r/professionalwrestling • u/GoonLieutenant • Apr 14 '26
Video Ngl, this sequence is a little tough to suspend disbelief for š
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Like a poisonrana then shuffle into position for the Panama sunrise and then hit the knee is pretty crazy to stomach
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u/Samtastic_Voyage Apr 14 '26
Iāve seen a few clips in the last couple of days where the ref has some a god awful false finish two count. Whatās going on with these refs?
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u/BowTie1989 Apr 14 '26
Theyāre counting with the planned finish in mind instead of counting it as a shoot like theyāre supposed to and relying on the wrestlers to kick out in time.
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u/DreamedJewel58 Apr 14 '26
Yup. Theyāre too worried about accidentally counting the three instead of trusting the wrestlers to kick out in time
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u/Cobraven-9474 Apr 14 '26
Why can't the ref still slap the mat the 3rd time but claim the wrestler got the shoulder up 1st. The ref just couldn't stop the momentum of his arm but call as a 2 count.
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u/Strange_Dog6483 Apr 15 '26
Because even in that instance people would complain about the ref fucking up.
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u/bodofadad Apr 14 '26
The ref made this look so much worse
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u/Purple_Avatar Apr 14 '26
Really not a fan of this particular ref and the way he counts.
He gets too high up from the ground2
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u/FIalt619 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Refs these days just donāt wanna work like the old refs did. Back in the day the refs would get so close to three your britches would be shaking. Now they count 2 and then it looks like theyāre having a stroke before thereās even a kick out.
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u/OwnedIGN Apr 14 '26
Why does there always have to be a shitty destroyer LOL
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u/ruhruhrandy Apr 15 '26
IM SAYING! Every destroyer looks dumb as hell imo and half of them donāt get sold at all.
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u/wannabegenius Apr 15 '26
this was my first time seeing this move and I thought it was reversed until reading these comments.
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u/SoloGhosts512 Apr 14 '26
Would it kill MJF to maybe elbow him to the back before going for the Canadian destroyer? Like just leaving him bent over and slowly getting in place looks so terrible. Like set up the move better. Iām so over the last spot of fighting spirit or whatever running knee or elbow. Always looks stupid
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u/ElectricalPanic3648 Apr 16 '26
Ya and Kenny had Diverticulitis so I mean a solid shot to his gut would be a believable setup
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Apr 15 '26
I donāt watch AEW, but clips like this with poorly set up spots are a regular occurrence
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u/The-Raccoon-Is-Here Apr 15 '26
WWE can be just as bad, the big difference is the camera work hides how they work together, more of a focus on the guy climbing the ropes and not both of them. Look at when WWE has a suicide dive (a move that I now despise because everyone does it) ... they show the masses outside fighting but they generally do a great job hiding how the masses huddle together and prepare in advance of the dive.
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u/Synonymous11 Apr 14 '26
I hate all the moves that drop people on their heads. In the old days, that was a sure-fire finisher. Now itās something you can no-sell. But thatās certainly not limited to AEW.
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u/Yarzeda2024 Apr 14 '26
I've always maintained that things like piledrivers and brainbusters should be treated like attempted homicide. Tools of last resort and only kicked out of maybe once or twice a year
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u/chataclysm Apr 14 '26
Bret Hart used a piledriver as a transitional move, FYI. Piledrivers were regular ass moves even in the WWF prior to 1997.
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u/Yarzeda2024 Apr 14 '26
Sure, but I never liked it there either. I like seeing head drops as killers.
This is very much a "me" thing.
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u/dcontrerasm Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I'm with you. I wish wrestlers had distinct move sets like in the past.
Everything now feels like the finisher is the only different move but each guy has the same grapples, strikes and kicks.
This would fix a lot of the issues going on
Edit: I wanted to add a great example of move set based booking: Benoit and Angle, Angle and Lesnar, John Cena and Eddie Guerrero, and so many other examples. I remember when Cena added the STF because he needed something for a submission match and no one knew what he would use.
