Little things that make you happy

Omackeral

Hoping for a few gems here. Basically, what little things in wrestling make you happy. Things which my go unnoticed or under appreciated by others. It could be a particular wrestlers facial expression or a subtle production factor.

One for me is something I've seen at Wrestlemania over the years. It's superstars using moves which they haven't used in ages. I recall Austin locking on the Million Dollar Dream at WM17. It was very subtle hinting at his heel turn. I remember HHH doing the Indian Deathlock also in a similar vain. I think The Rock pulled out his old style Rocky Maivia shoulder breaker too at Mania too. Basically I like the nod to their past.

Another little thing I like is when jBL mentions outside companies. He puts guys over such as Primo and Epico saying they were tag champions in Puerto Rico or that Tensai was a big deal in Japan. It's not major but it shows me he cares.

So what little things make you happy that you have noticed?

gerrybbadd

Great thread idea!

I Think JBLs commentary is brilliant. I used to love when Punk was commentating and used to drop insider references and jokes.

Also, when someone comes along and does something so out of the blue, it leaves you stunned. Hard to achieve in this internet age. For example, Mark Henry's retirement angle. That was gold!

gimmick

AJ. She is a little thing. She makes me happy.

DEFTLEFTHAND

WWE: When somebody goes for a pin by the ropes and hooks the legs and pulls the shoulders back when the realise that part of their opponents body is under the bottom rope. Cm Punk is great for this, the robot wwe reff will obviously count the fall anyway but I always notice this action, Thems the Rules, it's still real to me dammit!

GTR63

When JBL used to knock Matt Striker every chance he got. It pleased me

gnfnrhead

When wrestlers do a real cover instead of just laying across their opponent and occasionally half-assing the leg hook.

Lord TSC

Kaitlyn's spear. Looks vicious. Probably dangerous but looks devastating, amazing for a diva finisher.

krudler

A hot crowd, makes even an average match epic if the crowd is into it. Appreciative fan reactions too, like off the top of my head the crowd getting behind Ricky Steamboat at Mania 25 when he was doing the still superb looking arm drags on Jericho, made it one of the best moments of the night. WM 17, MITB 2011 are two great examples of how an event goes to another level when the crowd is smart and into it.

Adiboo

How AJ sells Kaitlyn's spear.

smellmepower

Whenever Zack Ryder's brought out to be jobbed.

Dutch Mantell still being on TV.

Ape Lincoln

gnfnrhead wrote: »

When wrestlers do a real cover instead of just laying across their opponent and occasionally half-assing the leg hook.

I heard Sabu interviewed this. He was asked why he never hooked the leg when going for a false pin. The answer? Quite simple, it looks fake if you're doing a false finish a few times and you hook the leg. If you wanted to beat the guy then surely you'd just hold onto his leg really tight. I prefer the "nonchalant" false cover as Gorilla Monsoon would call it.

chopperbyrne

Ape Lincoln wrote: »

I heard Sabu interviewed this. He was asked why he never hooked the leg when going for a false pin. The answer? Quite simple, it looks fake if you're doing a false finish a few times and you hook the leg. If you wanted to beat the guy then surely you'd just hold onto his leg really tight. I prefer the "nonchalant" false cover as Gorilla Monsoon would call it.

He needs to lay off the drugs.

It looks fake if you make it look more real...

Diabhal Beag

Anything that counters a superplex without it being a superplex. I ****ing hate superplexes more than anything in wrestling.

Cherry_Cola

I love moves onto fully set up chairs, looks devastating. I also mark every time a trolley or bin full of weapons is brought to the ring.

rovert

Fortnightly proclamations that The Rhode Scholars are no more only for them to be teamed together the next show.

Ando's Saggy Bottom

When someone sells an injured leg properly for an entire match.

When someone hits a top rope move and sells the impact on their own ribs as much as their opponent.

The little shaking fit Bubba Ray or D Von used do a few seconds after going through a table.

Turtyturd

When the champion enters second. I know it happens 99 percent of the time but it always annoyed me when people like Stone Cold (WM 15) and Cena are more popular than the champion they enter last.

Wrestlers wearing street clothes....not for streetfight matches but during promos like they did during the attitude era. I think it actually added to the belief that matches were created on a whim than if the wrestlers spends the entire show in their wrestling attire.

