Can anyone remember when we last had a clean finish without a ref bump in a Raw main event. I keep hoping against hope that the ref won't get hit, but he invariably does. I think it's okay when it's done once in a while, but doing every week makes Raw seem like an episode of WCW Thunder. What say you?
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It was so much worse tonight because the spot was so badly blown. By the time he finally got around to leaning into the kick it was his third attempt to go down (forget what the first miss was, the second was where he couldn't get around Orton to take the shot in the corner). REALLY looked bad, and as this thread suggests just served as a reminder of how overreliant they are on using it recently.
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It's "even-steven" booking. Both wrestlers come out of the match with their heat back, because when the ref is bumped, the face usually gets a pin or a submission on the heel, but of course, the ref doesn't see it. Then the heel comes back and wins. So the heel has heat for winning the match, but the face still has his heat, because he forced the heel to tap/pinned him while the ref was down.
Yes, the ref bump is one of the things I hate to see most, but when the writers can't decide who to put over (aka all the time), I guess that's when it's used the most.
I think it's also just become part of the by-the-numbers booking style they use. They've done it so much, it's probably just reflex at this point. Like when they sit down to decide who's going to get the opening 20 minute interview segment, they skip the part where they decide if the 20 minute interview segment will serve any purpose other than diluting it's effectiveness. (ps. Yes, I am aware that they put the interview in the middle of the show tonight)
I also agree that it's the even-steven booking of being too shit-scared to actually have someone go over someone else. I mean, I'm all for guys 'getting their win back', but not EVERY time, and not always on back to back weeks either.
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It makes me think that a way to "freshen up" the product would be to have two referees, one inside and one outside the ring, as a standard and force writers/bookers to come up with new stuff.
At best, there could some nifty face-heel referee dynamics to work with.
Of course, with our luck, they'd work overtime figuring out how to do a double-ref bump.
Originally posted by PostModernBoyIt makes me think that a way to "freshen up" the product would be to have two referees, one inside and one outside the ring, as a standard and force writers/bookers to come up with new stuff.
At best, there could some nifty face-heel referee dynamics to work with.
Of course, with our luck, they'd work overtime figuring out how to do a double-ref bump.
Oh god no. That would be horrible. Imangine all the 'Dusty Finishes' that would result. After the in-ring ref gets bumped, ref #2 does a 3 count. Ref #1 didn't see it and restarts the match...
This has been done before with Guest Refs and regular refs being bumped and one coming out from the back to take over.
If they really wanna get Austin's Sheriff bit over with the crowd, have him captain the refs.
Make him the Chief Zebra Sheriff with the ability to force faction members and managers to the back at whim. Remind people he won't be knocked out so easily (implying less ref-bump shenanigans). Tell folks he will award the titles on DQs if he sees fit. And then say anyone who abuses his refs will answer to him.
Insert "bottom line/sez so" etc.
If he's gonna personify law enforcement, he's gotta do something involving referees.
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I think that ref bumps are symptomatic of a larger breakdown of in-ring psychology. Nowadays, since a matchette is basically a race to hit the finisher (unless you possess the ability to pull off a devastating Schoolboy while holding the tights), it is difficult to write off a clean win. Fans are trained to assume that the winner of a clean fall is the better man. This means that a heel HAS TO cheat, or he risks burying the face. Ref bumps facilitate cheating, and allow for a pinfall win where the face can save face.
The way that the WWE can retrain the fan base, or at least move away from the repetitive booking, is to have more "Best of____" series between wrestlers.
The Ref bumps are really becoming a crutch these days in so many men matches. In some split PPV's you can call it on both World title matches and probably a mid-card match or 2... At times it's just lazy, it's right up there with the Low-blow transition. Belt shots for a while there was making a good run into most annoying top 2.
One reason I enjoy Raw women wrestling so much is that you don't get ref bumps and low blows, they just a little school girl/tights holding happy these days LoL... But yeah women don't depend on the same formula that so many men matches use and the top women seem more okay to put who they are in there with stronger then the men, who seems to need so many conditions from ref bumps to run-ins. I don't mind cheating by heels cheating but I'd like to see a bit more thought into it then just the conventional ref bump.
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Although ref bumps are getting kinda old, this one was neat in the way that Orton had to keep waiting for the ref to revive and kept shouting "C'Mon ref!" It was nice, unlike the uber-choreographed heel-hits-ref-ref-goes-down-lowblow-ref-waked-up-and-1-2-3!!
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I'd say quite a lot of people would pay $20.00 to hear those stories. Count me as one of them. I'd want to see any of the matches with Benoit/Malenko vs. DDP/Kanyon or Raven/Saturn from WCW.