7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (August 4)

5. Stunning Overselling

Nakamura Dinosaurs
WWE

The Rock had a funny way of selling 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner cutter finisher.

Even - well, especially - on the biggest show of the year, Rock neglected to simply jump onto his back. The sheer force of the move compelled him to flop about, like a fish out of water, taking his 'Most Electrifying Man' moniker much too seriously. It was just something he did. It looked ludicrous, but this was The Rock: as an elite megastar, there was surely some underlying psychology to the bump, daft as it may have seemed to the jabroni layman. Not so.

Hannibal Buress spoke with Tony Trimm on his podcast and discussed a YouTube compilation of the move; in response, The Rock tweeted that he and Austin used to bet crates of beer on how crazy (read: stupidly) Rock would sell it.

So - at WrestleMania X-Seven, in what was one of the biggest ever matches the WWF ever held, possibly the biggest after Hogan Vs. Andre - Rock performed a handstand on the ropes to pop his opponent, as if he was larking about on a house show, all to get out of paying for a few tinnies. What a legend.

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!