Jim Cornette on Wrestlers Loudly Calling Spots

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[@dougbrown04]

Crowds are quieter. Most shows you can barely hear the audience is there. That's on the talent. They used to have the crowd engaged tje entire match.

[@supergluehotty]

On my opinion thats on the booking and story writing. Strowman v Corbin 19 wouldnt type the crowd even if Corbin was a modern day stone cold.

[@jeffmaggard3694]

People probably look at there cellphones nowadays instead of watching the match

[@Gravydog316]

plus, the audio is better than the old days, & the cameras are closer than the 80s

[@MidTennPews]

Defiantly the booking. Talent is just doing what they're told to do and over time it wears thin giving it everything you have and not gettimg a reaction you'll stop caring. Shit booking creates shit talent.

[@Gravydog316]

but, WWE blamed the audience for being dead...

[@SSJ4Supermanarot]

Clicked a vid about loud spots calls. Listening to speculation about the legality of underage enemas... that’s how internet works.

[@Gravydog316]

...I don't hear you complaining, though

[@darrenkenneth4080]

Aliens on pluto can hear Cena calling spots in the ring

[@davidjsaul]

I still remember Triple H and Steve Austin yelling spots at each other during their 3 Stages of Hell match at No Way Out. Also in a Matt Hardy Vs Jeff Hardy WWE match Matt very loudly calls a Russian leg sweep 😂

[@ericgilbert56]

Cena.... YOU CAN'T SEE ME! Umm maybe but we can sure as hell hear you...

[@e3vlogs124]

I trained to be a wrestler back in 2004 and I asked this very question and the guy told me the fans don't care they know its fake anyway. I never said anything to be disrespectful but in my mind I was thinking "you idiot even though they know its a show you can't be talking openly". A movie is fake but you don't here the director telling them what to do when you watch it. To many long drawn out spots being called today. When I started I was thinking it was gonna be "duck the closeline or take the closeline" type of chatter and go from there. Nope it was more like duck the closeline, drop under, hard buckle, hip toss back up arm drag etc etc like 3 full sentences worth. I'm thinking well why don't we just talk about what we are going to eat together after the match while we are in the ring as well? I never lasted very long I wanted to be a pro wrestler not a puppet. I mean why can't we just go in there and call one spot at a time under our breath when need be and say nothing when we are chain wrestling and just go by feel and not hurt each other so … you know it looks real and not completely scripted with high spot after high spot. But whatever. Whats weird is the stuff I thought would hurt the worst was the exact opposite of what I thought wouldn't. Running into the ropes hitting you in the same spot everytime hurt the worst. After practice I was bruised and bleeding under my arm. I wish I never quit but it was just way to choreographed for what I was hoping for. Shut your mouth and feel your way through are the best matches. Sad it turned into this IMO.

[@nysportsfan2576]

Interesting

[@Thor-Orion]

Your trainer had a terrible perspective and attitude, and it’s people like him who are why the business is damn near dead.

[@crafciak31]

Business has to die to get back to reality I guess...

[@davidholzer4155]

Almost every match I've seen of Jericho I hear him yelling to the ref "ask him!" during a submission hold

[@andymassingham]

Piper screamed "Ask him!" during virtually every hold all through his great heel run during Mid-Atlantic. Jericho sounds like he's paying tribute.

[@tylergathers7174]

David Holzer That’s probably more of a heel being a heel than calling a spot no?

[@leeberry689]

All of them say that to sell the hold to the crowd in the arena.

[@horrorfan4-life689]

That's not calling a spot. That's selling a submission move.

[@lakikkelynneschroeder8397]

That's Jericho both selling the effectiveness of the submission hold and him being a heel by berating the referee to do his job. I can also remember Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, and Roddy Piper, as well as others doing this at various times when they were heels.

[@guardian08527]

Bret Hart and Ted Dibiase were caught on camera two years in a row at Survivor Series 90 and 91 calling the reverse charge spot. THE SAME DAMN SPOT!!!

