Pro-wrestling is never shy of having its wrestlers adopt striking personas in order to attract spectators. Often such characters are rooted in the ethos of the region where the promotion is based or, as in recent times, are diversified in order to bring colour to a cosmopolitan audience. When fans get behind a gimmick that they can connect with, every feature of a wrestler becomes essential to its success, be it costume, ring work, theatrics or adroitness with their opponent.
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WWE has had its fair share of bad storylines and embarrassing gimmicks, but leaving all opinions aside, one cannot ignore the stops that wrestlers have had to pull in order to reach out to the Universe. Dramatisation of wrestling moves becomes necessary because they are built into the essence of their characters. Reversals come as exciting surprises which only augment the tension of a match.
Yet they are seldom used in standard matches because the move performed is a part of the wrestler’s gimmick. It wouldn’t make any sense if a monstrous heel’s powerbomb were reversed into a hurricanrana by a comparatively smaller wrestler, even if that were physically possible. In the absence of a counter, the opponent takes charge and reacts to the attack in a dramatic manner very suggestive of pain and damage.
This is called ‘selling’ in pro-wrestling parlance and is indispensable to its entertainment value. Good selling can pull a match through as much as awful technique can drag it down. Therefore, theatricality becomes an inevitable facet of a wrestling match, especially when it is broadcast to millions of people across the world.
The following is a list of wrestling moves which can be countered, but usually aren’t :
10. F5
Adopted as a finisher by Brock Lesnar, this move proceeds from a fireman’s carry where the opponent is swirled around the shoulder of the attacker to the mat, with his face hitting it first. The F5 is often billed as one of the most destructive finishers in pro wrestling in a manner echoing the character of the ‘Beast Incarnate’.
However, the move can be countered into a tornado DDT once it is in motion, as had been done by Eddie Guerrero in No Way Out in 2004. The F5 is one of the most impactful finishers to follow a fireman’s carry and has been used by a handful of wrestlers besides Lesnar such as Matt Morgan and The Big Show.
All in all, the selling of this move signifies the climactic stage of a match or segment and attests to the wreckage that such a character as Lesnar is capable of.
Superkick
This move proceeds from a sidestep when the attacker lands a kick on the opponent’s face, neck or chin. Immortalised as the Sweet Chin Music by Shawn Michaels, who added his bit of theatrics before connecting his boot with his opponent’s face, this move has seen a resurgence in recent years with DolphZiggler and The Usos performing it in copious amounts.
The reversal can occur by simply dodging the strike and converting it into an Angle Lock or delivering a finisher while the attacker is recovering his stance after the miss.
Starting from the historic split of The Midnight Rockers, the Superkick has attained a hallowed status due to its unpredictability and impact, and due to the fact that HBK would usually wait till the end of the match to execute it.
Therefore, countering it seemed incongruous unless it was a five star match where every turn in the tale was a surprise. An effective selling of the superkick is always a sight to see.
Sister Abigail
Bray Wyatt’s finisher is technically similar to Baron Corbin’s End of Days. Both are reverse STOs with the only difference being that the Sister Abigail uses a swinging motion to drive the opponent face-first into the mat, while Corbin’s finisher lifts the opponent instead of swinging them.
While the swinging reverse STO is used by several wrestlers, Wyatt’s version involves certain theatrical aspects missing in the former. He parts his legs like a perching buzzard, ominously kisses the forehead of his opponent and looks devilishly at the audience before swinging it into action.
Now, it is not difficult to escape the hold before Sister Abigail, especially since there is so little force involved in keeping the wrestler in a vanquished position. Rather, they seem to be in a trance, which is not unwarranted since the Wyatt family have always been billed as having sinister and supernatural affiliations.
Xavier Woods’s recent hypnotism spells under Bray Wyatt further supplement this observation.
Shooting Star Press
Of all top rope manoeuvres, none holds as much amazement as the shooting star press. Jumping off the top rope and performing a backflip while suspended in mid- air and then crashing onto a reclining opponent is a spectacular sight. It makes for such an inspiring picture, particularly because of its propensity for getting botched that not seeing it through to completion would be a downer for the flow of the match.
Being a finisher mostly, this move anticipates a pinfall. These are perhaps the reasons why this move is rarely countered.
Yet there have been counters, such as Randy Orton’s incredible conversion of Evan Bourne's shooting star press into an RKO. Or, the opponent could just roll out of the attacker's range and escape harmless
Powerbomb
This entry encompasses the traditional powerbomb as well as its diverse modifications. A move such as one where the opponent is lifted and slammed back into the mat, is indicative of the brute strength that the wrestler’s character is supposed to embody. From Batista’s Batista Bomb to Diesel’s Jackknife to Kevin Owens’s pop up powerbomb, the powerbomb is impactful, destructive and dominant.
A powerbomb can be reversed once the opponent manages to break free of the attacker’s hold. Using the momentum to a variety of ends, it can be countered into a blockbuster, a flip, a hurricanrana or even a canadian destroyer.
