Being able to convincingly sell moves is a trait that you need to possess in order to succeed, especially in the WWE. Whether you’re a high flying luchador or a 400-pound giant, it’s important to respect the business, and that’s what a big part of selling is all about. You need the crowd to believe in your story because if they don’t, then where’s the reaction going to come from?
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Sure you have independent wrestlers who barely do any selling, but on the opposite end of the scale you have Superstars who do it 24/7: and some would argue too much. Overselling, which is what we’re referring to, is something that can either make or break a specific match due to the sheer ridiculousness of watching someone throw themselves around the squared circle.
Dependent on the skill of the performer in question it may not come across as being incredibly believable, but most of the time the guys that we’re about to name pull it off quite well. Of course, there are times where they need to pull it back a little bit, but the showmanship of professional wrestling has tricked us into thinking that it is indeed necessary – sometimes.
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With that being said here are five WWE Superstars who oversell.
#1 Dolph Ziggler
We’ll get the most obvious entry of them all out of the way – Dolph Ziggler. The former World Heavyweight Champion isn’t shy when it comes to throwing himself around like a rag doll, and there’s a reason why everyone wants to see him take a new finisher once someone has debuted on the main roster. He’s THAT good at selling.
In many ways, Dolph was born for the indies given his style of competing, and sometimes it can come across like he’s trying to show off a little bit too much. We understand that it’s his gimmick, but there comes a point when you need to question how invested you are in a match that you know is going to end with Ziggler getting his ass kicked.
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#2 Triple H
Triple H knows how to sell a beating, and straight off the bat we’re going to recommend some viewing for you all: go back and watch Roman Reigns’ beatdown of The Game from TLC 2015. It is the most ridiculous and the most extraordinary thing you’ll ever see in equal measure, and a lot of that is down to HHH’s overselling.
It’s something that he seems to have picked up more and more as his career has gone on, with the last few years, in particular, seeing The Game doing everything he can to make his opponent look as strong as possible. Is this because The Cerebral Assassin is slowing down significantly in the ring? Who knows.
#3 Kalisto
We hinted at it in the introduction, so you just knew that a Lucha star was going to make an appearance on this list. Kalisto is a Superstar who hasn’t really found his rhythm in WWE, despite initially seeming like he’d break out and become the next Rey Mysterio. Looking back, that may have been a tad optimistic.
Because of his size, Kalisto’s losses tend to look a lot more impressive, especially when he comes up against the Baron Corbins and Braun Strowmans of the world. It seems as if overselling is his way of trying to gain more of an identity, and if that’s the case then keep doing what you’re doing. It’s working – kind of.
#4 Seth Rollins
We’ve talked about the teacher, and now we’re discussing the student. Seth Rollins’ high flying move set has been drastically altered ever since his first major knee surgery and heel turn, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that his ability to sell well has stopped. In fact, there are times where the focus on his knee in matches is a little bit too distracting.
Rollins seems to excel against bigger guys like Brock Lesnar and Triple H, but sometimes we worry that his overselling is making him look a little bit too weak by comparison. Of course, as a heroic babyface, his task is to fight back from adversity, and he does that well enough, but it’s just something to be cautious of at this stage.
#5 Heath Slater
You may find this entry a little bit random, but Heath Slater is arguably the best guy on the roster when it comes to making someone else look strong. Ever since his days in The Nexus, he knew that he had to stand out somehow, and it seems as if his selling ability has been the main tool that the former SD Live Tag Team Champion has utilised.
Slater’s run back in 2012 against numerous legends leading up to Raw 1000 is a particular highlight, which includes him taking a phenomenal Clothesline From Hell at the hands of JBL. Slater is able to throw himself around with the best of them, even if his overselling does make him look even weaker than usual at times.
#6 The Rock
The Rock may be remembered for his famous catchphrases and iconic charisma, but what was equally important in The Great One’s rise to the top was his ability to sell. Whether it was the pedigree or the stunner, Rocky put absolutely everything he had into making whatever move he was hit with look impactful.
Sometimes, especially with the stunner, he went a bit too far as the move seemed to give him a random burst of energy just after it was hit. Nobody ever really understood the reason behind the heavy sell, but the former WWE Champion continued to do it for years, so he must’ve been doing something right.
#7 John Cena
So according to the internet, John Cena can’t wrestle. Who knew? The Doctor of Thuganomics has always had a poor reputation when it comes to making his opponents look good when in reality some of the biggest moments in WWE over the last decade have come from Cena taking a big loss.
Examples include the defeats against RVD, Bryan and even Orton with all three benefitting from Cena selling their moves beautifully. Unfortunately, Big Match John doesn’t do anything halfway, meaning that sometimes his actions can go a bit over the top.
#8 Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam reinvented the word selling throughout the course of his career, and even his own finisher caused the guy physical pain. Van Dam was able to throw himself around the ring like few Superstars we’ve ever seen before, which is perhaps why he was always used as a guy to get other big Superstars over.
Whether it was the RKO or the curb stomp, Mr Five Star Frog Splash did everything at 100% and made the fans feel incredibly awkward in the process. Van Dam was able to blur the lines between fiction and reality, which is something that few Superstars can claim to have done over the years. Bravo Rob, bravo.
#9 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is famous for wanting to put himself over during the early stages of his career, and yet for years and years, he’s been overselling to the point where everyone else has looked extraordinary by result. One particular example, however, was done as a backhanded slap in the face to one of the biggest icons in the history of pro wrestling.
The story goes that Hogan didn’t want to do a trilogy of matches with HBK, and in response, Michaels oversold EVERYTHING during their SummerSlam clash. Oh, and we mean everything. Hogan looked utterly ridiculous throughout the match as did Shawn, and it ruined what could’ve been an iconic bout.
#10 Ric Flair
Ric Flair may well be the greatest professional wrestler of all time, but he’s also one of the best when it comes to putting others over. The Nature Boy has done the job for several of the top names in the business, even though that included some rather embarrassing oversells that became his trademark.
From the yell to the flop, Ric created a style that somehow made wrestling seem equally fake and real at the same time. It was a fascinating contrast, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to question just how much it did for Flair’s opponents.
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