The Injury X Sign

[TWJC: The Beginning]

It's just a sell. Anything to make you feel something. I mean, really, what's the difference between a med guy coming down kayfabe and saying "are you okay?" and for real? Not much, other than the guy saying (that we can't hear) "no, I'm really messed up right now"?

Usually look in their eyes and look at the other guys' reaction if you are basically wanting to know how to tell.

 

[H33LTurn]

If the X sign is planned ahead of time then of course the referees and EMT's are expecting it so they wont have a real reaction to it. Either way if by any unfortunate chance they really do get injured during a kayfabe injury spot they're still going to be whisked away by WWE personnel to the locker room so it doesnt really hurt.

 

[Litle Jimmy Rocks]

Long time viewer first time poster

I never spot the x Sign that often as I am usually looking at the guys in the ring but I belive it should never be used as part of a storyline because it seems as though it's mocking real life injures if they do that. You don't need me to tell you that wrestlers have the potential to sffear carrer ending injeres everytime they step into the ring it could frther a storyline but I don't feel it souid ever be done. (Sorry reily bad speiliner and puchuation)

Moderator's Comment: Once again, this thread is NOT about last night's injury spot or the ones cited in the original post. The purpose of this thread is for general discussion about the use of the "X" injury signal. Any posts in this thread that solely discussed either last night's or other recently cited injury spots have been and will continue to be be deleted and possibly infracted for being off-topic.

 

[bjhswa]

Nobody should even care about the X sign they use it for worked and real injuries the key of course is the camermen if they are all up on the injury its clearly a work, when they kind of distance themselves like last nite its real. General rule of thumb if the cameras are on it, its a work. Last nite very little shots of wade after the injury.

 

[Champ1432]

I really don't have a problem with them using the X for storyline purposes.

As several others have stated, I'm pretty sure that if they're going to have a big spot with a fake X, it's going to be worked out ahead of time. I doubt Vince is back there saying, "OK, we're going to do a fake X after this guy takes the fall, but let's not tell the medical staff". Something tells me they have it all worked out beforehand when it's going to be fake, so there's no added danger when it happens for real. No one is going to think it's fake when it's not. No one that matters anyway.

I seriously think this is just something the smarks don't want them to do, so they can look smart and act like they always know what's going on, and what's real and what isn't.

Honestly, what's the difference between using the X when it's not real and Cole and Lawler looking concerned talking to the camera, selling someone's fake injury for storyline purposes? Or WWE announcing an "injury" to get someone off TV for a while? Sure, it's a little more obvious to most people in those cases that it's not real, but maybe not everyone.

As for giving respect to wrestlers who are legitimatelty injured, I get that point, and that is the only thing that might make me go the other way. But I, and I'm sure most other fans as well, always hope the guys are ok, even in more minor spots where there's no injury even hinted at, but it just looks like a nasty bump, like the ones Dolph and Kofi took in the Chamber match. It doesn't take someone throwing up the X for me to think, "Man, I hope they're ok." Of course I think it at that point, but I think it other times as well, when something just looks painful.

Overall, I don't think its a big deal for them to use it when it's not real. Mostly everything they do is to try and sell the illusion of it being real.

 

[Headman]

As I said before, the "X" is a matter of showing respect for the injured performer. If WWE starts using it for cheap pops and heat then it tells me that they have no regard for the health of their employees.

"As long as we cheer and boo the right people, who cares if someone just suffered a career threatening injury? Its all a part of fooling the audience, right?"

That is not the kind of show you should be presenting to a worldwide audience.

Sign of respect? No it's not. It's nothing more than a way to let the staff know that there is a legit injury that requires medical attention. Where on earth do you guys come up with this deeper meaning stuff? It's not for the audience but the fans got smart to it so now they use it as part of the show from time to time. There is nothing to cheapen.

 

[HITMANFAN]

My preference is for WWE not to use the X in storylines....because the majority of fans won't know what it means anyway, but I think there should be something that separates real from not real in terms of injuries (though maybe there's something else we don't know).

Well if you think about it, there has to be something else new anyway.

If WWE (and others?) are using the kayfabe-X to throw off the smarks (a massively over-used term in itself. Is there anyone...anyone...over the age of say 13, that does not know that Pro-Wresting is pre-scripted in advance? No, I did not think so!), then there has to be another form of legit 'emergency signal' that the majority of fans don't know about (at least, not yet).

I was mentioning just this thought to my wife and son, we watch WWE as a family because my son likes it, that the 'X' has been thrown about an awful lot lately and I was wondering if they were cognisant of the fact that alot of people know its significance...a little joke played on the 'in crowd' as it were.

As to recent events....

1) The 'worked' X - I actually fell for the Jericho sell, until I saw that the 'equipment case' he 'hit his head against' was actually a disguised - and obviously empty - red plastic crate...you could see it as such when it was on its side.

2) The 'legit' X - I totally missed the legitimate Wade Barrett injury. It happened pretty fast and was a bit of a melee. It's a shame for Barret, as I think that he is only now really finding his feet again, after his NEXUS story ended. So then, I did not hear his Anglo-Saxon expletives ! I watched this recorded live from SKY+HD and I know that here in the UK, nothing ever gets transmitted truly live...nothing. There is always a constant delay on any live event for exactly this, or any other unexpected happening/reason

As a result of this, if I would ever see the 'X' go up again i would be wondering if that person were really injured or if it was just a work. I am not entirely sure that deliberately generating genuine worry/concern over a performer's (possibly fake) injury or well-being is the way that the WWE should be nudging its fans.

If (and I do stress...IF) this is actually what is happening, then it is the most coldly and deeply cynical exploitation/manipulation of the fanbase I have ever seen.

 

[FightOwensFight]

There really isn't any issue with using the "X" symbol for both actual injuries and to promote story-lines. At this point most fans understand what the "X" means, so even if it isn't legitimate it adds that doubt. Also, there would be no confusion due to the fact that the "scripted X" would be just that, scripted. As the issue with Barrett was not scripted, throwing up the "X" would let the back know that he is legit hurt. If it was part of the script, they would know it and the scripted medical care would come out.

To HITMANFAN; deliberately generating concern is exactly what they should do. Everyone knows most of the injuries are spots. You can picture the dad with his son in the crowd reassuring him, "don't worry little Jimmie, Truth is OK, it is just part of the show". But, when we all watched when we were younger, you thought they were actually hurt, and cared. I still remember Hogan getting destroyed by Earthquake(I think) with him repeatedly jumping on Hogan's chest. I thought he was going to kill him. I wasn't thinking "Oh, he is fine. They are acting." I don't see anything wrong with that kind of realism.

 

[delco714]

i just hope the wrestlers are telling their families that they should expect to see the X when they wrestle today on Raw (and they aren't actually supposed to get injured)... I wonder how Ryder's parents would feel if he didn't tell them it was part of the script ahead of time!