[@ricstormwolf]

Two minutes in and they finally get to the question.

[@Kenny-Blankenship]

DX vs Brothers of Destruction had really noticeably examples of this HBK: "You're gonna sit up, stand up, throw me out, set up the table" HHH: "Go this way, push me here"

[@huejaynus8420]

That laugh by corny at 0:17 😂😂😂

[@TheLastResort3113]

A ripoff of Burt Reynolds Smokey and the Bandit

[@lemankurtz8950]

@@TheLastResort3113 who knows at this point. He's borrowed from every source you can imagine. A master story teller always does.

[@VaniFoxOfficial]

Fake af

[@jamirimaj6880]

@@lemankurtz8950 there's a difference between paying homage and copying

[@Millwall77]

Nothing comes near Ken Shamrock telling Ryan Shamrock: 'slap me'

[@ASCUMBAGWh0re]

There's been worse. Obviously you don't know wrestling as i do.. amateur level while I'm big league viewer

[@Millwall77]

@@ASCUMBAGWh0re And you based that on...? But enlighten me then,give me five good examples. To just contradict it lazy..... And tell us all about your big leugue viewing. Anyway, seems a bit odd by try and act superior in a case like this. Did you get out of bed at the wrong side this morning or didnt anyone let you speak last night?

[@ASCUMBAGWh0re]

@@Millwall77 don't down talk me. 5 examples of what? How you're wrong? One is John cena. 2 is orton 3 shane mcmahon 4 reigns 5 becky lynch.

[@Millwall77]

@@ASCUMBAGWh0re You started it mate. Dont take the piss if you cant take retaliation. So those five are worse you say? Any example of when? What PPV or so on? Because I gave a specific example, Ken Shamrock on St Valentines Massacre 99, you just mentioned names...

[@ASCUMBAGWh0re]

@@Millwall77 ill make it short and just say john cena on raw x5

[@SuperFunkmachine]

I've been waching the old Smoky Mountain TV tapes and you can't really ever hear anyone saying anything in the ring.

[@infesticon]

Also new japan,. I've never ever heard any thing called or seen any thing called in a new japan match.

[@round105]

Funny enough workers back then would be able to work without working their match beforehand. They wouldn't know how the match would go and would just go and call it in the ring. Also they would have to memorize the whole match and call 1 or 3 spots

[@diggermeddler1169]

@@infesticon lol do you understand japanese or what

[@infesticon]

@@diggermeddler1169 Yes two american wrestlemen are going to call the match in Japanese, Any way it's not that common other places in the world to catch it. It's only the likes of Cena who don't give a shit and will bellow stuff so many rows back can hear him..

[@diggermeddler1169]

@@infesticon you say in New Japan you think Okada and Tanahashi call in English or what

[@StevenRainmaker]

Damn, 2 minutes and 14 seconds into the video, and they finally get to the questions 😂

[@henrikschmidt3964]

To quote Bret Hart. If you are obviously and loudly calling spots, it's an automatic fail.

[@andrewmacdonnell4536]

I remember a Triple H/Big Show match where Hunter clearly yelled ‘side slam!’ into the camera. Followed by, you guessed it: a sidewalk slam!

[@brianthomas3451]

I remember that well, hhh won the title from big show that night on raw

[@socialistbatman1211]

“Get up Paul!”

[@ChaoticComedy]

Oh Cena is the Best at that lol. I can hear him the entire time in all his matches.

[@Fantasyremix]

The man never claimed you can't hear him.

[@joaomendes147]

@@Fantasyremix LMAO

[@ericjackson7632]

Bret Hart wouldn't go for this lol.

[@miccheckproductions3589]

His mouth was always wide open for oxygen. He never talks

[@ethanb2092]

His spot calling wasn't even to noticable while he was helping coked out Davey Boy at Wembley.

