Why is practically nothing named anymore?

[Burst]

This has been one of my biggest pet peeves of recent WWE. There's such a total lack of effort on the part of the commentators or creative (since I doubt it's much of the wrestler's fault) to name things like finishers or tag teams.

Finishing moves being unnamed bugs me more than it should. It's like if you're past a certain point on the card, your finishing move isn't important enough to be named by commentary, even if it definitely has got an established name. (And I'm sure there're no wrestlers out there that -haven't- named their finisher just out of pride.)

Seriously, go back in the day and during squash matches they'd make sure you knew the name of the move that was destroying the jobber by mentioning it on commentary or having the guy talk about it in their promos. We've had/got Tensai, Ryback, Sandow, and Antonio doing squash matches and I don't think we've heard an "official" finisher name for any of them. (For that matter, did we ever learn if Brodus's splash was definitely called "Aw, Funk It" or "Funk You?")

For that matter, match moves in general. You're getting increasingly hard-pressed to find signature non-finisher moves with actual names other than "THAT MOVE!" or "WHAT A MANEUVER!".

Tag teams also bug me, because for once, there's actually a reasonable amount of tag teams on the roster, but how much effort do they put into reminding viewers of their names? I don't really count the Usos or the Colons because those're their names, but seriously, other than Air Boom and Awesome Truth, which aren't even active anymore, what was the last new tag team to have a distinct, non-portmanteau name, the Dashing Ones?

It just reeks of laziness and petty attempts at "We can't take any chance of so-and-so getting over on their own!" and is probably part of the reason that even with the increase in new characters and better wrestling, things still seem oddly generic.

[Nikki Heyman]

In the case of moves, I think that's almost on purpose - Cole's bad enough without him calling moves incorrectly.

Having guys like JR, Tazz, Joey Styles and Matt Striker - people who know their wrestling- would get moves back into the story. (Matt knows his maneuvers, he just needs some work on his history)

[KobashiChop]

The commentary is basically just a collection of generic calls and cliches. If I hear that someone is "making a statement" one more time, I'll go insane.

[Bo Rida]

“Beautiful thing, the destruction of words. ”

It's basically Newspeak.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Newspeak is based on English but has a greatly reduced vocabulary. The Party aims to make any alternative thinking impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe such ideas ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on.
Vince realises that this is a valuable tactic and has set about creating a list of approved WWE words.


One of the first things to go was the commentators calling the names of moves, people can't say they preferred it when there were more t-bone suplexes or texas colverleafs if they don't know what they're called. As a result commentators now just tell the story and bicker amongst themselves, when they have to comment on the in-ring action they use terms like "modified slam/submission/suplex" or Vince's old favourite "What a maneuver!".

He also likes replaces industry staples with his own versions, so wrestling becomes sports entertainment, the crowd/fans become the "WWE universe and championships can't be refered to as belts.

wweyki.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/vince-mcmahon-great-dictator.html

[The Man That Sanity Forgot]

May 24, 2012 7:22:42 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

“Beautiful thing, the destruction of words. ”

It's basically Newspeak.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Newspeak is based on English but has a greatly reduced vocabulary. The Party aims to make any alternative thinking impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe such ideas ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on.
Vince realises that this is a valuable tactic and has set about creating a list of approved WWE words.


One of the first things to go was the commentators calling the names of moves, people can't say they preferred it when there were more t-bone suplexes or texas colverleafs if they don't know what they're called. As a result commentators now just tell the story and bicker amongst themselves, when they have to comment on the in-ring action they use terms like "modified slam/submission/suplex" or Vince's old favourite "What a maneuver!".

He also likes replaces industry staples with his own versions, so wrestling becomes sports entertainment, the crowd/fans become the "WWE universe and championships can't be refered to as belts.

wweyki.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/vince-mcmahon-great-dictator.html

Just read that entire blog post. It is very similar to 1984...

[Deleted]

Yeah, rather than the, "Vince is trying to control everyone's mind," idea, I'll just go with the simpler, "Everyone in WWE has the attention span of goldfish and they assume viewers do as well." Also neatly explains the constant recaps, including Raw ones on every show when someone sure as hell isn't watching NXT but not Raw.

[keezy]

I thought everyone's finisher was either 'WITH AUTHORITY' or 'THANKS FOR COMIN'.

[TCA]

May 24, 2012 7:22:42 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

“Beautiful thing, the destruction of words. ”

It's basically Newspeak.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Newspeak is based on English but has a greatly reduced vocabulary. The Party aims to make any alternative thinking impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe such ideas ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on.
Vince realises that this is a valuable tactic and has set about creating a list of approved WWE words.


