History Main / WrestlingPsychology

One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (The Great Khali) or with heavily simplified psychology (Hulk Hogan, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], and Wrestling/JohnCena). The opposite is also true, you don't have to have a lot of spectacular moves to show tremendous psychology (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/JakeRoberts, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, Wrestling/KentaKobashi). Most of the greats have at least a basic grasp of the concept, and most of the truly memorable matches display a high degree of psychology. Hulk Hogan, for example, looked absolutely miserable when he was "beaten up" and really sold the flogging he took - but that was it. As they say, do one thing, and do it well.

One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (The Great Khali) or with heavily simplified psychology (Hulk Hogan, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], and Wrestling/JohnCena). The opposite is also true, you don't have to have a lot of spectacular moves to show tremendous psychology (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/JakeRoberts, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin). Most of the greats have at least a basic grasp of the concept, and most of the truly memorable matches display a high degree of psychology. Hulk Hogan, for example, looked absolutely miserable when he was "beaten up" and really sold the flogging he took - but that was it. As they say, do one thing, and do it well.

* And what if there ''isn't'' a live crowd to react to the action? This was the problem wrestlers faced with matches being taped in empty arenas during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic - while watching wrestling with no crowd was a surreal experience in itself, many wrestlers found it difficult to adjust, doing things like pausing to let the audience "pop", which felt bizarre when they weren't there. Wrestling psychology has almost needed to be reworked from the ground up to adapt to the circumstances.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time. He may limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating, or be unable to perform his moves because his opponent specifically targeted the body part required to perform that move (e.g. a wrestler with a kick finisher won't be able to use it if his legs are injured).

* One of the most noticeable things about Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada's return to Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling was his new offensive psychology, using many different approaches and angles to wear down the opponent's neck/shoulder area before finishing with a short lariat. This made one of the most memorable moments of the 2015 G1 Climax a simple headbutt during the "[[NameOfPower rainmaker]]" from Wrestling/YujiNagata, which completely wrecked Okada's strategy and had him struggling to maintain his standing in the rankings.

There's a big difference between 'no selling as part of the storytelling process', and a wrestler legitimately refusing to respond to their partner's moves with no storytelling involved. The second is considered extremely unprofessional, as cooperation from both sides are needed to put on a performance, and can lead to firings or ostracization from the industry because the wrestler cannot be trusted. Similarly, a wrestler who leaps off a 10-foot ladder onto the floor and gets up immediately without exhibiting any pain or fear removes all tension of such a death-defying move. Thankfully, examples of these cases are extremely rare in the bigger companies.

The first half of wrestling psychology is a wrestler's strategy throughout the match, which can depend on a wrestler's physique, gimmick, and personality. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]].

There is a third, more nebulous component to wrestling psychology, and that is the crowd reaction. The audience may decide, on their own, to cheer for a Heel in the match, boo the Babyface, or simply not respond to incredible athletic feats. At this point it is up to the wrestlers how they want to respond, either by continuing with their original plans, or changing their styles to match what the audience wants (see Wrestling/HulkHogan and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] switching roles as Heel and Face respectively at Wrestlemania 18).

There is a third, more subtle component to wrestling psychology, and that is the crowd reaction. The audience may decide, on their own, to cheer for a Heel in the match, boo the Babyface, or simply not respond to incredible athletic feats. At this point it is up to the wrestlers how they want to respond, either by continuing with their original plans, or changing their styles to match what the audience wants (see Wrestling/HulkHogan and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] switching roles as Heel and Face respectively at Wrestlemania 18).

One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (The Great Khali) or with heavily simplified psychology (Hulk Hogan, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], and Wrestling/JohnCena). The opposite is also true, you don't have to have a lot of spectacular moves to show tremendous psychology (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/JakeRoberts). Most of the greats have at least a basic grasp of the concept, and most of the truly memorable matches display a high degree of psychology. Hulk Hogan, for example, looked absolutely miserable when he was "beaten up" and really sold the flogging he took - but that was it. As they say, do one thing, and do it well.

There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and a wrestler legitimately refusing to respond to their partner's moves with no storytelling involved, and is considered extremely unprofessional, as cooperation from both sides are needed to put on a performance. Similarly, a wrestler who leaps off a 10-foot ladder onto the floor and gets up immediately without exhibiting any pain or fear removes all tension of such a death-defying move. Thankfully, examples of these cases are extremely rare in the bigger companies.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time. He may limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating, or be unable to perform his moves because his opponent specifically targeted body part that is required to perform that move (e.g. a wrestler with a kick finisher won't be able to use it if his legs are injured).

The first half of wrestling psychology is a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]].

On the whole, {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. Wrestlers will also likely employ different strategies, change tempos, or trade moves and advantages back and forth to keep things fresh. A wrestler who goes for the same move over and over again will become stale and boring, no matter how amazing or death-defying the move may be.

The first half of wrestling psychology is a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. On the whole, {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. Wrestlers will also likely employ different strategies, change tempos, or trade moves and advantages back and forth to keep things fresh. A wrestler who goes for the same move over and over again will become stale and boring, no matter how amazing or death-defying the move may be.

