You know wrestling is staged when...

[Unrated Superstar]

Let's face it. It's overwhelmingly, unbelievably, blatantly obvious that wrestling is staged. Of course I used the word "staged" rather than fake because there is a difference. Many non-wrestling fans use the word "fake" to suggest that there's no real physicality in wrestling, which of course is wrong. Also, you wouldn't call any other dramatic show "fake"...besides, this thread is to discuss more than just the wrestling aspect.

I think this thread has good potential because there are so many things that make it obvious wrestling is staged, some more blatant than others. Now I'm not knocking wrestling for any of the fictional things they do, I just think it's interesting to discuss. Allow me to begin this thread by giving some basic examples. Of course I won't list everything I could think of, it would take forever and I wanna save some for everyone else.

1. Heel/face turns: Ok, it's true, the existence of storylines in general makes wrestling look staged, but this is a big thing. How do people just decide they wanna be/stop being an asshole all of a sudden? In the case of a heel turn, it's often by attacking a good friend. Works because it's dramatic, but very out there.

2. Finishing moves: Obviously, most of the time these are what finish the match...no matter what it is, as long as it's considered a finisher. Why should the FU be any more likely to put someone away than a DDT? DDTs look more painful. (not trying to pick on Cena, just an example)

3. Reactions to moves that completely depend on the situation: For example, in Rey Mysterio's matches, somehow the opponent winds up leaning on the middle rop to set up for the 619. And usually the fall after it, but recently I saw a first when The Miz just walked away from it in a daze in order to set up for being hit by the sweet chin music. And while I'm making one thing lead to another here, the sweet chin normally leads to a fall as well, but for some reason, in a DX tag team match, the person always stays on their feet in order to walk into a pedigree.

4: The hot tag: How come just because someone's been waiting on the apron a while they can suddenly beat up everyone in their path?

5: The jump to nowhere: When somebody jumps off the top rope and gets countered, like by a spear or something, it never looks like they were even planning on doing a move, except maybe a double axe handle...but basically they're just jumping so they can get hit.

There are plenty of examples, so what are your favorites?

 

[The Undercover Man]

Many people call wrestling fake simply because they have'nt got a better excuse to say why they don't like it. I doubt many of them could be conditioned enough to spend hours in the gym each and everyday,work as hard as John Cena everyday and be willing to not see family for upto a week whilst on tour.

It is obvious wrestling is staged to a certain extent and for promos and mic segments they do read scripts but sometimes put their own content in them. Many people define wrestling as scripted when infact its not, some is but the in ring wrestling isn't. the wrestlers "call" eachother and say what move is happening next and the referees are also a huge part of this.Theres plenty things that blantanly are untrue and are staged/scripted how ever you would define it.

Finishing moves are huge examples of how wrestling is staged, even though some do hurt and some do end up causing injury if botched, the moves are usually performed with due care and attention. Finishers or submissions like the Tombstone, that is done perfectly well in the way it usually does'nt cause injury but you can also tell it is "staged", but also well performed to make it look real, but also to protect the opponent. A submission like the Crippler Crossface is said by many wrestlers to hurt like hell but a move like the STFU you can see is staged and just plain stupid. You can see that Cena does'nt apply the full force he could, his arms are sometimes bent and he grip around the opponents neck looks fragile.

of course the moves depend on the reactions and sometimes chants of the crowd, like Rey Mysterio's 619 now if i am being honest that has to be one of the most drawn out moves ever and the one that looks staged the most. especially when Rey waas feuding ith Kane, Kane dropped on the second rope a few times and then 15 seconds later Rey would miraculously wind up for the 619 without kane moving an inch. Now if wrestling was'nt so storyline based or predetermined that would never ever happen.

The Tag matches are also very intresting, like when say Kane or Triple H are competing in a match, as soon as they come into the ring they immediately take out anyone in their path, almost Cena-esk because thats what cena does too. He comes in the ring and takes everyone out. This is also a very good example of how staged wrestling is, and also how good the psychology is

The jumps are also a huge example of how staged wrestling is, take Jeff Hardy, does'nt even look like he will hit a move and then jumps off only to get hit with (for example) a Kozlov headbutt. But even though when the guys are going upto the top rope and not intentionally hitting a move it still makes wrestling exciting, it still makes the matches move on, it also allows for the match to swing in different directions and let the match be controlled by the same wrestlers but a different times.

