The Wrestling Rule Book

[Grimmas]

Charles (Loss), Kelly (Titans of Wrestling) and myself will be doing an episode of the Pro-Wrestling Super Show taping Friday to discuss the wrestling rule book.

 

What rules bug you? What rules confuse you? I will look at this thread before the show and touch on anything that may come up.

 

For example, what are your guys thoughts on the over the top DQ rule?

[Mr. Lacelle]

The biggest gripe I have is the incosistencies of count outs. Sometimes the ref will count and other times he'll go to the outside to separate the wrestlers and break his count. Sometimes getting up to the apron stops the count, other times guys get counted out while being on the apron. You can roll into the ring to break the count, sometimes.

[efrim]

The inconsistent application of tag rope (despite its constant presence) drives me nuts.

[fakeplastictrees]

I'm not sure when this stopped, but at one point-in-time refs had to have his/her full body in the ring in order to perform a 3 count. Feet dangling outside the ring?

 

Another thing that bugs me is when refs try to enforce the open hand rule and when the refs begin counting when people are on the top rope. Supposedly being on the top turn buckle for more than 5-10 seconds can get you disqualified?

 

 

Confusion in the ring over a finish? No worries. Ref B (who just came running down to the ring) apparently has the same, if not more, say in the match than the guy who just finished reffing the match. Why aren't there refs reviewing the footage and overturning victories every night? Why only once in a while.

 

 

Re: Count Out

 

The commentators have explained in the past that the ref is 'going to let them go'. So I don't mind if its a main event and the ref is trying to be laxed on the rules. If it was Joe Blow vs. Joe Nobody and these guys went past the allowed 5 minutes and try to do some crowd brawling -- then that 10 count will last 10 seconds. If its The Rock vs. SCSA at WrestleMania 17 for the WWF title-- a 10 count maybe actually be two minutes. I think WWE should just have FIP rules and have a 20 second countout. Adhering to it would be really interesting as well.

[khawk20]

One from the AWA (where I noticed it most, at least): The times that a wrestler reaches for the ropes and the referee kicks their hands off. Then later on in the same match, they don't. Joe Fiorito, longtime Winnipeg house show referee, did this all the time.

 

It was always presented that you have to be close enough to go through the ropes to get the break easily (basically a whole arm or leg through the ropes), as opposed to reaching out for the ropes and grabbing them from a distance (stretching out the rope towards you), which is why the ref would not call for the break.

 

So, from a rules standpoint it's technically right, but the visual was always the ref being a dick and playing favourites with the face.

[Zenjo]

Is there an actual pro wrestling rule book for any promotion? I always think of it as a mythical object.

 

The OTT DQ rule always sucked. It was a lame finish when used intentionally, and then there's all the times it was done by accident and the ref had to turn a blind eye as it wasn't the planned finish.

 

Agreed that the ref kicking the wrestlers hands away from the rope is really irritating.

 

Another thing that always bugs me is the ref counting down the shoulders during a figure-four leglock. No downward pressure is being applied to the torso of the opponent, so he's not being pinned. So why the fuck is the ref counting?

[dawho5]

Also on that rope thing, I remember a lot of times in All japan where a guy would grab the rope, but the opponent would somehow get their hand off the rope and just drag them back to the center of the ring in the same submission with no break. That always seemed a little shady to me.

[slackermillionaire]

I know Ambrose has mentioned it on commentary and I thnk Harry Smith has said something akin to this aswell, but WWE has a 3 limit pin break up by the illegal man in tag matches. Has this ever been enforced though?

[dawho5]

Now that is a goofy rule right there.

[JerryvonKramer]

What are the exact rules on choking and punching?

[dawho5]

To my knowledge a closed fist has always been illegal, as has choking. I don't know that the first has ever been anything other than a not-interesting-at-all thing for the commentators to whine about in Western wrestling. Choking has always been used as a heel tactic (or an adopted retaliatory face tactic) that I've seen.

[JerryvonKramer]

But it seems like there is a certain amount of choking allowed, (4 count? 5 count?). Heel Andre springs to mind most readily in exploiting that rule.

 

I did see a match recently where the guy was DQ'd for a closed fist, but can't for the life of me remember what it was. Possibly one of those Dory matches I watched.

