BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE EXPOSED TURNBUCKLE
It’s addition via subtraction in a bizarre way. This one happens during a match. It’s when one of the top turnbuckle pads is “accidentally removed” or straight up ripped off by the bad guy. Then there’s that whole suspenseful situation where there’s that inevitable “oh no! his head hit the exposed corner of the steel ropes!” Then the person who takes the hit is automatically knocked out and typically get rolled up and pinned. Lights out! I love the simplicity this match device. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does it can really add a lot.
(THREE) SIGN HOLDERS
It’s one thing to take a cardboard sign to a televised show. Your friends and family can see you in the crowd and you’re forever captured in television history. In like fifty years, old men are going to be telling their grandkids they once held the sixth “O” in a “WOOOOOOOO” sign at a Smackdown taping. That’s cool. But then there are those freaks and psychos who’ll take their signs to an UNTELEVISED show! Yes, the sole intention is nothing more than a public display of opinion or allegiance. The people in the crowd will see it and be annoyed and maybe… just maybe a wrestler will see the sign and point in the general direction of it. Vindication!
(TWO) SUPERCARDS
Wrestlemania is the big one. It doesn’t JUST have to be annual. The WWF got away with pulling four or five and making them mean something when they had Rumble, Mania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series. As time went on, the monthly PPV’s REALLY diluted the “supercard” market. I just can’t call a random monthly PPV a “super card” knowing the value of the anticipation of the old ones. For most, though it’s Wrestlemaia. The whole year pretty much leads up to one big super card. Wrestlemania does it up like the Superbowl of wrestling, but the idea of a super card in general is just awesome. It’s where big feuds end and closure is brought to certain chapters of certain stories. It’s wrestling’s answer to closest answer to closure.
(ONE) THE “LOOK AROUND FIRST” HANDSHAKE
I know I’m not alone in this. How many times have you found yourself in a situation where someone extends their hand to shake and you slowly and exaggeratedly look around to an invisible crowd to see if you should actually do it? For years, this little gem has been part of professional wrestling. This is one of those little things that life-long fans come to just accept as perfectly normal. One wrestler, mostly a good guy, is offered the hand of a bad guy or someone less than trustworthy. There is that moment of hesitation. That slight look around to feed off the vibe of the crowd. It NEVER turns out good for anyone, but it’s still a very cool tradition of wrestling.
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