10 Most Ridiculous Oversells In Wrestling History
Pinball Wizards.
There's a slight misnomer in the title of this article.
Unquestionably, every item in this list is patently ridiculous. Pro wrestling, and the suffering it inflicts upon the human body is by its very nature ridiculous. Going above and beyond in this inhuman physical suffering is ridiculous. Portraying a kick, punch or throw as if a foe has just imbibed a superpower is, of course ridiculous.
It's the 'oversell' that requires further examination.
Suggesting the performers enclosed 'oversold' theoretically damns them with faint praise. This is categorically not the case. The wrestlers featured have given their bodies to the cause; to the story within the match, to the career of their colleague and to the audience getting the best view of their moment of madness.
Wrestling is a bizarre and brilliant artform - every bit as dangerous as the 'Don't Try This At Home' PSAs suggest and every bit as heartfelt as the apologetic adoration uttered by Shawn Michaels before he put his bullet boot through Ric Flair's head at WrestleMania 24.
These men took bumps where only a gentle drop to the ground was needed. Took pratfalls where a only a bump was required. Defied death when the pratfall would have sufficed. These are ridiculous oversells, but these are also masters at work. The following bumps command just as much awe as the requisite shock.
Well, with one glaring exception. But more on that later...
10. Curt Hennig (Vs Chris Benoit, WCW Nitro)
Curt Hennig could fill ten of these lists with with bumps to spare after a career spent donating his body to the fists and fury of his foes.
There was something of a subverted grace to the ugly fashion Hennig's body contorted and twisted in the aftermath of a particular punch or kick. His first retirement in 1991 bore the scars - his back was completely shot after a decade of reckless and futuristic abandon.
This particular effort sold the severity of a Chris Benoit knife-edge chop. 'The Crippler' had one of the hardest in the game at the time, with particular ferocity ordinarily saved for beating some 'respect' into newcomers or getting into needlessly aggressive competitive chest-slap fights with his best mate Eddie Guerrero.
It's a typical Hennig feast with a devastating desert. Rattled into a zombiefied state by a Benoit punch after his pathetic windmill attack failed, Curt soars into the air at the force of the whipped hand.
A glorious dive follows, in which Hennig heads for the deck headfirst before realising that the steel steps are about to break his fall. Even Benoit appears to briefly break character when he clocks the conclusion.