[@leeberry689]

If I remember right on that infamous 20/20 show, they had a closeup of Larry Zybysko and Bob Backlund tell each other what to do in the upcoming moves.

[@Mistertbones]

Everyone talks too much!

[@eldantethemysterious]

Botchamania!

[@MC-kk8xu]

FACKEN BUKLSHIT

[@Astrithor]

"SEND FOR THE MAN." "Wrong meme, moron!" "Woops, sorry"

[@supergluehotty]

Wanted to say this as well.

[@nysportsfan2576]

Wanna play 21? He’s got a bicycle!

[@justinfendelet8675]

July 1988 auditorium Stampede card gary Albright vs strangler Steve Disalvo everyone heard the spot calling in fairness it was a tiny crowd 200 people 1500 seater...

[@ayoung198568]

Hhh tells Jericho to reverse the Irish whip in the hell in a cell match

[@TheMrBmurray]

Once I learned of the incognito art of calling matches I looked for it. I could barely see it, to the point I stopped looking. But then one day I watch Raw, and I watch Austin and Taker brawling outside the ring. Steve says something to him in the fight, I don't decipher it at first, but Taker then proceeds to throw Austin into the audience over the barricade. Upon rewinding I hear that exchange again and he blatantly says, "Over the Barricade!" Austin's flaw with his hearing is the stuff of legend and was the inspiration for the "What?" fad. Which is why he NEEDED to call most if not all the matches he wrestled. Watching late 80s early 90s wrestling you can see the subtle art as wrestlers will place their mouth near an opponent's ear just before a big move. It certainly is not as masterfully done like that these days.

[@AWX_Wrestling]

I would suggest watching Sycho Sid Vicious/Justice. In one of the war games matchs he was ungodly blatantly calling spots in the match. The two most blatant I remember is at one point he is trading punchs with Rick Steiner while Scott Steiner is climbing the turnbuckles behind Sid to strike from behind. Sid very loudly asks Rick "is he up there yet?". Later on there's a spot where all the babyfaces put the figure four leglock on all the heels simultaneously. When they go into the spot Sid is literally screaming at Brian Pillman who's putting the hold on Sid "figure four! Figure four! Figure four!".

[@mindlessdroid3630]

Giving forced enemas ... I don't think you can get away with that shit 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mkl62]

On a World Class video, The Freebirds are taking on the Von Erichs. Michael and Kevin were in the ring and Michael tagged in Terry. As Terry and Kevin were starting to lock up, the mic clearly picked up Michael saying "Small Package." A few seconds later, Kevin rolls Terry into one.

[@jeffreyb6165]

I'm still trying to figure out who Terry is.

[@mkl62]

@@jeffreyb6165 Terry Gordy. Plus there was also Buddy Roberts. They were the first team to take six man tag team wrestling to the next level.

[@jeffreyb6165]

@@mkl62 my bad man. I realized what I had done and meant to go back and edit and never did get around to it. I don't know what I was thinking. For some reason I was thinking the person meant Kerry instead of Terry. I had already been up all night and was literally half asleep when I commented.

[@emt5330]

In one match with Cena and Battista ( the one where Vince tore his quads), you can clearly hear Cena say " hit me with a spinebuster and then throw me out."

[@OJRizzy]

emt5330 The royal rumble match 2005

[@emt5330]

Yup. It's as plain as day

[@sheepdavis]

That wasn't a match, that was the rumble

[@royjones7508]

Or a rumble match.

[@sebastianb.3978]

@@sheepdavis Royal Rumble MATCH...