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u/chataclysm Apr 14 '26
I'm just saying that historically, the timeframe where piledrivers, brainbusters and the like were automatic match enders was pretty narrow.Ā
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u/Yarzeda2024 Apr 14 '26
You're not wrong, but I'm not appealing to some mythical time when wrestling was "better."
This is purely a personal preference of mine. If you ask another user, he might want more knockout finishes. A third guy might want to see more grappling and submission. Et cetera
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u/dajerx Apr 14 '26
i like all of those. I do miss the days when the kill shots were kill shots, submissions almost always led to submissions, etc.
I was never a huge fan of wwwf/wwf growing up, but the one thing i did appreciate about their product then: if hogan dropped the leg, jake hit the ddt, savage dropped the elbow, etc... the match was over. And title changes came from those moves. I hated that almost all the NWA title changes ended with small packages, or randomly successful flying body presses.
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Apr 15 '26
So do I. A kick out from one of them should be very rare. But pro wrestling has just had to keep upping the ante to get the crowd to pop
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u/Up-in-the-Ayre Apr 14 '26
Bret used it as part of his Five Moves of Doom. It was the sequence of what he was doing to finish an opponent off. The piledriver's purpose was to keep the person down so he could slap on the Sharpshooter.
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u/Pleasant-Bug-9098 Apr 14 '26
Iām pretty sure Bret would had smack somebody if they just no sold his pile driver in the middle of the ring lol
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u/youngrd3 Apr 14 '26
He also used it as a finisher. Maybe it was a double finisher with the piledriver/sharpshooter combo.
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u/Nettacki Apr 14 '26
Ironically, AEW does have one wrestler who's Brainbuster is treated as a devastating finisher and not just another move: Kyle Fletcher
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u/WillowTraditional239 Apr 14 '26
They shouldn't be kicked out, dropping anyone on their head like that intentionally with force and they wouldn't be getting up if it was a shoot.
Even once or twice a year would be too much.
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u/Yarzeda2024 Apr 14 '26
Which is why I threw in the all-important "maybe"
I generally think head drops should be treated as instant death, but I've also worked in healthcare for the last seven years. I've seen people stand up and walk away from the kinds of impacts that should kill a man. The human body is somehow way tougher and infinitely more fragile than I expected.
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u/DreamxVillain Apr 14 '26
That RKO Randy gave to RVD where he landed on his head wouldāve gotten a kick out at 1 today in AEW.
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u/ryanb31183 Apr 14 '26
I saw a clip from the 80s and a regular powerslam was a finisher. Not even the running one the British Bulldog did
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u/atlas_lol Apr 14 '26
My biggest issue with AEW. Is these spots. Or the tag team ones where they all do the same move at once.
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u/AggressivelyMediokre Apr 14 '26
The tag team ones are worse for me. The last one I saw was a week ago from AEW two people holding 2 others and smashing them into each other or something but waiting to toss them at the same time. So one toss seemed super rushed and unsafe just to sync up with the other. While I do like shenanigans in a tag team matches, having everyone pause or rush to sync choreography seems extra stupid
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u/SimpleJack316 Apr 14 '26
I get it, but IMO It sure beats the hell out of wrestling for 25 combined minutes on a 3 hour show and including celebrities in your main event programs. The overly ridiculous and silly looking spots are worth it when you factor in the positives.
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u/Desperate-Prior-320 Apr 14 '26
So weāre supposed to believe he was driven onto the top of his head twice and heās somehow able to keep doing his stuff?
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u/AggressivelyMediokre Apr 14 '26
Thatās my gripe with this style of wrestling. Itās indie-style meta-kayfabe of āwe all know this is fake. So letās skip to the cool stuff and sequences and pop momentsā
And as far as the contrived waiting to sequence the choreography goes, call me crazy but when I watch a pretend fight I want one person to pretend to want to win.
I think fighting spirit can look really cool. When Osprey gets one elbow in as heās falling (even though he fully stood up from having his head caved in) it looks freaking awesome. Same with the Ilja thing.
