WWE bans slapping the leg/thigh when throwing kicks

[cero2k]

WWE BANS SLAPPING THE LEG/THIGH WHEN THROWING KICKS
source: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe- ... cks-335161

In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer discussed that WWE was cracking down on wrestlers for slapping their thigh or leg when throwing kicks and on Saturday's Wrestling Observer Radio, he had more details on the genesis of the new policy.

Meltzer said there is new signage outside the gorilla position and backstage that reads "Do not slap leg when kicking." From what Meltzer was told, Vince McMahon saw someone do a fairly obvious slap on an episode of SmackDown and got upset, resulting in the new doctrine. Meltzer initially reported there was a memo sent to NXT talent at one point but that no one said a word about it since it was sent.

It's unknown how WWE will enforce this new rule if it's broken.

"The irony of a group where Shawn Michaels is one of the main instructors, who grew up watching (Chris) Adams, getting mad because Internet trolls who hate the Young Bucks complain about thigh slapping is the ultimate in silliness. The only time I can recall it even being notable was once when Nikki Bella came off the top rope with a kick that missed. Because her body was so programmed on delivering a kick motion, she slapped her thigh in mid-air which was obvious on a kick that was supposed to miss. Yes, that spot should be taught not to do," he wrote in this week's Newsletter.

The slight of hand in creating a sound effect is something that has been part of the business for decades as noted by Meltzer:

"Mr. Wrestling II was famous for hard back slaps on the kneelift for sound effects. Dating back to the 50s, there was the stomp your foot hard on the mat at the moment of connection of the punch. The thigh slap superkick dates back to Chris Adams from when he came over from the UK. It’s one of the silliest things to worry about because the perfectly timed moves garner great crowd response generally. But it became a buzzword for people who are mad it’s used so frequently (as if punches weren’t far more frequent doing the same thing in the 70s and punches worked fine in those days)."

[Big Red Machine]

Hopefully this is them doing what Lance Storm wants and banning it so that it can be brought back for selected big spots to make for more convincing nearfalls (because those nearfalls with have a better sound on the kick).

It's one of those things that some people just see through, but really bugs other when people don't try to hide it (and Cole and the Bucks have often been rather bad about hiding it. Others, too, I'm sure, but Cole and the Bucks are the ones who stick out to me).

[XIV]

I am happy with this, it is hokey and see through.

[cero2k]

I hope they also ban stomping the floor when you punch someone, they should also ban fake punches, maybe change the name of the sport to, stay with me, mixed martial arts

this is universally stupid McMahon doings

[Big Red Machine]

I hope they also ban stomping the floor when you punch someone, they should also ban fake punches, maybe change the name of the sport to, stay with me, mixed martial arts

this is universally stupid McMahon doings

Kicks in pro wrestling worked just fine without leg slapping for years. Like the stomping, it's a problem if people start to notice because it makes everything look more fake. It will force wrestlers to not rely on the sound and actually throw a kick where it looks like you're making good contact. It will either make people better workers or force them to stop throwing superkicks. I'm fine with it.

[cero2k]

Kicks in pro wrestling worked just fine without leg slapping for years. Like the stomping, it's a problem if people start to notice because it makes everything look more fake. It will force wrestlers to not rely on the sound and actually throw a kick where it looks like you're making good contact. It will either make people better workers or force them to stop throwing superkicks. I'm fine with it.

Leg slaps have excited since the 30's, HBK made a career out of leg slaps. of all the 'slaps' out there, the kneelift is 100x more obvious. If anything, train your wrestlers to hide it properly. This i'm sure will be forgotten in two weeks when McMahon finds something else to yell at the clouds for. If it were a real matter of doing a better product, they'd train wrestlers to perfect the move, not just ban it

[Big Red Machine]

I agree. But I think that stopping people from using the crutch make them learn to be better workers.

[cero2k]

I agree. But I think that stopping people from using the crutch make them learn to be better workers.

I have no idea how you can think that banning something will making people better if you're not teaching the people how to be better. That's some totalitarian thought right there. "You'll be better if you stop doing the things I don't like"

[Big Red Machine]

I agree. But I think that stopping people from using the crutch make them learn to be better workers.

I have no idea how you can think that banning something will making people better if you're not teaching the people how to be better. That's some totalitarian thought right there. "You'll be better if you stop doing the things I don't like"

1. Why are you assuming they won't/don't teach better?
2. Because if people start to f*ck it up and don't have the sound of the slap to rely on for the pop, they'll stop doing it, this making the matches better and teaching them to not do sh*t they can do well.

[cero2k]

1. Why are you assuming they won't/don't teach better?
2. Because if people start to f*ck it up and don't have the sound of the slap to rely on for the pop, they'll stop doing it, this making the matches better and teaching them to not do sh*t they can do well.