[@ChannelEleven59]

Dark water “in-corn-perated”

[@markgiallo3129]

why can't they workout code words

[@smokeemifugottem2516]

Cena is bad for this

[@heidisierra1250]

Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis at WrestleMania. Roddy had Adrian in a sleeper and as the referee moved in you could see Roddy mouth into Adrian's ear "It's coming". I think that this was when Rowdy shaved Adonis hair. 😂😂😂

[@ItsStevieBoy]

That intro xD

[@Grogie4dagurlz]

One man gang said the von Erichs would never call anything especially Kevin. He said it was like fighting a big spider lol

[@cbaile]

I still remember the first time I noticed someone calling a spot - it was Ted Dibiase in a tag team match against the Steiners, as I recall. He's got that gravelly voice, so it seemed like it was easier to hear him than some of the other guys. I was fascinated by it, as I was trying to get into the business myself at that time.

[@toddrichardson8595]

Cornette rocks!

[@terminallumbago6465]

I like how the announcers play the spot-calling off as "trash talk" as if people watching can't read lips and know anyway

[@steveg2251]

Michael Hayes did it in a match on worldwide but he covered it by telling the jobber what he was going to do to him. Lance Russell also sold it rather well.

[@jeffreyb6165]

Sid was another one who you would often see him communicating with his opponent. You couldn't hear it, but you could clearly see him talking to them. I believe theres a compilation video here on KZbin of wrestlers calling spots. I remember watching it several years ago.

[@MReginaldGoldstein77]

I have Cena lot of this in the last 15 years or so.

[@devinmorrison2751]

I can point out multiple Cena matches where that dude is calling a bunch of spots during 2010-2016

[@leeberry689]

Ricky Steamboat was the worst offender of that. Back in the WWF & NWA you can clearly hear him on t.v..

[@douglashouse1221]

Hey Jim, who was the wrestler in the 1970s that would always tell the ref "ask him ask him. I believe he was mainly on the kc promotion

[@KemeticKingAsar]

On this subject; all I can think of firstly is Triple H vs Big Show on RAW 12/27/2000. Hunter's damn near shouting spots and even yells for "Paul" (Big Show) to get up. "Reverse it!" (an Irish whip). "Forearm!" (to knock him down) and a few moments later to "Give me the side slam!" I watch that match for the laughs now. Never noticed it until watching the Network.

[@SuperFlanders123]

I have that on tape... A close up on that spot,as well...

[@lorgin2003]

That reminds me of the Triple H, Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock match, where Triple H shouts "SHARPSHOOTER!" at Owen, from the complete other side of the ring. Everyone in the building must have heard it.

[@bobray8637]

Sorry not to be a dick just wanna be accurate, 12-27-99

[@helloweenfanmark7811]

I always loved working Tracy Smothers but back in the 90’s in an issue of the Wrestling Observer it mentioned that Tracy could be heard calling spots loudly from ringside, well he must have read that issue because I worked him not long after and omg he mumbled in a soft whisper our spots and I cannot hear out of one of my ears anyway and of course I totally blow a spot he called and received a stiff clothesline for it too lol my mistake as I should’ve told him I didn’t make out all of the spot he called.

[@chrisjohnson7032]

I seen Hulk Hogan when I re-watched Wrestlemania 6

[@JoseFlores-xc7wu]

That is one of the reasons i stop watching wrestling you can see the wrestlers talking to each other

[@hessiankyojin]

7:33 What I came here for. Cena calls spots LOUD AF

[@emosaurusrex5024]

Who the helll goes to Shreveport on vacation? XD

[@taylorhoward6463]

cena and becky lynch comes to mind.

[@MrJrockzus]

Funny they showed Cena . I was just going to say Cena for sure. Good stuff corny.

[@raymondtipton7243]

What match was it with Cena vs Wyatt

[@ericgilbert56]

WrestleMania XIX Kurt Angle early in the match calls out "Head-scissors" just before Brock applies the hold... Still it was a great match!

[@ajjohnstone7063]

The most Wrestlemania would be very difficult not to hear their spots being called

[@Spider-Complexion]

I get it that with modern times, we have better microphones. Does the WWE really need to mic up the ring and cameras so much tho that we can hear the guys wrestling? Just seems like it hurts matches and therefore hurts the companies image/illusion for their product.