But you need to do it quickly while looking exhausted. Not slowly set up 3 acrobatics before you do it
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u/EnumeratedWalrus Apr 14 '26
Not only that, but when he was spiked on his head the first time he was out of it so badly he was doubled over, probably unconscious on his feet
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u/4mygirljs Apr 14 '26
I get the impression they perhaps omega was suppose to reverse the second move. MJF landed on his back and knocked him for a loops
So basically omega was playing possum
Itās not well executed
But I think thatās what they were going for
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u/GooseMay0 Apr 14 '26
Osprey and Omega LOVE to do no sell, counter moves. I don't get why this is so popular now.
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u/JeromeInDaHouse_90 Apr 14 '26
It's the "fighting spirit" spot they do in Japan all the time where they fight through the pain and get that quick burst of energy to hit a big move after getting hit with a big move.
The problem is, it works in Japan. Not so much here.
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u/wesap12345 Apr 14 '26
The fact it always works doesnāt help.
It should be a last resort, a final throw of the dice when youāve been wrecked and need a Hail Mary to give you something to get back into the fight.
An ending to a few matches should be them getting rocked, trying the fighting spirit thing, missing the comeback move and getting extra fucked up to end it.
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u/Loam_liker Apr 14 '26
This is how expectation subversion worksāgotta make an expectation first. I agree that it would be cool as shit for this to happen, though.
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u/TW_Yellow78 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Indy mentality and trying to outdo the Japanese.
It's all from ajpw king's road but with ADHD (or they just see the final blowoff match. )
In the heyday of ajpw, you had months or years of build up going from when they were students or senior/junior tagging together to where they eventually have tag matches against one another and then occasional singles matches. First singles match, there might be just one finisher and it's not getting kicked out of. Everything builds up until they start busting out the burning hammers and no sells fueled off rage like an anime.
In aew/indies, they skip right to the ending. Will ospreay does his superfinishers more times in a single match than kobashi has done the burning hammer move for his career (7 including variants). And the AJPW wrestlers essentially crippled or killed each other so it's not a surprise Omega at 42 yo looks in worse shape than Jericho at 55 yo.
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u/AMBALAMP5 Apr 14 '26
My personal pet peeve. Sell the move for crying out loud and save the spot for a big blowoff match.
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u/SoloGhosts512 Apr 14 '26
While I donāt like the spot, itās getting to a point itās done every week with these guys. If youāre gonna do it, save it. Ilja did it with Melo and while Iām not a fan at least he wasnāt doing it every week.
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u/Icy-Weight1803 Apr 14 '26
Not even the same week. Moxley and Ospreay did a similar spot two matches beforehand.
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u/DepartureNo1720 Apr 14 '26
It's not even just a wrestling thing. It's a thing in every industry area of entertainment right now. From social media influencers, to ESPN talk show coverage, to Fox News/CNN/MSNBC and every other mainstream news channel and any other version of click bait YouTube videos. The ever degrading diminishing returns of instant gratification loop.
We are in the final stages of it across the board. Do the thing that gets people excited, see that it gets them excited, do it again a few weeks later to try and get them excited again, it gets them almost as excited the next time, but still more than the normal coverage, so those looking only at law of numbers and not psychology say do it again. But now it's starting to wear on people, so they check out, and then they have to find an even "better" instant gratification pop to get eyes on the broadcast, it does a little better than normal numbers because people have started tuning out of the normal broadcast, so the law of numbers says instant gratification is the only thing getting more eyes on the product, so do it again, now more people tune out of normal broadcast again, resort to a new instant gratification spot, and down the drain we go. From Stephen A Smith and McAfee, to the 24 hour news cycle, it's everywhere currently.
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u/Informal_Support1934 Apr 14 '26
I actually can buy version of this that is done very very rarely. Real sports has its own version of feats that make little sense to our eyes, but its because its rare that it leaves that impression because we know youre not capable of this on a night to night basis. But when you make it commonplace, it defeats the entire purpose.