Not really a small one but a good heel turn. Even if you can see it coming a mile off for me there are few better things in wrestling than a good heel turn....Micheal/Janetty...Hogan/Sid...Rock to the Corporation.

Omackeral

When a heel knows how to time it properly on the mic by not letting idiot fans chant 'What?!'.

Or that one time when Big Evil Taker said ''Say What? if you sleep with your own sister.'' Classic Deadman :P

Cherry_Cola

Moves from the second rope.

When Bubba went for the senton but never hit it.

Adiboo

A nice smooth neckbreaker.

Andersonisgod

Edge's crazed build up to the spear, especially before it was acknowledged during his run as a face when he had the really crap "spear! spear! spear!" catchphrase. The look in his eyes, the frantic hand motions, you could really believe and buy into the idea that this was a desperate, crazy and ultimately detestable man.

Brock Lesnar's hop and jump onto the ring apron, I don't know why, I just enjoy that.

When a wrestler is in a match and his rival appears on the ramp or jumps on the announce table and the wrestler in the ring continues the match and focuses on his actual opponent that night rather than turning, arguing with the rival and ultimately losing, it's easily my least favourite finish.

Spotting little props that WWE use to show to us who we should cheer and boo, for example now that Del Rio is a heel again the scarf is back in.

A dark entrance, Undertaker's entrance, heel Batista's spotlight entrance and Bray Wyatt's entrance.

Not getting into a routine of moves. Cena, Orton and Punk all have their routine in the run up to their big finisher, that they tend to execute in the same sequence with only a couple of variations. While signature moves are important and lead to an audience reaction because, once a move is used enough by a wrestler who is over the move will get over, seeing the same sequences every week gets a bit tiresome, I like it that Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler to an extent don't have a set in stone sequence, rather they just have signature moves that are used at different times in a match.

GTR63

Adiboo wrote: »

A nice smooth neckbreaker.

Even better when its the hangman variety.

The piledriver Mick Foley would do.

Always thought it looked a lot more devastating than a normal piledriver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftGA4UJlNyQ

Arawn

Shane o mac on a turn buckle. Who doesn't love that

stiffler123

Whenever Mick Foley gets a cheap pop by mentioning the town he's in.

Adiboo

When matches started like this:

5:20 in.

Angron

Silly as it may seem, I love it when a decent rock song is used as PPV music. I remember I hated a lot of the music that got used in 2011, but when a Rise Against song was the song for Over The Limit, I was ridiculously happy for something so small.

Adiboo

Actual pyro.

J. Marston

Adiboo wrote: »

Actual pyro.

Yep, especially that falling shower kind of pyro that Orton and Christian (I think?) used to have. That was cool.

Adiboo

J. Marston wrote: »

Yep, especially that falling shower kind of pyro that Orton and Christian (I think?) used to have. That was cool.

I miss the ones that used to fire down from the ceiling above the ring onto the stage like the Dudley's had and at the beginnings of Raw.

Zemuppet

I love the match changes momentum suddenly, usually with a finisher such as the RKO or Sweet chin music or when the match ends when a face gets a cheeky school boy or small package.

The good rock songs used as PPV theme songs such as My Way, Control by Puddle of Mudd, Run by Day of Fire and this for the Taker vs HBK WM promo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuRTEIAFGDE

A good 'ol tilt-a-whirl backbreaker or powerslam from Guerrero or Test.

Good counter wrestling that adds to the flow and momentum of a match.

When two guys are swinging for each other and the crowd chants boo or yeah for the ones they like or hate

JrdanB

I've always liked everything Charles Robinson does in a match - he sells even more than Dolph Ziggler and makes whatever move he's watching look more powerful... And I'm always just a little bit afraid that he might get whiplash!

Omackeral

Very minor but when they introduce Ryback from Sin City as opposed to Las Vegas, makes him seem like more of a comic book character/machine. Kinda sweet.

Andy_rse

Whatever you call the pin reversal that HBK used to always do that goes from them being on the mat on their backs and standing up into a backslide!

Zemuppet

Andy_rse wrote: »

Whatever you call the pin reversal that HBK used to always do that goes from them being on the mat on their backs and standing up into a backslide!

