| 1 | [[ProfessionalWrestling Professional Wrestling's]] unique position as choreographed sports entertainment with a strict culture of secrecy (called {{kayfabe}}) created a rich lexicon of terms to describe how matches were conducted, to differentiate between real and scripted occurrences, and to describe the "meta" narrative of how matches and performers related to each other without actively revealing the show's scripted nature. |
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| 3 | Even today, after the decline of kayfabe during [[UsefulNotes/TheNineties the 1990s]], casual fans simply watching the broadcast or attending performances will never hear most of these terms spoken by presenters or talent. Those that dive deeper into blogs, newsletters, and podcasting, where many of wrestling's most prominent stars and backstage minds are now cashing in by presenting their accounts of wrestling's most famous moments, will start to hear backstage lingo or insider terms. |
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| 5 | * '''A and {{B show}}s:''' Split touring crews of a promotion. In the pre-90's Wrestling/{{WWE}} and the larger territories, promotions would split their roster across two or even three shows, both to promote a larger number of events and ensure the same areas didn't see the same talent too often. When WWE was syndicated programming, the two crews would have separate television shows ([[Wrestling/WWESuperstars WWF Superstars]] and WWF Wrestling Challenge). Unlike a brand extension, assignment to A or B shows was not permanent and would change based on storylines. A circuit of towns that was almost entirely B-shows was referred to as a "buttermilk run," particularly in the southern territories. |
| 6 | ** A show and B show can also be used to describe a wrestling promotion's television and their relative importance to that promotion, even if that promotion does not split its crews. Ex: "''Thunder'' was Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s B-show, while ''[[Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro Nitro]]'' was the A-show." In the 2000s (and especially under WWE’s brand extension), the line between which of a promotion’s shows are the “A” and “B” shows is much more blurred as the shows instead try to cater to different styles;[[note]]Historically, for example, WWE’s Raw leaned more into storytelling whereas [=SmackDown=] was the home of talent that excelled better in the ring; AEW’s Dynamite and Collision currently have a similar but less distinct split[[/note]] you can normally tell which is which by observing which show gets the most attention and headline talent.[[note]]Hence why, despite being the younger and shorter show, [=SmackDown=] between 2019 and 2024 was the ''de facto'' A-show for WWE, being on network TV and being the home of both Wrestling/RomanReigns, who was the top talent for most of that period.[[/note]] |
| 7 | ** B show can also refer to [=WWE's=] lesser pay-per-views (or "Premium Live Events", the preferred nomenclature now that most people watch them on streaming rather than PPV), in other words every PPV that's not one of the "Big 4/5": ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', ''Wrestling/SummerSlam'', ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'', and, recently, ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank'' (''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing'' was considered a major show in the late 90s and early 00s). The B-shows cost less on PPV, usually have shorter run times, and are usually held in smaller venues than the Big 4, which have mostly moved to [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] and [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] stadiums. |
| 8 | * '''C Show''': Used to describe a lesser television show, often syndicated, that featured only matches between mid-card and lower card wrestlers and recaps of the more important television programs. The 1980's-era WWF would also run a "C-team" house show tour, typically with only a handful of midcard talent, in very small buildings; these shows were often contractually obligated for local TV deals[[note]]Or in other words, "running the local promotion out of business."[[/note]]. These days, C-shows like ''Wrestling/WWEMainEvent'' and ''AEW Rampage'' are taped on the same night as a show that’s broadcast live (''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Monday Night Raw]]'' and ''Dynamite'' respectively). Note that a C-show can also result from a decline in status, such as when ''WCW Saturday Night'' went from A-show to B-show to finally C-show (and then to cancelled outright about a year before WCW folded) following the introduction of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'' and ''WCW Thunder'' respectively. |
| 9 | * '''Abort''': To cut an angle or gimmick off abruptly because of poor reception or disinterest from the fans, or due to off-camera issues (like one of the people involved quitting/getting fired). Compare AbortedArc. |
| 10 | * '''[[TheAce Ace]]:''' A term mostly used in Japan for a wrestler designated as the face of the promotion. Not necessarily the same as the top champion. The term comes from Wrestling/RikiChoshu's period of booking in the late 80s which was described as a "deck of cards;" his top wrestler was the "ace" and could beat any other wrestler on his own, but another "high card" wrestler (top guy) could work circumstances in his favor (cause or exploit an injury, or even develop a counter to a big move) and obtain a stronger "hand". |
| 11 | * '''Afterbirth:''' A post match fight, beatdown, or other sort of angle. These are important for furthering storylines, but doing an afterbirth after every match leads to fans losing interest in the matches themselves because they're just waiting for the match to end to see the angle. |
| 12 | * '''Agent:''' Individuals working directly under the booker or promoter, often former wrestlers or managers. For live events, agents are responsible for ensuring wrestlers are at the building on time, make their entrance at the right times, and hit the necessary time cues for their match. Historically, a trusted agent would be assigned the task of dealing with the venue's box office and collecting the gate for that show. For televised events, agents go over matches with wrestlers, and ensure they are in position for their actions to be picked up on camera. WWE refers to its agents as "Producers", and [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] calls them "Coaches". Can be used as a verb to describe the agent doing his/her job, e.g. "agenting a match". |
| 13 | * '''[[HitlerCam André shot]]''': A camera trick by which a wrestler is made to appear bigger by shooting from below. Named after Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, a frequent subject of this shot. |
