Aaron undercover

Aaron Undercover: Psychology In Wrestling

This week as been a week of changes, many of you watch the WWE shows on Sky, and many of you would have watched Rey Misterio Jnr taking on Chavo Guerrera? For those of you that did watch that particular match would of seen those two guys use psychology and more matt work than high spots, and I must state the match was a lot better for it, and actually received glowing reviews.

So what does this match have to do with British wrestling? Read on and you will find out…

Once again I welcome you to join me for another edition of Aaron Undercover.

British wrestling was once full of psychology and matches that actually meant something. But over the years psychology as been replaced by spot fests, and the fact that British wrestling wants to go the American way. This way means having matches that consist of spot fests and sports entertainment, rather than have actual wrestling. Even some wrestling trainers in this country actually teach their trainees how to do spot fests rather than actual wrestling.

Mark Sloan of the FWA as admitted that he trains his wrestlers to actually do spot fests as matt work is no longer important. But wait for one second, this actually is called wrestling isn’t it?

Back in the days when Giant Haystacks would wrestle Big Daddy the matches still carried psychology. These to ring giants would lock horns and although both weren’t the most gifted wrestlers in the world, they were able to use psychology in their matches. Psychology came in when during regular tag bouts. (As very rare both would end up in a single bout)

During these bouts Haystacks would not step in the ring or make the tag should his number one nemesis Big daddy be in the ring at that time. The crowd would get worked up in to frenzy, as they desperately wanted these two ring giants to collide in the squared circle. All the way through the tag match Haystacks and Daddy wouldn’t meet in the ring together, until the end. Once these two big men met each other right near the end of their match the crowd would be on fire, finally the two biggest names in British wrestling, and the two biggest competitors (Haystacks 40stone and 6ft 6, Daddy 28 stone 6ft2) in British and European wrestling would collide. Both men would belly bounce each other, and try to knock each other to the matt. Most of the time Big Daddy would be the victor after shoulder blocking the Giant to the matt, and then finishing off his opponent with his belly flop for the 1-2-3.

Even so, these ring techniques might not sound the best, but they were very effective. It just wasn’t Giant Haystacks and Big daddy that used psychology, it was all the wrestlers, and each one had a different technique and style about him. But what does this have to do with Misterio v Chavo on WWE Smack down?

The Misterio v Chavo match goes to show that even the biggest promotion in the world as learned that they also need to add psychology and substance in to the matches they produce.

British wrestling is full of spot fests and no longer does each wrestler have a different gimmick and style to his opponent. Wrestlers over he now want to be like their ring heroes when growing up, they want to be like Cactus Jack, Chris Benoit, The Rock and Hulk Hogan. Today’s wrestlers want to go out there and show off all their high spots in one match, which in the end means the match as very little entertainment to offer. No longer do matches have substance and psychology to drag the fans attention during bouts.

With British wrestling lacking the fundamentals of what wrestling is about, comes to no shock what so ever to this writer when the likes of mark Sloan teach and encourage their trainees to go in to their bouts and do high spots and very little wrestling. It also comes to no surprise when British wrestling is looked at as a joke rather than a good wrestling business.

There are promotions starting to take notice and are now encouraging and training their wrestlers to learn psychology and matt wrestling rather than high spots. GBH as since changed its name to AIWF Great Britain and as dropped its hardcore gimmick, and now concentrates on wrestling and psychology which as given the group more respect and raving reviews in the past few months.

There are people that state that all I am doing by writing about psychology and how British wrestling is lacking, is that I am just slagging off the wrestling business. Mark Sloan and his side kicks have many times attacked and slandered me for stating that British wrestling is lacking, and state that I am out to cause British wrestling harm.

Let me say this, I am not out here to cause any harm to the wrestling business in this country, I am only here to state a fact. As a young child I regularly went to my local wrestling shows at the Victoria Leisure centre, Nottingham and my biggest memories of British wrestling come from the era of Giant Haystacks, Big daddy, Johnny saint, Les Kellet, Adrian Street, Delbar Singh, Ray Steele, Corporal Brody, Steve Grey, Pat Roach, Kendo Nagasaki, Steve Logan and many more, and my memories of British wrestling are stronger than today’s British wrestling.

There are some good wrestlers in this country, and just recently the high flier Jonny Storm is starting to use psychology in his matches, and doing more matt work than actual spot fests, and giving some kind of meaning to his bouts. British wrestling has some good promotions, but many of these promotions get very little coverage and the same goes to its wrestlers.

It seems unless you affiliated to the FWA you don’t get any coverage, and that is total rubbish. Its time the smart fans stood and helped to promote the promotions that really matter, and the wrestlers that really matter. Its time for the fans to stand together and help to spread the word of all the other promotion in this country, and take a more in-depth approach to wrestling in this country.

It is also time for the promotion and wrestlers to also give the fans something to cheer about, and give more substance and meaning to their matches and shows, rather than copy off the Americans.

Until next time, I wish you all safe and happy times.

Aaron Spencer

If you have any comments about this column then feel free to email me at aaron@britwrestling.co.uk

You can read more of my columns at http://www.britwrestling.co.uk