Favorite Wrestling Tropes

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we share our favorite wrestling tropes.

Steven Jackson’s Favorite Wrestling Tropes

When babyfaces turn heel, they wear sunglasses to show they’ve gone to the dark side. When those wrestlers we look up to suddenly go bad, it can produce truly wonderful moments. Unfortunately, the aftermath can stop the momentum right in its tracks. What’s the dastardliest thing a smiley babyface can do…wear a pair of sunglasses! It’s not a creative swerve. It’s a meme! And I love it!

Weapons hidden under the ring…Isn’t it convenient that when wrestlers take part in matches involving “plunder,” there’s an array of weaponry under the ring. It’s almost as if the opponents were meant to look under the ring. Even after all these years, it never fails to raise a smile.

The lights go out for…a surprise! In our own homes, we often turn off the lights to usher in the arrival of a birthday cake. In the world of wrestling, promoters turn the lights off to usher in the arrival of…a new wrestler?! A trope done to death since ECW, the creativity involving debuts and/or returns doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The blind referee didn’t see the tag! – One of the oldest, greatest tag team wrestling tropes ever invented, the blindsided referee helps create more fury from fans than anything else. A beautiful heat-builder, the level of psychology involved in this trope is staggering, and when done right, creates historic moments.

Breaking the announce table – First, it was unfairly the Spanish announce table. Now, every announce team can fall victim to their table being destroyed. It’s a brilliant way to build up a count out finish or add extra impact to a finishing move.

Chad Gelfand’s Favorite Wrestling Tropes

Wrestlers waiting until their music hits to make the save.

The wrestler’s friend is getting viciously beat down in the ring. Someone needs to put an end to this, so their friend steps up to make the save, but before they do, they’ve got to go up to the sound person and tell them to cue their music at the perfect moment for maximum effectiveness.

The invisible barrier between the ring and the stage that separates brawling wrestlers.

Every time there’s a brawl between two wrestlers who hate each other, one eventually rolls out of the ring and backs up the stage, thus activating an invisible force field that prevents the wrestler in the ring from continuing the brawl on the outside of the ring. Kudos to the lucky few that figure out how to crack the code.

Samoa Joe nonchalantly countering dives off the top rope.

This spot always cracked me up and is perfect for Samoa Joe and his badass character.

Billy Kidman not being able to be powerbombed.

Kidman reversing every powerbomb attempt on him was a great little wrinkle to his character. Now I’m imagining a Wardlow/Billy Kidman match where Kidman reverses Wardlow’s powerbomb symphony four times.

The lead face announcer despising a heel.

I grew up on JR calling Triple H a “son of a bitch” every week for his dastardly deeds, and it’s nice to see Tony Schiavone keep that tradition alive in AEW with his hatred of MJF.

John Corrigan’s Favorite Wrestling Tropes

Giant in a Battle Royal – A Royal Rumble tradition, whenever there’s a big man in the ring, everybody else gangs up to try and eliminate him. Traditionally, the giant has a 50-50 shot of surviving the onslaught, and when he does, it’s fun watching him explode and all the bodies tumbling.

Ric Flair betraying Sting – It may have only happened twice, but whenever the Nature Boy suckers the Stinger in to trust him, I can’t help but envision Gilbert Gottfried on Hollywood Squares. “You fool!”

Hot Tag – Is there anything more cathartic than the brutalized babyface fighting against the odds and finally summoning the strength to tag in his healthy, house afire partner?

Cheap Heat – I love when heels shit on local sports teams, celebs, historic figures, etc.

You can’t headbutt a Samoan.