You very rarely see that these days as both guys need to be very flexible and athletic, and have perfect timing to do it. Jericho and HBK did this at WM19 and I thought it was very well done. For those who haven't seen this maneuver its on the video done below, starting at the 8.16 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cqorKy3_s

Sirsok

A cage match where the wrestlers try to escape by going over the top rope. . . Pinning in a cage match or the door escape is a cop out! Also the figure four reversal. . . Or flairs top rope spots! Jbl mentioning temple bar last night at mitb! Plancha spots where multiple guys make dives one after another!

Mr.Nice Guy

Heels winning clean. I hate when a guy turns heel and suddenly he can only win an important match by being a chicken sh*t. Ryback is a current example of this.

It's great when a heel wins a big match deservedly. Like when Mark Henry pinned Orton clean about a year or so ago. WWE seems to think doing this too often takes credibility away from babyfaces but I'd argue it gives more credibility to heels.

CastorTroy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Heels winning clean. I hate when a guy turns heel and suddenly he can only win an important match by being a chicken sh*t. Ryback is a current example of this.

It's great when a heel wins a big match deservedly. Like when Mark Henry pinned Orton clean about a year or so ago. WWE seems to think doing this too often takes credibility away from babyfaces but I'd argue it gives more credibility to heels.

If I remember correctly, Angle won most of his matches clean when he was a heel. Was one thing I remember liking about him

bobby_says_hi

I prefer it when heels win the majority of their matches by cheating. But the occasional clean win is good to show that they can win cleanly but they just choose to use dirty tactics because they're meant to be villains afterall

I like it when wrestlers mouth off to the crowd. It's hilarious

Fan: I hate you!
Batista: I hate you too!

Fan: Go back to Toronto!
Chris Jericho: I'm from Winnipeg you idiot!

Fan: Time for a low blow!
Aksana: You shut up!

Angron

I always loved the CM Punk insulting the fans videos.

Adiboo

A perfectly timed thigh slap combined with a stiff looking kick.

Stormageddon

Chris Jerichos 'ASK HIM!' when he uses a submission move. Annoying 10 years ago, oddly comforting now.

CM Punks 'I'm flying!' when he jumps off a top rope.

The way Rikishi took a clothesline.

When Christian would sit straight up then fall back down again after being on the receiving end of a move like the last ride.

(Been watching a lot of attitude era ppvs lately )

gerrybbadd

Ric Flairs face flop... and when he sold something particularly painful, praying to God and everything

Hashtag_HEEL

Emma's little dance.

Mr.Saturn

After the somewhat flat face/heel turns of Miz, Del Rio, Ryback and the slowburns like Punk, or Ziggler, I'm glad we have a straight-out 'rasslin 101 turn with Rhodes just going for Sandow without a month/s of lead-in.

riffmongous

Cocky heels doing their opponents taunt (Christian and Jericho doing it against HBK years ago)

When a guy gets picked up for a scoop slam and while he's being held upside he looks out towards the crowd with a look of fear on his face and then shouts out 'noooo' or 'oh shiitt' while getting slammed, cracks me up everytime.

kiad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04F4xlWSFh0

the groutch

when heels win cleanly at a PPV.

JrdanB

Once again with the referees, I love love love it when they eject a manager with the totally over the top "you're out of here!" here's a somewhat tame version. Sometimes they go completely over the top with a full on run up before the 'point to backstage'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HutJ9WqpTwI

Adiboo

JrdanB wrote: »

Once again with the referees, I love love love it when they eject a manager with the totally over the top "you're out of here!" here's a somewhat tame version. Sometimes they go completely over the top with a full on run up before the 'point to backstage'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HutJ9WqpTwI

Tim White was great for that.

Ando's Saggy Bottom

riffmongous wrote: »

Cocky heels doing their opponents taunt (Christian and Jericho doing it against HBK years ago)

When a guy gets picked up for a scoop slam and while he's being held upside he looks out towards the crowd with a look of fear on his face and then shouts out 'noooo' or 'oh shiitt' while getting slammed, cracks me up everytime.

Or when guys actually try to struggle out of their predicament while in such a position. Punk does thus well.