Now that we’ve covered godmodding let’s transition into selling. These two topics are related but selling deserves its own thread.
We all like prowrestling and we all acknowledge that it’s scripted, we have our heels, our faces, the jobbers and the champs. But it only really works when they all work together. Selling is an essential component of that.
Selling makes a match look believable and entertaining. When one wrestler makes a move the opponent is to react accordingly: A kick to the gut usually results in doubling over or falling backwards, a slap to the face results in the head moving to the side (unless you have like the Lady McMahon slap then you can knock another woman down no matter who she is).
If a person doesn't sell a move or constantly dodges and refuses to take a hit or go down it can be irritating and annoying making that person seem almost invincible and thus that person is godmodding. This goes for you especially if your character is a powerhouse; it’s not fair nor right to use size and muscle as an excuse as to why your character won’t go down (a dropkick to the knees will take anyone down).
In terms of selling there are 3 types (2 for some): Super-selling, Overselling, and No-sell.
Super-selling
Super sellers are people who are usually (not always) jobbers during a match jobbing to the better known wrestlers or giving rookies a step up in the eyes of the fans. They get a win once in a while in hopes of throwing the public off of their jobbing duties but these people have one amazing skill: they can make an ordinary move look great or devastating thus making a rather mediocre wrestler look great.
Some people will say that super-selling and overselling are the same but not really, the differences between super-selling and overselling is as simple as acting and overacting.
Put a super-seller into a figure four leg lock and they will cry out in agony, wince, grimace, and look like they are in a decent amount of pain while reaching out hopelessly towards the ropes.
An over-seller will scream out in bloody murder long before the pressure of the lock has been applied and continue to act as if they are dying to the point you wish that they were dead.
Now it takes actual skill to make someone else look great when they are a sub-par wrestler at best. My best example will be just about any match with Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox of WWE.
Despite her status Kelly Kelly is far from the greatest Diva in the WWE, yes she has improved a lot over the years I will give her that but she still tends to botch her moves, the moves that she does perform are basic and the wins that she had gotten over so many vets far greater/stronger than her are painful to witness. Basically the WWE pushed her into the role of a poster girl mainly for her looks and perhaps ‘wholesome’ nature but she has no real personality within the WWE so we can’t tell just how ‘wholesome’ Miss Barbie Blank is (Also she was basically a stripper in the ECW).
Alicia Fox has just about the same amount of ring skill if not a bit less than Kelly and she is a jobber but she has one great skill to add to the Diva’s division that is overlooked, she’s a super-seller who has bounced back from a lot of botched moves when some Divas have been out for ½ a year at least.
Kelly’s Tilt-a-whirl head scissors take down, next to the stink face, is one of her worst moves because all Kelly has to do is hook her legs around someone’s neck while her opponent holds onto her and spins her around before going down in a flip. Many a Diva has been forced to pick her up in a run and spin her around while she screams before going down but no one really sells it or makes it look quite as decent like Alicia does.
Alicia selling and another.
One wrestler who can teeter between a super and over-seller is Curt Hawkins but we'll get to him later.
As said a super seller can take a hit and make it look spectacular. In a RP we do not have to be super sellers but sell a hit well as in take and act properly or act phenomenally. One too many bulldogs and sell it by showing a bit of blood. A monkey flip, arch off the mat with your hands to your back showing the pain and let it linger. Remember injuries and sell the fact that they remain injured or that it remains something of a hindrance throughout the match.
Over-selling
As mentioned before the over-seller takes it too far. An example will be getting slapped in the face and somehow the force knocks you down and somehow across the ring, between the ropes and the remaining force sends you back first against the barricade or halfway up the ramp.
You think I’m joking?
Curt Hawkins while overselling
Kelly Kelly (you might want to mute this)
And Shawn Michaels in mockery of Hulk, funny and you love Shawn more and more for stunts like this.
These people can make a match look just plain silly and at times show complete disrespect. The only time that over-selling works is with a comedic wrestler, think Ric Flair with his stand up fall down bit following a strong hit.
Under-seller/No-seller
If you want to get through this quickly watch an old 80s Hulk Hogan match, or just about any Hogan match. If that stuff is too old for you watch a John Cena match. Sorry I had to burn him.
A no-seller is like the Superman of the ring. They will show minor to no discomfort or pain from an attack/submission and often times will power their way out of it somehow. If they are punched they show no real signs of being hit, this is either to show how ‘strong’ they are or it’s something of a botch.
But in a RP such as this it’s just considered no-selling and non-cooperation. You have to hit and be hit in turn and react to it accordingly. You can’t always dodge every attack that’s been thrown your way.
To constantly dodge or take little hit is a form of godmodding in a RP so be reasonable.
Some horrific no-selling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sq1u3DfZPw
You wouldn’t want to fight with someone like this
When no one wishes to sell
When people do things like this it shows others how big their ego is and really how much of a…well there’s no better way to say it, a douche they are.
In the prowrestling world stuff like this will get you sent to jobbing, back to training, suspended, or fired. And trust me you’d be begging for one of the first two.
But in a RP guild it can get you banned and blacklisted.
Yes there is a wrestling RP blacklist floating around complete with eyewitness accounts and direct quotes or links. It’s funny to read but not funny to find yourself on.