Yet in the WWE, the powerbomb attains the status of a fatal finisher where the physical might of the attacker is emphasized more than the skillfulness of the opponent’s reversal. Barring a few spots where the storyline necessitates a powerbomb reversal, there is not much to draw from in this case.
Of course, the selling on the part of the opponent remains indispensable to the portraiture of the attacker as physically indomitable.
Styles Clash
It may look like the belly-to-back inverted mat slam appropriated by AJ Styles cannot be reversed once it is in motion, but that is not altogether impossible.
On Sunday, June 12, 2016, in a WWE house show, Seth Rollins had kicked out of Styles’s set up and countered the move into a pedigree. Besides, AJ’s histrionics, which are uncannily similar to Razor Ramon’s, provide ample space for the opponent to initiate a counter. In fact, most reversals to the move occur during this time window when Styles lifts his hands laterally in a show of flamboyance.
AJ Styles is a veteran in the pro wrestling world. One of the most popular and experienced men outside of the WWE, his debut at the Royal Rumble had resulted in perhaps the loudest pop of that evening. Needless to say, for a move that has practically become a part of the Styles persona, a reversal is not the way to go particularly in matches where his talent far outshines that of the rest of the ring. By that I mean, almost every single time.
Sharpshooter
Invented by Japanese professional wrestler Riki Choshu, this submission hold had been used extensively by Bret Hart and has come to be associated with the Hall of Famer.
This move involves an elaborate set up where the attacker wraps the opponent’s leg around their own leg after stepping between them and administers pressure on their lower back after flipping them over. Because of the proximity of the attacker’s legs to the unblocked hand of the opponent, there exists a chance to grip the former’s leg and shift their balance by dragging it forward, effectively reversing the hold.
One of the better known instances had occurred at Wrestlemania X when Bret Hart had successfully countered his brother Owen’s sharpshooter hold.
Not only this, but also the complex setup that this hold requires makes the attacker vulnerable to defensive kick outs from the opponent before the hold is even in place.
WCW legend Sting had used a standing variation of the Sharpshooter, called the Scorpion Death Lock, throughout his career. Yet, whenever other wrestlers perform this move, they barely get to go as over as a Hart does while performing it, especially if the show is taking place somewhere in Canada.
There is a historical significance attached to this classic submission manoeuvre and countering it every now and then would only diminish the iconic status that the sharpshooter holds. Also, the sharpshooter makes for some of the best selling of the opponent’s strength and tenacity when he has to crawl to the nearest ring rope as the only release.
People’s Elbow
It is difficult to think of another elbow drop, barring Macho Man’s, that is as popular as the People’s Elbow.
It is a very basic high impact elbow drop, complete with theatrics that only add to the Rock’s flair and charisma. Usually,the People’s Champion takes off his elbow band, steadies himself and runs across the ring twice before sliding to a halt in front of his subdued opponent and executing the move.
Needless to say, such a move can always be countered. The opponent can easily stand up and interrupt the attacker in the middle of his run. The Rock himself has been one of a handful of wrestlers to do this, when the move was used on him mockingly.
Yet for its most part, this elbow drop has not been reversed. The obvious explanation would be its entertainment value. The Rock was one of the most over superstars during the Attitude era and his ring work would draw support from the “millions and millions” of his fans.
A smooth execution of the People’s Elbow, especially with all the drama wrapped around it, would see audience responses soar through the roof.
Spear
The spear is one of the most well known offenses in pro wrestling. Popularised by Edge in the WWE, though it had been in use in other promotions such as WCW(Goldberg) before that, this move is a shoulder block takedown where the attacker aims for the opponent’s mid section and forces them into the mat. A slight variation of this move is the Gore(Rhyno), which is a high impact spear and does not involve the spear’s double leg takedown.
The very picture of it suggests a hulking attacker using high forward momentum to bring the opponent down. There is a connection between this move and the attacker’s physique which cannot be ignored and which is capitalized by the WWE for its believability.
In order to sell the damaging strength and speed of the wrestler, the spear is the one move that is built into the character as essentially match winning and therefore, seldom countered.
None of this discounts the reversals that are possible on a spear. From Seth Rollins’s countering of Roman Reign’s spear into a pedigree to Chris Benoit’s conversion of Rhyno’s gore into a Crippling Crossface Submission, there have been instances of reversals although those spots were perhaps to add to the exhilaration factor of the match.
Old School
The Undertaker is arguably the greatest pro wrestler to brace the inside of a ring. He has cultivated a legacy behind him so momentous that it has completely overshadowed any and all grounds that it had risen from.
The Old School is a signature move of the Undertaker that involves a ropewalk while twisting the opponents arm before ending it with a chop. Adopted from Don Jardine’s top rope walk, this move has been associated with Taker for such a long time that despite his numerous gimmick changes, fans still get behind this classic manoeuvre all the time.
While it is fairly easy to counter, it is usually not done so. Unless one is Bam Neely, reversing the old school is tantamount to unceremoniously depriving one of the greatest performers in wrestling history from indulging in his legacy.
Of course, this does not mean that the Undertaker’s moves are never reversed. They are booked to be difficult to counter, in lieu of his larger than life persona.