[@terryo3512]

Cena vs. Rock at WrestleMania😂. Cena asked Rock for a DDT

[@evannlorman7926]

A match I like Big Show vs Ric Flair in a Extreme Rules match, for the ECW world title. There's mutiple times you can here Flair calling spots or tellings Show not to sell certain things. All in all it was a good match. So maybe it helped.

[@raymondtipton7243]

I just watched the match...both bloody as hell...but I didn't c flair calling spots...but I have n other matches...you mgt b right.

[@Rjensen2]

Vader in the match with Flair at Starrcade.

[@ctcoolilm]

Spinkter!,damn near killed her!

[@kryptikkomatose]

2:15 is when they actually get to the questions if anyone doesnt wanna sit through the lame enema talk

[@leomdk939]

"lil goddam Isabel"

[@MavAuto-Pete]

What gets me is these damn female wrestlers drawing out words like E.....VERRRRRR For longer than it takes mary Poppins to say her magic word...lol

[@lugarner8493]

U cant see cena but u can damn sure hear him😂…

[@DJWreckAlot]

Wtf is the first part of this video?

[@totz_the_plaid9625]

I know if it got overheard ENOUGH, it'd get decoded, but they could've had trash talk code words for different spots so that if someone DID overhear them in the old days, it wouldn't be clear at first that they were communicating.

[@kryceksangel]

Sometimes you can tell when wrestlers are talking but their facial expressions hide it. Watch TLC 2017 where Ambrose tore his triceps. You can tell Cesaro is asking about Dean because right after he carried dean down the stairs instead of dragging him like Sheamus did Rollins

[@PhantomofDB]

The Undertaker very clearly told Lesnar that it was time to end the streak. You couldn’t hear it, but leaning he pretty blatantly leaned down to his ear to tell him. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because he was concussed, but even watching live I knew something was coming. My stomach dropped when that reversal came... but even so I was still shocked when the ref hit the 3

[@davidjsaul]

Not as shocked as that black guy in the audience 😂

[@ericarcieri3836]

Vin balor should of been fired from the last summer slam you can see him completely telling bray Wyatt what to do in the match his lips are moving like crazy lol

[@TheRpf1977]

It happens every match now no matter who is wrestling Balor is actually one of WWE better talents

[@JanesAddictedEA]

Vin?

[@stephencatchdudeknight4623]

Nice intro!

[@robhansen6553]

its all part of kayfabe not being important anymore. everyone knows and nobody cares. that's what made the old nwa days so great, it actually looked like they were fighting and not doing acrobatics with each other.

[@charlescarter4608]

Exactly. Kayfabe died awhile ago and wrestling has slowly started dying since, and it's almost the end. I haven't watched it in years.

[@StarlightEater]

Amen brother

[@1manarmy77bartley8]

John Cena definitely lol

[@emperorpalpatine1228]

I miss Kayfabe.

[@MrDagonOfTheDead]

That stuff has been going on the entire time wrestling has been around.. fact is people these days are just proned to look for stuff like that more so than back in the day when people thought it was real. I have heard many a classic commentaries where you can see the wrestlers talking in the ring and the commentary will try to act like they are talking smack to each other and that was 20 years ago so let's not blame it on the new wave of business

[@kevinmuldoon2192]

Cena is the absolute worst with this, he calls damn near everything out load and right on camera

[@nygblue24]

Fixed it for you: Cena is the absolute worst

[@boris8771]

