History Main / Jobber

Rookies are often expected to spend their first few years "jobbing." In the field, this is known as "paying your dues," and wrestlers who avoid doing this are often scorned by veterans unless they are a sublime talent like Wrestling/TheBigShow, Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}, Wrestling/{{Sting}}, or Wrestling/KevinNash. Famous jobbing runs include:

* Paul Wight (Wrestling/TheBigShow) achieved mega-stardom in his rookie year by not only winning the WCW championship, but by being the only wrestler in history to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated's (the Bible of Professional Wrestling) Rookie of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards in the same year. Since then, he has rarely held any belt, and is usually either in squashes or jobs. He has jobbed to Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Kevin Nash and much smaller wrestlers. Outside of his occasional main event runs, he's basically the WWE equivalent of a GiantMook. He is, however, the only singles wrestler to date to have held the WCW, WWE, ''and'' ECW titles in the course of his career[[note]]Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys are the only tag team, and have also held the NWA, TNA and IWGP tag titles[[/note]]. He just rarely held any of them for very long.

-->-- '''Mottos''' of Wrestling/{{ECW}}, and later [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]], stable The J.O.B. Squad

* Rookies can get experience and learn both in and out of {{Kayfabe}} even while jobbing. In Japan a tradition has been for newer wrestlers to be jobbing more often due to inexperience; Japanese pro wrestling legend Wrestling/KentaKobashi lost his first ''63'' matches (in an intentional attempt by Giant Baba to build him as a "never say die" {{Determinator}} before his first win, and Naomichi Marufuji was mostly a jobber in Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling before jumping to Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH. In general, if there's a tag match, expect the guy with the least experience to be pinned or submit.

* Some are wrestlers who are [[TechnicianVersusPerformer very good at making their opponents look great, but lack the charisma or presence to make it as a main eventer]]. One typical example given by fans is Peter Stilsbury, an Australian native who competed for the WWF from 1987 to 1988 as Outback Jack; Jack, using an exaggerated "friendly Aussie 'mate" gimmick, was given a huge push early in his run (and according to some reports, was also briefly considered for a tag team championship run with HillbillyJim), but when it became evident Stilsbury lacked what it took to be successful, he was jobbed out before being let go from the company in the spring of 1988.

* Some are wrestlers who are very good at making their opponents look great, but lack the charisma or presence to make it as a main eventer. One typical example given by fans is Peter Stilsbury, an Australian native who competed for the WWF from 1987 to 1988 as Outback Jack; Jack, using an exaggerated "friendly Aussie 'mate" gimmick, was given a huge push early in his run (and according to some reports, was also briefly considered for a tag team championship run with HillbillyJim), but when it became evident Stilsbury lacked what it took to be successful, he was jobbed out before being let go from the company in the spring of 1988.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamously oversold the offense of his opponent [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match for the WWF. [[note]](One speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, they turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator Wrestling/VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down.)[[/note]]

* Paul Wight (Wrestling/TheBigShow) achieved mega-stardom in his rookie year by not only winning the WCW championship, but by being the only wrestler in history to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated's (the Bible of Professional Wrestling) Rookie of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards in the same year. Since then, he has rarely held any belt, and is usually either in squashes or jobs. He has jobbed to Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Kevin Nash and much smaller wrestlers. Outside of his occasional main event runs, he's basically the WWE equivalent of a GiantMook. He is, however, the only wrestler to date to have held the WCW, WWE, ''and'' ECW titles in the course of his career. He just rarely held any of them for very long.

* There's also a niche of "Jobber to the Stars"; a wrestler who wins matches against other Jobbers, but loses matches to the wrestlers who are getting a Push. This works under the theory that TheWorfEffect is lessened if the "Worf" is regularly shown winning, even if it is against what are effectively {{Mooks}} or RedShirts.

