History Main / WrestlingPsychology

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be [[MightyGlacier slow but strong enough to hurl their opponent like a ragdoll]], while a 100-pound female wrestler will likely be [[FragileSpeedster agile and fast, focusing on strikes and aerial moves]]. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been plenty of examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

** The "[[GimmickMatches Empty Arena]]" match was nothing new by this point, but it was a very rare thing. It was generally only used by enterprises who owned their own buildings or open air arenas, was generally only used after lengthy buildups during particularly long running feuds and even the hungriest of independent wrestlers tended to refuse them the rare times they were suggested ''because'' they didn't want to get used to working without fans. Since the general practice is to film the match and then show it to fans in the arena later, most wrestlers tend to insist they just be on the card in the first place and suggest their own special stipulation(falls count anywhere, fans bring the weapons, etc). All that established, there are a few short cuts a promoter dead set on using out of their depth wrestlers can employ, such as having someone off camera hold up cue cards to guide wrestlers along and hopefully reduce spot calling. Wrestling/JerryLawler's many incarnations of "Memphis Wrestling" were mocked for empty arena matches, but his CWA bout with Wrestling/TerryFunk ''was'' well received since the two of them could actually pull off a quick fight and make it look good without any assistance or audible spot calling. It was when entire shows, rather than a single match, were filmed in such a way that problems arose. The worst offender however was the 1989 "New" Wrestling/{{A|mericanWrestlingAssociation}}WA pilot where a green screen of audience footage and piped in crowd noise was used in a [[SpecialEffectsFailure failed]] attempt to hide the fact the show was being shot without fans.

** The "[[GimmickMatches Empty Arena]]" match was nothing new by this point, but it was a very rare thing. It was generally only used by enterprises who owned their own buildings or open air arenas, was generally only used after lengthy buildups during particularly long running feuds and even the hungriest of independent wrestlers tended to refuse them the rare times they were suggested ''because'' they didn't want to get used to working without fans. Since the general practice is to film the match and then show it to fans in the arena later, most wrestlers just tend to insist they just be on the card in the first place and suggest their own special stipulation(falls count anywhere, fans bring the weapons, etc). All that established, there are a few short cuts a promoter dead set on using out of their depth wrestlers can employ, such as having someone off camera hold up cue cards to guide wrestlers along and hopefully reduce spot calling. Wrestling/JerryLawler's many incarnations of "Memphis Wrestling" were mocked for empty arena matches, but his CWA bout with Wrestling/TerryFunk ''was'' well received since the two of them could actually pull off a quick fight and make it look good without any assistance or audible spot calling. It was when entire shows, rather than a single match, were filmed in such a way that problems arose.

* Orange Cassidy (now wrestling for Wrestling/{{AEW}}) has one of the most unique psychologies in wrestling history. Cassidy's shtick is that he's ''[[BrilliantButLazy lazy]]'', too lazy to take his hands out of his pockets to do a proper collar-and-elbow tie-up, or raise his leg to kick his opponents, preferring instead to just tap them lightly on the shins. Despite this, the crowds always go bananas for his appearances, because 1) his antics get his opponents furious, and 2) when he gets hit, [[LetsGetDangerous he starts trying]], and reveals that he can keep pace just fine with the competition when he wants to.

* Orange Cassidy (now wrestling for Wrestling/{{AEW}}) has one of the most unique psychologies in wrestling history. Cassidy's shtick is that he's ''[[BrilliantButLazy lazy]]'', too lazy to take his hands out of his pockets to do a proper collar-and-elbow tie-up, or raise his leg to kick his opponents, preferring instead to just tap them lightly on the shins. Despite this, the crowds always go bananas for his appearances, because 1) it gets his opponents furious, and 2) when he gets hit, [[LetsGetDangerous he starts trying]], and reveals himself to be a really good wrestler.

* Orange Cassidy (now wrestling for Wrestling/{{AEW}}) has one of the most unique psychologies in wrestling history. Cassidy's shtick is that he's ''[[BrilliantButLazy lazy'', too lazy to take his hands out of his pockets to do a proper collar-and-elbow tie-up, or raise his leg to kick his opponents, preferring instead to just tap them lightly on the shins. Despite this, the crowds always go bananas for his appearances, because 1) it gets his opponents furious, and 2) when he gets hit, [[LetsGetDangerous he starts trying]], and reveals himself to be a really good wrestler.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be [[MightyGlacier slow but strong enough to hurl their opponent like a ragdoll]], while a 100-pound woman wrestler will likely be [[FragileSpeedster agile and fast, focusing on strikes and aerial moves]]. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been plenty of examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

Wrestlers who are attacking also sell, albeit differently, like stomping on the mat when punching, or slapping their thigh when kicking. This creates a loud sound that suggests high impact, when actually these punches and kicks are not connecting with their opponent at full force (see MMA or boxing for the kinds of damage a single, legitimate strike can do, and how actually quiet they are). A good example of this would be Wrestling/RicFlair, whose knife edge chops to the chest would sound very loud when striking on the echo chamber of the torso and lungs, but but require many more strikes with much more effort before bruising or bleeding set in.

