Dave and Bryan were talking about how Dean doesn't sell for anyone and he doesn't transition before his comebacks. For those who watch WWE regularly, I just wanted to ask if that's a fair criticism, and if Dean is a worse offender than anyone else here.

I am watching Dean sell like crazy for Big Show right now.

That's actually the match they panned, specifically pointing to Dean doing his comeback without any transition at all after being down for so long. Bryan went as far to say that Dean no-selling everything is his gimmick.

What does he mean doesn't transition into comebacks? How is that possible?

Pretty fair. He'll sell, but usually with a wink & a nod or so over the top like he was shot. Compounding it is that his offense, which has become almost more five moves of doom-ish than anything else going on these days, ramps up to full speed at comeback time without anything he did underneath mattering at all.

 

This guy has nosedived since the Rollins feud around Summerslam.

Piper would do the escalating punch drunk comeback.

That is stupid and no basis in reality. He sold the whole match and countered stuff to comeback. Even had a hope spit or two.

What does he mean doesn't transition into comebacks? How is that possible?

 

Just that one second he's down and the next he's up, and there's no in-between.

I will say it drove me crazy in that match with Rollins on RAW last year that he did a superplex off the top rope through a table ... and then didn't even go for a cover.

I guess if you consider a counter not a true comeback.

 

Dave must really hate the rebound lariat.

I sure as hell hate it. There seems no rhyme or reason when he goes to it other than that he has to go to it every time out, and it never means anything. Plus he exaggerates the rebound in a fashion that leaps past comical into parody.

I hate that there's a split second where he lands on his feet completely killing the momentum gained by the rebound. Kind of like Kane's top rope clothesline where he obviously lands on his feet first, but worse.

 

What does he mean doesn't transition into comebacks? How is that possible?

 

Just that one second he's down and the next he's up, and there's no in-between.

 

That sounds like Dolph Ziggler to me.

 

Dean is one of my favorite sellers in WWE.

 

He's a guy hampered by WWE's style because from what I've seen of his pre WWE work his strengths were mat work, and bloody brawls. He's doing what he can in a style that's basically built around high spots. I loved Dean's selling in the ladder match with Rollins until he had to drop it to hit some pre planned spots, but I don't put all that on him. Off the top of my head the good long term sellers list in WWE is Rusev and Sasha so again that's not really a hallmark of the style.

 

The WWE is now a place where a bullshit no psychology finisher/kickout fest with the first super AA kickout ever being used on a B show is considered a MOTY. Dean Ambrose's selling wouldn't make my top 100 list for things wrong with current WWE.

Has anyone listened to his appearance on The Art of Wrestling? When he was Jon Moxley he talked about how he really hated the Dragon Gate-style of working. He didn't like all the moves and nearfalls that don't mean anything after awhile. Even Toryumon/DG annoys me less than Ambrose' style of working. I really soured on him around the time he started feuding with Rollins. He looked like he picked up that style in NXT or whichever nebulous purgatory he existed in before The Shield debuted on WWE TV/PPV. I thought I was too harsh on him when I commented in the Greatest Wrestler Ever forum. I was really disappointed when he got his big push against Rollins at the time.

 

Did they just sign him to be another 6'4 20something hollow husk of a wrestler to add to their roster? He can't do his unique (for the indies) promo style or wrestle the way he used to when he was Jon Moxley. What is the point of signing someone? (rhetorical question...I know)

Ambrose sells limb damage more often than anyone else in the company. He spent an entire month selling his leg after the ambulance match with Wyatt. Insane complaint.

 

The funny/kind of infuriating (in terms of Dave's "next-level psychology" blinders) thing is that I'd say that Ambrose is one of the most NJPW-like workers on the roster when it comes to fighting spirit stuff and selective delayed selling. That Show match was ALL fighting spirit.

 

He had a match with Sheamus last year where he ate a Brogue Kick but was close enough to the apron to roll out of the ring even though he was completely dead, and climbed back in knowing that he was going to get kicked again because he didn't want to lose the US title (it was the return match after he lost it in the battle royal on RAW that was supposed to be spite-booking for The Shield beating Evolution) on a fluke knockout move. That's as close to the Ibushi-Nakamura finish from the 2013 G1 as you're going to get in WWE.

I will say it drove me crazy in that match with Rollins on RAW last year that he did a superplex off the top rope through a table ... and then didn't even go for a cover.

 

This isn't actually true, for what it's worth. It was a delayed cover attempt because he spent time selling his back, then had to clear the table out of his way as he crawled over to Rollins, and then got to Rollins for the cover but saw Kane get onto the apron before a count could be made and knocked him off, at which point Rollins was back up.

Dave must really hate the rebound lariat.

 

Except for when "awesome" NJPW sensation Rocky Romero does a variation on it that's 20x dumber than Ambrose's.

 

Dave must really hate the rebound lariat.

 

Except for when "awesome" NJPW sensation Rocky Romero does a variation on it that's 20x dumber than Ambrose's.

 

You mean the one where he goes into the ropes as a comedy spot? Between the second and top rope? or are you talking about something else?

Ambrose stood out to me when he was working singles matches early in his main roster career as the one guy not out there just running through his signature moves. He would work each match differently depending on his opponent, and what body part he was targeting. When the face turn happened it was like "here's your signature moves do those every match with no exceptions and work like everyone else".

I think it's kind of a cop-out to blame all deficiencies of a guy's work as WWE's fault. Everyone has the same limitations in WWE style. If one guy stands out as being bad at it, it's his fault for not being better at adapting.

 

I will say it drove me crazy in that match with Rollins on RAW last year that he did a superplex off the top rope through a table ... and then didn't even go for a cover.

 

This isn't actually true, for what it's worth. It was a delayed cover attempt because he spent time selling his back, then had to clear the table out of his way as he crawled over to Rollins, and then got to Rollins for the cover but saw Kane get onto the apron before a count could be made and knocked him off, at which point Rollins was back up.

 

 

My apologies, I shouldn't have spoken on this from memory. You are correct. What actually annoyed me at the time was doing a big spot like that and then just moving along. It's not exclusive to that match, but if the guy who took the move can get to his feet and be fine not long after hitting it, he is a superhuman.

That's true, but when the finish is TKO via attempted cinderblock murder (which I still think was awesome), I can forgive that for not being a deathblow spot.

 

When you think about how they have to do those types of matches in an era without blood so you can't have literal "blood feuds", you have to do something else and I think that those have become "adrenaline feuds", I suppose. The hatred is so strong that the need to continue the match and win is so great that the selling of a spot like that can't be as prolonged. Since you can't show the obvious external damage, you have to maximize the internal damage (oh God, we're back to "Cena as Hamlet"). I think that that's a pretty decent reason to dislike the style, but it needs to be judged spot-by-spot/match-by-match.

I think it's kind of a cop-out to blame all deficiencies of a guy's work as WWE's fault. Everyone has the same limitations in WWE style. If one guy stands out as being bad at it, it's his fault for not being better at adapting.

He doesn't stand ou as being bad at it. In fact Ambrose is one of my favorite guys to watch sell in the WWE. His FIP work in the Wyatt six man tags was outstanding.

I was more talking about him relying on that rebound clothesline way too much especially when he does the really stupid and awful looking version where he's outside the ring and spins around on the apron for the rebound.