10 Wrestling Clichés You Can't Ignore

1. The (Arena) Floor Is Lava

Corey Graves Michael Cole
WWE.com

Tried, true, and tested, this is one of those questions best not asked lest it pull apart the entire fabric of the presentation.

Beyond a fan making excuses for the moment, what stops Wrestler A in the ring from attacking Wrestler B residing on the arena floor outside of the regular confines of a match?

Nothing, is the answer. And yet, wrestlers will shout threats across the top rope as if the bottom and middle ones were electrified, made of barbed wire, or six times as wide as they actually are? It ties into another entry in this list, in that it forces a blockade of activity until next week when - if they're lucky and/or not f*cking thick - they can get their hands on their opponents once again.

There are ways to do this artfully or at least within the confines of believable characters. A babyface can sell injury while in the ring, for example. Alternatively, a heel can use the outside as a standing start should the face actually give chase. WWE's "he stole one!" mentality has seen a criminal reversal of this, where the heel rages in the ring at a roll-up while the babyface grins like a mug and sits on their a*se scarcely able to believe they've won.

Naturally, it's this one that completely exposes the non-obstructive fresh air between the combatants, but then it would, wouldn't it?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett