The Smark Killers - Topic 3 - Working Stiff

[Mighty NorCal]

"When you see someone getting chopped to death in the corner during a match, the only guy dumber than the one actually doing the chopping, is the man ALLOWING someone else to actually hurt them in a match, purposely"

- Bret Hart, from his book

One thing that has been glorified by smarky smarks for ages, especially the puro lovers, is "working stiff"....and that could not BE more fucking stupid. Every last true professional of this game will tell you that the true mark of a professional is not being able to tell you were in the ring with him the next day. The point is to NOT go out and get hurt every week for the adoring masses, but to take care of one another. Everyone stays safe, everyone pushes to make money, everyone takes care of each other, its a giant circle. In a sport were the is no actual competition, legitmately hurting one another has got to be about the dumbest fucking thing I can possibly think of.

Two men who have gotten over far more than their talents ever could've using this style, are Stan Hansen and Vader. I have heard time and time again, the regalements of how ZOMG Vader almost lost an eye. Fucking think about how absolutely moronic that sounds for a second. A fucking fake show, whose purpose is to be pre determined, and were no one gets hurt, a motherfucker damn near lost A FUCKING EYEBALL. Shit Cactus Jack's ear is still fucked up to this day. And for what? To acheive the same, if not far less results than men like Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan did?

Not to mention how incredibly unprofessional it is. Were is D-Man when I need him, here. Your NUMBER ONE duty in that ring is to take care of the other man, so that everyone can go to the bar safe and sound, and throw back a few beers together. Well, that just isnt good enough for guys like Vader and Stan Hansen, who REGULARLY threw their opponets safety to the fucking trash, and legit hurt people. For fucking WHAT? Their own ego I suppose. Vader simply did it becuase he was nothing but a big, fat, ignorant fucking BULLY, and thought no one would step to him. For fucks sake, VADER BROKE A MAN'S BACK once, doing this stupid ass shit. A man who TRUSTED Vader to preform moves upon him safely. How the fuck is this even remotely excusable? Vader is a fucking piece of shit, man. Fuck that.

Please, TRY to defend injuring one another, purposely, and completely destroying everything that "working" is all about.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I'm not defending Vader. He was mean, and careless. But I'll defend the hell out of Stan Hansen.

Hansen was a good man outside the ring. He worked stiff because he had to. His vision was bad, and back then, LASIK wasn't around. So he worked with his opponents and yes, he was stiff with them. But it's not like he went in there to fuck someone up. He went in there to have a solid match and make it look as if he knew what the hell he was doing.

What if, say Hansen were too safe, and when he goes for the Lariat, he just misses wildly and falls out of the ring, looking stupid? The other wrestler worked with him in the ring, and as far as the Vader/Hansen match? Well, that was agreed to. They both are stiff workers, and to be honest, they were stupid with each other. But Hansen's never injured someone seriously for being too stiff. He broke Bruno Sammartino's neck because of a botched Body Slam.

And Hansen was trained to wrestle stiff to make the matches seem more realistic. Sure it's a glorified fake sport, but in Japan, it's a legit sport, like our American Football. They take it seriously. So Hansen was stiff because he had to be, and it was his thing. And that makes him awesome in my book. He made due with what he had, and was real safe considering all the things he had to fight through.

As far as Vader and others like JBL, Dusty Rhodes, and Dick Murdoch, they were stiff because it was a teaching tool for younger guys. If they made them look stupid in the ring, then they got the shit chopped out of them. Or they were wrenched in a stiff armbar or a neck vice. It was a way of life. Just because someone has it in their mind that it's stupid doesn't make it stupid.

That's how most old school wrestling was. Finlay and JBL did it. And it looked fine.

 

[Razor]

"When you see someone getting chopped to death in the corner during a match, the only guy dumber than the one actually doing the chopping, is the man ALLOWING someone else to actually hurt them in a match, purposely"

- Bret Hart, from his book

Hmmm...you have a point there, Norcalvian. Or I suppose I should give that credit to Bret Hart.

One thing that has been glorified by smarky smarks for ages, especially the puro lovers, is "working stiff"....and that could not BE more fucking stupid. Every last true professional of this game will tell you that the true mark of a professional is not being able to tell you were in the ring with him the next day. The point is to NOT go out and get hurt every week for the adoring masses, but to take care of one another. Everyone stays safe, everyone pushes to make money, everyone takes care of each other, its a giant circle. In a sport were the is no actual competition, legitmately hurting one another has got to be about the dumbest fucking thing I can possibly think of.

I think this follows from a legit perversion of what Pro Wrestling is. It's a soap opera that is there to entertain us. It's supposed to be fake fighting, with events surrounding the fighting to illustrate pure Good vs. Evil conflict.

However, there is growing proof to show that people are getting confused. "Ooh, look at Jeff Hardy! He can jump really high and jump from things that are really tall!" That was about all you could say for him before his Main Event push. Yet, people adored him. He gave absolutely nothing to any story he was in, but because he could legit hurt himself, it was gold.

Benjamin: He is a great athlete!

So? If he can't illustrate a fucking story for me, his real life attributes don't mean shit.​

People want some odd amalgram of real hurt and fake story that doesn't make all that much sense.

Two men who have gotten over far more than their talents ever could've using this style, are Stan Hansen and Vader. I have heard time and time again, the regalements of how ZOMG Vader almost lost an eye. Fucking think about how absolutely moronic that sounds for a second. A fucking fake show, whose purpose is to be pre determined, and were no one gets hurt, a motherfucker damn near lost A FUCKING EYEBALL. Shit Cactus Jack's ear is still fucked up to this day. And for what? To acheive the same, if not far less results than men like Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan did?

Ever hear of ECW? My god, I have never been able to understand where in the fuck flaming tables and cheese graters belong in a match. However, since they used them, they're super awesome! Men have come out of that company with literal decades subtracted from their lives for what? A reaction that Hogan gets for stepping out from behind a curtain?

Not to mention how incredibly unprofessional it is. Were is D-Man when I need him, here. Your NUMBER ONE duty in that ring is to take care of the other man, so that everyone can go to the bar safe and sound, and throw back a few beers together. Well, that just isnt good enough for guys like Vader and Stan Hansen, who REGULARLY threw their opponets safety to the fucking trash, and legit hurt people. For fucking WHAT? Their own ego I suppose. Vader simply did it becuase he was nothing but a big, fat, ignorant fucking BULLY, and thought no one would step to him. For fucks sake, VADER BROKE A MAN'S BACK once, doing this stupid ass shit. A man who TRUSTED Vader to preform moves upon him safely. How the fuck is this even remotely excusable? Vader is a fucking piece of shit, man. Fuck that.

Apparently, wrestling is supposed to be fake until the actual match starts. Then "ZOMG, working stiff" prevails.

Please, TRY to defend injuring one another, purposely, and completely destroying everything that "working" is all about.

You got me.