Wrestlers who are attacking also sell, albeit differently, like stomping on the mat when punching, or slapping their thigh when kicking. This creates a loud sound that suggests high impact, when actually these punches and kicks are not connecting with their opponent at full force (see MMA or boxing for the kinds of damage a single, legitimate strike can do, and how actually quiet they are). A good example of this would be Wrestling/RicFlair, whose knife edge chops to the chest would sound very loud when striking on the echo chamber of the torso and lungs, but result in no more than redness on the skin, instead of bruising or bleeding.

Wrestling psychology is generally attributed to individual wrestlers instead of the writers/bookers. This is because, unlike staged fights in other media, wrestling matches are rarely choreographed from beginning to end[[note]]There simply isn't time to choreograph every match, since even when a promotion has a reliable roster house shows will translate to a wrestler typically having two or more matches per week.[[/note]]; usually, only the ending and a few big spots are pre-planned, while everything in between is improvised according to a very basic outline of how the match is supposed to flow. ''Usually'' - Wrestling/HulkHogan vs. Wrestling/UltimateWarrior at ''[=WrestleMania=] 6'', for example, was heavily choreographed; both Warrior and Hogan rehearsed much of the match for weeks leading up to the event, and it paid off as the resulting match is hailed as one of the greatest in both men's careers.

** Beyond Wrestling was rather infamous for "circumventing" the problem by having other wrestlers surround the ring in a "lumber jack" fashion to provide some crowd noise. SBG era ROH copied this model for few episodes of their ''Future Of Honor'' shows even before the pandemic shutdown. Companies such as Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling went a step further by having a handful of wrestlers actually take seats as 'audience members', cheering and booing at appropriate moments. The cheers and noise also cover up the wrestlers calling their moves in the middle of the match while leaving more free camera movement than the "cue card" method. Or you could have the wrestlers themselves yell a lot, as is a longstanding tradition in ''joshi'' and you can see [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] demonstrate in WWE.

** Beyond Wrestling was rather infamous for "circumventing" the problem by having other wrestlers surround the ring in a "lumber jack" fashion to provide some crowd noise. SBG era ROH copied this model for few episodes of their ''Future Of Honor'' shows even before the pandemic shutdown. Companies such as Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling went a step further by having a handful of wrestlers actually take seats as 'audience members', cheering and booing at appropriate moments. The cheers and noise also cover up the wrestlers calling their moves in the middle of the match while leaving more free camera movement than the "cue card" method.

Wrestlers who are attacking also sell, albeit by stomping on the mat when punching, or slapping their thigh when kicking. This creates a loud sound that suggests high impact, when actually these punches and kicks are not connecting with their opponent at full force (see MMA or boxing for the kinds of damage a single, legitimate strike can do, and how actually quiet they are). A good example of this would be Wrestling/RicFlair, whose knife edge chops to the chest would sound very loud when striking on the echo chamber of the torso and lungs, but result in no more than redness on the skin, instead of bruising or bleeding.

Wrestlers dealing the moves also have their own version of selling, like stomping on the mat when punching, or slapping their thigh when kicking. This creates a loud sound that suggests high impact, when actually these punches and kicks are barely connecting with their opponent. A good example of this would be Wrestling/RicFlair, whose knife edge chops to the chest would sound very loud when striking on the echo chamber of the torso and lungs, but result in no more than redness on the skin, instead of bruising or bleeding from a legitimate strike.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Since pro-wrestling is about ''simulated'' violence and not ''actual'' violence, most moves are designed to look dangerous, but be as safe and deal as little damage as possible, hence the need for wrestlers to sell their opponents' moves to maintain the illusion of peril. 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 taking 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 suplex finisher won't be able to lift his opponent if his ribs are injured).

Most of the truly memorable matches display a high degree of psychology. The legendary match between Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/AndreTheGiant at Wrestlemania 3 is probably the finest example of this. The actual match itself is only about 12 minutes long (about half the length of a typical main event match), and mostly consists of very basic moves, like punches and body slams. This was mainly out of necessity, as Andre was working with near-crippling back pain at this time, and could not execute a lot of moves or take a lot of punishment. However, the months-long narrative of the match was built around whether Hogan would be strong enough to pick up the 500-pound Andre to body slam him and deliver his [[FinishingMove leg drop]]. Using their reputation, personalities, and wrestling psychology, the two men worked a match that had the audiences going practically berserk the entire time, and Hogan body-slamming Andre has been one of the most important and celebrated moments in wrestling history.