1. WWE is a PR company, if they were legit trying to make something better, it be all over social media by now. This is just another McMahonism.

2. Fuck up Superkicks? A fucked up superkick with the slap is 10x worse than with no sound, that's the whole reason McMahon wants to ban it! If WWE was a promotion about 'making matches better' or stopping wrestlers from doing things that they don't do as well, you wouldn't see 100 dives a show, you wouldn't see Shotzi land on her head every other weekend, etc.

[Big Red Machine]

1. Why are you assuming they won't/don't teach better?
2. Because if people start to f*ck it up and don't have the sound of the slap to rely on for the pop, they'll stop doing it, this making the matches better and teaching them to not do sh*t they can do well.

1. WWE is a PR company, if they were legit trying to make something better, it be all over social media by now. This is just another McMahonism.

2. Fuck up Superkicks? A fucked up superkick with the slap is 10x worse than with no sound, that's the whole reason McMahon wants to ban it! If WWE was a promotion about 'making matches better' or stopping wrestlers from doing things that they don't do as well, you wouldn't see 100 dives a show, you wouldn't see Shotzi land on her head every other weekend, etc.

1. No, because WWE only do that sort of thing for sh*t the media/Wall Street will care about. This is also a company that can't admit it's own mistakes, so I don't think they'd acknowledge that they were letting people do something "wrong."

2. I totally disagree. A f*ck-up superkick with no sound isn't as fake because the person taking the kick can quickly get back up and pretend they avoided it. A slap with no contact exposes the match.

As for the dives, most people in WWE do their dives very well, and Vince LOVES the dives because he thinks it's the perfect exciting thing to convince people to stay around through a commercial break with.
And yeah, I wish they would teach Shotzi how to land safely. Sasha, too.

I'm not saying it's not a crazy Vince thing. I'm just saying I don't see any reason for people to be getting upset over it and treating it like it's some sort of terrible thing.

[cero2k]

1. No, because WWE only do that sort of thing for sh*t the media/Wall Street will care about. This is also a company that can't admit it's own mistakes, so I don't think they'd acknowledge that they were letting people do something "wrong."

2. I totally disagree. A f*ck-up superkick with no sound isn't as fake because the person taking the kick can quickly get back up and pretend they avoided it. A slap with no contact exposes the match.

As for the dives, most people in WWE do their dives very well, and Vince LOVES the dives because he thinks it's the perfect exciting thing to convince people to stay around through a commercial break with.
And yeah, I wish they would teach Shotzi how to land safely. Sasha, too.

I'm not saying it's not a crazy Vince thing. I'm just saying I don't see any reason for people to be getting upset over it and treating it like it's some sort of terrible thing.

1. True, but teaching them to do something will is also not something they'd do

2. that's what I just said

[Big Red Machine]

1. No, because WWE only do that sort of thing for sh*t the media/Wall Street will care about. This is also a company that can't admit it's own mistakes, so I don't think they'd acknowledge that they were letting people do something "wrong."

2. I totally disagree. A f*ck-up superkick with no sound isn't as fake because the person taking the kick can quickly get back up and pretend they avoided it. A slap with no contact exposes the match.

As for the dives, most people in WWE do their dives very well, and Vince LOVES the dives because he thinks it's the perfect exciting thing to convince people to stay around through a commercial break with.
And yeah, I wish they would teach Shotzi how to land safely. Sasha, too.

I'm not saying it's not a crazy Vince thing. I'm just saying I don't see any reason for people to be getting upset over it and treating it like it's some sort of terrible thing.

1. True, but teaching them to do something will is also not something they'd do

2. that's what I just said

2. Then I don't understand what point you're trying to argue.

[cero2k]

2. Then I don't understand what point you're trying to argue.

That I don't understand why you think banning them will make the wrestlers learn. You said that not having the sound will help them realize it's a fuck up, while I disagree with that, because it being easier to hide, will just make them complaint and fake it more. At the end of the day, McMahon didn't ban them because the wrestlers are doing them wrong, he ban them because he's senile and he thinks they look fake.

[Big Red Machine]

2. Then I don't understand what point you're trying to argue.

That I don't understand why you think banning them will make the wrestlers learn. You said that not having the sound will help them realize it's a fuck up, while I disagree with that, because it being easier to hide, will just make them complaint and fake it more. At the end of the day, McMahon didn't ban them because the wrestlers are doing them wrong, he ban them because he's senile and he thinks they look fake.

Being a good worker is also learning how to react when you f*ck something up. Having the sound there takes away the option to do that. Teaching people to hide it if they f*ck up is a good thing.

I don't think that thinking something looks fake is a bad reason to ban it at all.
And I will argue that if you're doing it and it's getting noticed by fans then you ARE doing it wrong.