Selling: A dying art?

[MeliChaCha]

I'm of the opinion that there’s an obvious lack of selling these days. I mean, there are some obvious exceptions but overall (and PARTICULARLY on the indies) it seems like people simply want to seem invincible and aren’t willing to do the job when necessary. One specific example can be found in a lot of the X division style action (I’m not saying that’s the case with EVERY match of that style, but one must admit that this situation is most prevalent and easily discerned in this particular type of match.). Yes, this is a high speed, high intensity style that demands a quick recovery time on the part of the workers, but I think it’s also a reflection of the fact that few are willing to put the other man over when needs be. Not every worker can be superman in every match – if that’s the way things are, then where’s the story in the match? Where’s the drama? It just ends up being a spotfest and lacking psychology. I don’t expect every worker to do the HBK oversell or the D-Von hit the floor and convulse thing (LOL), but at the same time I think it’s important to remember that we’re out there telling a story and taking these fans on an emotional ride – not just going through the motions.

What do you guys think?

- mel -

[D-Dogg]

I completely agree with ya Mel. Most guys these days just don't seem to see the advantage of selling, the idea of selling is to get the fans more interested. If you can somehow make the fans think that you are legit injured they get more involved they start to question the decision of the match and whether this "injury" will effect the outcome of the match and what it was orginally intended to do.

Being a wrestling fan in truth is embarrassing i know i used to be embarrassed about telling epople i liked wrestling and for a while was embarressed about telling people that i myself was a wrestler even though it was my dream. The reason people are embarrassed is because of the reputation wrestling has for being this big fake show just loaded with guys dressed in tights and so don't want to associate themseves with the industry. But as wrestlers they should amke it their job to make it all seem more real this makes it alot more enjoyable for all the fans involved so selling is a key point to all of this.

Also as a wrestler you can infact get yourself more over by selling. Just like Mel did i'll take HBK as an example. People claim HBK oversells which at times is true but when HBK pulls out the victory the fans cannot believe it and cheers their heads off for the guy. This is the advantage of selling, if you can sell like a motherfucker make the fans think your legit hurt and have no chance of winning then you go ahead grit your teeth fight through it all and win then the fans will tear the roof off for you because they didn't think it was possible. So in truth it is far better to oversell then it is to undersell, it may of worked in the days of Hogan and Warrior but now people just don't except it.

Using another example as John Cena, recently Cena has been getting booed because the fans are sick of him. Do you want to know the main reason most fans are sick of Cena? It's because Cena is put across as this unbeatable guy, Cena get's in a match and is a house of fire completely dominating, you could fire a nuclear missle at Cena and it wouldn't even put a scratch on him. Eventually it takes the heel cheating multiple times to finally get Cena down but then in the end he still beats a guy. Fans don't want this because it just isn't believable, no one can honestly believe that Cena can out do a mat techtician like Angle or out power a monster like Big Show but the WWE still let him do this. It all comes down to simple knowledge and an old saying "Everyone loves the underdog" and it's true but putting Cena in impossible matches does not make him an underdog because as soon as he get's in those matches he takes control and just beats everybody. Make Cena the underdog by having him sell like a bitch, make him look completely beat with nothing left then when Cena does pull out the victory the fans will cheer for himunlike last night when they booed their socks off at the guy.

Anyways all in all selling can be a superstars best friends if only they use it properly. Good topic Mel i am looking forward to other people's thought on it.

[adamjday]

I think you're completely wrong. Look at the aftermath of last night's RAW main event, where all 6 superstars remained down for an eternity! HBK couldn't get up after one FU. And Kane, the Big Red Machine, was down for ages following the superkick. Hell they were selling, and boy did it add an element of realism to the situation :nono:.

