Bumpers

[Tim Cooke]

I re-watched both Magnum v DiBiase matches from the Mid South Vol 1 collection last night. This was after watching the 7/18/05 Misawa vs. Kawada match and while the match was great and a MOTYC, I was disappointed with the Tiger Suplex '85 on Kawada, as Misawa grinded Kawada into the mat (ala how he would do it with Kobashi) instead of Kawada taking it with a huge head bump like he would in their classic 7/24/95 match.

 

Watching DiBiase put over Magnum's most offense with a variety of bumps was a treat. A punch early in the match would get a basic back bump. A dropkick would get a roll over on the neck. Magnum's powerslam on the concrete was very protected (as it should be) but still looked good. It was easy to see DiBiase's bumping is superior to Magnum's. When DiBiase came off the top rope with an axe-handle, Magnum took a standard, hard back bump. It looked nice and didn the trick, but was tame in comparison to DiBiase.

 

DiBiase used his FULL bumping ability in the cage match against Duggan. Every bump was different to get a different reaction from the crowd. The most memorable non head drop bump was when Duggan finally hit him with the Coal Miners Glove. DiBiase took the best bump with the perfect dramatic effect for the punch.

 

Jerry Lawler was a great bumper and did some big, dangerous bumping way before E Cee Dub. One moment in particular is during his Loser Leaves Town match (6/83) with Dundee. It is early on and they do a rope running sequence that ends with Dundee giving Lawler the most beautiful back elbow I have ever seen, with Lawler putting it over with a tremendous big bump to shift the momentum. Dundee was no slouch either as he could take really nice bumps and do them well to garner the best reaction. Dundee and Lawler were also the master of punching bumps and knowing how to build them. They would first take th eheadshots by flicking their necks back in the direction the punch was coming from to make the already solid looking shots look AMAZING. When it came time to take the actual bump off of a "devastating" bump, they would take it so well. This isn't the "punch, bump, get up, rinse, wash, repeat" that often happens.

 

Along with the above mentioned "back elbow" Lawler/Dundee, my favorite other bumps include:

 

- Kawada on 7/29/93 vs. Misawa selling Misawa's 3 released german suplexes

- Kawada on 7/24/95 vs. Misawa selling the release tiger suplex '85 right on his head

- DiBiase vs. Duggan from 3/24/85 with DiBiase's overall bumping the whole match

- Jerry Lawler being thrown over the top rope by Joe LeDuc on to a table in 1980

 

This is all over the place but I figure could spark some decent discussion.

 

Tim

[Loss]

Just seeing the title of this thread made me think instantly of Ted DiBiase. I think you said everything about him that I would have said. I also think Bobby Eaton deserves a mention here. He's a case where the body language added so much to the bump because he made it look far less controlled than most wrestlers do, without looking sloppy.

[Tim Cooke]

Eaton and Condrey were very good stooge bumpers. Lane was a level down from them but he even had his good stooge bumps, though his all around bumping was as good as those two. I think Tommy Rogers brought some very nice face in peril bumping to his matches. I need to really think through what I want to say about bumping and how when done right, can almost carry a match without any big moves (i.e. Duggan/DiBiase in the cage).

 

Tim

[goodhelmet]

I think one of my favorite bumpers is Kikuchi. I was watching a couple of matches the other day (the Fantastics match and the super-famous Can Ams match) and Kikuchi was never afraid to take the bump... ever. I don't know how many times I said to myself "That has to hurt" and it probably did. His selling was also an amazing thing as he grimaced and squealed everytime the opponent would contort him in wierd positions.

 

You guys stole my thunder on the Midnights.

[Loss]

Oh, and I shouldn't forget Barry Windham, although a guy his size probably could have had a much longer career had he not taken some of the huge bumps he did. He was only 37 in his last WCW run and seemed much, much older.

[The Thread Killer]

Wasn't Bret Hart a pretty damn good bumper too? I remember every time people whipped him into the corner, he always bounced back and sold it like death. I thought Rikishi always did a neat job of selling lariats too, with that spin in the air. Although I love his work, Terry Funk's over selling during bumps can be downright goofy at times.

 

I recently heard Raven brag during some shoot interview about what a great bumper and seller he is...but it's been so long since I saw a Raven match...and an even longer time since I saw a GOOD Raven match...that I couldn't say.

[Guest EastCoastJ]

Mark Jindrak was a fantastically underrated bumper and seller in his last six months or so with World Wrestling Entertainment.

[Guest SweetMama Scaat]

Flair

DDP

The Rock

Curt Hening

Moolah and Mae Young (they ARE elderly women...)

Jeff Hardy

Trish Stratus

Tommy Dreamer

 

 

Though with some of those I might be considering theyre selling moreso than theyre bumping.

[goodhelmet]

Hey SMS, can you give some examples of the bumps these guys took that would make you include them on this list? Was there a certain match that made you think "Shit, that guy can bump!"?

[Loss]

Right, and to clarify what the thread was about, you'll notice Mick Foley has yet to be mentioned because this is more about wrestling bumping setting the tone and pace of a match than someone taking insane physical punishment to get a match over.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

I'm gonna throw this name out: Buh-Buh Ray Dudley.

 

That might seem like an odd choice, but go watch the man wrestle. I swear, he takes every bump perfectly; flat-backed, arms out, every time. Now, I dunno if that ever played a big role in his matches, but I just felt I should mention it anyway, because somehow that always stuck out about Buh-Buh (to me, at least).

 

I thought Rikishi always did a neat job of selling lariats too, with that spin in the air.

