Post by mcstoklasa on Aug 12, 2015 9:46:57 GMT -5
There's been a fair amount of talk recently about finishing moves being watered down. This was prevalent (if I recall correctly) around the time of the Owens/Cena feud, wherein both would of course kick out of each other's finisher at least once, along with a host of (more painful looking) risky spots and moves in their matches. In fact, while Cena's US title run has been good, some have criticised that the AA has been kicked out of by a whole bunch of midcarders every week on RAW. I can understand this, as whether you like the move or not, it has been a kayfabe match winner for a long time. But of course, this sort of thing has been going on for a long time, outside of Cena. Two main eventers in a big match will probably always kick out of each other's finisher at least once.
Sure, Austin might kick out of the Rock Bottom, or Triple H might kick out of Sweet Chin Music, but they'll stay down afterwards and stagger about the ring dazed, selling the residual damage for a while. But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm talking about..
Wrestlemania 29: CM Punk hits the GTS on The Undertaker, who stunned collapses back into the ropes, but in a moment of undead power, bounces back off the ropes and immediately hoists Punk into the Tombstone, slamming his head into the mat for the pin. Pretty cool, in all honesty.
I'm talking 97/98 Kane just getting up after multiple finishers like a monster (didn't it take three tombstones to just about put him away at Mania 14?). Or in 2003, when he was unmasked and unstoppable again, getting right up after finishers again.
Brock Lesnar becoming a beast ever since ending the streak, getting straight up from the AA. At the Rumble, he took three AA's, a Curb Stomp, as well as being run through a barricade and was still walking around. It was awesome. I've never seen that in wrestling before, I swear Kane was never that overpowered. Now it's established that three superman punches and two spears still can't put him down. It's going to take A LOT to beat him. Hell, even at Summerslam in 2012, he was hit with a second pedigree by HHH, and as The Game went to roll him over to pin him, Lesnar came back from the dead and broke H's arm with the Kimura.
There are some examples that I don't like:
Warrior being hit with a pretty good Pedigree against Triple H in their Mania match, and just standing right up making HHH look like a joke. It just looked ridiculous and cartoon like. I think he should have just blown through HHH, not allowing him to hit his finisher.
The same with Hogan, I think in WCW, didn't he get hit with the Vader bomb and just popped right back up pulling a silly face?
Didn't Savage hit five of his elbow drops on Warrior and couldn't beat him? In fairness, I need to rewatch that match to see if it worked or not.
I may sound like a hypocrite, praising Taker, Kane and Lesnar's no selling of finishers, and dismissing Warrior, but I felt they all did it better, in a more "realistic" way and didn't start waving their arms about in a silly manner to power up. Lesnar would still be groggy after the finishers, but seemingly unstoppable.
Anyway, what do you think of finisher's being no sold? As in not just kicked out of, but as in guys getting straight up from finishers. Do you think it ruins the impact of a FINISHING move? Do you have any examples of where it worked well, or the opposite? Should finishers be more protected?
Sure, Austin might kick out of the Rock Bottom, or Triple H might kick out of Sweet Chin Music, but they'll stay down afterwards and stagger about the ring dazed, selling the residual damage for a while. But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm talking about..
Wrestlemania 29: CM Punk hits the GTS on The Undertaker, who stunned collapses back into the ropes, but in a moment of undead power, bounces back off the ropes and immediately hoists Punk into the Tombstone, slamming his head into the mat for the pin. Pretty cool, in all honesty.
I'm talking 97/98 Kane just getting up after multiple finishers like a monster (didn't it take three tombstones to just about put him away at Mania 14?). Or in 2003, when he was unmasked and unstoppable again, getting right up after finishers again.
Brock Lesnar becoming a beast ever since ending the streak, getting straight up from the AA. At the Rumble, he took three AA's, a Curb Stomp, as well as being run through a barricade and was still walking around. It was awesome. I've never seen that in wrestling before, I swear Kane was never that overpowered. Now it's established that three superman punches and two spears still can't put him down. It's going to take A LOT to beat him. Hell, even at Summerslam in 2012, he was hit with a second pedigree by HHH, and as The Game went to roll him over to pin him, Lesnar came back from the dead and broke H's arm with the Kimura.
There are some examples that I don't like:
Warrior being hit with a pretty good Pedigree against Triple H in their Mania match, and just standing right up making HHH look like a joke. It just looked ridiculous and cartoon like. I think he should have just blown through HHH, not allowing him to hit his finisher.
The same with Hogan, I think in WCW, didn't he get hit with the Vader bomb and just popped right back up pulling a silly face?
Didn't Savage hit five of his elbow drops on Warrior and couldn't beat him? In fairness, I need to rewatch that match to see if it worked or not.
I may sound like a hypocrite, praising Taker, Kane and Lesnar's no selling of finishers, and dismissing Warrior, but I felt they all did it better, in a more "realistic" way and didn't start waving their arms about in a silly manner to power up. Lesnar would still be groggy after the finishers, but seemingly unstoppable.
Anyway, what do you think of finisher's being no sold? As in not just kicked out of, but as in guys getting straight up from finishers. Do you think it ruins the impact of a FINISHING move? Do you have any examples of where it worked well, or the opposite? Should finishers be more protected?
