The Art of The Near Fall

King Steventon · 03-31-2009, 06:08 PM

I was randomly browsing some site and came across the following article.I found it pretty interesting (and accurate) myself, dunno wether anyone else will get a kick out of it.

Quote:

A nearfall is any point where a guy has to fight to the ropes on a submission or kicks out of a pin at 2. Naturally there are a number of levels and types of nearfalls, depending on what the wrestlers are trying for and how the crowd responds.

"No heat, no effort." Wrestler A does a bodyslam followed by an elbowdrop. Other than Abdullah the Butcher (who weighs a metric ton), kicking out of the following pin won't make the crowd applaud. This is generally done for the sake of progressing the match as a sort of filler. With submission holds it can make a wrestler look weak since he didn't reverse or power out.

"No effort, lots of heat." This requires a hot crowd, and doesn't happen much anymore. In the old days if you stuck a guy like Andre in the ring, any pin attempts would get heat since it meant that either he was at a rare disadvantage or the match could be over (since any move could be sold as death). Another way would be to just have a freakishly hot match going where the crowd reacts to every bit of the match.

"Effort, no heat." This is caused either by a finisher no longer being seen as a finisher due to having been kicked out of so much (usually in Japan), or a lot of build going into a move that isn't thought of as a finisher but is 'supposed' to look like one (ie. WWE spinebuster). An interesting case comes from long singles matches in late '90s All Japan, where wrestlers like Misawa would use moves like a swinging stunner or a frogsplash in the middle of the match as part of an extremely long building process.

"Effort and heat." HHH's pedigree is the perfect example here, because there's a 99% chance that if he hits it, it's over. If someone kicks out it's so rare as to be memorable. Same with moves like the stunner, F5, Flair's figure-four... oh wait that hasn't worked in ten years.

It's all well and good when you're working WWE style and you can use one move as the patented finisher every week for years before someone kicks out. The stunner can come out of nowhere with no particular rhyme or reason and it's effective. But what if the wrestlers are going for something more meaningful? Here are just a few ways that a high-level professional wrestler can create a hot nearfall when it matters.

1. Have the move be enough to finish the other wrestler at some point. Even if something has been kicked out of on occasion, using it as the finish in a tag match during the buildup is a great way to reestablish it. Example: Hogan used the legdrop to pin Rock the week before Wrestlemania 18. Though the legdrop is an iconic finisher, it was a bit dated and had been kicked out of several times over the decades.

2. "Sports entertainment style." Something like a chairshot or a distraction immediately before the finisher is used makes it look that much more like the finish. Example: at No Way Out 2000, Angle rammed Rock's head into an exposed turnbuckle right before doing the Angle slam.

3. Use the psychology/story of the match to make the finisher more logical. Example: HHH had a leg injury going into Wrestlemania 18, and Jericho attacked the leg both before and during the match to set up the liontamer. Sadly they didn't follow point 1 so it was obvious HHH wouldn't tap.

4. A string of big moves right before. Again from Rock vs Hogan, the specific finish was two consecutive rock bottoms followed by the people's elbow. Granted, Hogan didn't kick out, but everybody watching the match KNEW it was the end, and it would have been a shock if Hogan survived. Another example is more typical of All Japan, where several smaller moves can be needed before the finisher hits on a struggling opponent.

5. The second attempt. One of the times I marked out hardest in recent years was during Angle vs Benoit at Royal Rumble '03. Benoit survived the first Angle slam, but Angle hit another... and Benoit kicked out anyway. We'd seen the Angle slam be kicked out of before, but never EVER twice.

6. The 'level up'. Adding to an established finisher either through more complexity or more impact, especially when done only in big matches, can blow the roof off. Again we go to Angle vs Benoit, this time when Angle dropped down to 'level up' the ankle lock to a heel hold, forcing the tap out. The ankle lock had been survived, but the more advanced version was brand new and there was seemingly no escape.

7. Multiple finishers. AGAIN it's Angle. You've got the Angle slam and the anklelock. One or the other has been survived in dozens upon dozens of matches. Following one up with the other creates the sense that the second finisher being used is that much more likely to work.

8. Multiple attempts, especially in succession. For instance, a wrestler could elbow out of the rock bottom, then wind up walking right back into it. This adds emphasis to the move in question.

