10 Reasons Classic Wrestling Is Superior To Sports Entertainment
4. Selling The Opponent's Offence
For the uninitiated, "selling" simply means acting like your opponent's moves actually hurt. Pull up some old Curt Hennig matches for a masterclass in the art of selling. Wrestling 101 dictates that what's good for the show is good for the wrestlers. Brushing off an opponent's best moves doesn't make one look tough. It makes one's match look staged.
Many of modern wrestling's missteps revolve around one concept: building heat. Heat is the drama and tension that build when the heel (bad guy) is in control. Heat is built when fans think "Scripted or not, THAT looked real". Wrestling psychology hinges on suspension of disbelief and emotional investment in the wrestlers. If the babyface (good guy) never really seems to be hurt, then viewers aren't as invested.
In the modern era, it's nothing to see two wrestlers pop right up to their feet after crashing through an announce desk from the top turnbuckle. When a top rope superplex appears to hurt less than a twisted ankle, the entire match beomes about spectacle rather than competition. Simply put: In real fights, things hurt. If you want a fight to look real, make it look like it hurts.