Borrowing Moves: Is it Acceptable?

If I take a sledgehammer to my front yard, striking the grass with all my might, it will undoubtedly leave a small crater in the lawn. Smart people would steer clear of the pothole, just because—well, have you ever stepped in a pothole? Only through rain, trampling, and time will the compounded soil return to the surface. To the same token, if I strike the yard with a foam hammer from Toys “R” Us, the ground will go unharmed, and people are free to walk on it.

I know you’re sitting in front of your computer monitor wondering what in the world I’m getting at, but don’t lose faith. Somehow, some way, I will relate that insignificant fact to the WWE.

The foam hammer blow to the yard could represent many a move set, particularly of the low-card combatants. Take the repertoire of Damien Demento (don’t call him a jobber) for example. Demento’s list of moves was about as ugly as he was, and his finisher was about as exciting as his list of matches won: a knee drop. Yes, he attempted to finish people off with a knee drop—no wonder he was a jabroni. Not to anyone’s surprise, Demento exited the then WWF without leaving a mark. Now hold that thought.

The move set of Shawn Michaels, particularly the diving elbow drop and the superkick, is the sledgehammer shot to the yard. Michaels, widely considered one of the greatest performers of our time, undoubtedly put the superkick on a whole new level in wrestling history. Opponent after opponent, from Marty Jannetty to Bret Hart, have been finished off with the simple but flashy maneuver. Shawn Michaels’ career is laced with unforgettable moments, and nine out of ten of those fond memories involve the sole of Michaels’ boot meeting the jaw of an unlucky opponent. If it doesn’t, then that memory probably has to do with Michaels placing his elbow into the chest of an adversary. Again, hold that thought.

When Damien Demento left the WWF, the roster didn’t hesitate to make his “feared” finisher, the knee drop, a regular move in their offenses. Heck, some of them used it while he was still competing, probably because they never knew the dude existed. This type of thing is still happening in the WWE, just look at the reverse STO. For years, this unattractive move has been tossed around to any competitor in search of a match ender. From Carlito to Mr. Kennedy to Shelton Benjamin to MVP, this move has been passed around like finisher hot potato. In fact, MVP started to use this move immediately after Benjamin’s departure, and nobody raised a commotion. These men failed to make any significant indent

into WWE’s lawn; therefore, their moves are free to be taken without consequence.

So, as I said earlier, the sledgehammer shot to the yard represents the renowned move set of Shawn Michaels. It has been over a year and a half since Michaels hung up the boots for good, when at WrestleMania 26, the superkick wasn’t enough. During HBK’s incredible career, for anyone to use the superkick or a diving elbow drop as a significant part of their move set was essentially a mortal sin. Some tried, all failed. The pothole created by Michaels’ famous career was still fresh, and it remained that way after he retired. Months after Michaels’ final showdown, the crater left by his career was still deep; nobody would dare walk on it and use one of his trademark moves.

But now, over a year and a half after the fact, the hole has begun to rise. Dolph Ziggler, who is sometimes compared to Michaels, has added the superkick to his repertoire and is using it more and more often. Nobody seems to mind. CM Punk now uses the diving elbow drop in nearly all of his matches. It always induces a near fall, much like it did for Michaels. While Punk uses it as a tribute to the late Randy Savage, I believe that this wouldn't have flew during Michaels' career. Again, nobody seems to mind now. Had this happened on the RAW following WrestleMania, wrestling fans would more than mind. In fact, they would probably riot, or at least type a strongly worded rant on a wrestling forum. Now that time has passed, it is accepted. Wrestlers can just now begin to walk over the formerly compounded patch of grass.

As long as Ziggler doesn’t begin tuning up the band before he delivers a superkick, I’m glad this is taking place. While wrestling needs to evolve, it needs to stay on the same line in order to have a strong basis. I wouldn’t encourage blatant copying, although that has been successful (Hulk Hogan, meet Billy Graham), but using moves from another wrestler’s inventory is far from a mortal sin.

Imagine if Randy Orton didn’t use the cutter because it would be disrespectful to Diamond Dallas Page; many memorable moments in wrestling may not have happened. If no one borrowed from Abe Coleman, the inventor of the dropkick, I would have to look for a new favorite wrestling move. And if the great Shawn Michaels didn’t superkick Marty Jannetty because he didn’t want to disrespect “Gentleman” Chris Adams of WCCW fame, who knows how many classic wrestling moments wouldn’t be burned into our brains.

Now does that analogy make sense? I hope so, I put 893 words into it.