10 Iconic Sounds In Wrestling
Make like Mick Foley and lend an ear as we look at ten sounds that create wrestling magic.
Wrestling is a spectacle for the senses. Although it's primarily a visual art, one designed to engross you, dazzle you, and entertain you in equal measure -- depending on the company, of course -- sound also plays a huge part in making wrestling what it is.
Imagine the Big Boss Man's aggressive headlock without the sound of his boots stomping the mat. Imagine the sight of Marty Scurll pulling someone's fingers apart without that shudder-inducing snap. Imagine a superplex off the top rope without the crash of two bodies hitting the canvas.
When Katsuyori Shibata and Kazuchika Okada smashed their heads together in their now-infamous bout, it wasn't the visual of two skulls colliding that made the audience wince. It was the crack of skull-on-skull.
This isn't about words. It's not about catchphrases, slogans, or scripted dialogue. It's not about color commentary or play-by-play. It's not about the spoken word at all.
It's all about noise. The particular sounds that bring separate wrestling from any other performing art, the sounds that breathe new life into your suspension of disbelief, the sounds that immerse fans in the narrative between the ropes.
Without these sounds, most of us wouldn't be fans at all.
10. The Opening Bell
Particularly before a main event, the three-tone ding-ding-ding of the opening bell, right before the announcements are made, is magic. The murmuring of the crowd dips for a bit, and anticipation rises. The early WrestleManias in particular had an aura of grandeur, of gravitas, when that bell rang.
It was the cattle call, the dinner bell, the drop-everything-and-get-over-here-now alarm. Voices quieted, butts hit seats, and all eyes turned toward the squared circle, awaiting the marquee match of the card.
To this day, it grants a traditional sports big-fight feel to matches that is all-too-frequently missing from so-called "dream match-ups."