Insanity seems somewhat pervasive in the modern world, yet there is no stranger place than the business of pro-wrestling.
In an industry where adults dress in often far too little clothing and pretend to fight, it may seem incredulous to point at any one thing and label it as ‘Insane’. It is impossible to watch wrestling for any length of time though and not do just that. From supernatural characters to bizarre racial stereotypes, the industry is littered with tropes that make non-fans scratch their heads but that long-term viewers have grown to just accept.
Whilst there is a litany of such gimmicks, there are some that are far more notable than others for just how common, absurd, and universally accepted they are.
When thinking of these tropes, the first that springs to mind is the baffling notion that seemingly all Japanese wrestlers can spray a Green Mist from their mouths.
Dokugiri, as it is called in Japan, is a practice originated by the legendary Great Kabuki and sees the wrestler sprays forth the mist into their opponent’s eyes, temporarily blinding them. This is typically proceeded by rubbing on the throat to indicate that the mixture is being secreted from a gland.
It is an effective move that has been used by a host of other wrestlers since its inception, most notably Tajiri, The Great Muta, and now Asuka. What’s weird though is that fans don’t really seem to question why these Asian wrestlers would have this toxic ability. If you travel to Japan and happen to anger a local, they’re not likely to mist you in retaliation, so why do fans accept that the wrestlers are any different?
As tropes go, this one has stood the test of time and continues to be used very effectively by wrestlers around the world. Coming in various colours with a multitude of effects, the mist has evolved and so too has its weirdness.
If a secret gland filled with a blinding spray isn’t quite cool enough for you as far as superpowers go, how about teleportation?
Most famously used as a part of The Undertaker’s gimmick over the past three decades, this trick is somehow still unbelievably effective today. The set up is quite simple, it usually goes that an adversary is in the ring flapping their gums, the lights go out, and when they come back on ‘Taker is stood in the ring ready to fight. Fans know what’s up the second the lights dim but the pop for his appearance is always huge regardless. Really though, this makes no sense in the modern product. It was odd back in the 90’s but now, where everything is realistic and, let’s face it, fairly dull is jarringly out of place.
A suspension of disbelief is always a good thing to have in wrestling but when it comes to supernatural powers, that can be a little difficult. If ‘Taker and others who do the same trick are able to teleport at will then why do they ever allow themselves to get caught in disadvantageous positions? They should always just zip across the ring and out of danger.
Still though, fans just accept that any supernaturally inclined wrestlers can pull off the old teleportation deal because it really is fun.
What is less fun, one would have to imagine, is being stuck in the ring with The Fiend. As soon as the mask goes on, he becomes impossible to handle. This Split Personality makes for some compelling television as well as some difficult to explain implications.
The bit off all of this that is hard to understand, or weird, is that the normal Bray Wyatt is not a dominant force. Yes, he’s tough but he isn’t an all-consuming monster that leaves Seth Rollins quaking in fear. Yet throw a mask on him and he’s pretty much invulnerable all of a sudden.
This again leans into wrestling’s relationship with horror and the supernatural as, of course, it all makes sense when view the character through the lens of the Firefly Funhouse. Take reason out of the mix for a second and view The Fiend in isolation and sure, it’s no wackier than any movie monster. Put him next to the far more grounded stars of the rest of the roster though and it once more becomes jarring and odd. That doesn’t stop fans from eating it up and again accepting it though.
In fact, Bray Wyatt is the hottest thing in wrestling right now so clearly this particular slice of insanity works gangbusters.
It has for others too with Demon Finn still being an unbeaten entity, The Bunny being markedly different to Allie over in AEW, and even the far more comedic take by The Hurricane leading to a career-making gimmick for the talented performer.
Moving on from individual affectations, there are things that happen in the ring that are ridiculous too. In this case, it actually takes place largely just outside the ring and it is the constant occurrence of people Just Beating the Ten Count.
For context, in most matches, a countout applies to stop wrestlers from spending too long outside of the ring. In western promotions, it tends to be a ten count and in Japan, it’ll be twenty. All too often a wrestler, or both, will go down on the outside and the referee will begin counting, the wrestler won’t start to stir until midway through the count, they’ll miraculously dive back into the ring just before the count of ten. It’s cool the first time you see it, and then it’s not for the one thousand other times it’ll be used on that same show.
What makes it so weird is the idea that every single wrestler is completely unable or unwilling to get back into the ring unless they are less than a second from disaster. It makes no sense that this would happen so often, and it makes even less sense that fans would still react to the spot every single time. It’s probably the only trope named here that it actively makes a match worse because it is so horribly contrived.
The number one thing that happens in wrestling that makes absolutely zero sense, is beyond weird, and yet seems to be accepted is Rampant Criminality. This doesn’t refer to the real-life antics of some of these scallywags, no what they do on their own time is between them and the police. Instead, this refers to their on-screen misdoings which range from minor assaults all the way up to murder.
It seems that when a wrestler assaults another on television, they usually get led away in handcuffs. They won’t ever have their day in kayfabe court but at least there’s some sense of criminal responsibility in this supposedly real world. However, when they set another’s home on fire, they are not investigated for arson but are instead put in the worst match of the year as their punishment.
Obviously, you can’t have your wrestlers pretending to be chilling in Cell Block C instead of coming to work so ignoring their deeds is a necessity, but it’s still weird that there have been literal murders that have had no consequences for the killer. Even when Kane, Miz and co. tried to kill Braun Strowman in a refuse truck they didn’t face any actual repercussions aside from the unenviable one of Strowman returning for his pound of flesh.
This lack of accountability is readily accepted by fans though as no one really calls for the perpetrators of these genuinely criminal acts to see their day in court. There’s no fun in that but it does mean that wrestling has no internal logic whatsoever.
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