| 14 | * '''Angel:''' The financial backer of, or an investor in, a wrestling promotion. Usually overlaps with "Money Mark" (see below) but not always - the bulk of the initial funding for Wrestling/SmokyMountainWrestling came from record producer (and ''huge'' wrestling fan) Music/RickRubin, who largely left SMW owner/booker Wrestling/JimCornette to his own devices[[note]]Though the often-mocked wrestling mummy in SMW was [[Main/ExecutiveMeddling actually Rubin's idea]]. Rubin also requested that Cornette [[Main/PersonaNonGrata not book]] Wrestling/JunkyardDog after seeing a ''very'' deteriorated JYD have a rotten match on the show where the SMW Main/{{Pilot}} was filmed[[/note]] and as a silent partner never tried to insert himself into the TV shows. |
| 15 | * '''Angle:''' Not to be confused with Wrestling/KurtAngle, an angle is a professional wrestling storyline. It is the purpose behind the match. it is the reason two wrestlers are fighting or "feuding". This can be over just about anything, but typically revolves around professional jealousy, a desire to claim a title belt, or a personal issue. |
| 16 | ** The term angle refers to the overall feud, and to the individual vignettes, interviews and backstage pieces filmed and presented as part of the storyline. |
| 17 | * '''Apter Mag:''' Slang for ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' and its former sister magazines, named after main contributor and photographer Bill Apter. Also called the London Publishing[[note]]now Kappa Publishing[[/note]] magazines or the "Stu Saks mags" after their former editor-in-chief. In older usage, they were nicknamed the "Stanley Weston" magazines, after their former publisher and Apter's mentor. These publications are known for strictly upholding kayfabe and refusing to use insider lingo (like most of what you see on this page, for example referring to babyfaces and heels as "fan favorites" and "rulebreakers", respectively), making them a sort of in-universe version of the "Dirt Sheet" shown below. ''PWI'' is also famous for the "''PWI'' 500", a yearly kayfabe ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the world[[note]]In theory ''male'' wrestlers, though a handful of women made the list, for example Wrestling/{{Chyna}} rightly made the 2000 list (at #106) after winning the WWF Intercontinental Championship in October 1999. Starting in 2008 the women got their own ranking for the "''PWI'' Female 50", which was expanded to 100 in 2018, to 150 in 2021, and to 250 in 2023[[/note]] that is hotly debated among fans. |
| 18 | * '''Arena Show:''' An archaic term for a television taping held in an arena as opposed to the studio show (see below). Some promotions handled all of their television tapings at arena shows, but the vast majority of smaller territories preferred to tape in the studio and save the arenas for their untelevised house shows. |
| 19 | * '''Wrestling/AttitudeEra:''' A time when WWE (then WWF) shifted its program to adult-oriented content, which included an increase in the level of depicted violence, profanity and sexual content. Typically considered to be from 1997-2003, give or take[[note]]2003 is [=WWE's=] company line, but most fans consider the end to be Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin hugging Wrestling/VinceMcMahon at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania X-7'' in 2001, with a sort of unacknowledged and unnamed period (call it The [[Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle Invasion]] Era for lack of a better term) lasting until ''[=WrestleMaina=] XIX'' in 2003. Many fans also consider the Attitude Era to have started with Austin winning the 1996 ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing'' (and giving the famous "Austin 3:16" speech) or even the tail end of 1995, [=WWE's=] canon usually goes with the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob[[/note]]. Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin was '''the''' star of this era (and pretty much neck and neck with Wrestling/HulkHogan as '''the''' star of wrestling period), and it is typically considered to begin with his "Austin 3:16" promo. Aside from Austin, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/TripleH, and Wrestling/MickFoley were the key stars for the WWF at this time. |
| 20 | * '''Audible''': A change to a planned spot, finish, or segment during the actual match or segment. Sometimes done to cover for an injury. Can also result from fan reaction. Ex: "Wrestling/ChrisJericho called an audible after [[Wrestling/{{PAC}} Neville]] broke his ankle." |
| 21 | * '''Authority figure''': A person who, in storyline (and occasionally real life), represents the interests of the wrestling promotion. They may be referred to as a commissioner, president, or general manager. In territorial days, this was often a babyface role, even when acting (reluctantly) against the promotion's babyfaces, and represented the promotion's kayfabed interest in fair play. In modern days, due to the success of the Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin vs. Wrestling/VinceMcMahon storyline, the role is often a heel one. Somewhat of a Main/DeadHorseTrope at the moment thanks to the absolutely rancid reception of Wrestling/TheAuthority angle (Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon trying to recreate the Vince-Austin magic with various people and failing miserably due to burying anyone who faced them and suffering little to no punishment in turn), which was such ratings poison that [[Main/TrendKiller no major promotion has done an "evil boss" storyline since]]. |
| 22 | * '''[[{{Face}} Babyface]]''': Often shortened to "Face", this is the "good guy" or "hero" character in a pro wrestling angle or match. Faces usually fight according to the rules and are valiant despite overwhelming odds, as opposed to Heels who cheat, distract, use outside interference, or revel in their dominance over their opponents. |
| 23 | ** A 'White Meat' babyface is a wrestler who plays the good guy role to the hilt, with smiles, pure intentions, and earnest sportsmanship, but they can also be a bit bland and 2-dimensional. Wrestling/RickySteamboat was a career white meat babyface (and also, according to none other than Wrestling/RicFlair, the best in the business), as was a young [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Rocky Maivia]] (before the audience soured on him and he switched to being a cocky heel). |
| 24 | ** "Babyface" can also be used as a verb when a wrestler or promoter tries to make themselves look good to other wrestlers, the fans, or the public. Ex: "Vince [=McMahon=] tried to babyface himself in the weeks following the Montreal Screwjob." |
| 25 | * '''Babyface program''': When two face wrestlers feud with each other. Although much more common than a heel program, many old-school promoters, such as Vince [=McMahon=] Sr., refused to do these for fear of splitting the audience and hurting one or both faces. That said, many of these matches involve "passing the torch" by using an established babyface superstar to solidify the stardom of a new superstar. Compare GoodVersusGood |
