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Flippity-floppety matches


Spike Sharpe

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Hey folks,

 

Don't post here often, but notice this expression used (mostly in a derogatory sense) to describe a certain match style.

 

Now, I've seen a hell of a lot of wrestling over the years (though pretty much all mainstream stuff) and to be honest I do particularly enjoy a good cruiserweight match.

 

So what I want to know is - which matches/wrestlers are you good fellows talking about when you use the term "flippity-floppety"? Is it the standard sort of cruiserweight stuff I've seen in WCW/WWE, or is it more specifically Indie/Mexican or even UK stuff? If so, which individuals are the worst culprits?

 

Links would be appreciated...

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Jack Evans doing a standing moonsault in order to break up a pin attempt on impact the other week is what personifies "Flippy floppy" to me. It's when a match seems to become more of an exhibition of ballet and gymnastics rather than a good fight, and loses all semblance of psychology, selling, pacing and story in favour of people getting their shit in.

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Jack Evans doing a standing moonsault in order to break up a pin attempt on impact the other week is what personifies "Flippy floppy" to me. It's when a match seems to become more of an exhibition of ballet and gymnastics rather than a good fight, and loses all semblance of psychology, selling, pacing and story in favour of people getting their shit in.

 

Do you think that there is no place whatsoever in mainstream wrestling for such guys as Jack Evans? I'm slightly old school in what i like, there is nothing better than a hoss like Hansen tearing shit up but i enjoy something flipping about like ballerina once in a while. Putting a high paced match early on in a show with an Evans working someone like a Low Ki or an on form Samoa Joe would be my perfect opener to a modern TNA maybe even WWE style show to be honest.

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John Morrison, maybe personality free and a bland as fuck, but when he does something athletic like that Spider Man like cage leap or the way he held onto the barrier at the Royal Rumble, thats what a spectacular high spot is for me. Everyone remembered both of them afterwards because it was the highlight of his moveset on those occassions. When you see someone like Evans doing all those moves every match, its tiresome. There are definitely a place for unrealistic moves. But at least put them into some form of order where they can be highlighted.

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Jack Evans doing a standing moonsault in order to break up a pin attempt on impact the other week is what personifies "Flippy floppy" to me. It's when a match seems to become more of an exhibition of ballet and gymnastics rather than a good fight, and loses all semblance of psychology, selling, pacing and story in favour of people getting their shit in.

Butch sums it up nicely. I watched the said three way from Impact as people had been raving about it, and as a 'wrestling' match found it fucking dreadful. To me it was nothing more than a carefully choreographed display of one spot after another after another, with no semblance whatsoever of psychology, build etc. Seriously, why break up a pin attempt with a standing moonsault when a kick to the back/head is more effective and would cause 'more damage'?

 

Maybe I am just getting on, and the spot to spot style doesn't do anything for me anymore unlike back in 2002, but give me a slow paced Dick Murdock vs Tommy Rich match from 1989 NWA TV going to a 15 draw over what I watched on Impact anyday.

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The only spotfests I've got any time for are DragonGate, simply because they temper the flipz with incredibly vivid, colourful characters and insanely cool and stylish production - even more so than WWE. Their booking is pretty good too, as it centres around the rather unique basis of an all-faction fed (don't know why other promotions don't do this, to be honest).

 

That said, for the most part I agree with Butch, but also feel that there's a need for people to look at a wrestling card as a whole - the best ones are textured with variety, straight singles, straight tag, squashes, filler, feud-enders, championship matches, special stip, and spotfests have their place in there too. The words "emotional rollercoaster" are intrinsic to wrestling booking, IMO.

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I like Jack Evans.

 

He flips about ludicrously which I find fun, and athletically impressive.

 

Yeah, he's a scrawny little guy, but no one sells his offense like death anyway and he doesn't do "big man" moves, so that's fine.

 

He is great at selling / happy to put himself in dangerous and painful situation, so I love seeing him flip about like a loon, and then get absolutely mullered after.

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I always loved watching Super Dragon wrestle Jack Evans because Dragon was a fantastic base for all of his high flying stuff and would make it look like a million bucks but would eventually get bored and just kick the fuck out of him.

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The only spotfests I've got any time for are DragonGate, simply because they temper the flipz with incredibly vivid, colourful characters and insanely cool and stylish production - even more so than WWE. Their booking is pretty good too, as it centres around the rather unique basis of an all-faction fed (don't know why other promotions don't do this, to be honest).

 

That said, for the most part I agree with Butch, but also feel that there's a need for people to look at a wrestling card as a whole - the best ones are textured with variety, straight singles, straight tag, squashes, filler, feud-enders, championship matches, special stip, and spotfests have their place in there too. The words "emotional rollercoaster" are intrinsic to wrestling booking, IMO.

 

I've mentioned my recent fandom of AAA which I feel ties in with what you say here. I wasn't a big spotfest fan before personally, but when AAA does it I can't help but get into it. I think its the package around it. AAA has colourful characters too, and that added with some genuinely nutty storylines makes the highflying more enticing. I think that's worth bearing in midn really. You can have a bland spotfest between two guys with no characters or reason or rhyme that's utterly boring. You can have the same with slugging brawlers or technical wizards too. But give it the reason, the rhyme, the build and the characters and its a lot more of an enjoyable watch.

 

I also think there's time for spotfests in most wrestling products really. Variety really is important when it comes to presenting a show. And certainly there's room for one or two spotfests to change the pace of things.

 

As for Jack Evans, I haven't seen a lot of his more recent work other than a trios match in which he didn't do a lot and that awful steel cage match at TripleMania. But then that cage match also contained Abyss, Mr. Anderson and Extreme Tiger so it was never going to be great. Then again it mighth ave helped if someone had told Ken Anderson the rules before the match.

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Cant argue with his popularity though. He's not my cup of tea either, but the reaction he gets with the live crowd is usually the biggest on the show. He's got what the audience wants to buy. You have to admire that.

If you are taling about Orton I have to disagree to a extent.

 

Now I dont watch Smackdown but he wasnt over at the last PPV at all, he got a nice ovation when he came out but by the end neither him nor Christian were over that much, the crowd was very quiet thoughout the match as well.

 

Orton got booed slightly when he twated Christian with the belt at the end, besides that there was zero reaction. At Over The Limit I thought the crowd was slightly for Christian, maybe 60/40 over Orton as well. He got jeered at Mania in parts as well, the only time I have seen him be massively be over in recent times was the April PPV.

 

People moan about Cena myself included, but at least he isnt dull and boring like Orton is. I think Orton is fine in the ring he can have some really good matches with the right oppenent other than that he is just too bland and boring for my taste.

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It's all about variety for me. I love a well-paced, well-structured epic between two great wrestlers as much as the next guy, but I find I get burnt out if I watch 3 or 4 matches like that back to back. Sometimes it's nice to switch off the brain for a bit and see guys diving all over the place. My favourite events have always been those that mix great wrestling bouts with a flippity floppity match and a hardcore, brawling all around the arena match.

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