* Paul Wight (Wrestling/TheBigShow) achieved mega-stardom in his rookie year by not only winning the WCW championship, but by being the only wrestler in history to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated's (the Bible of Professional Wrestling) Rookie of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards in the same year. Since then, he has rarely held any belt, and is usually either in squashes or jobs. He has jobbed to Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Kevin Nash and much smaller wrestlers. Outside of his occasional main event runs, he's basically the WWE equivalent of a GiantMook. He is, however, the only wrestler to date to have held the WCW, WWE, ''and'' ECW titles in the course of his career.

This terminology came about because losing the match tends to make the wrestler look worse, and could be a sign that the promotion is transitioning him into [[OutOfFocus a less prominent role]]. This is especially true if he's booked to lose in a championship match or [[SquashMatch get squashed]]. But they finish the match and let the other guy pin them as agreed, because that's part of the job.

There have been times when a wrestler would refuse to "do the job" and would fight for real and defeat the guy who they were scheduled to lose to; this is called "going into business for yourself." This occurred primarily in the early days of pro wrestling, which was done on a regional basis aside from the champion who'd travel across regions. It rarely happens because the inevitable result would be getting fired. Sometimes a local challenger would "steal" the title by refusing to job to the champion, which for many years meant that the champion would always be somebody who can legitimately fight back against an uncooperative foe.

* It's very common for WWE mid-carders such as Wrestling/KofiKingston, Wrestling/CodyRhodes, Wrestling/WadeBarrett, Wrestling/TheMiz, Wrestling/ZackRyder, [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Antonio Cesaro]], [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]], and Wrestling/DamienSandow to be frequently used as jobbers against such big names as Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/CMPunk, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, and Wrestling/{{Ryback}}, because it seems that the WWE Universe is only interested in seeing the big names and not the mid-card. Thus, the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship both have lost their prestige, though both have their prestige status recovered when Wrestling/TheMiz (with the IC belt) and Cena (with the US belt) hold the belts in the 2015-16 period. This is known as being a "jobber to the stars".

The term "jobber" has crept into other genres as well, most particularly anime FightingSeries, in reference to when a character loses a fight against an enemy for [[TheWorfEffect to show off how strong the enemy was]] and thus a credible threat for TheHero.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamously oversold the offense of his opponent [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match for the WWF. [[note]](One speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator Wrestling/VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down.)[[/note]]

* It's very common for WWE mid-carders such as Wrestling/KofiKingston, Wrestling/CodyRhodes, Wrestling/WadeBarrett, Wrestling/TheMiz, Wrestling/ZackRyder, [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Antonio Cesaro]], [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]], and Wrestling/DamienSandow to be frequently used as jobbers against such big names as Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/CMPunk, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, and Wrestling/{{Ryback}}, because it seems that the WWE Universe is only interested in seeing the big names and not the mid-card. Thus, the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship both have lost their prestige as of late, aside from when Cena holds one of the belts in between his main event runs. This is known as being a "jobber to the stars".

* Dan "The Beast" Severn's run in the UFC and PRIDE.

This terminology came about because losing the match tends to make the wrestler look worse, and could be a sign that the promotion is transitioning him into [[OutOfFocus a less prominent role]]. This is especially true if he's booked to lose in a championship match or [[SquashMatch get squashed]]. But they finish the match and let the other guy pin them as agreed, because that's part of the job. There have been times when a wrestler would refuse to "do the job" and would fight for real and defeat the guy who they were scheduled to lose to; this is called "going into business for yourself."

This occurred primarily in the early days of pro wrestling, which was done on a regional basis aside from the champion who'd travel across regions. It rarely happens because the inevitable result would be getting fired. Sometimes a local challenger would "steal" the title by refusing to job to the champion, which for many years meant that the champion would always be somebody who can legitimately fight back against an uncooperative foe.