Another thing that does'nt help wrestling's bad name is when you get a guy like Kane who is huge facing off against a little guy Rey Mysterio. What makes it worse is the fact the little guy wins from a little push or a kick.

 

[Dragonslayer]

For me personally, Rey's 619 really has gotten annoying to a certain degree, too. I just can't help but smile whenever an opponent "suddenly" lands on the second rope. Have you noticed how often that happens in other people's matches? How about... next to never?! So yeah, Rey's finisher makes it pretty obvious. The only time I'm kind of buying it is when Rey actually does the Leg Trip in order to get the opponent into the ropes. This seems logical; of course he will want to set up his opponent for his finishing move. But when people just "accidentally" fall into that position... nah this makes it look really staged.

And so do finishers in general; however only if they are weak-looking by nature or badly executed. A Tombstone will look painful, no matter what. Undertaker rarely pulls off a bad one these days (hell he even did one to Mark f'n Henry, which is just insane), but back when he started out, he also did some bad ones, no question... A Codebreaker, G2S or Sweet Chin Music also look pretty painful. Other moves really don't. These days, the "Walls Of Jericho" are just a regular Boston Crab instead of that crazy elevated thing that looked REALLY painful, or the Sharpshooter, applied by anyone else but Bret Hart, just looks pointless. So yeah, the Finishers definitely make Wrestling appear more staged, but only if they are executed badly. Because I think the idea behind the "Finisher" is that the wrestler knows that particular move better than anyone else and can pull it off more efficiently, which adds that quantum of damage that is needed to finally keep the opponent down. So I think this is somewhat ok.

What I really don't like, and never have, is when referees are "knocked out". To begin with, somehow, they often actually seem to move into the spot where they will be knocked out, and if you've been watching wrestling for a couple of months, you will actually be able to tell from a mile away that the ref is going to go down in a few seconds. Secondly, even though wrestlers are big buys, I just don't buy anyone (even a supposedly scrawny referee) to be knocked out for minutes, just because one of the wrestlers bounces into them. I mean yeah, they could sell they've been hurt, fall to the mat for a second, but they should get to their feet again more quickly instead of just lying there for minutes on end. If a ref actually got hit by a fist punch to the temple or such, THEN I'd buy a KO... but not just because one of the "big buys" shoved him a little.

Another thing that comes to mind - weapons. I mean, usually, wrestlers will at certain points take a chairshot - BAM - and that's it, wrestler is KO for minutes, match is over. However in the occasional weapons match, you will see wrestlers fall through tables, get hit with steel steps, baseball bats, title belts, choked with chains and ropes, and take about 164 chairshots in a single match and what not, and STILL get up again, only to be FINALLY beaten with a Finishing Move anyway (sometimes onto the steel steps, at least). This is also one of the things that make wrestling look really staged to me - if in one match, they can take ridiculous amounts of abuse with weapons, why do they suddenly go KO only after ONE measly chairshot in regular matches?! LOL.

Personally, I don't mind the hot tags. This seems more explicable to me than some of the other things. One partner has to stand outside and look on while their "friend" is being beaten up... naturally he'll get fired up and get an adrenaline rush once he can "avenge" him and dish out some punishment to the opponents as well. So I think the hot tag really isn't THAT unrealistic. It is a little bit, of course - but so is pretty much everything about wrestling, but that is part of the excitement I think... you see things that are almost "superhuman" like, things that just wouldn't happen in a real fight.
So the hot tags or the comebacks I think are such an integral part of what makes wrestling so fun to watch, I think it really couldn't live without that. If they took that away, you'd just get staged MMA, and there would be no point for wrestling anymore if you can watch REAL MMA instead anyway.

 

[Unrated Superstar]

If they took that away, you'd just get staged MMA, and there would be no point for wrestling anymore if you can watch REAL MMA instead anyway.

