10 Physically Impossible Wrestling Moves

They might look flashy, but suspension of disbelief is needed for these holds to work.

When watching professional wrestling, one must suspend their disbelief throughout in order to fully appreciate and enjoy the show. A simple statement, but also a highly accurate one - put another way, if any viewer watches wrestling without suspending reality, there's a high likelihood they won't get as much enjoyment out of the medium compared to what they would if they did. An inability to suspend disbelief is the hallmark of most people who don't like wrestling. Phrases such as, "it looks so fake", and, "it's more like a dance" are commonplace. Perhaps oddly, attending most wrestling shows in person makes for a very different viewing experience than watching on television. The action seems somewhat slower without all those quickfire camera angle changes, deliberately timed to coincide with impact, the idea being that changing to a new angle will heighten the drama, and hide any falseness. The idea is commendable, but it simply can't mask those moves which non-wrestling fans just don't think look real. One common argument such non-fans will levy against the industry is that a lot of the moves which take place just wouldn't be possible in a real-life fight. It's hard to counter that point - wrestling-minded people may claim that the medium isn't trying to emulate reality, but there has to be some resemblance of it in order for people to get full enjoyment, right? This list explores 10 different moves, and thus 10 different examples of such nuances which make it hard for non-fans to enjoy wrestling. All are physically impossible, without the aid of the wrestler on the receiving end lending a helping hand.
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood.