babyfaces helping babyfaces after a heel does something super dastardly.

 

I also want to see the main babyface show up during a heel beatdown on a friend like he just got out of the shower as soon as someone told him. One of my favorite pro wrestling memories as a kid was Jerry Lawler showing up with shaving cream and a towel on to save a friend while several heels were kicking his ass.

 

Basically, I want more Memphis staples in my pro wrestling,

 

Or if the face doesn't make the save, give me a plausible reason why not. I can't remember whose book it was, either Gary Hart's or Dillon's, but he said that there was an angle in Florida where the heels were going to attack one of Jack Brisco's friends. Eddie Graham thought, "hmmmm, well we already have Brisco booked earlier in the card and it would be dumb to not have him help his friend but we need the heel to get one over." So after Brisco's match, they had him cut a generic babyface promo and he said something like, "well, see you next week folks, I'm off to visit the children's hospital." There's your out right there and no reason they couldn't use that for why Cena doesn't save people b/c he's always doing the Make-A-Wish thing.

[Skeeball Wizard]

More variety in guys sizes. I miss big fat dudes. Also want to echo whoever said guys with actual gimmicks. I'm not suggesting we go back to "occupation" themed gimmicks necessarily, but give me something besides "these two well built athletes are fighting for...some reason". How about a painted up, fat maniac fighting an undersized man child.

[The Nature Boy]

Bring back the tag ropes(haven't watched in ten years, so forgive me), and especially the choking the babyfaces with them. Its really the emphasis on the little things, the artistry that has gone out of the "sport".  The hooking the good leg, as the opponent can't kick with the bad one, references to the pay window, etc. . . .

 

The tag rope is still there, but it never seems to get mentioned on commentary or utilized at all in any way. I remember pointing it out to a friend at a live show a couple of months back.  It's a weird touch that WWE keeps around.

[HumanChessgame]

 

Bring back the tag ropes(haven't watched in ten years, so forgive me), and especially the choking the babyfaces with them. Its really the emphasis on the little things, the artistry that has gone out of the "sport".  The hooking the good leg, as the opponent can't kick with the bad one, references to the pay window, etc. . . .

 

The tag rope is still there, but it never seems to get mentioned on commentary or utilized at all in any way. I remember pointing it out to a friend at a live show a couple of months back.  It's a weird touch that WWE keeps around.

 

 

I remember a match between Eddy and Chavo and some other, slightly younger wrestlers (Edge and Christian maybe?) and the Guerreros were using the tag ropes throughout the whole match but the other team never touched them.  The commentators never mentioned them either.  I think the general consensus was that since Eddy & Chavo were trained more "oldschool" than the other guys, they instinctively used them.

[The Great ML]

I just want to see certain moves make a return. I don't even know when the last time I saw a side russian leg sweep on WWE TV, and that makes me sad.

 

I also would like to see more babyfaces helping babyfaces after a heel does something super dastardly.

 

I also want to see the main babyface show up during a heel beatdown on a friend like he just got out of the shower as soon as someone told him. One of my favorite pro wrestling memories as a kid was Jerry Lawler showing up with shaving cream and a towel on to save a friend while several heels were kicking his ass.

 

Basically, I want more Memphis staples in my pro wrestling,

 

Or if the face doesn't make the save, give me a plausible reason why not. I can't remember whose book it was, either Gary Hart's or Dillon's, but he said that there was an angle in Florida where the heels were going to attack one of Jack Brisco's friends. Eddie Graham thought, "hmmmm, well we already have Brisco booked earlier in the card and it would be dumb to not have him help his friend but we need the heel to get one over." So after Brisco's match, they had him cut a generic babyface promo and he said something like, "well, see you next week folks, I'm off to visit the children's hospital." There's your out right there and no reason they couldn't use that for why Cena doesn't save people b/c he's always doing the Make-A-Wish thing.

JJ Dillons book...just read it.

[Spritenaut 32]

How about a painted up, fat maniac fighting an undersized man child.

 

That could work, but Daniel Bryan is too banged up right now to wrestle Kevin Owens.