That was neat sometimes, when he was wrestling someone like Brock. But then I felt he started doing it too much, for people who logically shouldn't have been able to make a 300+ pound man flip over.

[Loss]

Rikishi was always a hell of a bumper, actually, even in his younger, more slender days. I saw Page mentioned and I like Page, but Page takes horrible bumps, which was one of the gripes the WWE guys had about working with him.

[Guest Cam Chaos]

Spike Dudley and Mikey Whipwreck took some fantastic bumps in their time. I swear to God Mike Awesome slammed Spike through everything he could find and he still managed to have several years in ECW and WWE. Whipwreck on the other hand sold damn near everything like death so it was virtually impossible to not feel sympathy for him.

 

DDP's matches are infamous for being meticulously planned so any and all bumps he took/sold he was prepared for and then he sold everything like he got stabbed (his back body drop selling was overdone all the time).

[Al]

Right, and to clarify what the thread was about, you'll notice Mick Foley has yet to be mentioned because this is more about wrestling bumping setting the tone and pace of a match than someone taking insane physical punishment to get a match over.

I think that is a little unfair to Mick. Before he was known as a sick bump-taker, he took the common bump very, very well. Witness his matches with Sting.

[Loss]

Actually, Cactus took some suicidal bumps in his series with Sting, and prior to that, it was the Nestea Plunge and the elbow off the apron that got him noticed in the first place anyway. I was impressed with Foley's knowledge of the basics when he actually used an amateur move at Mind Games '96 against Michaels, but outside of that, as much as I like the guy, I'm finding that most of his work just wasn't that good, bumping included.

[The Thread Killer]

Hey Loss did you see Foley's match with Jumbo from AJPW in 1991? He got to take all of his "patented" bumps in that one, and even though the match is pretty much a glorified squash, I still love it because it's fun and has two of my favorites in the ring together.

[Guest SweetMama Scaat]

I dont think I need to explain Flair, Mr Perfect or the old ladies. You guys know enough about them and wrestling to see what Im saying.

 

Rock- Maybe its his overselling, but the rock would bump all around the ring flipping and flopping and like he was smacked around by his greatest opponent of all time. When Goldberg speared him and Rock acted as if he got shot.

 

DDP- I specifically remember some WCW guys being pissed at Page for "superman bumping". Not taken Bumps in the proper manner; like on his side with the impact going to his ribs, as oppossed to the back bumping ala tough enough.

 

Jeff Hardy- The TLC matches and his hardcore title period are what brought this up. Everytime I watched a Hardy match I was like "that boys gonna die". NONE of his bumps ever looked like the usual bumping style, but more as if he was truly getting thrown around like a ragdoll. Im not sure who all was in the match, but once on Raw he got into an altercation with Steve Blackman. Hardy did his run-the-barrier thing and jumped off. Blackman grabbed him at the legs mid-jump and swung him head first into the steps.

 

Trish Stratus- Maybe its cause shes appears so soft and feminine. But some of the hits Trish as taken looked pretty brutal. Which is prolly why shes been out with a back injury for so long. Her bumps along with her selling, workrate and ring strategy have led to the best womens match in the US in years. Take a look at her matches with Jazz, or her excellent hardcore match with Victoria on Raw.Her selling is top notch as well.

 

Tommy Dreamer- Im not exactly sure why I mentioned Dreamer, but I guess when i think of people getting beat down I think Dreamer. Every time he took a bump youd be like "man, Dreamer prolly cant take much more of this". Then hed have a breif babyface comeback, innovate some violence...then get his ass whuped some more. Mark or Smart, you kinda had to care about Dreamer.

[Ray]

I don't think Mick Foley was very good at taking normal wrestling bumps. He just didn't have the athleticism. Willingness to take crazy bumps is not my top criteria for being a great bumper.

[Loss]

Hey Loss did you see Foley's match with Jumbo from AJPW in 1991?  He got to take all of his "patented" bumps in that one, and even though the match is pretty much a glorified squash, I still love it because it's fun and has two of my favorites in the ring together.

Haven't seen the match, but look forward to doing so. I still like Cactus as a performer quite a bit, but he's more of "really fun" than "really good" most of the time, although he's been known to surprise me here and there.

[Guest Some Guy]

Shawn Micheals is a great bumper and was even better in his prime. The way he would take a flat back bump made it look like he was dead. He's get hit and then smack into the mat hard. Most of his more risky bumps were realistic as well. His old "get clotheslined over-the-top rope and then slam himself throat first into the railing" bump always looked good. HBK almost never cheesed out and took a bump on his hip or side, with a fucked up back he took a back drop over-the-top and landed flat on the floor at WM 14 (part of that was HHH failing to catch him). It could be argued that HBK over bumped for certain guys but he was and is still very good at it.

[sek69]

Bubba Ray Dudley is one of the most underrated bumpers, IMO. The way he takes bumps flat backed with his arms out makes every move sound devestating.

[Coffey]

How about Rob Van Dam and Val Venis? They've both phenominal at taking DDT and Piledriver bumps. Hell, RVD bumps huge for everything.

 

I would've mentioned Trish Stratus, Mr. Perfect, Ted DiBiase, Shawn Michaels & Buh-Buh Ray Dudley if they weren't already mentioned. I'm also going to throw out Tito Santana. His bumping was the only thing that I ever noticed, since whenever I saw him, he was usually getting squashed. His match at Wrestlemania 6 with The Warlord stands out to me. I love the way he sold the top rope clothesline finish by stalling on his neck for just a second before completely flipping over.