I agree with that 100%. I'm not an MMA fan, I like wrestling for its..."stagedness". It's exciting, like a soap opera geared more toward men than a regular soap opera because it shows people beating the crap out of each other on a regular basis. The fights are fun to watch because they're dramatic. I'm not entertained by a real fight unless I know the people involved. Just can't help but smirk when some of these crazy things happen in wrestling.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

This is mostly about what I think about face/heel turns... I will continue to post my opinions on all the different aspects that you talk about in this thread atleast a few a week.

Over the years, many WWE superstars have switched between heels/faces or vice versa and some have made sense and have been a long time coming while some just made absolutely no sense whatsoever. One wrestler who I think have switched from being a face to a heel way too many times is Big Show. Big Show debuted in WWE in 1999 as a heel who helped out Vince McMahon and ''The Corporation'' in his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Only a mere two months later, he would become a face, joining ''The Union'' who would go on to feud with ''Corporate Ministry'' and then went on to win the WWF Championship by Survivor Series 1999. After losing the title, Big Show would turn heel again with a feud against The Rock. After that he became face again by starting to mimick other wrestlers which to me was really a waste. Shortly afterward, he would attack Undertaker becoming a heel again who would later be sent to, then developmental territory, OVW to lose weight. After returning to WWF, during ''The Invasion'' he would be a face for the fact that he remained defending WWF. About 4 months after the ''Invasion angle'', he would become a heel by betraying Stone Cold Steve Austin in a tag team match. He had so success on RAW and lost to the likes of Jeff Hardy, Booker T, and The Dudleys, so he was later get switched to SD! and quickly won his 2nd WWE Championship. He was a heel for almost 2 years before having a 4 or 5 month hiatus from the WWE after a loss to Eddie Guerrero. He returned during a ''Lumberjack match'' between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle and attacked both men. The following week he was given the option to face either Guerrero or Angle at No Mercy and chose Angle thus becoming face. He would remain a face for about a year-and-a-half, though still getting booed sometimes when he and then tag partner, Kane attacked Rey Mysterio during the ''Smackdown vs. Raw'' feud. He would become heel after siding with ECW during the ''ECW vs. WWE Head to Head'' program. He remained a heel until late-2006 after taking time off for injuries he sustained on ECW. When he returned 14 months later he stayed a heel after attempting to attack Rey Mysterio, but then got into an altercation with Floyd Mayweather. During the match between those two, Big Show became a face as Mayweather started to lose many fans. He would become a heel once again after attacking Undertaker and siding with Vickie Guerrero at No Mercy and remained a heel ever since.

Now, as many of you can see, Big Show has been a face 5 times and a heel 6 times during his 9 year on-and-off WWE career. I find him to switch way to many times and WWE needs to really think thoroughly before switching Big Show's character. The fact that Big Show is a heel now makes me think he will still be a heel for atleast a year and possibly win the WWE Championship for the 3rd time.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

I think one of the biggest things is just how forgiving wrestlers are. They can have a real personal feud one month and absolutely hate each other but then next month one will turn face/heel and all of the sudden everything will be forgotten and they will team up. In real life people arent like that, many people hold grudges forever over people over something as simple as words, not in wrestling you can try to beat somebody with in an inch of their life but all will be forgotten shortly after.

 

[The Undercover Man]

I think one of the biggest things is just how forgiving wrestlers are..

That amazes me too, i remember watching "Beyond The Mat" and seeing the feud between The Rock and mankind. Backstage they were bet friends event though they went out into the ring a beat the crap out of each other. Another example of how unbeleiveable this is, is the old ECW.

They can have a real personal feud one month and absolutely hate each other but then next month one will turn face/heel and all of the sudden everything will be forgotten.

During the HBK and Jericho feud that was extrmely personal, both wrestlers were still friends outside the ring and you are right, one minute they can be each others worst enemies then the next there your closest allie. Jericho even came out to his credit and let everyone know that they were still friends, even though some were suggesting when Jericho hit Michaels' wife they had an arguement.

In real life people arent like that, many people hold grudges forever over people over something as simple as words, not in wrestling you can try to beat somebody with in an inch of their life but all will be forgotten shortly after.

