10 Modern Wrestling Tropes We're Totally Sick Of
8. Kickout Spam
Few things top the drama of a huge, well-built kickout at the crescendo of an epic wrestling match. If the accumulations are progressive and go over as intended, it's the ultimate theatric explosion. Kazuchika Okada is a master of this. His timing is impeccable as he shoots his shoulder off the mat a fraction of a second before the referee's hand falls for the third time. It's one of the many reasons why his closing stretches are becoming the stuff of legend - 'The Rainmaker' has mastered the art.
Others, unfortunately, have not.
Constant kickouts are used to generate artificial drama in almost every promotion on the planet. Nowhere is immune to it, with moves that should be match-enders bantered off at will, leading to a less satisfying viewing experience and a world in where big manoeuvres have very little value. Will Ospreay's Hidden Blade and Kota Ibushi's Kamigoye were introduced as concussive, skull-splitting blows, but each was kicked out of less than a year into their existence. Adam Cole's Panama Sunrise is basically useless. The Canadian Destroyer is now a transitional early-match move. The list goes on.
Protect the finisher, flip the format, and found more subtle, creative ways to create drama.