* Some wrestlers who have had a long and respected career will be happy for the opportunity to "make" a potential star by giving them the rub. Doing so marks them as a loyal company man who puts the good of the business before their own ego. Wrestling/PedroMorales is a prime example -- he was the WWF's first Triple Crown winner but by the mid 1980s, he was generally booked on the losing end of matches to up-and-coming stars such as Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan and Wrestling/JakeRoberts, and was reportedly completely squashed by Wrestling/TheOneManGang during a non-televised house show. Other examples included Tony Garea (after a successful run as a tag-team wrestler) and Wrestling/TitoSantana.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamous oversold the offense of his opponent, [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match for the WWF. [[note]](One speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator Wrestling/VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down.)[[/note]]

The revelation of pro wrestling being predetermined caused jobbing to lose a lot of stigma. In fact, many "[[SmartMark smarks]]" will respect a wrestler who is selfless enough to consistently let put another wrestler over for the good of the company. Some of the best wrestlers in the business (Wrestling/MickFoley, Wrestling/RicFlair, etc.) take immense pride in their ability to "make" another guy through selling and jobbing, though few would label them as "jobbers".

* Wrestling/CurtHennig, during his early 1980s WWF run, long before he became "Mr. Perfect." Wrestling/BretHart also was used as a "jobber to the stars" early in his WWF run in 1984, before being paired with Jim Neidhart and his fortunes changing greatly.

* Virgil's tour as Wrestling/TedDiBiase's whipping boy. At least once before assuming the character of Virgil, Mike Jones was billed as "Luscous Brown"; his only known match under that name, which aired on ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'', was against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff[[note]](during Orndorff's 1986-1987 heel run and feud with Hulk Hogan)[[/note]].

* [[WildSamoan Polynesian wrestlers]] often suffer this fate, regardless of their actual ability. The main exceptions are Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}, The Rock (who's Polynesian on his mother's side) and Wrestling/{{TNA}}'s Wrestling/SamoaJoe, who are/were among their respective promotions' top stars. Roman Reigns seems to be going down this road as well, as he is in the middle of a huge push as a member of Wrestling/TheShield, though time will tell if it lasts. And Samoa Joe seems to be the only Samoan wrestler achieve superstardom ''with his Samoan ancestry as part of his gimmick''.

* In a PassingTheTorch moment,Wrestling/HulkHogan jobbed to the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior at ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} VI''.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamous oversold the offense of his opponent, [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match for the WWF. [[note]](One speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down.)[[/note]]

* Some are trainers and/or road agents (the people who lay out matches), who take the jobber role in order to work with rookie talents and help them hone their skills. Val Venis worked in this capacity for several years in the WWE. Finlay's return to the ring started out in this capacity, as the initial plans were for him to get a few wins to build credibility, then work as a jobber to put younger talent over, but he gained a following and thus broke the mold.

* Rookies can get experience and learn both in and out of {{Kayfabe}} even while jobbing. In Japan a tradition has been for newer wrestlers to be jobbing more often due to inexperience; Japanese pro wrestling legend Wrestling/KentaKobashi lost his first ''63'' matches (in an intentional attempt by Giant Baba to build Wrestling/KentaKobashi as [[{{Determinator}} "never say die"]]) before his first win, and Naomichi Marufuji was mostly a jobber in Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling before jumping to Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH. In general, if there's a tag match, expect the guy with the least experience to be pinned or submit.

The revelation of pro wrestling being predetermined caused jobbing to lose a lot of stigma. In fact, many "{smark}s" will respect a wrestler who is selfless enough to consistently let put another wrestler over for the good of the company. Some of the best wrestlers in the business (Wrestling/MickFoley, Wrestling/RicFlair, etc.) take immense pride in their ability to "make" another guy through selling and jobbing, though few would label them as "jobbers".

* Virgil's tour as [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]]'s whipping boy. At least once before assuming the character of Virgil, Mike Jones was billed as "Luscous Brown"; his only known match under that name, which aired on ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'', was against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff[[note]](during Orndorff's 1986-1987 heel run and feud with Hulk Hogan)[[/note]].

Compare CListFodder, RedShirt.

