A couple months ago, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes asked smart wrestling fans to stop using the term “botch” because “it’s just not a true word.”
It sounds like we can add the concept of no-selling to the list of insider terms that Cody thinks fans don’t understand well. Here is his case for why that is on his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast.
“I wish more people knew this, but today, if you and I are wrestling in the ring, and you hit me, and I decide nope, no more. And I start hulking up, and I start moving,
and you hit me again, nope, not again…I wish people knew today, that was very common amongst territory, 80’s babyfaces. The idea that, it’s not a not sell, it’s I’m pretending not to be hurting. It hurts, but I’m not letting you know that.
As much as Hogan absolutely took over it all, but when he created it as the hulk-up, it’s now made it so that this thing is a hulk-up. Which is amazing, and credit to him for creating it, but I wish people knew, that used to be every top babyface, at a certain point. Whether it was Chief Jay [Strongbow] with the war dance, or my old man [Dusty] when it’s nope, we’re done.
…in Japanese wrestling, a lot of people talk about how there’s not selling, and they don’t realize, no, they’re selling that they’re not hurt. They’re selling, I’m good, I’m good, and then you find out they’re not. It’s like when you go to the bar and you get drunk. You’re not acting more drunk, you’re trying to act sober.”
Do you agree with Rhodes that the concept of no-selling a wrestling move is often misunderstood or incorrectly used? Which insider term do you think Cody will tell fans they don’t understand next? Let me know in the comments below, Cagesiders.
