10 Hysterical Times Wrestlers FORCED Each Other To Break Character

3. Juice Robinson’s ‘Out Of Pocket’ Moment

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NJPW

It should go without saying that man-on-woman violence is utterly horrific, and every instance of it happening in the worked environment of professional wrestling was ugly and unnecessary. Mercifully, this angle has been consigned to time.

Dark comedy however works because a well-delivered, unconscionable line bypasses your moral compass and strikes you so hard in the belly that you can’t help but sell for it. The reaction is a lightswitch-fast involuntary splutter. 

At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11, new Bullet Club member Cody Rhodes was awarded a simple undercard win over Juice Robinson to position him as an emerging force. There wasn’t much more to the match nor the build than that, but Juice Robinson didn’t get to where he was without using every last millisecond as a means of getting over. 

Exchanging some barbs in the ring on the day prior, Robinson pleaded with Brandi Rhodes not to interject. And then, for God knows what reason, he said “Don’t make me punch you in the face.”

This was so “out of pocket” that Cody corpsed immediately. Brandi just stood there, mouth agape, incredulous. Even Juice creased. He didn’t know what had possessed him, either. 

Juice even said “I’ve never done it!” to clear the tension, but the idea of a serious match had disintegrated then and there. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!