No, I agree Cena did it a lot but I would say Jericho (who I love) is the worst at this. I see and hear him every single match no matter if he is working with a young guy or a veteran and have done most of his career. Jericho is one of my all time faves but I definitely see him do it way more than I ever saw Cena, and I did see Cena do it a lot lol. Jericho makes it blatant because he makes it so clear and I never minded because I just thought He was making them have a better match and helping the people he worked with have the best match possible. But I do see Jim's point if he is worried that much about kayfabe. Ever since I became a fan as a kid I never thought it was real so it never bothered me, but watch ANY Jericho match (but especially current ones ) and you will see him calling EVERYTHING and making no attempt to hide it. He literally puts his mouth right up to their ear so there is no risk of being misheard and he does it most visibly when firing them out of the corner or picking them off the mat. He picks them up with his head at a distance as normal but then blatantly leans in with his mouth right to their ear and says something (sometimes you can hear what he says too) then leans back and continues to do what he just told his opponent their are going to do.

[@kamfisher1714]

Your precious Jericho is the worst

[@arh6596]

John Cena was really bad at calling spots so obvious Big Match John lol

[@brucewhite360]

😂🎾

[@DjTractus]

HHH was bad on that early on and Teddy Long was really bad I remember him telling us "2 minutes left guys" audibly on camera

[@wyattwilkinson2187]

I saw Kurt Henning and Eddie Gilbert do it at the capital center

[@sheepdavis]

Curt*

[@johnnyb6989]

Hey i like Lynda Newton...stop

[@FortunateJuice]

I suppose it's like having a good dance with someone. If you're comfortable with your skill, and you're dancing with someone who's also comfortable with their skill, you can have a good dance without saying a word.

[@jeredsteadman4160]

Sabu

[@falsehero2001]

Everybody talks too damn much.

[@standardofexcellence]

Should just call it the john cena spot, funny how cena hasnt come back and wrestled a match without a crowd yet (because it would be audible and too loud for the braindead commentators to cover up)

[@robertgillen979]

Enemas by grandmothers are legal, but grandfathers can't.

[@Outlawledayxxv]

As much as I love Cena he is the perfect picture for this video. You can always tell when he’s talking especially when he’s in the stfu. It’s always noticeable with him. Look up John Cena chop block which was a match with him and swagger . 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@tammyforbes2101]

In others words, it’s all a big drama show and popularity contest, Jim liked CENA so good he was like me, I said he would be huge, and everybody said, “your crazy he’s goofy,” I said watch, if they ever let him loose, he will blow up,” and when he jumped on the Marine wagon he blew up, but he looks the part, and the part fits him! I like the days of everyone’s personality’s just cranked up to 15, not the character bs! Stone cold proves I’m not alone, it’s like Elvis, 50 million fans can’t be wrong! 🤑🤑🤑🤑

[@armitaged3573]

Vince fucking murdered kayfabe right before and during the attitude era.

[@christhornycroft3686]

Jim's problem is that he's in a bubble. He doesn't see things from a fan's point of view. He actually believes that back in the day, fans believed in kayfabe and sometime in the mid-late 90s, the business was "exposed" as a "work." I remember in the 80s as a kid, my dad telling me routinely while watching wrestling that it was all a work, they were acting, like comic book characters. Sure, when a guy got slammed on the mat, it really hurt, but the results were predetermined and the wrestlers are working together like performance art rather than legitimate competition. That was obvious. So I don't know what Jim Cornette is talking about when he says the business was "exposed" in the 90s. There was no illusion. So calling stuff in the ring, meh.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

The 90s was when everyone finally stopped pretending that the business hadn't been exposed numerous times before. People suspected in the early 1920s that pro wrestling was worked and promoter Jack Pfefer gave an interview in 1932 where he confirmed it. I figured out when I was like 12 (around 1993) I wasn't watching an actual competition. Given that people can easily watch MMA, which could be considered "real" pro wrestling, it's probably even easier now.

[@andrewr1773]

Umm. The whole forced enema was a little much and completely botched corny . I love ya buddy but drop that bit

[@Gravydog316]

@ Mania 34, Triple H & Kurt Angle, HHH yelling "SPINEBUSTER!!"

[@brucewhite360]

😂🎾