There are few things as satisfying to wrestling fans as a crisp Superkick. Few things can generate that collective "ooh" from the crowd as much as a Superkick that finds its target with an enthusiastic "snap!" However, in 2021, it became twice as hard for in-ring talent to deliver a resounding Superkick or any leg strike, for that matter when then-WWE executive Vince McMahon banned wrestlers from slapping their legs during kicks. On the surface, the two ideas seem unrelated at best and antithetical to the in-ring spirit of combat at worst. The connection between Superkicks and leg slaps, however, is rooted in one of the most rudimentary practices of professional wrestling performance, and it is the now-banned WWE practice of leg slapping that produces the Superkick's iconic, sharp noise.
Looking at a picture of various Superkick attempts with keen eyes may reveal the wrestling secret outright, as finger imprints on a wrestler's thigh coincide with the connected kick. Thigh slaps are a common sleight-of-hand trick performed by thousands of in-ring performers across the globe, with the goal of a thigh-slap being to create a resounding noise the satisfying "snap" that communicates the physical and emotional aspects of a leg strike in a spectacular way. Thigh slaps are also one of the many ways wrestlers can play to the back of the house, in which in-ring talent over-exaggerate their moves and body language so that the furthest seats in the house can understand the story. Not all leg strikes use the thigh slap trick, but those that do often elicit strong reactions from the crowd, which is the through line for all in-ring performances.
Despite the thigh slap being a considered a secondary action one that fades into the background as audiences are gripped with the crisp, resounding sound of impact the practice became banned when McMahon was reportedly incensed by witnessing an overt thigh slap on an episode of "WWE SmackDown." While further details, such as who was responsible for the arguable botch, are unknown, McMahon, detail-obsessed at best and a noted "control freak"at worst, quickly put up signs demanding stars refrain from using the age-old practice during their performances. Now that McMahon has been efficiently ousted from WWE production, however, it is unclear whether this thigh slap ban is still in practice.
One promotion in which thigh-slap detractors won't have to worry about seeing or hearing that particular bit of trickery is Josh Barnett's Bloodsport. The retired mixed martial arts champion appears firmly against the practice, having stated in 2024 that wrestlers who slap their legs in the GCW-affiiated Bloodsport events will not return."People are not slapping their legs in Bloodsport. ... I say, 'No. You do not do that. You leg slap, you're gone. Don't do it.' Because I need this to come off as raw and legitimate as possible, because I really want to suspend peoples' disbelief and I really want to get to their hearts and their stomachs."
