Generation Gap: Ted DiBiase On Why It’s Hard For Him To Watch Modern Wrestling

It’s a lost art. Wrestlers do not have the easiest job in the world, as they are asked to go to the ring, have a competitive match, keep everything safe, and make the fans care about what they are seeing. That isn’t something that anyone can make work and it takes a very special kind of talent to pull it off. Now a wrestling legend is opening up on why things are not working for him in modern times.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: CM Punk Reportedly Told Tony Khan He “Quit” AEW

During a recent edition of his Everybody’s Got A Pod podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Ted DiBiase spoke about the lack of selling in modern wrestling, saying it made watching today’s wrestling difficult. DiBiase explained how when he was in the ring, he would be knocked to the floor and stay there for a bit to help sell his opponent’s offense. He sent on to say that young wrestlers need to learn to sell more, because a wrestler’s comeback is only going to be as good as the job he does at selling. Here are his comments, with transcription courtesy of 411mania.com:

“It’s so hard for me to watch today’s product because I watch them and it’s like, ‘Okay, I might as well be watching a tumbling match.’ Because all I see is them doing high spots. I used to take a bump, we call it an ass bump, where the guy picks you up and it looks like he’s dropping your rear end right on his leg. I would take that and then I would bounce off of that, and I knew how to hit the rope at just the right part of my body to where my legs would fly up and I would go over the top rope to the floor. Now today, when you do that, they bounce up like nothing happened. I would lay there and sell it. All you young wrestlers out there, learn how to sell. In other words, there’s got to be a reason for a babyface to make a comeback, and unless he sells, I mean, your comeback will only be as good as your sell-job.”

DiBiase was a star in his day. Check out what he did in the ring:

Opinion: This is a complaint that comes up on a fairly regular basis and it is often from the previous generations. That being said, it does not mean that they are wrong, as there is something odd about seeing wrestlers pop up after taking a big move and going on to the next step. It can make for a strange visual, but at the same time, there is only so much that can be done to turn the clock back on such a big issue.

What do you think of DiBiase’s comments? Who is the best seller you have ever seen? Let us know in the comments below.

Please share this story on Facebook! And follow the Wrestling Rumors’ Twitter account for up to the minute news and more! Help us spread the word!

You can find more from Thomas Hall at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

Get the LATEST RUMORS! Click to sign up for the exclusive Wrestling Rumors daily newsletter.