10 Wrestlers Who Are The Best In The World At Exactly ONE Thing

6. Tomohiro Ishii: Selling

Angel Garza
WWE/NJPW

The name "Dolph Ziggler" will spring to mind for many in this department and WWE's 'Show-Off' is, indeed, and outstanding seller. Bumping is his greater strength, however. That the two are often conflated is understandable, as both relate to a wrestler's reaction to taking a move, though there's a key difference: a bump is the moment of impact and the physical response, while selling is emotional.

Ziggler throws himself through the air and bounces off the mat to make his opponents' moves look snappy and impactful, but he doesn't conjure the same emotional response as Tomohiro Ishii. Nobody does.

The 'Stone Pitbull' is a legendary seller. He draws incredible sympathy by conveying hurt, fatigue, and determination through body language, facial expressions, grunts, and full-body shutdowns. When Ishii winces as a chop hits his chest, you feel every drop of his pain and more. When he clutches a worked-over arm, he gives the impression that the limb is about to fall off. When he clambers to his feet and slugs around the ring towards the end of a long, gruelling fight, you are fooled into believing he is legitimately gassed.

Any wrestler wishing to master this supposedly dying art should study Ishii. Nobody takes an *ss-kicking more convincingly.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.