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Fwd: Hebner

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---------- Forwarded message ----------

Hey Scott,

Just finished watching Roode vs. Storm from Bound For Glory, and while it was a great brawl, Earl Hebner's refereeing came close to ruining the match for me. His 2.9999 counts are now so telegraphed he's stopping his hand before anyone's kicked out. I felt it was notably distracting, and when the three count came, he wasn't even facing the right way.

Was it just me bothered by it?

-------------

Yes.  Yes it was.

Comments

  1. SE7ENDEUCEOctober 17, 2012 at 5:04 PM

    Maybe he had to face the other way to not smash his bare hand down three times into a pile of tacks.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. jobber123October 17, 2012 at 5:15 PM

    That's pretty much what I thought.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lerxst_PrattOctober 17, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Earl's long been awful. He has this hitch that he does when it's someone it going to kick out right before 3.

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  4. kylelitkeOctober 17, 2012 at 5:41 PM

    I didn't watch. But if he's going to 2.999 and stopping his hand before they kick out, doesn't that imply the wrestlers aren't kicking out quick enough?

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  5. team zanadudeOctober 17, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    If there was some sort of hitch in Hebner's delivery where he gives away the result of the count before he even starts it, then this is a valid gripe.

    But this just sounds to me that the poster is upset because you learn of the kickout 0.1 seconds before the guy actually kicks out, then I really don't see how such a trivial thing would detract from the perceived enjoyment of the match.

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  6. Ryan MurphyOctober 17, 2012 at 6:05 PM

    A valid point, considering they're supposed to be reacting to his count, not vice versa. Plus, Earl's been in the business longer than damn near anyone in wrestling today, so these damn kids need to learn how to work!

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  7. slapdabassOctober 17, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    You weren't the only person that noticed. I've been noticing this for years. Hebner is awful. Distractingly bad, which is really the only thing that a referee shouldn't be. He barely pays attention to what goes on in the ring. Just going through the motions. It's rare that the referee is the fakest looking part of a match, but it happens every time Hebner's in there.

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  8. Justin W. BraunOctober 17, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    I've hated Earl Hebner's refereeing for twenty years. His worst habit has been slowing down the real three count in the main events on pay per view. Annoying as hell. The count should be the same all the time. (The other thing he's done is that when he's "injured", he does this exaggerated, slow three count where he'll reach up way into the sky and dramatically do a slow count while trying to sell his injury.)

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  9. David Bonzai Saldana-MontgomerOctober 17, 2012 at 9:16 PM

    It's probably traced to Madison Rayne's ability to make him ready to burst in bed with just her hand and mouth, only to back off to prolong his release just a little more.


    .....What?

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  10. LSciscoOctober 17, 2012 at 10:17 PM

    I actually like Hebner's slow counts. They added drama to some big matches.

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  11. Elliot NicodemiOctober 17, 2012 at 10:59 PM

    Yes, everybody but Scott has apparently noticed this. He kills every match he refs. You can telegraph every kickout by his stupid handwave and fast count, and the finish is always a slow count. It is beyond ridiculous and unprofessional, and the fact nobody calls him out on it is insane.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Elliot NicodemiOctober 17, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    You missed the point, he only counted slow at the finish, the other counts are super fast.

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  13. team zanadudeOctober 17, 2012 at 11:48 PM

    Earl Hebner is around to be TNA's trophy, so they can say that they have "the most famous referee in this business", and the man who screwed Bret Hart.

    Earl Hebner himself is just hanging around to collect a paycheck, and doesn't give a shit about anything anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  14. jabronivilleOctober 18, 2012 at 12:14 AM

    I always found it funny that both Hebners were turfed so easily just for selling some merchandise off the truck. Were they actually stealing the stuff, or what? I figured both were entrenched old-school guys.

    I honestly never noticed the Hebner thing, but I've barely seen him in recent years. The only ref I ever hated was Nick Patrick, for his silly little "hand flip" move before each slap of the mat, and his over-dramatic dive.

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  15. Steven BellahOctober 18, 2012 at 12:23 AM

    Hebner always bugged me in his WWF days, whenever there was a big babyface title win (usually a WrestleMania main event), he would stay in the ring FOREVER and keep trying to raise the hand of the winner, even after giving them the belt. He looked like he was trying to get in on the celebration, or maybe be part of the eventual WWF Magazine cover photo. I know it happened with Shawn at WM XII, Austin at WM XV, and Benoit at WM XX. He even stopped Shawn and tried to buckle the belt on him before Shawn pushed him away, and I think he raised Benoit's hand at least five times.

    Just RING THE FUCKING BELL and get out of there. Of course, he did that to perfection, one time.

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  16. MadDogJoeDeCursoOctober 18, 2012 at 5:59 PM

    Yes, I notice the shitty 2 count EVERY time~!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anthony RatcliffeOctober 20, 2012 at 7:33 PM

    We can always count on you for this sort of thing, good sir, and thank you for that.

    ReplyDelete

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