| 26 | * '''Barker show''': An advertisement for an upcoming pay-per-view that a wrestling company films to air on the pay-per-view channel. In the ‘90s, pay-per-view companies required pay-per-view producers to create a program to help sell the pay-per-view. Although not limited to wrestling, the wrestling barker show typically featured recaps of major angles with host wraparound segments featuring talent, typically announcers or other non-wrestling personnel. Wrestling/PaulHeyman was once fined for not delivering a barker show, demonstrating how important they were to pay-per-view companies. More or less replaced with the pre-show[[note]]Though Wrestling/{{WCW}} would often do both, sending a barker show to the PPV companies and then moving ''WCW Main Event'' (WCW's C-show that aired on TBS on Sundays at 5:05 pm) up an hour and broadcasting it live from the PPV, which would start at 7 pm. WWE, then the WWF, would dip their toes in the water with a pre-show for the 1995 ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing'' PPV and make it a regular thing starting with the 1996 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble''[[/note]], which serves a similar function but with more action and not limited to pay-per-view channels. |
| 27 | * '''Belt''': A professional wrestling championship or title, represented by a gaudy belt made of leather and precious metals/stones[[note]]An old joke about wrestling is that it's "two men without pants fighting over a belt"[[/note]], typically gold (in kayfabe at least; they're more likely to be cubic zirconia and gold plate over white metal). Also sometimes called a "Strap". Note that WWE typically prefers "Title". |
| 28 | * '''Bicycle''': In the territorial days, the term "bicycle" signified that there would be a time delay between a TV show airing in its home market and in affiliated markets ("the tape traveled on a bicycle"). This meant that the program for different markets would feature different matches at different times, and things like title changes would have to account for this. This term wasn't exclusive to the wrestling industry, as game shows (ie. ''Series/TheHollywoodSquares'') and other syndicated programs also used this method; it wasn't until satellite transmission became a going thing in the 1980s that this term became obsolete, as using satellites meant production companies could transmit their shows to affiliates and be aired much sooner (the reason they had to do this was because syndication firms couldn't afford the system the Big 3 networks used, that being telephone lines leased from the Bell System/AT&T to send signals to affiliates). |
| 29 | * '''[[PersonaNonGrata Blackball]]''': Pretty much means the same thing in wrestling as it means everywhere else. When one or more promoters agreed to refuse to use a specific wrestler because that wrestler has committed some real or imagined heinous act. Wrestlers in the old days would be blackballed for working opposition, exposing the business, failing to give their notice, developing a reputation for being difficult to work with or nuts, or getting in serious legal trouble that reflected badly on wrestling. Note that blackballing, with few exceptions, was almost always temporary, and some unscrupulous promoter somewhere would use just about anyone. Therefore, the effectiveness of blackballing was often limited at best. |
| 30 | * '''Blade''': The act of using a small, concealed razor or utility blade to inflict a cut and draw blood for the purposes of making a match look more brutal. Also the instrument of performing the action. The process can also be referred to as "to blade", "blading", "gigging", "juicing", "juice", "color", or a "blade job". |
| 31 | * '''Blind Tag''': When a wrestler tags their partner without the consent of the partner. Also sometimes called a "back slap tag." Often done to highlight tension within tag teams or in makeshift EnemyMine teams who [[TeethClenchedTeamwork don't like each other]]. It should be noted that this isn't really a legal tag (that is, both feet on the apron, one hand either holding the tag rope or touching the ringpost, and the other '''making hand to hand contact''' over the top rope with their partner) and even as recently as a decade ago doing this would just result in an annoyed ref sending you back to your corner, but in modern wrestling the tag rules are selectively enforced, to put it mildly. |
| 32 | * '''Blow up''': To become physically exhausted during a wrestling match. |
| 33 | * '''Blowjob''': A rather antiquated term for a smaller good looking babyface popular with young women[[note]]It's antiquated because the only people that go see wrestling shows anymore are men in their 20s and 30s[[/note]]. Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress made a 40+ year career out of it, Wrestling/{{Jeff|Hardy}} and Wrestling/{{Matt|Hardy}} Hardy were a more modern example (at least in their younger days), [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Bálor]] is currently occupying this role in WWE. |
| 34 | * '''Blowoff''': The final match of a feud, usually at a major pay-per-view event. |
| 35 | * '''Blue eyes''': British term for a {{face}} wrestler. |
| 36 | * '''Book''': Either the act of booking (see below) or the state of being scheduled on a card. Some wrestlers who weren’t booked used to hang around a show in hopes of getting a spot on the card. |
| 37 | * '''[[SoYouWantTo/BeABooker Booker]]''': In filmmaking terms, a booker is a combination of a screenwriter, director, and producer in a wrestling organization. Bookers come up with, or 'book' matches, storylines and characters, and determine the length, content, and finishes to wrestling matches. They can also be involved with recruiting wrestlers, or arranging for guest appearances from another promotion. Can be synonymous with '''Book''', though book can also refer to the actual booking of a match or the object [[note]] Some bookers were so informal they would write cards out on napkins or any scrap paper they could find.[[/note]] a booker uses to write the cards on. Ex: "Wrestling/RicFlair demanded the book when business went in the toilet." |
| 38 | * '''Booking Office''': In the days before the territories, these were the organizations responsible for managing talent and supplying local promoters with wrestlers for cards. The territory system effectively replaced the booking offices. Some notable booking offices included Dallas and Chicago. |
| 39 | * '''Botch''': A noticeable accident during the course of a match. Can be as harmless as a slip and fall, or it can be something that leads to significant injury. In the 1990s and early 2000s these were met with a [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} "You fucked up!" chant]], assuming no one involved is badly hurt. As the PG Era wore on, the chants vanished (at least in WWE, they can still be heard in AEW and in independent promotions). Can also be used for a match that has completely fallen apart; the much less PC term "abortion" was once used instead. |
| 40 | * '''Boys, The''': A term used among wrestlers (and other on-camera performers like managers and referees) to describe each other as a collective unit. Often used in the phrase "one of the boys." Generally, someone close to the office (the promoter, the booker, or stooges) lose this honorific and are instead referred to as the office. Ex: "I found out the old security guard at the arena was one of the boys. We talked about how the business was in his day." The term is gender-neutral, a female wrestler would still be referred to as "one of the boys." |
| 41 | * '''Breakdown:''' One step below a shoot. When two wrestlers stop cooperating with each other, at least momentarily, and begin either posturing, yelling, or exchanging stiff shots out of genuine anger or frustration. A good example of a match breaking down was when Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan nearly fought Matt Borne in an independent match in 2010. It wasn't a full shoot because Borne ultimately walked away from the fight. Another example would be when Wrestling/ShawnMichaels screamed at and kicked {{Wrestling/Vader}} live on pay-per-view. Again, no actual shoot fight took place, but Michaels clearly let his frustration with Vader boil over into verbal and physical attacks. A more recent example would be a match between Wrestling/CharlotteFlair and Wrestling/NiaJax on ''Raw'' in 2021 that got so heated that a couple punches were thrown before cooler heads prevailed and they continued on with the planned match. |
| 42 | * '''Breaking the field:''' A disorienting effect caused when the floor cameras are positioned opposite to the hard camera in the stands, causing action to be reversed when the director switches from the hard camera to the floor cameras or vice versa. Hallmark of a poor television production. (Though there can be extra floor cameras for showing a replay from a different direction where it's easier to see what happened.) |
| 43 | * '''Break Spot:''' A double KO, big dive to the floor that wipes everyone out, or a similar sequence that ends with everyone involved laying out and selling, the pause in the action allows the announcers to pitch to a commercial break. While the term is new the idea probably dates back to when wrestling started being shown on TV.[[note]]Normally when this is done the wrestlers will sell for a bit and then get moving again, because even if the people on TV can't see you the arena full of people you're in still can, and then the commercial break will end with one of the wrestlers having the upper hand. However during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic WWE was shooting everything on a closed set in Orlando, so during ad breaks the wrestlers didn't have to do anything but be where they were supposed to be when they got the on-air signal, and they just stood there talking. A couple videos leaked of this, but no one really cared because there was obviously more important things in the news than wrestling being exposed for the millionth time.[[/note]] |
| 44 | * '''Broadway''': Traditionally a match that goes to an hour-long time-limit draw. These matches were common in the [[Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance NWA]] territory days where the NWA World Heavyweight Champion toured between the territories and wrestled the territory's top guy. Since the NWA didn't want to put the belt on the territory star, but the territory didn't want their top star to look weak, this was often the compromise; they would wrestle for an hour (then the time limit of world title matches) and go to a draw. Popular usage has come to lead to the term describing '''any''' time limit draw usually by denoting how long said match went, such as "15-Minute Broadway", "30-Minute Broadway", etc. The term is almost obsolete in modern wrestling for many reasons. Matches are largely not presented with time limits, rarely go longer than ten minutes, and rarely end in a draw. |
| 45 | * '''Brown eyes''': A British term for a heel. Unlike American wrestling programming (where most matches are between a babyface and a heel), there were very few "brown eyes" in British wrestling, with most matches being between babyfaces. |
| 46 | * '''Bruno spot''': A main-event match programmed above what would normally be considered a main event match in its own right, such as a title match. Refers to Wrestling/BrunoSammartino's position in the WWF from 1977-1981, where he would wrestle infrequent programs that were billed above champion Wrestling/BobBacklund's title defenses. |
| 47 | * '''Build''': The entire presentation leading up to a match and anything related to selling the match to the fans. This can include promos, vignettes, pre-recorded segments, matches, angles, brawls, the feud itself, contract signings, and even social media posts. In the old days, television was used to build to house show matches, which is where wrestling drew most of its money. Today, television is used to build to pay-per-view or “premium live events.” A poor build can hurt a big match, while a good build can make a money match even bigger. |
| 48 | * '''Bump''': A wrestler falling and landing in a manner to both avoid injury and heighten the sense of impact from an opponent's move. In most of the world, bumping is done "flat-back" (squarely across the back, with arms out and chin tucked in, to protect the head and give a wide impact zone), and "flat-back" bumps are one of the first things taught to new wrestling students. Most wrestling rings have some manner of give and padding to make bumps easier to take. In Mexico, due to the intricate highspots done by wrestlers, the ring has little give for better balance[[note]]Particularly the 6 sided ring popular in Mexico (and used at various points by [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]), which has no give whatsoever due to the hexagonal design[[/note]], and flat-back bumps are discarded in favor of out-of-the-ring gymnastic tumbles. A wrestler who is working hard to get another wrestler over is said to be "bumping their ass off" or "Bumping like a Main/{{Pinball}}" for the other wrestler. |
| 49 | ** "Bump" can also be used to describe a dangerous (or dangerous looking) spot during a match that's designed to get a big reaction from the crowd, usually involving a foreign object of some kind. For example, "I'm going to take the table bump" or "He broke his arm on the ladder bump." These kind of spots are a fundamental part of [[Main/GarbageWrestling Garbage Wrestling]], see below. |
| 50 | * '''Bury''': To hold down a wrestler or talent by forcing them to lose matches, talking about them unfavorably to the fans (such as in promos or on commentary) or backstage, or putting them in unimportant matches in an unfavorable spot on the card. The act of burying someone is highly subjective and hotly debated amongst wrestling fans and other wrestlers. Fans are very quick to accuse a promotion of burying a favorite talent the moment they lose a single match or are put into an angle with someone the fans believe is beneath that performer's level. A good example of burial is the WWE-produced documentary "The Self-Destruction of the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior" which WWE produced at a time when the Warrior was not on favorable terms with the company and an easy target. After WWE mended fences and The Warrior passed away, the DVD was removed from the WWE shop and is not available on the Network.[[note]]A similar DVD was in the works for Wrestling/BretHart, but got axed when Bret returned to the WWE (it's been speculated that basically coercing Bret into coming back was the whole point and they weren't ever going to actually release it). Given that Bret is much, ''much'' more popular among his peers than Warrior was it might have been a little harder to get footage of other people in the business trashing him.[[/note]] |