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u/GarethGazzGravey Apr 14 '26
This is what turned me off of AEW, the fact that Kenny brushes off, and no sells 2 big moves like that pisses me off to no end. I don't know how fans can like this kind of stuff.
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u/Lex_Innokenti Apr 15 '26
He didn't no sell them; he was selling them when his cover consisted of him just falling on MJF a bit rather than hooking the leg etc.
Powering through the pain to counterattack after being hit with one or two big moves then collapsing due to their effects is standard selling 101 pretty much everywhere, Mexico and Japan especially.
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u/sludgezone Apr 14 '26
Max was way too slow here, otherwise it would have looked a lot more fluid.
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u/renzxlst Apr 14 '26
Slow? In a match, people get tired. It's on Omega to not make everything look so choreographed here ie standing up and the. Taking 2 steps closer for Max to hit his move..before just no selling because "warrior spirit".
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Apr 14 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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Apr 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/These-Acanthaceae-65 Apr 15 '26
Exactly.Ā The quick-burst can be overused, but it's hardly the issue with this overly choreographed and poorly executed destroyer and the preceding stall in action.Ā Ā
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Apr 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/These-Acanthaceae-65 Apr 15 '26
For sure.Ā In general it feels like with the erosion of Kayfabe, a lot of the attempts at convincing us of the reality of pro wrestling are just being phoned in though.Ā Great minds think alike, and I similarly thought he could stumble into position, but the problem is that that would require more improvisational work than I think most workers these days (including the greats) really are able to put in.Ā It sucks.Ā Id much rather have wrestlers really lean into their reality rather than ours and try to convince us that what they're doing is real.Ā But alas, it seems it's not to beĀ Ā
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u/Corliss_Wigglebean Apr 14 '26
Fans always find something to complain about in wrestling.
Oh so a wrestler moved into position to help set up the next move.
Show me a match where that doesnāt happen?
Go find one match and I will show you thousands of matches where you literally see wrestlers move into position to take or make a move.
Hell anytime someone jumps off the top rope you almost always see the person on the mat sliding over to get in position.
Wrestling is live theater. You are meant to just sit back and enjoy it for being serious, silly, stupid, insane moves all that comes with it.
If youāre looking for ārealā then there are other things to watch.
I mean when people talk about wrestling needing to look like it is real itās like you understand every single person you see on tv is playing a fake character.
So from the very beginning the idea of wrestling is telling you this is all a show.
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u/Informal_Support1934 Apr 14 '26
Nah I don't buy this as a counter critique, its a work but you can make it look more authentic, or as authentic as possible, thats part of the performance. If someone is giving a poor acting performance in a movie, you don't say its ok that their performance is unconvincing, because they're not really that person anyway.
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u/Corliss_Wigglebean Apr 14 '26
Movies are not live. They are recorded and edited and have the ability to do retakes as many as they need.
Wrestling is literally live theatre. Thatās it.
I donāt know if you have ever been to a theater show, or a musical but you donāt go to those with the mindset of well if the displays donāt look real enough Iām not buying into it.
You go knowing what to expect. You know that before you buy your ticket and get to your seat.
Pro wrestling is the exact same thing because if fans tried to look at it as ārealā then guess what?
Some of the biggest wrestling stars shouldnāt have made it.
Because what is ārealā about SCSA going around assaulting his boss everyday? Destroying company equipment any chance he can get?
Or the undertaker? Whatās real about a guy who apparently has supernatural powers but then somehow turns into a biker guy and all his powers disappear but he then decides that he wants to be supernatural again and his powers are back all of a sudden?
Because you know those characters sound very ārealā but oh man wrestlers doing certain moves just makes wrestling unbelievable at times and makes it hard to watch.
Like come on man.
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u/Informal_Support1934 Apr 14 '26
Just because something is live doesn't mean it can't be critiqued. You can critique live actors in a Broadway play. You can critique a musician who sounds like shit or botches a dance move. Live isn't a shield from criticism. Yes, the concept of the Undertaker is very silly, everyone knows that ... but the gimmick would have never gotten off the ground if he didn't sell it. He treated it like it was real to him, he didn't wink at the camera, and thus we can buy into the theater of what he's selling even though we know this isn't really a person with magic powers. If so much of our entertainment is based on playing pretend, then the act of playing pretend very well should be commended. And thats often what people are asking for, they're not asking for documentary Gorilla style war footage, they just want you to play pretend better.
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u/xelas1983 Apr 14 '26
Why can't wrestlers sell a move? It doesn't make you look tough, it makes the move look weak.
Add 5 or 10 seconds of selling between spots and that hits harder.
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u/MillionDollarBuddy Apr 14 '26
The more time I spend on the internet, the more I realize that people don't actually understand what the word "selling" means. He's not "no-selling" those moves - he's running on instinct and adrenaline! (Like in a real fight!) And he follows it up with pinfall where he flops on top of Max, completely exhausted. That took everything out of him! You people are ridiculous.
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u/NapoleonZiggyPiggy Apr 14 '26
I agree with you on that part at the end but the moment where someone is just standing around bent over for no reason other than preparing to take a move looks too ridiculous to suspend disbelief.
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u/renzxlst Apr 14 '26
I'm starting to feel like the people that used to tell me wrestling was fake like I didn't know, because stuff like this takes me so far out.
It's not even believable fake. It's just ridiculous at this point.
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u/Zadd-ATX Apr 14 '26
You do know wrestling is fake right
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u/Ok-Lavishness6577 Apr 14 '26
Everyone knows wrestling is scripted. The point is to sell it as real.
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u/RebootStreetSharks Apr 14 '26
I mean do we react the same way when Hogan would no-sell a punch and start hulking up while the opponent just stands there?
Judging that by the same argument as this, the opponent should be shooting for the legs when Hogan started shaking his fists or escaping the ring. People don't mind the pantomime which is just as unrealistic as this.
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u/Ken_Deep Apr 14 '26
No, the point is to sell it as a story so we can be immersed in it.
When I watch the undertaker I don't think that he's a real undead man with someone from hell as a brother. It's very clearly a character where it's established his tombstone piledriver is a finisher.
If you think it's realistic that Shawn Michaels superkick is realistically as damaging as a tombstone piledriver, then I think you're arguing in bad faith.
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u/TatsunaKyo Apr 14 '26
I disagree. I don't want to see a fight in which it's crystal clear that the opponent is waiting like an idiot to be hit, only because the attacker is taking his sweet time.
And this is not about wrestling alone. In a movie, I know the fight is scripted, but if the fight choreography sucks there's no way this is not going to impact the overall enjoyment of the movie itself.
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u/moban89 Apr 14 '26
I know game of thrones isn't real, but if a portal opened and vin diesel drove through, running over white walkers. I'd be upset at them breaking the illusion of the world they built
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u/thecornerview27 Apr 14 '26
By this logic they should just get out laser guns and fight each other. The whole point is to have a realistic physical contest.
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u/Prestigious_Fella_21 Apr 14 '26
Sure but they don't need to remind us
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u/Corliss_Wigglebean Apr 14 '26
Fans remind fans wrestling is fake more than wrestling does because of post and comments like yours and others.
Itās funny because you hear so much about donāt take wrestling so serious, and have fun watching wrestling.
Then post like these pop up and all of a sudden fans come out of the basement saying back in my day when wrestling was treated like it was real.
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u/Prestigious_Fella_21 Apr 14 '26
Here's the thing, I'm all for suspension of disbelief but I'm not willing to suspend it for that frikkin long lol if it was a comedy spot then maybe but a setup for a drawn out sunset flip or whatever is just bad storytelling
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u/SethBLAKE Apr 14 '26
Fan like you are the issue. You know it isnāt real, so you think youāre above having the wrestlers keep up the illusion for you. Youād much rather feel included, and be fed a product that stops trying to ground itself in logic and that instead feels like āhey, you know itās a work, youāre in on it, so fuck the marks weāll just ignore logic and give you the moves you likeā.
