Microstatistics Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzombie1988 Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 They make it very obvious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 I think once in my life I noticed thigh slapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 I've actively looked for it amidst comments on it and still can't catch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chess Knight Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 I never notice it either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 The only time I have ever noticed it or let it bother me was one time when Charlotte was going for a kick that was supposed to miss so her opponent could duck and counter...but she still slapped her thigh and there was a huge crack for her kicking the air, which was just stupid. Muscle memory I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 The only person who did it and it didn't look like shit was probably Tajiri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 No one has ever done it better than "Gentlemen " Chris Adams. That's my problem with it. No I be else compares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 I never noticed the slap until attending a live show and it was so obvious. If you cant see the slap then no bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlekitten Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 The constant slapping noise is one of several reasons I can't stand Hero. Austin Aries and Lufisto are two of the worst at giving away the game visually. Slapping stinks but I've never had a problem with Bret's stomping. Maybe I've just learned to justify it as him putting some 'oomph' behind his blows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzombie1988 Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Does Omega slap for those knees? I've never noticed. If he does then I'd put that down as a good use of the effect. What about spitting when you get hit with a punch? Is everyone down with that? Omega loves the slapping. Spitting is fine. That's a form of selling though. Thigh slapping isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricR Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrete1992 Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 My biggest problem is it takes one mistimed slap to take me out of things for awhile. Not about being "fake" but about creating a disconnect. When you have a thunderous sounding kick that clearly just nicks, or even whiffs, then everything else feels less important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ship Canal Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNLister Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 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!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrzfn Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Put me down among those who usually don't notice. Reading this site made me watch for it a little more and now I can see if it I'm trying hard enough, but generally it doesn't bother me unless it's really egregious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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