| 51 | * '''Business''': Whether or not one wrestler is willing to work with another. Typically, though not exclusively, used in the negative. Ex: "Wrestling/ShawnMichaels wouldn't do business with Wrestling/{{Vader}} at the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries''."[[note]]However Michaels would do business with [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid]], who won the WWF Championship at ''Survivor Series'' (a match famous for [[Main/XPacHeat babyface HBK getting booed out of Madison Square Garden]] and heel Sid getting a monster pop for ending Shawn's "boyhood dream") and lost it back to Michaels two months later at the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble''.[[/note]] |
| 52 | * '''Business, The''': Used by wrestlers to describe professional wrestling as an industry. |
| 53 | * '''Calling spots/Calling the match:''' When one wrestler indicates to his opponent what action to perform. This may be verbally (with some care, as for TV the ring is frequently mic'ed; some wrestlers such as Wrestling/SidEudy and Wrestling/JohnCena are infamous for being particularly loud while calling their spots) or with body language. Traditionally, the heel calls the match, although a more experienced or prominent babyface may opt to do so instead. |
| 54 | * '''Card''': The order of matches in a given show. Also used to describe the hierarchy of star quality of the talent. You have your top stars often vying for the main belts, and then the 'mid-carders' who are your strong, often veteran workers who can be relied to give entertaining matches but haven't transcended to top-level status, while the 'undercard' are your least popular/experienced talent, often used to job to the bigger stars. |
| 55 | * '''Carny''': A pig-Latin style language used to disguise words by adding "-iz" to random syllables, so that "time" becomes "tizime", for example. Professional wrestling was a common sideshow at carnivals in the early 20th century, and acquired a similar culture. Wrestlers once used carny to call spots and otherwise disguise working; the language has fallen by the wayside in recent times.[[note]]Strangely (and almost certainly unintentionally) it ended up being stolen by West Coast rappers, leading Wrestling/JimCornette to once jokingly exclaim on his podcast "Fuck Music/{{Snoop|Dogg}}, he's the one that got everyone speaking carny!"[[/note]] |
| 56 | ** Also used as an adjective to refer to an older culture of wrestling, where wrestlers would constantly "work" the marks, never drop their personas, and were willing to do anything for a couple of bucks. |
| 57 | * '''Carry''': Also known as a 'Carry Job', where a skilled worker is able to make an inferior partner look good, sometimes by calling every spot for both wrestlers during a match. Wrestling/BretHart famously carried newcomer Tom Magee (an impressive bodybuilder and martial artist but ''awful'' wrestler) to a match so good Wrestling/VinceMcMahon thought Magee could be the WWF's next Wrestling/HulkHogan. Note that Bret lost his match against Magee, so 'skilled worker' does not necessarily mean 'winner of the match', and even a low-ranked {{Jobber}} can carry a star to a good match. A common expression used to describe skilled workers is "[Wrestler] could carry a broom to a three star match". |
| 58 | ** Also note that 'inferior' here is not just 'incompetence' or 'inexperience', but can be due to many things, like intoxication (Bret Hart, [[TheReliableOne again]], carried Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith in their ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 1992'' match when the latter was completely zonked out after smoking crack the previous night), or just sheer difference in talent and experience (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels called the entirety of Wrestling/RicFlair's retirement match, despite the latter's seniority). |
| 59 | * '''Champion's Advantage''': The name given to a rule which states that champions can retain their title if they are counted out or disqualified. Used correctly, it can extend a reign, but used poorly, it can kill a champion’s momentum- and note that the rule is almost always used for heel champions. |
| 60 | * '''CheapHeat''': Drawing a crowd reaction in a way that is seen as not being conducive to drawing actual money. Cheap heat can include things such as knocking a town or a local sports team[[note]]Cheap heat can work both ways, for example instead of knocking the home team a babyface will come out wearing the star player's jersey to try and get a pop. Bonus cheap heat point if you can get said star player to appear on camera[[/note]], or attacking people who are not involved in a planned match, such as officials or valets. |
| 61 | * '''Cheap Pop''': The opposite of Cheap Heat; getting a crowd reaction by putting over or even mentioning the local town. Though the practice is as old as wrestling itself, the term first became popular when Wrestling/MickFoley used to do this and started to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] it. |
| 62 | * '''Cinch Up''': To apply a hold or pin in a legitimate manner instead of a working one. Common in double crosses but also sometimes done as ribs or receipts (see below.) Occasionally done the other way around (as in someone using a legit hold to pin ''themselves''), usually for laughs but sometimes over a creative dispute. |
| 63 | * '''Clean Finish''': A finish without outside interference or other shenanigans that give the losing wrestler an [[WorfHadTheFlu excuse]] for losing. Contrast "Fuck Finish" below. Ideally a babyface should get all his/her victories in a clean manner, while a heel beating a babyface clean (unless the heel is much higher up on the card to begin with) is considered a humiliating experience for the babyface, and will often lead to [[Main/SmartMark smarks]] claiming the babyface is being buried. |
| 64 | ** Note that what is and isn't a clean finish is somewhat subjective. Heels are, after all, bad people and are expected to cheat to some degree. A heel getting a pinfall by putting his feet on the ropes or grabbing the opponent's tights would still be considered a clean win by most people, for example. On the other end a babyface can use illegal tactics so long as they're proportional to any cheating a heel has already done. For instance, just grabbing a chair from ringside and hitting the opponent wouldn't be considered clean, but decking the opponent with the chair after they tried to hit ''you'' with it first would be. Likewise, run-ins on the heel’s behalf is not clean, but run-ins on the face's behalf to prevent the heel’s allies from helping them is. |
| 65 | * '''Comeback, The''': Part of what is considered the classic four-part match structure: The shine, the heat, the comeback, the finish. The comeback is the part of the match where the face begins to turn the tides and regain their momentum before the finish. |
| 66 | * '''Cold match''': A match without a feud or angle behind it. |