[dawho5]

That counting is the ref "keeping control of the match". If somebody is doing something illegal, the ref gives them up to a 5 count to stop. I'll agree that after a certain amount of infractions, I think you would just ditch the 5 count and DQ the guy for continually breaking the rules despite warnings. Also, I've seen the ref use the 5 count like that in no-DQ matches, which makes no sense at all. He can count forever, there's no way he's gonna DQ whoever is doing the illegal thing, because he CAN'T.

[artDDP]

Is there an actual pro wrestling rule book for any promotion? I always think of it as a mythical object.

 

I remember The Wrestler published one inside the December 1995 issue. I read and re-read it so many times. I found it fascinating.

 

 

(I couldn't find any scans of the inside, sadly.)

[NintendoLogic]

My favorite incident involving the over the top rope DQ rule is from Flair/Windham at Battle of the Belts. Flair tosses Windham over the top rope while the referee is distracted, and Mike Graham explains that the rule is necessary because that sort of thing leads to serious career-threatening injuries. While he's doing this, Windham pops up without a scratch on him and goes up to the top turnbuckle to do a missile dropkick.

[Lee Casebolt]

Another thing that always bugs me is the ref counting down the shoulders during a figure-four leglock. No downward pressure is being applied to the torso of the opponent, so he's not being pinned. So why the fuck is the ref counting?

 

I'm the exact opposite. If someone's shoulders are down and their opponent is touching them, that's a pin. Refs should be counting. If you're not being held down. prove it. Get the fuck up.

[Zenjo]

 

Another thing that always bugs me is the ref counting down the shoulders during a figure-four leglock. No downward pressure is being applied to the torso of the opponent, so he's not being pinned. So why the fuck is the ref counting?

I'm the exact opposite. If someone's shoulders are down and their opponent is touching them, that's a pin. Refs should be counting. If you're not being held down. prove it. Get the fuck up.

 

We need an official rulebook to sort this out.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I didn't realize someone else had posted the Wrestler rulebook already, but here it is on eBay if anyone wants to buy it:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Wrestler-Magazine-Shawn-Michaels-December-1995-Vader-WWF-WWE-WCW-ECW-NWO-/311063797056?pt=US_Solo_Sports_Fan_Shop&hash=item486cd8dd40

[sek69]

I know Ambrose has mentioned it on commentary and I thnk Harry Smith has said something akin to this aswell, but WWE has a 3 limit pin break up by the illegal man in tag matches. Has this ever been enforced though?

 

 

They did it a few times last year I believe, the announcers don't tell you why when it happens so it's not always clear why the ref calls for the bell. I remember it being discussed on a WO post Raw show that WWE doesn't tell the audience it's a rule for some reason, you're just supposed to know.

[Goodear]

I think the over-the-top rule made a lot more sense when the floor was bare concrete which I'm sure was a lot more common in the NWA when the rule was at its height. It would also make Battle Royals seem a lot more unique and dangerous if you really think about it. It definitely was a throw back rule though and should have been phased out as the business evolved.

 

The Bill Watts WCW era was really good for odd rule changes especially the no coming off the top rope rule which I'm sure was great for the 4 or five guys with top rope finishes like Ricky Streamboat, Brian Pillman and Bobby Eaton. I sort of liked the evolution of the rule when it became 'no knee to the throat' as it was supposed to turn the move into a Memphis Piledriver but it simply never came across as dangerous despite the protection. Someone needed to do a stretcher job or cough up blood after taking it or something and that never happened.

 

In regards to chokes, it sort of bothered me as MMA stuff moved into wrestling that stuff like rear naked chokes were legal when 'choke' was right there in the name.

 

Finally, my biggest pet peeve is when a heel distracts the referee so he doesn't see the faces tag. Not seeing the tag, the referee forces the hot face out of the ring. Meanwhile behind his back the heels switch off (bonus points for clapping) and he allows that exchange. It doesn't make sense. I've been happy to see referees lately then make the heels make a legal tag instead.

 

Lucha libre referees are a whole nother box of rocks.

[Grimmas]

For those who missed it, here is the episode:

 

http://placetobenation.com/pro-wrestling-super-show-wrestling-rulebook-august-27-2014-with-charles-kelly/