On the “Busted Open” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray issued a harsh critique of the “no-sell” strike exchange, a trope prevalent in modern wrestling. He argued that these sequences, where wrestlers trade stiff blows without reacting realistically, fundamentally undermine the credibility of the performance and “expose wrestling” by breaking the audience’s suspension of disbelief.
A “Bastardized Version” of Japanese “Fighting Spirit”
Ray described his frustration watching performers remain stationary while absorbing numerous shots to the head. He identified the trend as a misinterpretation of the “fighting spirit” concept popularized in Japanese promotions like New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In Japan, such exchanges are a key storytelling device meant to show a wrestler’s endurance and will to win. However, Ray feels the nuance is often lost in translation.
“I’m watching guys just sit there pounding each other in the side of the head a dozen times a piece, not moving a muscle,” he said. “I don’t get it. It’s a bastardized version of a Japanese spirit of the fight. It doesn’t translate well to me.”
Breaking Realism in the Modern Era
The core of his argument is that these sequences defy basic logic. To illustrate the lack of realism, he used himself as an example: “If some guy hits me in the side of the head with a forearm. I guarantee you my head is gonna get pushed back… just from the impact alone.” He believes this break from reality does more harm than good in an era where the business is more transparent than ever. “I think it exposes wrestling, the actual wrestling, of pro wrestling, even more than it’s been exposed already,” he concluded.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