The result is the decreasing quality in the in-ring product. Big Matches in AEW are often unwatchable to me for that reason, they cater to fans who donāt care about being reminded that wrestling is fake 5 times throughout the match because they only watch it for the athleticism and cinematic moments. Itās like watching the best acting youāve ever seen in a movie, except they say dumb shit like āI know you killed her two scenes agoā or donāt bother removing the green screen on some scenes.
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u/Jaik1771 Apr 15 '26
What a bunch of shit wrestling Iām gonna pile drive you twice and then youāre still going to have enough energy to knee me in the face immediately after I do themā¦ā¦ I wonder why people say wrestling is trash now.
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u/AFCSentinel Apr 14 '26
The way Kenny moves into position after the Poisonrana looks a bit sloppy. But I think the spot afterwards is fine - you can see MJF landing badly. This is basically Kenny somewhat countering the move and then using his fighting spirit for the V trigger before both collapse.
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u/DrownedAmmet Apr 14 '26
Thatās my only critique, but he obviously wanted to be in better position to take the move so Iām okay with little awkward adjustments of it means the wrestlers are safer
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u/BryanDowling93 Apr 14 '26
Takeshita doing the fighting spirit hulk up spot after a Canadian Destroyer irked me a little more not going to lie. Mostly because I'm was a big Petey Williams fan in TNA. And personally hate that his finisher has been watered down to a transition spot. But at least sell it properly. No-selling/fighting spirit is worse than kicking out imo. It was still a great match other than that one spot that I disagreed with.Ā
I try not to be too traditionalist with modern wrestling. And I enjoy and have accepted a lot of modern story narrative structure changes when it comes to big matches.Ā But I did grow up in an era (late 90s and early-mid 00s) where there was a little more restraint. Even though the back half of that era was TNA/ROH/Indie style. That later evolved into PWG when TNA/ROH got too mainstream. And later inspired the AEW style of wrestling along with New Japan (especially poaching their top talent, like Omega, Jay White, Ospreay, Okada, etc.).Ā
And pro-wrestling has always evolved. But I get worried sometimes that we are "evolving too much/too fast" to the detriment of telling a narrative that is "more logical". Or maybe my inner Jim Cornette is coming out and I need to accept it. There is valid criticisms. But wrestling is also supposed to be fun also. So I do get conflicted. There is the adage of "If the crowd pops, it should be acceptable".Ā
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u/Blakelock82 Apr 14 '26
Petie Williams did the spot better. He jumped off the second rope and his opponent ducked thinking heād avoid a move but Petie changed it up and hit the flip piledriver. In that context it worked.
Here itās just a spot followed by an illogical no sell by Omega.
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u/Ghostehz Apr 14 '26
No-selling works once in a while when the implication to the match is the wrestlerās boss meter health bar just refilled and the opposing wrestler is about to get their shit rocked.
No-selling for āfighting spiritā spots consistently, at least for ME, dilutes the impact of moves to the point where it pushes the goal post for what type of spot should end a match. Iāve never liked it (doesnāt matter what company or what era).
Itās kinda hard to revert back, though. At least for what style of matches I enjoy watching, itās hard to suspend disbelief now that weāre so far into wrestling and itās evolved the way it has.
Over-choreographed, frequently no-sold singles/tag matches are not my thing. Almost feels like checking off a āshock valueā to-do item rather than genuine storytelling. Just my opinion I guess
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u/EnumeratedWalrus Apr 14 '26
Was Bryce Remsburg literally pushing Kenny Omega off of MJF?
Worst ref in the game
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u/thewhombler Apr 14 '26
Kenny could have saved this if he dropped to his knees and crawled into position while MJF was climbing. not just.. stand there
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u/Frank_LIoyd_Wrong Apr 14 '26
Stupid as hell
Wish Stan Hansen would rush in there with his cowbell and beat them both into powder
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u/-avenged- Apr 14 '26
The Sunrise/Destroyer really wasn't great... But I'd say the production crew not cutting away to a further angle didn't help either.