[Ultimo Necro]

Working class wrestlers. Men that look like they have had a hard life. 99% of wrestlers today look like they have come straight from the set of a reality TV show.

I think that's part of the charm of the Briscoes, Ambrose, the Wyatts, Bryan and Owens is that they look more like the man on the street compared to the guys that could only be wrestlers or jersey shore-extras.

[Spritenaut 32]

Babyfaces that are actually good guys.  I'm tired of edgy dicks who seem to have no friends.  Cena's a great promo and character when they let him bring the intensity and be this decade's Hogan.  He's less effective when he's a jerk babyface making poopy jokes. 

 

Along those lines, let heels be heelish.  WWE lets a couple of the main-eventers have a stable, cheat to win, etc.  The rest of their heel roster are only heels because they wrestle babyfaces.  The indys aren't much better.  Most indys are too busy booking indy dream matches to tell stories or have clear heel/face divisions (PWG, I'm looking at you).

 

Wrestling needs managers who actually do something besides talk for their guy (usually because he's a bad promo).  I miss the days when managers slipped wrestlers illegal objects, threw shoes, attacked the babyface to break up a pin, took out bounties, etc.  I dig the Rusev/Lana act but Lana was useless during a match.  She needed to watch a lot of Macho King Savage/Queen Sherri matches to figure out how to keep Rusev from dropping pinfalls.

 

Also, bring back dusty finishes, dq's, no contests, outside interference, etc.  The WWE is really uncreative when it comes to booking.  If they don't want the babyface to eat pinfalls, they end up having the heel job every match.  Take Rusev for example.  I don't think he should have been pinning Cena clean every PPV, but he didn't need to job every time either.  Flair didn't win a lot of matches clean, but he got protected most of the time.  He beat jtts and won big title matches,  In between, he escaped a lot of midcarders and top guys by walking out on the match, cheating to win, getting dq'ed, getting saved by the Horsemen if it looked like he was close to being pinned, etc. Rusev could have stood a few dq losses, tainted wins, Lana throwing herself at the ref to prevent the three count, etc,  WWE tends to have only two finishes.  Face pins heel.  Heel pins face.  Kinda limits your options when you need to protect guys,

[mattdangerously]

Wrestling needs managers who actually do something besides talk for their guy (usually because he's a bad promo). I miss the days when managers slipped wrestlers illegal objects, threw shoes, attacked the babyface to break up a pin, took out bounties, etc. I dig the Rusev/Lana act but Lana was useless during a match. She needed to watch a lot of Macho King Savage/Queen Sherri matches to figure out how to keep Rusev from dropping pinfalls.

Fuck yes. The fact that James Mitchell isn't on my TV on a regular basis is a goddam travesty. I don't understand the WWE's aversion to managers, or why every female valet of the past 20 years hasn't straight up ripped off Sherri's act completely.

[Curt McGirt]

People bleeding when they get hit with things.

[Execproducer]

Cowboys and Indians.

[Roman]

 

 

Bring back the tag ropes(haven't watched in ten years, so forgive me), and especially the choking the babyfaces with them. Its really the emphasis on the little things, the artistry that has gone out of the "sport".  The hooking the good leg, as the opponent can't kick with the bad one, references to the pay window, etc. . . .

 

The tag rope is still there, but it never seems to get mentioned on commentary or utilized at all in any way. I remember pointing it out to a friend at a live show a couple of months back.  It's a weird touch that WWE keeps around.

 

 

I remember a match between Eddy and Chavo and some other, slightly younger wrestlers (Edge and Christian maybe?) and the Guerreros were using the tag ropes throughout the whole match but the other team never touched them.  The commentators never mentioned them either.  I think the general consensus was that since Eddy & Chavo were trained more "oldschool" than the other guys, they instinctively used them.

 

 

I remember a Chavo/Eddie tag where Chavo was getting beaten up and Eddie kept interfering. The referee told Eddie several times that he needed to be in his corner. Finally Eddie manages to loosen the tag rope so it slides along the top rope. Eddie makes his way to the middle of the apron and kicks his opponent through the ropes to break up a pinfall. When the referee reprimands him, Eddie raises his hand, holding the tag rope that's several feet away from where it should be attached. The crowd loved it.