For me that is the most facinating thing about pro wrestling, how these guys stay friends is beyond me. Anyone remember when Jerry Lawler hit Tommy Dreamer in the testicales with a bamboo stick? I beleive Dreamer had to have operations on them and even fluid removed because they were so swollen up. Yet even after that Dreamer and Lawler are still friends.

 

[Unrated Superstar]

Haha, and it's more ridiculous when two guys get in a fight in the ring (not in a match) and one of them does an Irish whip. I'ma fuck you up man, but first run to the ropes and come back...then I'ma fuck you up!

And how about the leap frog and the...falling to the ground so the opponent can jump over you thing? What's the point of that, other than to make Batista look athletic by doing it?

 

[goldstandard]

I think one of the biggest things is just how forgiving wrestlers are. They can have a real personal feud one month and absolutely hate each other but then next month one will turn face/heel and all of the sudden everything will be forgotten and they will team up. In real life people arent like that, many people hold grudges forever over people over something as simple as words, not in wrestling you can try to beat somebody with in an inch of their life but all will be forgotten shortly after.

This is probably what I always find the funniest. Another example of this is the recent angle of Orton ending careers. He ended Dusty Rhodes' career supposedly with his patented kick. After the whole angle, you would think that Cody Rhodes and Orton would be enemies for life. Now, less then a year later, here they are working together. How many of you would work with someone who kicked your father you love in the face?

 

[Azrael Cain]

The "forigiveness" situation is different now than it was in the early days of wrestling -- kind of like with title reigns. Back when wrestling first started out, a lot more disbelief was suspended, and the organizers went to great lengths to keep their secrets, such as the friendships in the back, and how the spots and things are done. As a result, the hatred was more intense and lasted for longer periods of time, and when a wrestler turned, they REALLY turned. But times change. Fans figured out it was staged, that everyone (or almost everyone) is friends backstage... and a lot more disbelief can be suspended now -- making it possible for heinous actions like kicking Rhodes in the head to be overlooked.

I think that really takes away from the actions of the characters, in this case Orton and Rhodes. Yes, RIGHT NOW they are united by a common thread: their affiliations. But other than that, nothing holds them together. And today's wrestling fan is willing to believe it, and has the attention span of about six seconds anyway. Again, times change. The fanbase chages. And so the business has to change with it...

I really do wish they'd go back to drawing things out like they used to, but I doubt the average wrestling fan has the patience these days.

 

[TheWeasel]

I remember watching an old Spring Stampede match. Think it was Alex Wright and Disco Inferno versus Public Enemy. At one point in the match, Disco rolled over, picked up a pan sheet that was under him, gave it to Rocco and Rocco hit him in the head with it

 

[THE REAL XTREME ENIGMA]

you wrestling is staged when u here wrestlers dicuss game plan in the middle of the match

 

[Craig-O-Mac]

God yes the 619 set-up infuriates and embarrases me to watch. I hate it so much. I also just hate Mysterio in general so i'm probably biased on that.

The so-called jump to nowhere. Always hated that one. Example guy on the top rope. opponent prone on the ground. guy jumps off and lands on his feet while opponent sticks a boot up and catches him in the face. What move was the dude attempting there?!?!

The one that bugs me most is wat i call the invisible camera. Example, you have Mickey James and Cena talking in the back but its made out as if its just them in the room and no camera man. Same goes for when HHH invaded Orton's house, there were cameras opertunistically around corners etc... they must've been expecting Trips!!

 

[Jersey Wannabe]

Yeah the invisible camera always pisses me off.
Like the one on the forklift in the Mankind/Rock empty arena match.

Also certain moves always look stupid and pointless to me.
What the hell is an Atomic Drop ?
OH MY GOD whatever you do dont knee me in the ass!!!

And that little spot in the MITB where Horny knocked over 6 full grown men.
My 12 year old nephew jumped off the porch on me and I didnt even budge.

 

[Scott Free]

You know wrestling is staged when..
Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik, involved in an intense feud with each other, get arrested for smoking pot while driving together.
Hulk Hogan accidentally knocks off The Giant (Big Show now) from the top of a building, he falls to his death, but this doesn't make him late for his match later on in the show.
Robocop helps Sting get out of a cage.