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Damien Barling: The Reaction Is All That Matters

In the end, the crowd reaction is all the matters.

The crowd reacted favorable.

I get that I've been watching wrestling since I was 3, dating back to 1984. There's not much you can do that I haven't seen. Angles and stories get recycled, reused, redone, whatever you want to call it. In the end, the crowd reaction is all that matters.

Taz and the late Bam Bam Bigelow did a version of the "ring collapse" in ECW in 1998. It was extremely effective as it wasn't something seen before. Bam Bam emerged from the hole in the ring, dragging Taz's lifeless carcus behind him before pinning him and becoming ECW Champion.

As you can see here, that style of ring collapse has been used many times.

Ring Wrecking Moments: WWE Top 10 by WWE on YouTube

The most famous one probably being the one at the end of that video. Brock Lesnar superplexing Big Show off the top rope. Two big monsters, taking an unusual high risk move. Too much for the ring to hold. Wait for it…

Big Show and Mark Henry obliterate the ring: World Heavyweight Championship - WWE Vengeance 2011 by WWE on YouTube

In the end, the crowd reaction is all that matters. The Big Show and Mark Henry. Two big monsters taking an unusual high risk move. Too much for the ring to hold. Wait for it…

They had been teasing it the whole match. The Big Show vs Braun Strowman. The crowd knew it was coming. The crowd was practically begging for it. Every time the two went to the top rope the crowd rose to their feet. They booed when they got down, but they knew, at some point, they were gonna get it. When they did, the exploded with joy. The ring had collapsed… again. It's a cool visual. The crowd eats it up every time and in the end, the crowd reaction is all that matters.

Maybe Big Show should stop going to the top rope.

 

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