| 67 | * '''Color''': Blood, usually intentionally drawn with a blade, but can sometimes be done '''hardway'''. Typically used in the phrase "get color" which is the process of drawing blood. |
| 68 | * '''Cover Up''': To hide the weaknesses of a wrestler by placing them in a tag team with a better worker who can take all the offense and let the former make the comeback. This is often done for one-time celebrity wrestlers or aging wrestlers who can't perform an entire singles match on their own anymore. If a tag team isn't used, Hardcore wrestling or GimmickMatches might be used instead. [[{{Wrestling/FMW}} Onita]], for example, began utilizing hardcore wrestling in Japan to cover up his own injuries. Sometimes referred to as "hiding" a talent. |
| 69 | * '''Creative''': A sort of catch-all term to describe the booker and the group of writers, agents, and production people that work under the booker. Mostly associated with WWE (where the term is official lexicon and "Head of Creative" is an actual job title[[note]]Currently held by Wrestling/TripleH, though as he's also "Head of Talent Relations" he's combined the two job titles into "Chief Content Officer". To put it another way, if WWE was a pro sports team than the Head of Creative would be the head coach and the Head of Talent Relations would be the general manager. [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon His wife]] formerly held the position of Head of Creative[[/note]]) and their group of television writers. Wrestlers that aren't really being used are often told "Creative has nothing for you" if they're released; see "Future Endeavored" below. |
| 70 | * '''Creative Control Clause''': A clause in a contract which gives wrestlers say over how they are used. Although top wrestlers often had substantial influence over their presentation, it wasn't until the '90s that these clauses became common. WCW was infamous for these[[note]]Often incorrectly; only Wrestling/HulkHogan had contractual creative control, and his was limited to the finishes of his own matches, "not to be unreasonably withheld." WCW's top stars all held a lot of "soft power" regardless of formal contract wording, as management wanted to keep them happy. Not helping these issues in WCW was the fact that it was virtually impossible to actually ''fire'' anyone who didn't want to play ball because WCW's contracts were fully guaranteed, so if someone was able and willing to work they were getting a check no matter what[[/note]], but it should also be noted that the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob happened because of one.[[note]] Wrestling/BretHart had a clause in his contract that gave him final say over his character during his final days with the company. The Screwjob effectively happened because Vince refused to honor this.[[/note]] |
| 71 | * '''Crowbar'''[[note]]Not to be confused with [[Wrestling/DevonStorm the wrestler]] that used Crowbar as his ring name[[/note]]: A wrestler that has a reputation for being stiff and difficult to work with. The most classic examples would be Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors in their early years, as they weren't anywhere close to fully trained when they started and would simply beat up their opponents. |
| 72 | * '''Curtain Jerker''': The wrestlers in the first match of a show (typically a PPV). Can also be derogatory, referring to wrestlers whose matches are inconsequential and just meant to pad out the time (in other words the lowest form of {{Jobber}}), though today most shows open with strong matches that have decent build to get the crowd hot right away, making this an archaic term that's only used as an insult. Note that while "curtain jerker" and "jobber" were often used interchangeably some guys stuck in the opening match actually had a pretty decent win-loss record, especially if they were a babyface, it's just that all those wins were coming against lousy competition. |
| 73 | * '''Cut off''': The action of a heel taking over the match from the babyface at a given point (typically between the shine and the heat segment). Cut off can also be used in tag team wrestling and refers to the heel team keeping the babyface from making the tag by keeping the face away from their corner. |
| 74 | ** Cut off can also be synonymous with abort. To abruptly end an angle due to disinterest, injury, or backstage issues. |
| 75 | * '''Dark''': A town that went unclaimed in the territory days. Traditionally, these were towns that were unprofitable to run in or had been “killed” by some incident. If a promoter decided to claim a town and start running it, it was said that the town was “opened up.” A good example would be when Jerry Jarrett decided to open up Louisville, Kentucky in the early 1970s after a period of being dark. |
| 76 | * '''Dark match''': Traditionally, a non-televised main event match added to an arena TV taping (which would otherwise see squash matches with a few "marquee" matches featuring mid-card competitors) to increase attendance. Nowadays, is used for any non-televised match at a TV or PPV show. WWE has traditionally used pre-show untelevised matches to ensure all attendees are seated prior to the show going live, and their competitors have largely followed suit. |
| 77 | ** The term "dark match" comes from the Memphis territory. Their 90 minute live studio show would be cut to 60 minutes to air in affiliated markets such as Nashville, Tupelo, or Louisville. "Dark" segments were those which would only be seen by the Memphis audience, and great care was taken to ensure that promos aired outside of Memphis wouldn't refer to matches or storylines from the "dark" segments. |
| 78 | ** The ''In Your House'' shows the WWF formerly ran were two hour [=PPVs=] sold at a reduced price, these shows would often have dark matches '''after''' the show went off the air, with upper card wrestlers that weren't on the PPV. For example, the second ''IYH'' show featured a [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]]-[[Wrestling/SidEudy Sycho Sid]] main event and a highly anticipated match between Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Wrestling/JeffJarrett,[[note]]Which is probably the only time you'll see the words "highly anticipated" and "Jeff Jarrett" used in the same sentence[[/note]] after Diesel retained his title the live crowd also saw matches with Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/TheUndertaker. This was done to juice ticket sales and give those fans a full card. |
| 79 | ** It's not uncommon for ''Wrestling/MondayNightRaw'' and ''Wrestling/SmackDownLive'' to also do post-show dark matches, especially if the TV broadcast ends with the heels having the upper hand. After the show goes off the air the babyface makes a comeback or gets saved, an impromptu match happens, and the babyface(s) win, sending the crowd home on a positive note. Unless WWE makes footage of one of these matches available themselves anything that happens in these post-show matches should be considered non-canon. |
| 80 | ** AEW has taken to calling these "Lights Out" matches. |
