The world of professional wrestling has certainly gone to another dimension. Whether it is the in-ring showcase, the extensive travel for engagements outside of the ring, or overall fan expectation, the pressure for a WWE talent to be relevant has increased. While this does improve the hunger for a character to succeed and ascend to the main event level, it also comes with an increased susceptibility to injury.
Nowadays, we see a dangerous amount of talent falling victim to not only minor injuries but situations that are much more costly. The most recent example was Finn Balor, who became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion. However, this achievement was short-lived, as he suffered a torn labrum which will require at least six months to recover.
Balor is not the only person who had a prominent position revoked by injury, as Sasha Banks also had to end her first reign as Women’s Champion due to nagging back injuries. In this era of WWE, injuries are as common as ever. Somehow, this dangerous trend has to be investigated deeper to provide a solution of how to cease it.
Here are five reasons why superstars are more prone to injuries.
1- Trusting the opponent
This reason may stem some controversy, but it is worth it. Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has been a recipient of some major criticism from both fans and wrestlers due to his risky level of in-ring competition. In the past year or so, Rollins has been the common denominator of three superstars who have suffered from injuries that put them on the shelf for a certain amount of time.
During a match with John Cena, Rollins performed a standing knee strike on Cena, breaking his nose and causing him to receive medical treatment. Last September, at the Night of Champions event, Rollins executed his buckle bomb signature move on Sting during their championship match not once, but twice. The impact of the move caused Sting to end his wrestling career and announce his retirement during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech..
Just recently, the same move – now executed outside the ring on a barricade – caused Balor to forfeit his championship and undergo surgery for a torn labrum, as well as a bicep and pectoral tear. While Rollins is highly acclaimed for his in-ring work, the inability to perform certain moves at the expense of others have proven to be costly, and can decrease the amount of trust that others could have competing in the ring against him.
Rollins is not the only person to blame, though, as other performers perform moves ineffectively as well.
2- Unnecessary Bumps
While trusting the other opponent is vital in any wrestling match, trusting yourself is even more important. Pro wrestlers today exhibit a significant amount of unnecessary bumps to showcase to the fans in the attempt to deliver a quality match. The issue with this, though, is that not only do these bumps that shape the narrative of a match run a risk of hurting the opponent, it also has the ability in shaving time off one’s career.
For example, Sasha Banks. Banks is one of the most popular women’s wrestlers in the WWE, who thrives on putting on a great show for her fans. However, certain moves she executes, such as the suicide dive on Charlotte that nearly folded her in half, are not at all essential to the overall quality of the match.
At the tender age of 24, Banks must pull back on high-risk moves to extend her wrestling career. Already suffering from back injuries due to wrestling is not a step in a positive direction.
3- Lack of Narrative
Wrestling has been known for decades as a business that captures the audience through storytelling and strong narrative. A feud is built based on a combination of wrestling and drama, causing spectators to be glued to the path of the culminating match. The modern era of wrestling lacks appropriate storyline building tremendously.
Simply placing opponents in a match without a proper build forces the story to be created in the ring, which gives the competitors the mindset to execute unnecessary bumps and maneuvers. In turn, this increases the risk of injury and decreases the lifespan of one’s in-ring career. In most cases, when it comes to stories, less is more.
One of the most memorable feuds of all time was Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant. This feud was not known for the in-ring performance. In fact, Andre was suffering from an injury leading to the match, and Hogan has never been known for his ability to put on a stellar match. Instead, the jealousy of Hogan receiving a bigger prize for an extensive reign as champion, and the manipulation by Bobby “The Brian” Heenan, caused Andre to turn his back on Hogan, rip his chain off, and proverbially his heart out due to the unimaginable betrayal.
From Larry Zbyszko turning on his mentor Bruno Sammartino, to Sting joining the Four Horsemen only to get ousted for being at the top of the contender’s list, stories leading to matches are just as vital, and arguably even more, than the match itself.
4- Jockeying for Position
WWE is a Sports Entertainment conglomerate that capitalizes off of talent who are making them money. Oftentimes, no matter what the fans think, a person becomes a top guy or gal in the company due to the reaction, whether positive or negative. Look at John Cena. He has not been a clear-cut babyface in nearly a decade, but WWE still places him in that position based on the overarching effects of the demographic he draws and the merchandise he sells.
When a wrestler does not have the look of a John Cena, per se, there is a tougher hill to climb, which leads to the willingness to allow more impact on the body. Look at Daniel Bryan, for instance. He had to sacrifice his body in every single match, just to be thought of as nearly equal to the level of Cena or Randy Orton. The dives outside the ring and diving headbutts caused Bryan to ascend the ladder, but these are moves that someone with “the look” never had to do to get to the top.
Moreover, with the influx of talent, even those who have the look of a star, like Cesaro, still have to perform far beyond what is required to climb up the WWE ladder to grab that brass ring, because others are right with him sacrificing their bodies to move above him. Unfortunately, this ongoing competition causes competitors to upstage each other not from a character-building standpoint, but in the ring. Whatever dastardly move you can do – I can do better.
5- Fan Expectation
Ultimately, all of this sums up to the overall fan expectation. Many fans in the modern era have ravenous desires, looking for the next high-risk spot instead of enjoying the ride of a match that starts slower and builds a climax that leaves most emotionally involved. Oftentimes, matches are evaluated as mediocre because the type of moves and holds that should have been saved for the end, occur in the beginning
This extinguishes the desire to invest in a match and dilutes the overall outcome. If I see a signature or finishing move in the beginning or middle of the match, why would I be equally intrigued to see it again compared to seeing it for the first time in the end? The overall structure of a match is the defining component to increase the narrative leading into a match, as well as build the necessary climax to end it.
If I am watching a duel between Spiderman and the Green Goblin and the big fight happens in the beginning with all the ebbs and flows involved, it virtually kills the plot leading to the grand showdown. However, this nuance is becoming dangerously extinct from storylines and matches that fans see, which has created a bar in which people chant "Boring!" when there are not a series of flips and false finishes throughout the match.
A superior match brings art, theatre, drama, suspense, and good wrestling to the ring, and wraps in all in one to leave fans cheering. The match-making has drastically changed the expectation, which has caused those in the ring to change the way a match is narrated at the expense of a higher risk of injury.
