15 Biggest False Narratives In Wrestling History

6. Wrestler X Does Not Know How To Sell

Jimmy Uso Jey Uso Thumb
AEW

There is more than one way to sell.  

Limb selling is the traditional way of going about it, and as such, if a wrestler shakes off something that may look devastating in that context, it is automatically assumed by some fans to be bad. 

The “delayed” style of selling imported from puro is something that some western fans struggle with, but it’s arguably a more accurate reflection of the modern athlete in legitimate sports. In football, a flying wide forward can get his ankle raked, cutting open a hole in his sock, and continue the match more or less as normal without on-field treatment. A strong blow to a body part doesn’t necessarily affect somebody for minutes and minutes on end. That’s just wrestling logic. Adrenaline can and in real sports actually does drive recovery.

What’s particularly odd about this take, which resurfaces on a monthly basis at a minimum, is that it only holds true depending on your preferred promotion. Will Ospreay was hit by the “doesn’t know how to sell” tag following his war with Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Revolution. A mere eight days later, in a WWE Raw gauntlet match, Ricochet and JD McDonagh enacted the exact same selling philosophy to zero discourse nor controversy. 

Tribalism has not merely poisoned the way in which pro wrestling is analysed. It has even poisoned the way in which it is actually watched. People sometimes just don’t see things that are literally happening in front of them.

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!