| 81 | * '''Dates:''' When a promoter agrees to lend a talent to another promoter, they are said to give "dates" on that wrestler. Very rare in the modern era due to contracts and various legal issues, but this frequently happened in the territory days. In exchange for a favor or payment, a promoter might offer dates on a top star. Wrestling/AndreTheGiant frequently got sent around the territories this way[[note]]Vince Sr. would often call territory promoters and ask to bring one of their wrestlers to New York, and to compensate that promoter for basically stealing one of his guys Vince Sr. would give him a week of dates on Andre. Contrast this with Vince ''Jr.'', who would just contact the wrestler directly and then encourage him to not meet any prior commitments[[/note]]. Compare "shot," which is effectively a date from the talent's perspective. |
| 82 | * '''Death Spot:''' When a wrestler is put in the unenviable position of working the match following a really big match or angle on a major show, particularly certain gimmick matches like the Wrestling/RoyalRumble and Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank. More often than not the crowd will be dead for these matches because they're burned out from the previous segment. Often a promoter will see this coming and book something that the crowd won't really care about to begin with (see "Popcorn Match" below) to give the crowd a chance to use the restroom or head to the concession stand, though this can occasionally happen randomly when a match far exceeds what people expected of it. Compare ToughActToFollow. |
| 83 | * '''Dirt Sheet:''' Also referred to as a "scandal sheet" or a "rag". Term for a type of publication that sprung up in the 1980's which would break kayfabe to report on the backstage developments of professional wrestling promotions such as planned angles, match outcomes, and talent being hired or fired. The UrExample would be Dave Meltzer's ''Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter'' which was the first such publication to gain widespread notoriety. Before the internet, these types of publications were cheaply produced and distributed as subscription-based newsletters which were not widely read except by the most dedicated fans. These fans would be christened "smart marks" or "smarks". The proliferation of the internet and the death of kayfabe after the 1991 steroid trial changed the nature of these publications and their distribution. Today a cottage industry of wrestling insider websites and podcasts exist, and wrestling fans are in on the scripted nature of the business to a much greater degree than they were before the early nineties. The term "dirt sheet" still refers to these publications, though it is largely TheArtifact at this point (the ''Observer'' finally went online-only in December 2023.) |
| 84 | * '''Disney Tapings''': [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_Disney_tapings WCW's syndicated TV tapings]] held at Disney Studios in Orlando, infamous for their marathon taping sessions that would reveal ''months'' of storylines in advance[[note]]While the syndicated TV was taped months in advance ''WCW Saturday Night'' was taped every 2 weeks and [=PPVs=] and Clash of the Champions shows were shown live, but everything had to match up with what's already been taped. Thus if you knew the results of the syndicated tapings you could pretty easily predict the results of everything else. This is why the WWF never taped more than 4 weeks at a time and always held [=PPVs=] ''after'' a taping cycle rather than in the middle of it. These shows were also notorious for their crowds, which were basically paid extras that were told who to cheer and boo. WCW did their best to exclude actual wrestling fans to prevent the taping results from getting leaked (and to prevent them from booing babyfaces that weren't getting over), but a couple would always slip through the net and blab about it to the (admittedly tiny at the time) internet wrestling fanbase[[/note]]. This massive breach of kayfabe was believed to be the final straw for the NWA, who cut ties with WCW shortly thereafter[[note]]and never recovered[[/note]]. |
| 85 | * '''Double Booked''': To be booked to work for different promotions or cards on the same day, typically in such a way as to make both appearances impossible. Wrestling/RicFlair, for example, was once double booked for Jim Crockett Promotions and the Florida territory on the same night. Impressively, Flair managed to make both shows thanks to a chartered jet and some creative match placement. |
| 86 | * '''Double Cross''': Has the same meaning in regular parlance, meaning a betrayal within a tag-team, stable, or even between friends, sometimes involving an authority figure corrupting one party. |
| 87 | ** An older meaning of the term is when a wrestler (usually in conjunction with the promoter) changes the agreed-upon finish to the match. This was common in the early days of wrestling, especially around the NWA World Championship which toured the territories. Promoters would conspire to double-cross the champion to have their guy win the belt and bring more prestige to their territory. This was why old-time NWA Champions were usually '''shooters''' and '''hookers''' (see below) like Wrestling/LouThesz. They were usually tough and skilled enough to handle things if the match turned from a work into a shoot. The most famous instance of this older meaning is The Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob. |
| 88 | * '''Double Shot''': When a wrestler works on two different shows in different venues on the same day. Often achieved by having an afternoon show and an evening show with a couple of hours of travel time between them. Much more common in the territory days. |
| 89 | * '''Double Turn''': An angle where the face and heel wrestlers or teams will have effectively switched alignment in the course of the match or angle. One of the best historic examples would be the submission match between Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XIII''. Double turns are regarded as very difficult to pull off, and are rare for that reason. |
| 90 | * '''Draw''': A wrestler's real or imagined ability to convince a crowd to pay money to see them. This is the core of how the business works, wrestlers need to convince people to come see their matches in person, or on television or pay-per-view. Frequently used standalone, or in the term "Draw money" which means the same thing.[[note]]During the territory days "draw" also referred to an advance against your upcoming payoff for road expenses. A wrestler that took too many draws because he was at the bar until close each night would see a pretty light paycheck.[[/note]] |
| 91 | * '''Drop''': A verb used to describe losing a championship title to someone. (e.g. ''Wrestling/JonMoxley dropped the AEW Championship to Wrestling/KennyOmega'') |