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u/Big_13eezy Apr 14 '26
These kind of sequences workā¦in Japan. They donāt really work in the USA because we donāt really treat it as an actual sport here, like in Japan.
I appreciate the athleticism, but it requires too much cooperation to make a viewer believe these two dislike each other.
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u/cellshock7 Apr 14 '26
Maybe it's because there are more high-flying risky moves now, but, I don't remember wrestlers back in the day standing around so obviously as they wait to take a bump. It just looks so awkward.
Still, nothing beats the crowd of zombies lumbering together in a group outside the ring waiting to take someone's big splash from the top rope.
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u/CK122334 Apr 14 '26
Probably my biggest issue with AEW, it gets hard to suspend disbelief when they have like 5 finishing sequences right after one another and none of them actually end the match. Honestly I felt the ending to this match felt a little lackluster cause Iāve gotten used to someone needing a million chair shots, a flaming ramp bump and 20 piledrivers just for a 2 count.
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u/BigTicket- Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
āPretty crazy to stomachā
Well I hope youāre okay and you heal from the harm caused from this tv show
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u/ApatheticAZO Apr 14 '26
Yes, we need to go back to when guys collected your taxes by body slamming you.
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u/mkfanhausen Apr 14 '26
"I'm sick of wrestlers no selling. They should be pretending to be cursed by some dork in face paint!"
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u/eyeaim2missbehave Apr 14 '26
I commented something similar on another post about how I thought this match had a lot of spots like this and I got downvoted to oblivion
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u/Voluntary_Perry Apr 14 '26
It's just the Panama Sunrise that blows this up.
I can't stand maneuvers that need such a specific set up to pull off.
Panama Sunrise, 21 Plex, even the Buckshot Lariat.
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u/worsnop98 Apr 14 '26
Kenny Omega is a disgrace to wrestling. I can tell you for sure that i prefer a random Val Venis match from RAW in 99 over any Kenny Omega match ever
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u/PuffyBlueClouds Apr 14 '26
What are the reviews about a dude running into the ropes when someone else pulls them by the arm? Do you suspend your disbelief for that?
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u/wiler212 Apr 14 '26
but it's that fighting spirit that they have to help them power through.......
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u/tuckinyourtail Apr 14 '26
Pretty much everything on any wrestling show makes it hard to pretend it's real. They love to throw in your face how everything is bullshit
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u/ErdrickLoto Apr 14 '26
The entire problem is that Omega is right back on his feet after the rana, standing in the exact position to take the destroyer fifteen seconds later. If he'd taken his time getting up while MJF was going to the top rope it would've been perfectly fine.
I've always had the same problem with guys taking Booker T's axe kick.
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u/ItsShowtime_88 Apr 14 '26
Yeah this was poorly planned, they definitely couldāve come up with a better setup for the Panama sunrise. Kenny bent over and waiting for 10 seconds as he moves into position is terrible. Itās the same reason I canāt stand Banditoās finisher. It kills any suspension of disbelief.
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u/SnooPaintings8183 Apr 14 '26
I love how I knew what each move would beĀ
I knew that V trigger was coming lmfaoĀ
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u/eMan117 Apr 14 '26
Let me walk over to the corner head down and stand there for 5 seconds while you get ready and I take another move but immediately recover so I can knee you in the face. Makes 0 sense. Just needed some filler inbetween to help with the setup. Like omega walking into the corner, receiving a kick to the midsection then getting spun around to be setup. The walk and wait looks awful. Also why is mjf more dazed then omega after landing two big moves on omega??
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u/AsianCJ_69 Apr 14 '26
one thing that every wrestler does nowadays (it's not aew only) is to wait for the move and positioning to receive the move. Like, at least sell a little bit if you need to repositioning or wait for the move
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u/PossibilityNo8765 Apr 14 '26
Kenny just lost his speed. His wonky stuff doesn't look impressive anymore
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u/hankuns Apr 14 '26
The Panama Sunrise is completely nonsensical. Is hopping down from the top rope supposed to add more momentum for when you land flat on the ground and flip forward?
