Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Why do people hate thigh-slapping so much?


Microstatistics

Recommended Posts

Curious, since I have frequently seen this criticism against Marufuji and many of the "flippy" wrestlers. If the illusion of impact is the important thing when it comes to strikes in pro wrestling, then what it the problem with doing something that makes a strike seem more devastating than it actually is. On the other hand, why do some US wrestlers get praised for having great punches when they barely make contact at all and some even use the stomping the mat sound effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because people like Marufuji, the Young Bucks, KO, and Chris Hero are extremely blatant at the thigh slapping and it just draws more attention to how fake it all is. When someone does it well, it's great. Most people now don't even try to be subtle with it, and you'll have the same sound for every strike even if they clearly miss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem hearing it but its a major pet peeve when I see it. Its like turning on the lights and showing the crew and catering on a movie set. Marufuji (although I didn't notice it much, if at all, on his recent NJPW run) and Hero are definitely the two that most stand out in my mind for it. Definitely envy those who can overlook it or don't mind, but just one of those things that really bug me.

 

Its similar to one of my main problems with Lucha Underground where they amplify the sound effects on all kinds of offense to a level that is completely unrealistic and disproportionate to the action in the ring. They seem to have really kicked it up a notch this past season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Partly because some wrestlers tend to use it on everything no matter whether they're using their arms or legs, no matter which body part they're targeting, and not all of that would result in the same noise.

Partly because the idea that a move needs to be heard to be thought of as impactful really bugs me. It feels like they're trying to force the move as someone you "OHHHHHHHH" to.

Partly because some wrestlers do it on weak as crap offense where they're hitting air. I obviously don't expect them to actually kick the guy, but hundreds of wrestlers have done a kick convincingly before without causing damage.

 

So I guess over-use and poor ability to hide it would be my main ones.

 

I should point out I don't really HATE hate it, myself. It's more of an eye roller than anything, and even then I reckon I ignore it way more often than I get bothered by it. I probably start to hate it more when I just don't like the match in general, subconsciously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, it's not about seeing it, it's about hearing it. That's not at all what it sounds like when an actual punch, kick, knee or elbow lands, so it's like being reminded--loudly-- that every strike is fake. It's maybe the only thing that annoys me about Hero, who doesn't need such a cheap gimmick to highlight his awesome-looking strikes. He made a point of idolizing Misawa. Did Misawa ever slap his thigh on a fucking elbow? No sir.

 

It's so prevalent on the indies now that I've had to train myself not to hate it, lest I be miserable all the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess like most it only bothers me when it is exceedingly obvious. It doesn't bother me any more than someone moving after being slammed so they can get in position for the next move or when 2-5 people all get together and get ready to catch someone who is about to fly over the top rope onto them. All those things CAN be annoying, but generally they don't bother me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like them when they're well done. It's misdirection, like stage magic. Look at this. Ignore that. That's literally what pro wrestling is all about.

 

When it'd done poorly, it's like a bad card trick. No one wants that.

Absolutely.

 

If you watch MMA, you can get those sounds with certain strikes so it can be believable when done right. When Marufuji and Omega do it with knees, it doesn't bother me personally cause I think they do it pretty well and you can in a way justifiy it that sound cause of the material of their gear. But I hate it when I see people do it for headbutt spots. Nixon Newell and Kay Lee Ray were doing on the latest Stardom tour and it looked really silly especially when they were tagging with former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler. They're not the only ones that do it cause a lot of male indie wrestlers do it too and it makes my eyes roll. Anybody who has seen a real headbutt or clonked heads with someone know that the sound is a thud instead of a smacking of exposed flesh.

 

I saw the Anthony Henry/Lio Rush match from SCI and I noticed that Henry would have his hands low and clapped when Rush was throwing some strikes at him and I thought that was awful too. It seems like a US/UK wrestler epidemic (that might be too strong of a word) for the most part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I like them when they're well done. It's misdirection, like stage magic. Look at this. Ignore that. That's literally what pro wrestling is all about.

 

When it'd done poorly, it's like a bad card trick. No one wants that.

Absolutely.

 

If you watch MMA, you can get those sounds with certain strikes so it can be believable when done right. When Marufuji and Omega do it with knees, it doesn't bother me personally cause I think they do it pretty well and you can in a way justifiy it that sound cause of the material of their gear. But I hate it when I see people do it for headbutt spots. Nixon Newell and Kay Lee Ray were doing on the latest Stardom tour and it looked really silly especially when they were tagging with former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler. They're not the only ones that do it cause a lot of male indie wrestlers do it too and it makes my eyes roll. Anybody who has seen a real headbutt or clonked heads with someone know that the sound is a thud instead of a smacking of exposed flesh.

 

I saw the Anthony Henry/Lio Rush match from SCI and I noticed that Henry would have his hands low and clapped when Rush was throwing some strikes at him and I thought that was awful too. It seems like a US/UK wrestler epidemic (that might be too strong of a word) for the most part.

 

 

I don't even care about the realism of it, so much as the symbolic consistency. But you've got to hide the strings like anything else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's never bothered me in the slightest. I get pissed off at Marufuji matches because I don't like the way he constructs them and some of the (wider) work in them. But I see the thigh slap as largely neutral, in the same way the old school mat stomping when delivering a punch is. If it's done well, the extra element of theatricality doesn't affect my enjoyment. A smidgen just the other way though, and it might. To paraphrase Pacino, wrestling's that game of inches. Tbh though, I see far less egregious thigh slapping these days than there used to be dodgy foot stomping back in the day.

Is it just the sound that people find so offputting? Or are people saying they can actually see the moment the wrestler slaps their thigh to create the sound and that's what's so distracting? Because I feel pretty thick right now, as I can honestly say I don't think I've ever noticed the thigh slap itself outside of hearing the sound. And it's not like I don't watch a lot of matches. Maybe I just let those mlments wash over me subconsciously, I dunno.

Thigh slapping/game of inches. I'm this far away from being Benny Hill right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember hearing Nate Webb talking about how he was trying to get the timing on thigh slaps correct, and later got into a fight outside a bar, and without thinking used a thigh slap when he kicked a guy. The shoot thigh slap.

 

Had a similar story when I interviewed British wrestler Jackie Turpin:

 

 

 

That said, some of his most treasured memories involve the humour of travelling with Walsh. "This one time a bloke cut us up in a lorry, so we chased after this chap and made him pull over. And the guy got out with a crowbar in his hand. Tony got out and picked him up and then threw him on the ground."

 

In the heat of the situation, Walsh reacted instinctively -- well, instinctively for a pro wrestler: "He went to stomp but he never actually [connected]. The bloke must have thought 'What happened there?' He pretended Tony had hurt him and crawled under the lorry. Tony shouted at him and threw his keys into the hedge and then got back in our car and we drove off.

 

"I told him 'Do you know what you did? You picked that guy up and did a working move on him?" Tony said 'Did I?' I said 'Yeah, you pretended to stomp on him and the bloke didn't even realise!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...