One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (Wrestling/TheGreatKhali, Wrestling/JeffHardy) 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/MickFoley). However, the greats, such as Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], Wrestling/RickySteamboat, Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto, [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]], and Wrestling/TheGreatMuta have a wide range of different moves with very deep, varied and adaptive psychology to go with them. That's how they filled up arenas. Most of the high-level performers 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, always looked absolutely miserable when he was "beaten up" and really sold the flogging he took - but that was it. As they say, if you can do one thing then do it well.

The second half of psychology is known as "[[TheatricsOfPain selling]]", or acting like one is getting hurt. Since pro-wrestling is about ''simulated'' violence and not ''actual'' violence, most moves are designed to look dangerous, but deal as little damage as possible, hence the need for wrestlers to sell their opponents' moves to maintain the illusion of peril. 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 taking 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 suplex finisher won't be able to lift his opponent if his ribs are injured).

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be [[MightyGlacier slow but strong enough to hurl their opponent like a ragdoll]], while a 100-pound woman wrestler will likely be [[FragileSpeedster agile and fast, focusing on strikes and aerial moves]]. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

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 suplex finisher won't be able to lift his opponent if his ribs are injured).

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be [[MightyGlacier slow and plodding, but use a lot of power moves]], while a 100-pound woman wrestler will likely be [[FragileSpeedster agile and fast, focusing on strikes and aerial moves]]. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be [[MightGlacier slow and plodding, but use a lot of power moves]], while a 100-pound woman wrestler will likely be [[FragileSpeedster agile and fast, focusing on strikes and aerial moves]]. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be slow and plodding, while a 100-pound woman wrestler will likely be agile and fast. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be slow and plodding, while a 120-pound woman wrestler will likely be agile and fast. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be slow and plodding, while a 200-pound woman wrestler will likely be agile and fast. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences will have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, or smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (Wrestling/TheGreatKhali, Wrestling/JeffHardy) 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/MickFoley). However, the greats, such as Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], Wrestling/RickySteamboat, Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto, [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]], and Wrestling/TheGreatMuta have a wide range of different moves with very deep, varied and adaptive psychology to go with them. That's how they filled up arenas. 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, if you can do one thing then do it well.

Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto, [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]] and Wrestling/TheGreatMuta did lots of different moves with very deep, varied and adaptive psychology to go with them. That's how they filled up arenas. One can become a superstar wrestler without displaying great psychology (Wrestling/TheGreatKhali, Wrestling/JeffHardy) 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/MickFoley). 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, if you can do one thing then do it well.

These strategies tend to be a little stereotypical, for good and bad reasons. A 400-pound gorilla will usually be slow and plodding, while a 200-pound woman wrestler will likely be agile and fast. Wrestling psychology is all about visual shorthand, and audiences have immediate expectations when they see certain physiques or personalities. Many wrestlers can play with these stereotypes, and there have been many examples of big men flying off top ropes, and smaller wrestlers showing surprising strength by doing power moves. However, there is also the concern of safety and health for the wrestlers. That 400-pounder is more likely to injure himself and his partner doing all sorts of flippy moves, and a small wrestler is going to have a lot of difficulty trying to lift a 7-foot opponent onto his shoulders.

** The "[[GimmickMatches Empty Arena]]" match was nothing new by this point, but it was a very rare thing. It was generally only used by enterprises who owned their own buildings or open air arenas, was generally only used after lengthy buildups during particularly long running feuds and even the hungriest of independent wrestlers tended to refuse them the rare times they were suggested ''because'' they didn't want to get used to working without fans. Since the general practice is to film the match and then show it to fans in the arena later, most wrestlers just tend to insist they just be on the card in the first place and suggest their own special stipulation(falls count anywhere, fans bring the weapons, etc). All that established, there are a few short cuts a promoter dead set on using out of their depth wrestlers can employ, such as having someone off camera hold up cue cards to guide wrestlers along and hopefully reduce spot calling. Wrestling/JerryLawler's many incarnations of "Memphis Wrestling" were mocked for empty arena matches, but his CWA bout with Wrestling/TerryFunk ''was'' well received since the two of them could actually pull off a quick fight and make it look good without any assistance or audible spot calling. It was when entire shows, rather than a single match were filmed in such a way that problems arose.

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, and will likely get mocked instead of cheered by the audience. Thankfully, examples of these cases are extremely rare in the bigger companies.

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/MickFoley). 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. Companies Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling circumvented this problem by insert a handful of wrestlers as 'audience members', cheering and booing at appropriate moments. The cheers and noise also cover up the wrestler's calling their moves in the middle of the match.

* As evidence that it is possible to tell a compelling story with only basic moves, Wrestling/KentaKobashi and Wrestling/KensukeSasaki once went for nearly 5 minutes doing nothing but chop each other in the chest, and by the end of it, the crowd was roaring with appreciation.