One of the first things to go was the commentators calling the names of moves, people can't say they preferred it when there were more t-bone suplexes or texas colverleafs if they don't know what they're called. As a result commentators now just tell the story and bicker amongst themselves, when they have to comment on the in-ring action they use terms like "modified slam/submission/suplex" or Vince's old favourite "What a maneuver!".

He also likes replaces industry staples with his own versions, so wrestling becomes sports entertainment, the crowd/fans become the "WWE universe and championships can't be refered to as belts.

wweyki.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/vince-mcmahon-great-dictator.html

Wow Vince is evil...

[Andrew is Good]

In regards to the whole belts/championship deal, I actually understand the reasoning. A belt is something one wears where as a Championship is something someone earns and deserves to have. I feel one can name the moves and tell a good story and not always bicker.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

I get annoyed with finisher's not been named. It can't be that difficult to just say "right, we'll call Heath's inverted DDT the "Ginger Snap", Ryback's can be called "The Skynet Slam", Antonio's the "Swiss Knife" etc.

Same as tag teams. It's especially annoying when they've got a unofficial name that's never acknowledged on air. Like how Kendrick & London were referred too as The Hooliganz or Insult 2 Injury, Cade & Murdoch were The Redneck Wrecking Crew, Miz and Morrison were The In Crowd, Deuce and Domino The Untouchables etc.

Would it really hurt for WWE to use the unofficial names or names they used in FCW/OVW?

[Dave at the Movies]

May 24, 2012 7:21:56 GMT -5 KobashiChop said:

The commentary is basically just a collection of generic calls and cliches. If I hear that someone is "making a statement" one more time, I'll go insane.

So it's like the WWE video games? ;D

[Ryback on a Pole!]

May 24, 2012 9:49:47 GMT -5 Dave at the Movies said:

So it's like the WWE video games? ;D

Sometimes I think you could just replace King by a voice recording of his in-game quotes and you wouldn't tell the difference.

[67 more]

May 24, 2012 8:55:30 GMT -5 Andrew is Good said:

In regards to the whole belts/championship deal, I actually understand the reasoning. A belt is something one wears where as a Championship is something someone earns and deserves to have. I feel one can name the moves and tell a good story and not always bicker.

But the thing you carry around is a belt. A championship is merely a concept and the belt represents that concept. You can't strike someone with a concept.

[Dean-o]

May 24, 2012 7:21:56 GMT -5 KobashiChop said:

The commentary is basically just a collection of generic calls and cliches. If I hear that someone is "making a statement" one more time, I'll go insane.

It really is. Most times I can point out when they are reading off a script or bullet points, and when they are free flowing.

[Djm Doesn't Find You Funny]

May 24, 2012 7:58:21 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Yeah, rather than the, "Vince is trying to control everyone's mind," idea, I'll just go with the simpler, "Everyone in WWE has the attention span of goldfish and they assume viewers do as well." Also neatly explains the constant recaps, including Raw ones on every show when someone sure as hell isn't watching NXT but not Raw.

I personally think it's both.

[gr1990]

It's crazy to think that when I got into wrestling I learnt the name of most of the moves through commentary (and partially through the awesome feature on the first Smackdown game where you could display the name of the move being executed). If I was a kid watching WWE for the first time now I'd barely pick up anything beyond the finishing moves of the main ten or so guys.

And now they're starting to develop something resembling a tag team division again it'd be nice if a few teams were given actual names and shared entrance music/videos.

[Dub H]

May 24, 2012 7:21:56 GMT -5 KobashiChop said:

The commentary is basically just a collection of generic calls and cliches. If I hear that someone is "making a statement" one more time, I'll go insane.

And KobashiChop,making an statement with that post!That boy is going places,Cole!

[thecrusherwi]

May 24, 2012 15:25:48 GMT -5 gr1990 said:

It's crazy to think that when I got into wrestling I learnt the name of most of the moves through commentary (and partially through the awesome feature on the first Smackdown game where you could display the name of the move being executed). If I was a kid watching WWE for the first time now I'd barely pick up anything beyond the finishing moves of the main ten or so guys.

That will be fun when this generation of kids tries to learn to wrestle. It's like trying to teach basketball if the triple threat position or pivoting or boxing-out were not named.

[mrjl]

May 24, 2012 7:58:21 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Yeah, rather than the, "Vince is trying to control everyone's mind," idea, I'll just go with the simpler, "Everyone in WWE has the attention span of goldfish and they assume viewers do as well." Also neatly explains the constant recaps, including Raw ones on every show when someone sure as hell isn't watching NXT but not Raw.

I figure the recaps are because anyone could just be tuning in at any time.

[MichaelMartini]

It's their attempt to try and trick people into liking wrestling by making it seem like it's not wrestling. It's sports entertainment. Like the Harlem Globetrotters I guess. But WWF was about a million times bigger so it's ridiculous to me that they've been trying to distance themselves from this fact for the last ten years.