KB Answers Wrestling Questions

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

If WWE decide Reigns isn't ready yet for the main event at Mania how would you feel about a surprise entrant to the Rumble Triple H eliminating Reigns in some sort of a cheap fashion to set up a singles match between the two at Mania with Reigns going over and building up steam towards the top spot at Mania 32 with a win over Rusev on his path like say around SummerSlam and in doing so ending Rusev's streak?

 

[klunderbunker]

It's possible, but I don't have faith in the writers to make something last that long.

 

[L@RISANO]

How much does believability matter in the WWE, especially in the case of casuals? What is the limit for suspension for disbelief?

 

[klunderbunker]

It's something people know is there but it's more fun not to acknowledge. Look at it like a movie: you know the people up there are actors, but you get swept up in it anyway. If you're talking about Star Wars, you don't say "the character Mark Hamill was playing". You say Luke Skywalker. It's the same idea with wrestling. People know that it's fake, but they want to be swept up into the illusion. The same would hold true for the limit. You can believe what a character in a movie is doing if it's logical for them to do. Back to the Star Wars analogy, I can believe Yoda speaks the way he does and propels himself around using the Force. However, if he starts reading a newspaper and asking where someone put his Bugs Bunny slippers, the illusion is crippled. It's the same in wrestling: the illusion is gone as soon as they acknowledge that this is a big TV show and none of it is real.

 

[Bockwinkel's Class]

It's something people know is there but it's more fun not to acknowledge. Look at it like a movie: you know the people up there are actors, but you get swept up in it anyway. If you're talking about Star Wars, you don't say "the character Mark Hamill was playing". You say Luke Skywalker. It's the same idea with wrestling. People know that it's fake, but they want to be swept up into the illusion. The same would hold true for the limit. You can believe what a character in a movie is doing if it's logical for them to do. Back to the Star Wars analogy, I can believe Yoda speaks the way he does and propels himself around using the Force. However, if he starts reading a newspaper and asking where someone put his Bugs Bunny slippers, the illusion is crippled. It's the same in wrestling: the illusion is gone as soon as they acknowledge that this is a big TV show and none of it is real.

Exactly! The analogy I always use is when I'm watching Jaws and Roy Scheider says "You need a bigger boat" the last thing I want is for him to turn to the camera and say "You people realize that's just a fake mechanical shark right?". Total buzzkill.

Without the suspension of disbelief NONE of this works, whether it's movies or wrestling.

 

[L@RISANO]

It's something people know is there but it's more fun not to acknowledge. Look at it like a movie: you know the people up there are actors, but you get swept up in it anyway. If you're talking about Star Wars, you don't say "the character Mark Hamill was playing". You say Luke Skywalker. It's the same idea with wrestling. People know that it's fake, but they want to be swept up into the illusion. The same would hold true for the limit. You can believe what a character in a movie is doing if it's logical for them to do. Back to the Star Wars analogy, I can believe Yoda speaks the way he does and propels himself around using the Force. However, if he starts reading a newspaper and asking where someone put his Bugs Bunny slippers, the illusion is crippled. It's the same in wrestling: the illusion is gone as soon as they acknowledge that this is a big TV show and none of it is real.

Pretty much.

However, from personal viewing experience, I remember in High School, when Rey Mysterio won the WHC, a number of school mates who used to watch WWE on a weekly basis, just stopped watching because they couldn't legit believe that someone as small as him could beat the guys he beat.
Doing something like that, sort of goes over the line for people, especially those casuals that enjoy it, but with things like the title, I have found that Casuals share Vince's ideology in that the Champion needs to be someone who 'looks' the part.
Of course, there are exceptions, but those are few and far between.

 

[klunderbunker]

There are indeed moments where those things don't work. It's my reaction when people want to see Ziggler vs. Lesnar. There comes a point where you can push Ziggler to the moon and back but he's not going to be a plausible threat to Brock.

 

[L@RISANO]

There are indeed moments where those things don't work. It's my reaction when people want to see Ziggler vs. Lesnar. There comes a point where you can push Ziggler to the moon and back but he's not going to be a plausible threat to Brock.

My sentiments exactly, tho, it also has to do with the booking patterns as well.

Ziggler got the Survivor Series rub, however, Sting interfered to help him get over the line. Other than that, he hasn't exactly beaten anyone legit anyways...people compare Harper in size to legitimise a Ziggler-Lesnar match.

On the other hand, you have Lesnar going over Taker and Cena cleanly, whilst always looking like a beast... and then people talk about giving a rub to his conqueror and champion an underdog story.
Makes a person wonder, sometimes...

 

[Alex]

What do you think of WWE taking away CM Punk signs and asking for people to remove CM Punk merchandise??

 

[Aeon Mathix]

One thing I have noticed about Cena that bothers me is at times he can suck at the dramatic kickout portion of a match. Instances like last year against Rock where he would kick out at like 2 rather than right before 3 if that makes sense. In just about every big match I always see him cock his hips around the 2 count signaling hes going to kick out. Overdramatic I know but it just bothers me sometimes. You ever notice this?

 

[klunderbunker]

What do you think of WWE taking away CM Punk signs and asking for people to remove CM Punk merchandise??

That I don't buy that as the full story.

One thing I have noticed about Cena that bothers me is at times he can suck at the dramatic kickout portion of a match. Instances like last year against Rock where he would kick out at like 2 rather than right before 3 if that makes sense. In just about every big match I always see him cock his hips around the 2 count signaling hes going to kick out. Overdramatic I know but it just bothers me sometimes. You ever notice this?

Not really but I rarely pay attention to the early finishers.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

What was the first ever wrestling "finisher", when was it first used, and who first used it?

 

[klunderbunker]

Very unofficially, George Hackenschmidt's bear hug back in about 1898.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

Most underrated blade job?

 

[klunderbunker]

Undertaker vs. Lesnar inside the Cell. His blood was dripping into Lesnar's mouth. Think about that for a second.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

Undertaker vs. Lesnar inside the Cell. His blood was dripping into Lesnar's mouth. Think about that for a second.

That match always made me feel uncomfortable as a kid watching it on dvd in 2005. Being a kid, you always believed that undertaker was some all powerful figure and then you see how much he bled in that match and how vulnerable he looked by the end. Always felt weird for me.

Okay

What is your favorite "???? on a pole" match?

 

[klunderbunker]

Either Judy Bagwell or Bottle of Viagra.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

If you could change the result of any match, what match would it be?

 

[klunderbunker]

DiBiase wins the title at Wrestlemania IV. You can have Savage take it at Summerslam and do the exact same build to Wrestlemania V.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Glacier was a bigger flop than Shockmaster. True or False?

 

[klunderbunker]

Oh yeah. At the end of the day, even if he didn't trip, Shockmaster was still Tugboat in a glittery Star Wars helmet. That character had the shelf life of mayonnaise in the sun.

 

[L@RISANO]

Based on how things are shaping up...rumours and all... who do you think Dean Ambrose ends up facing at Mania 31?

 

[klunderbunker]

Hopefully Lesnar.

 

[L@RISANO]

Hopefully Lesnar.

Main Event?

 

[klunderbunker]

Probably Reigns vs. Cena.