* Virgil's tour as [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]]'s whipping boy. At least once before assuming the character of Virgil, Mike Jones was billed as "Luscous Brown"; his only known match under that name, which aired on ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'', was against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. [[note]](during Orndorff's 1986-1987 heel run and feud with Hulk Hogan)[[/note]].

* Virgil's tour as [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]]'s whipping boy. At least once before assuming the character of Virgil, Mike Jones was billed as "Luscous Brown"; his only known match under that name, which aired on ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'', was against [[Wrestling/PaulOrndorff Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff]] [[note]](during Orndorff's heel/bitter-at-Hulk Hogan run)[[/note]].

* Virgil's tour as [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]]'s whipping boy.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One infamous example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamously oversold the offense of his opponent, [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match. [[note]](One speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down.)[[/note]]

* Some wrestlers who have had a long and respected career will be happy for the opportunity to "make" a potential star by giving them the rub. Doing so marks them as a loyal company man who puts the good of the business before their own ego. Wrestling/PedroMorales is a prime example -- he was the WWF's first Triple Crown winner but by the mid 1980s, he was generally booked on the losing end of matches to up-and-coming stars such as Wrestling/TheHonkyTonkMan and Wrestling/JakeRoberts, and was reportedly completely squashed by Wrestling/TheOneManGang during a non-televised house show. Other examples included Tony Garea (after a successful run as a tag-team wrestler) and Wrestling/TitoSantana.

* [[Wrestling/MrPerfect Curt Hennig]], during his early 1980s WWF run. Wrestling/BretHart also was used as a "jobber to the stars" early in his WWF run in 1984, before being paired with Jim Neidhart and his fortunes changing greatly.

* Nearly all second generation wrestlers, including Brian "Grandmaster Sexay" Lawler (son of [[Wrestling/JerryLawler Jerry "The King" Lawler]]) and Scott Putski (son of "Polish Power" Ivan Putski).

* Some wrestlers who have had a long and respected career will be happy for the opportunity to "make" a potential star by giving them the rub. Doing so marks them as a loyal company man who puts the good of the business before their own ego.

** To that end, other jobbers are simply what they are presented to be on television ... not very good. One infamous example is a young man named Steve Reese, who infamously oversold the offense of his opponent, [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] during a match that aired on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in early 1989; for reasons that have never been made clear, this was Reese's only known match [[note]](one speculation was that Brown's intended jobber opponent no-showed and, needing a fill in, turned to Reese; the match is also known for its play-by-play commentary, where commentator VinceMcMahon relentlessly made fun of Reese's physique and lack of ability as Brown mercilessly beat him down)[[/note]].

* Some are wrestlers who are very good at making their opponents look great, but lack the charisma or presence to make it as a main eventer.

This occured primarily in the early days of pro wrestling, which was done on a regional basis aside from the champion who'd travel across regions. It rarely happens because the inevitable result would be getting fired. Sometimes a local challenger would "steal" the title by refusing to job to the champion, which for many years meant that the champion would always be somebody who can legitimately fight back against an uncooperative foe.

As strange as it may seem sometimes, there is an entire class of pro wrestlers whose primary purpose in being on TV is to "do the job" on a regular basis. These wrestlers, otherwise known as "enhancement talent," primarily serve to make the other wrestlers look that much better, by [[TheatricsOfPain selling]] everything the other wrestler does as if they're dying.

->-- '''Mottos of Wrestling/{{ECW}}, and later [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]], stable The J.O.B. Squad'''

In any competition, there are winners and losers. In ProfessionalWrestling, the overwhelming majority of them have been pre-determined since at least 1920. Fans and insiders alike refer to being on the losing end of the equation as "doing the job," or "jobbing" in short.

* One thing Sean Waltman (123 Kid, Wrestling/XPac) is known for is that he broke through with a (Kayfabe) upset of Razor Ramon. He'd been all over WWF TV as "The X Kid" with X changing on a seemingly weekly basis, at which point Wrestling/BretHart taunted Ramon and christened Waltman the "1-2-3" kid to mock "The Bad Guy."