9a. Timing; late in the match. You expect certain matches to go a certain length, and early on it's not as effective a nearfall as later on. Perfect example was Austin vs Angle at Summerslam '01. Angle survived the stunner really early, but then survived it again later. The second nearfall was much more potent even outside the "he kicked out of another one!" factor, because there was more accumulated damage. Also, a move that isn't viewed as a big finisher can become a threat after a really big nearfall.
9b. Timing; how. Using a finisher as a fast counter of another finisher, or using it really fast out of nowhere, is much smarter than an overly choreographed "now I'm doing my finisher" thing like crouching down in wait while the other guy gets up.
9c. Timing; when & how. This applies to cradles, which can be heart-stopping nearfalls in the right context. Early on a cradle looks way too weak to be the finish, but really late in the match when it's done very suddenly it can take the viewer by surprise.

10. The other guy's move. Strangely this never works, but it's always fun.

And voi la, the art of a good near-fall. It has to be said #1 doesn't get used nearly as much as it should in the WWE.

Marketh. · 03-31-2009, 06:21 PM

Yes, yes and yes. This is what I've always thought about nearfalls and I keep wishing ROH would apply this more. They consider Nigel's Tower of London a finisher, but it never finishes anyone anymore and if he can't beat someone when he does it onto the floor, it's useless.

More one-finisher wins imo, and great article.

Paulzo · 03-31-2009, 06:23 PM

Suprisingly, I actually read that and found it quite interesting. I'm a fan of guys having layered offense and multiple finishers, i.e. in Japan (more specifically pre-split AJPW). I suppose most of the layered stuff has kind of disappeared or died down with the evolution/death of King's Road, but stuff like that is really useful in building near falls since it gives you the impression that the match could end with any number of moves or sequences. I likes me some drama.

Crest Fall · 03-31-2009, 06:24 PM

I'd imagine this to be one of the hardest things for a wrestler to learn. Because the heat garnered from a great near-fall has to be natural, not forced. Even if you're the person who likes to analyze every little thing you're going to have a natural reaction like the rest of us to an amazing near fall.

It was briefly touched upon at the beginning of the post, but I'll just give my thoughts on it. Sometimes I think the rope breaks can be a lot more exciting than the near-falls. Nothing beats someone kicking out of a Stunner, but when someone "somehow" manages to get the rope during a Kurt Angle or Bret Hart match while they're in the Ankle Lock or the Sharpshooter, it's something awesome to see.

King Steventon · 03-31-2009, 06:26 PM

I havent considered the Tower Of London to be a legit finisher since early 2007.
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And I agree, a well-timed rope break, especially with a good struggle before it, can be just as exciting.

Crest Fall · 03-31-2009, 06:35 PM

Lol it's not even a legit finisher when he does it on the frackin' ring apron! It's a shame because it's looks like a devastating move, and if he would just set it up (rather than using it to set up for the London Dungeon or the Jaw Breaker Lariat) then it could be easily be used as a finisher.

I think when he does lose the belt though, someone should kick out of the Jaw Breaker Lariat. Not after Nigel hits him with every single move ever made, but just to point out that the Lariat had taken everyone down, but not tonight against this man. If they worked the match right and it was against say, Danielson or Black, the pop would be unreal.

King Steventon · 03-31-2009, 06:39 PM

Watching this year's No Way Out live, the finishing stretch between Rey and Edge felt like the perfect example of amazing nearfalls. They managed to make normal moves like Rey kicking Edge in the head feel like it could have been a legitamate finish to the match.

tom2cool · 03-31-2009, 06:46 PM

Obviously this comes with experiance.

When you say a good near fall, 2 names came to my head.

Taker and the rock

King Steventon · 03-31-2009, 06:50 PM

Experience, but also pure knowledge of how to work a good match. Angle picked it up insanely quickly, as did Lesnar amongst others.

Crest Fall · 03-31-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Steventon
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Watching this year's No Way Out live, the finishing stretch between Rey and Edge felt like the perfect example of amazing nearfalls. They managed to make normal moves like Rey kicking Edge in the head feel like it could have been a legitamate finish to the match.

That was an awesome sequence, I wasn't sure how it was going to end. It was a great ending to an already great match.

Like a person who has done a wonderful job of building up a move for a near-fall is Danielson with his small package. Several people had fallen to it but people had accepted it as one of his "finishers" because they made it seem legit. And then when someone kicked out (damn it I can't remember who... Homicide? Morishima?) it was huge.

The Art of The Near Fall

This is a discussion on The Art of The Near Fall within the General Pro Wrestling : Classic & General forums, part of the Wrestling Forums category; I was randomly browsing some site and came across the following article.I found it pretty interesting (and accurate) myself, dunno ...