The Pro Wrasslin' Thread (WWE, WWF, WCW, TNA, ROH, NWA, NJPW, etc)

[Jumpin]

JWeinCom said:

Jumpin said:

One thing about pro-wrestling over the past 25 years. The moves have got WAY better, and the working conditions have also become way safer. This is something hard to appreciate, how in the 80s and 90s people would botch power bombs and chair shots, they’d shorten careers. Nowadays you have guys like Jack Evans, Sydal, and PAC who have been doing crazy shit for 20 years, and not having the career ending issues.

Of course, it’s not always the case - Lance Archer’s scary botch back in October will knock some time off. Sad too, he’s one of the meanest looking SOBs in the business, and he was going places. Not sure when he’s coming back, but hopefully they don’t rush him in the way WWE did Austin.

I would disagree with conditions being safer. Aside from being smarter about head trauma (most of the time), which is a big plus, they're really not. The problem is guys like Sydal and Pac (not sure how Jack Evans got on that list cause he fucks up on the reg) can do high flying moves well and regularly, and people who can't do it try to match them because they feel they have to. Lance Archer is one example. Red Velvet is another who for some reason kept trying to do a standing moonsault till she almost killed herself. Nia Jax almost killed people for years before being fired, although that was more just general incompetence. Sting, Balor, and Kairi Sane were injured by the buckle bomb which I have no idea why anyone is allowed to do. Jade Cargill didn't know how to do a sligshot but didn't let that stop her, and slung her opponent's head directly into a rope. Striking also has gotten way more snug leading to injuries. Xia Li knocked Mercedes Martinez out before she left NXT. Pac one upped her by knocking out Orange Cassidy then picking him up and powerbombing him. Nia Jax concussed Becky Lynch with a basic punch (but again she's incompetent). Alexa Bliss has had several concussions, Bryan lost years of his career to them, Punk was concussed in his last WWE match, Matt Hardy was somehow allowed to work a match after getting his head slammed into concrete... Paige had to retire before 30, Graves did, and so on so forth.

Go watch some 80's wrestling. It's 80% punching and rest holds. More exciting is debateable, but mostly safer. Most dangerous thing was a leg drop. 

That's still a lower volume and less severe list of injuries that you can find back in the 80s and 90s, and realistically, probably up until the period of Benoit's death.

Dynamite and Davey Boy both suffered severe injuries that ended their careers early and caused pain killer addictions that led to early deaths.
Steve Austin broke his neck, was rushed back into action without proper rehab/surgery ending his career early.
Droz never walked again after getting his neck broken in the ring.
Chris Benoit, Kanyon, Bam Bam, Crash (and many others) all suffered head injuries that likely lead to suicidal behaviour.
Andre was incredibly crippled, and might have contributed to high stress and death.
Bret Hart had his career ended by a kick.
Owen Hart had his life ended by a stunt.

I guess the point that I'd take out of it is that it's a little surprising that injury volume and severity is down. You'd think the opposite if it were less safe. Actually, with how Lance Archer has been treated it shows a big difference in how similar type injuries were treated in the past. Archer's out for months with a neck sprain; I don't know that 90s wrestling would mandated (or even allowed) the time to rehab that.

The older days had injuries from seemingly minor moves, and they'd often throw them in a match to fake a much more serious injury; usually this was for severe joint injuries, as they didn't take head injuries or spinal injuries as seriously back then. Maybe it was lower standards about who could step in the ring, likely overworking, definitely improper rehab was an issue.

I do have that 10+ year gap between when I watched wrestling, and that's what I'm seeing at least. I could just be imagining it as I haven't looked at exshaustive lists. But I'm not hearing of wrestling dying all the time or having to retire from injuries nearly as much as before. And I think there might be more active wrestlers now than before (I'm not entirely sure on that).