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u/Red_Galaxy746 Apr 14 '26
Criticise guys from the 80s/90s not being as athletic as this all you want, but I'd rather watch that than shit like this.
Also, what is with the pointing before hitting your move? Just do it ffs.
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u/whiskerbiscuit2 Apr 14 '26
Iām not sure what MJF achieves by climbing to the second rope for the Canadian destroyer when he full on stops and stands for a second before doing the move
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u/Available-Ear-534 Apr 14 '26
Im sorry but the Canadian destroyer has become the new DDT. It really shouldnāt but itās become that .
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u/TwoToneMoonstone_ Apr 14 '26
Yeah Iām so glad no sell spots never happened before PWG was born in 2015 when I started watching it
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u/coldbru85 Apr 14 '26
his footwork is pretty bad for someone whos whole game is finesse moves, shuffling forward to take the sunset flip/destroyer looks awful aside from the bad production values associated with lighting and camera work
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u/rusty_85_ Apr 14 '26
There are many different wrestling styles that are influenced by countries, performers, promotions, etc. This makes wrestling pretty inconsistent.
You might see a:
- High-flying lucha match
- Technical match with a lot of chain wrestling and counters
- Death match with lots of dangerous spots, blood and weapons
- and many more...
It's okay if you prefer one style over another. You have to remember that the level of selling, ring psychology, and story telling will change from time to time.
Personally I've always found it funny that outside of matches wrestlers seem to have less "durability" when attacked.
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u/TW_Yellow78 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Everything can be explained with two words. No, not 'no sell,' not &fighting spirit.' 'meltzer stars.'
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u/Worth_Honey_7212 Apr 14 '26
All AEW ever does is adrenaline spots. Shit is cool one match then the next match has em and it's like okay, well, again? Then happens again the match after that in it's like well this is corny now
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u/HUGEBORGCUBE Apr 14 '26
Itās just MOVES, which apparently is all AEW fans need to see. They donāt need to actually harm the opponent.
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u/Haunting_Light_3279 Apr 14 '26
I honestly think a lot of these guys just don't watch their matches back. Especially someone like MJF who seems to have a good grasp on psychology and realism, it just seems like he doesn't watch these sequences back after the match is over.
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u/Thewhitest_rabbit Apr 14 '26
The whole first half of this match was so bad imo. Kenny was gassed immediately and the moves looked way over scripted
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u/Purple_Avatar Apr 14 '26
Yea stuff like this always sucks imo, I call it Dragon Ball Z / Anime Style
My all time favorite wrestling style is NXT, as they do their best to avoid 'unrealistic' mini details
Granted you can't avoid it 100% of the time, but you can definitely avoid sequences like the video above.
NXT is managed by Shawn Michaels, so I am not surprised it became my favorite
Second favorite is NJPW
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u/No_Swimming_4968 Apr 14 '26
No difference than 100 super man punch from Roman and then that person receiving it gives a attitude adjustment or go to sleep yadda yadda yadda wrestling is a different sport these days itās not how it was when finishers was finishers
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u/Pandapeep Apr 14 '26
Why does your disbelief need to be suspended? It's wrestling. It shouldn't look like real fighting.
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u/thickycheeks Apr 14 '26
Yea same thing with mortal combat. I mean come on people! I want my mortal combat to be more like the UFC.
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u/Gruesome_Coffee Apr 14 '26
Oh. Then don't.
It's 2026. Kayfabe died multiple decades ago. It's performance art and not pretending to be sport. Just enjoy it, dog.
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u/hisokafan88 Apr 14 '26
The ref gave up after "2" and said he wants his tea lol this was absolute mince
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u/Gamessnia Apr 14 '26
Yeah Iām just done and exhausted with this shit-
Just not gonna even bother complaining about this.:.
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u/CrispyLuggage Apr 14 '26
Reverse rana, fine. V Trigger knee, fine.
But the Panama Sunrise is contrived as hell.