[CanadianChris]

I think right after that, Eddie used a second rope to make the tag rope longer.

[TerjeRUN]

Timekeepers ringing the bell repeatedly when hell breaks loose.

[twiztor]

Timekeepers ringing the bell repeatedly when hell breaks loose.

 

oh god please no. every nitro ended with a brawl and the timekeeper ringing the bell for 10 minutes straight. if i never heard that again it will be too soon.

[Michael Sweetser]

That's a problem with repetitive booking, not the spot itself. 

[Kuetsar]

That spot is best used when a heel stable is beating the holy hell out of someone, and no one seems to come out and help, not so much for a equal sides donny brook.

[Curt McGirt]

The timekeeper thing only works in Japan IMO. "DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING" is meant for Abdullah/Hansen/Funk/Brody brawling through the crowd.

[supremebve]

The cliche that should be back is the tag team specialists.  That one tag team that does creative double teams and subtle, but dastardly things that give them the advantage over their opponent.  Basically I want a new version of the Midnight Express, a team that is not good because they put two singles wrestlers together, but a team that is greater than the sum of their parts.  Basically a heel version of the Usos, who would be title contenders at all times, could but also put over the new teams without losing much heat.

[MonteCarl]

I feel like Cesaro/Kidd were on their way to becoming this before Kidd was injured. It seemed like every match they brought some sort of new double-team move that they had never done before.

[The Green Meanie]

The cliche that should be back is the tag team specialists.  That one tag team that does creative double teams and subtle, but dastardly things that give them the advantage over their opponent.  Basically I want a new version of the Midnight Express, a team that is not good because they put two singles wrestlers together, but a team that is greater than the sum of their parts.  Basically a heel version of the Usos, who would be title contenders at all times, could but also put over the new teams without losing much heat.

 

And while it's improved lately, tag teams that have matching outfits, as opposed to two random guys teaming together.

[Super Weak Machine]

 

The cliche that should be back is the tag team specialists.  That one tag team that does creative double teams and subtle, but dastardly things that give them the advantage over their opponent.  Basically I want a new version of the Midnight Express, a team that is not good because they put two singles wrestlers together, but a team that is greater than the sum of their parts.  Basically a heel version of the Usos, who would be title contenders at all times, could but also put over the new teams without losing much heat.

 

And while it's improved lately, tag teams that have matching outfits, as opposed to two random guys teaming together.

 

And the idea that a dedicated tag team can be equal to or better than a couple of random main eventers they just threw together for one night.

[supremebve]

I feel like Cesaro/Kidd were on their way to becoming this before Kidd was injured. It seemed like every match they brought some sort of new double-team move that they had never done before.

 

 

 

The cliche that should be back is the tag team specialists.  That one tag team that does creative double teams and subtle, but dastardly things that give them the advantage over their opponent.  Basically I want a new version of the Midnight Express, a team that is not good because they put two singles wrestlers together, but a team that is greater than the sum of their parts.  Basically a heel version of the Usos, who would be title contenders at all times, could but also put over the new teams without losing much heat.

 

And while it's improved lately, tag teams that have matching outfits, as opposed to two random guys teaming together.

 

Kidd and Cesaro still felt like a stop on the Cesaro ride and not a long lasting, full-time, tag team.  To add to matching outfits, we need to bring back tag team names.  The Midnight Express sounds cool.  The Hart Foundation sounds cool.  The Legion of Doom/Road Warriors sounds cool.  Luke Harper and Erick Rowan sounds like a country singing duo, not bad ass motherfuckers.  Those two dudes look like could be cast members on Swamp People, can't they think of anything better than name and name?  The Wyatt Family seemed like a thing, Harper and Rowan seems like nothing.  Why exactly aren't they still Wyatt's henchman?  There was never a reason to break those guys up, and they had a name and a purpose.  I have no idea how they messed those guys up after their feud with The Shield, but they fucked it up royally.