[[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is also part of this psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may be beaten to the ground only to shake it off and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy out of a [[TheDeterminator sheer desire to win ]]. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is also part of this psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may be beaten to the ground only to shake it off and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy out of a [[TheDeterminator sheer desire to win ]]. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

One often hears fans talking about [[ProfessionalWrestling pro wrestlers]] displaying great psychology. When one says this, they aren't talking about a wrestler being a WarriorTherapist. No, they're talking about wrestling psychology, which is a performer's ability to use body language and facial expressions to make a wrestling match look like a competition or fight between real people, allowing the audience to [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief suspend their disbelief]]. A match with great psychology is spectacular, convincing, and tells a great story; a match with poor psychology often comes off like an [[SpotMonkey incoherent collection of moves]] or is just plain boring.

The first half of wrestling psychology a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent out of arrogance]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. On the whole, {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. Wrestlers will also likely employ different strategies, change tempos, or trade moves and advantages back and forth to keep things fresh. A wrestler who goes for the same move over and over again will become stale and boring, no matter how amazing or death-defying the move may be.

One often hears fans talking about [[ProfessionalWrestling pro wrestlers]] displaying great psychology. When one says this, they aren't talking about a wrestler being a WarriorTherapist. No, they're talking about wrestling psychology, which is a performer's ability to make a wrestling match look like a competition or fight between real people, allowing the audience to [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief suspend their disbelief]]. A match with great psychology is spectacular, convincing, and tells a great story; a match with poor psychology often comes off like an [[SpotMonkey incoherent collection of moves]] or is just plain boring.

The first half of wrestling psychology a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent out of arrogance]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. On the whole, {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is also part of this psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may be beaten to the ground only to shake it off and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy out of a [[TheDeterminator sheer desire to win ]] [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler's moves with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell their partner's attacks is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to cooperate to put on a performance, and examples of these are extremely rare.[[/note]]. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring, or the aforementioned Wrestling/ShawnMichaels in the page quote.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is also part of this psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may be beaten to the ground only to shake it off and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy out of a [[TheDeterminator sheer desire to win ]]. [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler's moves with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell their partner's attacks is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to cooperate to put on a performance, and examples of these are extremely rare.[[/note]]. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring, or the aforementioned Wrestling/ShawnMichaels in the page quote.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator desire to win]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler's moves with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell their partner's attacks is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to cooperate to put on a performance.[[/note]] The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring, or the aforementioned Wrestling/ShawnMichaels in the page quote.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator fighting spirit]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler's moves with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell and cooperate with their partner is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to put on a performance.[[/note]] The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring, or the aforementioned Shawn Michaels in the page quote.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator fighting spirit]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler's moves with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell and cooperate with their partner is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to put on a performance.[[/note]] The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator fighting spirit]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. [[note]]There's a big difference between no selling as part of the storytelling process, and legitimately not responding to another wrestler with no storytelling involved. A wrestler who refuses to sell and cooperate with their partner is considered extremely unprofessional, as both sides are needed to put on a performance.[[/note]] The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up just to prove how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator fighting spirit]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Selling can be as simple as reeling back from an opponent's punches, grabbing an injured body part because your opponent has been focusing their attacks on that area, or simply lying down for a long time after a devastating move. Often, a wrestler with truly good psychology will sell things over time; he may even limp to the ring on his way to a match as a result of an "injury" inflicted on him during a prior match/beating. [[NoSell No Selling]], not reacting to an opponent's attack, is in itself a form of ring psychology. TheGiant or MonsterHeel may take a FinishingMove and sit right back up to prove just how dangerous he is, or a hero may shake off a flurry of attacks because of his [[TheDeterminator fighting spirit]] and make an exciting comeback to vanquish the bad guy. The polar opposite of that, ''over''-selling, or reacting to an attack far beyond what can be realistically expected, is often used for comedic effect or to taunt an opponent, e.g. taking a simple slap to the face and then reeling back so hard they fall out of the ring.

The first half of wrestling psychology a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. A technical wrestler may attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold, while a brawler will eschew such finesse and just straight up punch you. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent out of arrogance]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes.

The first half of wrestling psychology a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. TheGiant will use his prodigious strength to manhandle his enemy around without much finesse, while a smaller technical wrestler may constantly attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent out of arrogance]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or sneaky moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes.

The first half of wrestling psychology a wrestler's strategy throughout the match. TheGiant will use his prodigious strength to manhandle his enemy around without much finesse, while a smaller technical wrestler may constantly attack a body part in order to set up for a painful submission hold. Other popular strategies include [[IShallTauntYou taunting an opponent out of arrogance]], keeping a high-flying opponent on the ground, chopping at TheGiant's legs to limit his mobility, or [[BatmanGambit maneuvering an opponent to make a stupid mistake out of frustration or desperation]]. In TagTeam psychology, the RickyMorton serves as the member of the team that gets isolated and picked apart by the opposing team, before breaking free and tagging in his fresh partner for some payback. {{Face}} characters will tend to use exciting, high flying moves, while [[{{Heel}} Heels]] will use more brutal or 'cheating' moves, like bear hugs or eye pokes.