Seriously though, as mentioned by D-Dogg just now the amount of selling that goes on throughout a match is a joke. It winds me up to see Cena get Angle Slammed, be out of it for the time it takes Angle to get a chair and when the chair shot comes along just 20 seconds or so later be able to avoid it and then start hammering Angle. The great Kurt Angle (which I say legitimately) doesn't sell properly always either. Many a time have I seen Angle be KOed but somehow roll up and get an ankle lock in from nowhere. The worst is when Angle has applied the ankle lock for ages, but the opponent doesn't sell the move as in two minutes time they're walking around fine :disagree:.

I want to see Kurt Angle break somebody's ankle in the ring, meaning that that somebody doesn't compete in proper matches for a few weeks to put Angle over. In cage matches, I want to see somebody when climbing out (and getting pulled back in) take the "big drop which they can't risk" and break their knee or ankle so we can actually believe that they can't risk the big drop which if they'd take would win the title or whatever. I want to see a superplex winning a match from time to time, instead of having to see the same spots over and over. Theere are only so many times you can accept Cena hitting the FU to win, or locking in the STFU now :sleep:.

I'd comment further, but as I don't watch indy wrestling I could only use tiring examples (mainly involving Cena). It's a joke how the only people who sell properly are the people Lashly gets to squash, and the likes of the Heart Throbs and Simon Dean. All of the new talent that enters the WWE enters an environment where selling doesn't happen. It saddens me how the talent which follows this trend seems to be the talent that gets the main event spot or push (i.e. Cena, Orton, Lashley, Masters). It's a joke.

[D-Dogg]

Wait Adam i don't get it? Me and Mel both stated that we thought people dont sell enough or properly in today's wrestling world. You then said we were wrong and then went on to say that you feel that people dont sell enough or properly in today's wrestling world? I don't get where you coming from to be honest do you agree or not?

[mumbles]

Screw selling, I want to see more people hulking up.

[MeliChaCha]

D-Dogg, i think he was being sarcastic in that first paragraph...

;)

- mel -

[D-Dogg]

Lol wow talk about going straight over my head. He even stated "seriously" so to help all readers pick out his sarcasm and i still didn't get it, i think work has desensitized me. Ahhh well Adam i apoligise.

[Epitaph]

Screw selling, I want to see more people hulking up.

CM Punk style?

[The Kid]

I throw alot of the blame on Misawa and others of his kind. Let's face it, 1990s All Japan is regarded as the best wrestling ever, but it's also full of no selling disguised as "fighting spirit". The difference was that the AJ guys knew how to work a crowd so they actually bought this fighting spirit. We bought this as exceptable, because these guys were so good at it. We bought that they could reach down and pull out that extra adreniline.

But the problem comes in when alot of these Indy guys try taking that and transferring it over to their form of wrestling. This just doesn't work because for the most part, they can't make it believable. They're just trying to do something they shouldn't be trying.

Another problem is that Indy wrestling is a hard thing to do for a living. All of these guys are doing all they can to get noticed, and quite frankly, whats gonna get you noticed isn't proper selling. Crazy, innovative moves and high flying spots will get you noticed today. For every Bryan Danielson there's an AJ Styles. Even Danielson used to use alot more high flying moves before he really became an Indy name.

These people figure if they don't sell, fans will like them more. They'll be more over. Afterall, when you're out there to try to get noticed, why make your opponent look as good as possible? After all, maybe he's the guy who's gonna take your spot in a bigger Indy. The one, sure fire to get noticed as have an offence which is gonna catch people's attention. For example, Kevin Steen.

Here's a guy who's really not a great wrestler, but has cool spots. He took that and went from a small promotion in Quebec onto CZW, ROH and PWG. Hell in PWG he was their heavyweight champion. Now did Steen get there by selling? By having a realistic looking offence? Nahhhh, he has cool moves. Now there is a place in wrestling for a guy like Steen. He belongs in multi person matches where he just fits his moves and leaves.

Add onto the fact most of these Indy guys are in their early to mid twenties. They're still learning this sport, so obviously their selling isn't gonna be the best in the world. But as these guys get noticed and move to bigger promotions, working with guys like Danielson, Joe and Ki will only make them better all around wrestlers, and I think that's when you'll see the most improvement.