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Why don't wrestlers wear a cup? (and other weird kayfabe things)


mim731

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EDIT - Spoiler tag as I guess it's a minor Dynamite spoiler for those watching on ITV4

I saw this tweet from Wheeler Yuta today, and it got me wondering has there ever been a kayfabe explanation as to why wrestlers don't wear cups? I appreciate that in reality it's because a low blow spot is an easy way to garner heat for a heel via nefarious actions and a ballshot is something that the predominantly male audience can empathise with, but what is the kayfabe explanation for this lack of protection?

I assumed it would be because it might impede mobility somehow, but as I recall, the one time a cup was really given any attention on TV was with Road Dogg in 1999 when he used it to avoid the pain of a Chyna low blow, and it didn't impede his movement, and there was ever a real "storyline" explanation as to why this wasn't the norm, more just a focus on the face that he had "outsmarted" Chyna. Some of the things from that era were just awful, but that's a different discussion.      

Rather than starting a thread solely based on cups and the avoidance of low blows (sorry this already reads like I've been overthinking the concept massively), this also got me thinking about other logic holes that exist within the required suspension of disbelief  that is professional wrestling. Have you got any examples that really bother you, or particularly don't make sense? Is there a goldmine within the accepted universal rules of wrestling of spots or concepts that would require strenuous mental gymnastics to justify in any other context, but that we accept because it's "wrestling".

Might make for some interesting discussion.  Or it might die on it's arse.

Edited by mim731
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8 minutes ago, mim731 said:
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EDIT - Spoiler tag as I guess it's a minor Dynamite spoiler for those watching on ITV4

I saw this tweet from Wheeler Yuta today, and it got me wondering has there ever been a kayfabe explanation as to why wrestlers don't wear cups? I appreciate that in reality it's because a low blow spot is an easy way to garner heat for a heel via nefarious actions and a ballshot is something that the predominantly male audience can empathise with, but what is the kayfabe explanation for this lack of protection?

I assumed it would be because it might impede mobility somehow, but as I recall, the one time a cup was really given any attention on TV was with Road Dogg in 1999 when he used it to avoid the pain of a Chyna low blow, and it didn't impede his movement, and there was ever a real "storyline" explanation as to why this wasn't the norm, more just a focus on the face that he had "outsmarted" Chyna. Some of the things from that era were just awful, but that's a different discussion.      

Rather than starting a thread solely based on cups and the avoidance of low blows (sorry this already reads like I've been overthinking the concept massively), this also got me thinking about other logic holes that exist within the required suspension of disbelief  that is professional wrestling. Have you got any examples that really bother you, or particularly don't make sense? Is there a goldmine within the accepted universal rules of wrestling of spots or concepts that would require strenuous mental gymnastics to justify in any other context, but that we accept because it's "wrestling".

Might make for some interesting discussion.  Or it might die on it's arse.

I think it’s because a low blow is an illegal move that would earn a DQ if the ref sees, so the idea being why would you need a cup if you’re not going to get kicked in the nads. Hence it’s only come up a few times in storylines where one has been worn to out smart someone known for doing them behind the refs back

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Music for run ins. It can't happen without me getting this ludicrous image in my head of whoever is doing the run in barreling through gorilla screaming "PLAY MY FUCKING TRACK!"

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It's too logical in the real world to probably wear one in pro wrestling with the phychology of villains who cheat, especially in wrestling where you are meant to blatantly see the cheating in the match/story. 

That's my logic, wrestling is too odd for normality. Like when people say 'Why doesn't Big Show just hit the WMD immediately'. One of them. 

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3 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Commentators who say “What’s (.  ) doing here?” But use their new name, not their real name or their old gimmick name.

Example? Is that what happened with Io Sky? Please say it was.

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Just listen to the second hour of Wednesdays for more examples. At least 25% of Jim Ross’s commentary these days is him bringing stuff like this up on air. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened but somewhere along the way he became my dad taking the piss out of everything, except he’s the commentator who’s literal job is to sell the illusion and drama.

”Why is the referee being so easily distracted? Why does this happen every time? This is stupid.”

It’s a work, Jim.

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6 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Just listen to the second hour of Wednesdays for more examples. At least 25% of Jim Ross’s commentary these days is him bringing stuff like this up on air. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened but somewhere along the way he became my dad taking the piss out of everything, except he’s the commentator who’s literal job is to sell the illusion and drama.

”Why is the referee being so easily distracted? Why does this happen every time? This is stupid.”

It’s a work, Jim.

JR's moaning about back rakes last week was worse.

He obviously knows what the point is but for whatever reason had his head up his arse about it.

TS needs to grow a pair and get shot of him. 

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5 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Music for run ins. It can't happen without me getting this ludicrous image in my head of whoever is doing the run in barreling through gorilla screaming "PLAY MY FUCKING TRACK!"

I remember as a kid the rumour in the playground was that the WWF implanted wrestlers with chips that the entrance would read like at the supermarket and play their music.

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7 minutes ago, ReturnOfTheMack said:

I remember as a kid the rumour in the playground was that the WWF implanted wrestlers with chips that the entrance would read like at the supermarket and play their music.

The Titan Tron Live series of figures worked exactly like that

3 minutes ago, stewdogg said:

Did it? I’d have to go back and watch it again but I’m pretty sure her video still said Shirai 

If it did, that proves my point then that the commentators calling her Io Sky was stupid

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8 minutes ago, ReturnOfTheMack said:

I remember as a kid the rumour in the playground was that the WWF implanted wrestlers with chips that the entrance would read like at the supermarket and play their music.

There were action figures that worked like that, so it stands to reason they were based on real life. I'm sold.

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6 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Music for run ins. It can't happen without me getting this ludicrous image in my head of whoever is doing the run in barreling through gorilla screaming "PLAY MY FUCKING TRACK!"

You could make the argument that the production team are so on top of things that when someone runs past them to interfere, they get everything cued up. What's worse is at Summerslam, when AJ Styles' music played and then he did a run-in through the crowd. How did production know to play his music? Even if he'd paid someone off, how did they know to do it then? 

The sort of thing that keeps me up at night.

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7 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Music for run ins. It can't happen without me getting this ludicrous image in my head of whoever is doing the run in barreling through gorilla screaming "PLAY MY FUCKING TRACK!"

I blame Taker for that. There’s so many things they did with him as a supernatural character, like the lights going out, his music playing. And that could all be kinda explained because he was supernatural. They heard the pops it got and started doing it with other wrestlers, but without the get out of “he’s got special powers” then the only explanation is they are telling the sound guy they are about to run out. 
 

Same with fire pyro. Used to be there because Kane summoned it. Now everyone can

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