10 Secrets To A Guaranteed POP In Wrestling

3. Bumping On The Apron

The Undertaker Shawn Michaels
AEW

The apron isn't the hardest part of the ring. The metal ring post is the hardest part of the ring.

Still, it's all a work, and commentators have insisted that the apron is more or less a concrete floor for so long that the fandom has long accepted it as a fact. And, because fans readily accept its danger, a pro wrestler will bump themselves stupid on the thing knowing that their agony won't be in vain.

The spot/sequence is so popular, in fact, that AEW configured its very ring in order to facilitate as many apron bumps as possible in relatively safe fashion.

The distance between the ropes and the actual, brutal edge of the ring is by design sufficiently large enough for wrestlers to work on it as they would the actual canvas. The illusory structure of the ring enables the talent to appear that they have mastered the impressive art of balance and they bump, in most cases, without quite smacking their heads against the sharp, awful corner.

Moderately worked or otherwise, as much as people (your writer included) complain about excess in wrestling, the apron bump still elicits a guaranteed bump in 2023.

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!