| 92 | * '''Dusty Finish''': A finish named for its inventor Wrestling/DustyRhodes [[note]]It was actually first popularized by booker (and Dusty's mentor) Eddie Graham, and likely invented long before that, but Dusty's overuse of it in the 1980s led to him being the namesake[[/note]], wherein one wrestler, typically a babyface, wins a match only to have it reversed after the match on an obscure technicality (double-pins, a foot under the rope, etc.) This was used mostly back in the days when champions would tour different territories to challenge the locals, usually putting their title on the line. The local would pin the champ, only for the decision to be overturned, thus giving a reason for the champ to retain the title and resume touring, while giving the audiences some satisfaction in seeing their hero in a sort-of victory. This was once a pretty standard practice, but was dropped by the wayside after the advent of television shows, where audiences noticed the same finishes occurring over and over again. |
| 93 | * '''Expose:''' To either intentionally or unintentionally highlight a wrestler’s lack of skill or charisma in the ring or on the mic. A good booker knows the limitations of a talent and will work to hide those limitations. A bad booker might unintentionally expose a wrestler by having them cut a promo when they can’t talk or placing them in a match with someone who can’t carry (see above) them. Additionally, talent can expose a wrestler, sometimes intentionally, by highlighting a wrestler’s legitimate flaws either during a match or in a promo. Wrestling/WilliamRegal was once accused of doing this by wrestling Wrestling/BillGoldberg for much longer than Goldberg was used to and taking Goldberg to the mat, which exposed Goldberg’s lack of technical knowledge. A few people, most notably Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/PaulHeyman, have a reputation of ''badly'' exposing people with weak promo skills.[[note]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36cLMYMrOTk Here's Cena]] absolutely slaughtering Wrestling/RomanReigns on the mic. This is why Heyman does most of Reigns' talking now.[[/note]] |
| 94 | * '''Exposing the Business:''' Any action that implies Professional Wrestling is less than 100% legitimate. This can include selling botched moves, two enemies being seen together in public, publicly admitting wrestling is a work, or a variety of other offenses. Since kayfabe isn't protected these days, this is no longer considered a big deal to most wrestlers under a certain age. In the days of the territories, however, [[SeriousBusiness this was a fireable offense that could even get one blackballed from the entire industry, depending on the severity of the exposure.]] |
| 95 | * '''FaceHeelTurn:''' When a good guy ('''babyface''') wrestler switches sides and becomes a bad guy ('''heel'''). |
| 96 | * '''[[RickyMorton Face in peril]]:''' The member of a face tag team who is dominated by the heel team for an extended period of time, a tactic often used to get the crowd behind the face team and prepare for a ''hot tag''. This wrestler is often said to be "playing Ricky Morton", after the wrestler regularly used in this role by Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress. |
| 97 | * '''Fallout show''': A promotion's first televised show after a pay-per-view event. New storylines are often introduced, and consequences of the PPV explained. These shows often draw increased ratings, the episode of ''Monday Night Raw'' that takes place the night after ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' is often the most watched wrestling show of any kind in a given year. Contrast "Go Home Show" below, the last TV show before a PPV. |
| 98 | * '''False Comeback''': Similar to a HopeSpot. When a heel has been getting heat on a babyface and that babyface hits a move or two to make it look like they're still in the fight but the heel cuts off the babyface's offense fairly early, this is a false comeback. These spots exist to keep the fans from losing faith and to raise the audience's investment in that babyface before the actual comeback. |
| 99 | * '''False Finish''': A moment in the match that seems like the logical end, especially after someone hits a finishing move, yet someone still kicks out. |
| 100 | * '''False Tag''': When a babyface tag team makes the tag, but the EasilyDistractedReferee didn't see it or the referee was [[GlassJawReferee unconscious]], so the referee makes the babyface who tagged in return to their corner. Essentially, this is a tag team exclusive false comeback or hope spot. |
| 101 | * '''Feed''': When a heel intentionally runs into a babyface's offense and takes a bump. Typically done several times during the comeback to get the crowd excited. |
| 102 | * '''Feud:''' When two wrestlers fight several times over an issue or title, or when two wrestlers do a lot of build up to one single match, usually over a title. |
| 103 | * '''Fight(ing) From Underneath:''' The act of a babyface attempting a comeback when overmatched by a bigger heel, or when getting jumped by a group of heels. This is as much about selling as it is about actually making a comeback, the goal is to make it look like you're getting the crap kicked out of you but still have some fight left. Pretty much any wrestler worthy of being mentioned on the Main/{{Face}} page is going to be pretty good at this, though smaller babyfaces tend to excel at it. |
| 104 | * '''Fight off''': When two wrestlers get into a fight by the ring and continue fighting until they reach the back. In the territory days, it was actually common for a babyface to do this to protect a heel from a hostile crowd. |
| 105 | * '''Figured in''': To be part of a promoter and booker's long-term plans. Alternatively, to be getting paid very well by a promoter. Pretty much synonymous with a high degree of job security. |
| 106 | * '''Finisher''': A wrestler's FinishingMove. Traditionally, this was highly protected by a wrestler[[note]] usually by refusing to let someone kick out of it or only using it in once in the finish of a match[[/note]] and sometimes by a booker/promoter. |
| 107 | * '''Finish, The''': Part of what is considered the classic four-part match structure: The shine, the heat, the comeback, the finish. The finish is the end of the match, typically with one wrestler beating another, but there are other options like a double count out or no contest. |
| 108 | * '''Finish Up''': To prepare for a wrestler's departure by resolving anything that wrestler is involved in, such as alliances, feuds, or angles. Frequently involves the departing wrestler losing to a variety of people on the way out (see "Job Out" below). |
| 109 | * '''Fire''': A babyface's ability to get the audience invested in them as a person, potentially including their mannerisms, look, and wrestling ability. Can also describe a comeback (see above). A babyface with poor fire will likely languish on the lower card or be turned heel. |
| 110 | * '''Flat Back Bump:''' To fall or land flat on the back, with arms and legs out wide and the chin tucked in, this spreads the impact of the fall over a wide area, while tucking the chin safeguards against head and neck injures. This is usually the first thing taught in wrestling schools and drilled into students with constant repetition, many wrestlers of the previous generation (and even a few of the current one) have talked about doing nothing but running the ropes and falling on their backs for the first few weeks or even ''months'' of their training. |
| 111 | * '''Foreign Object''': Any type of weapon used on a wrestler. You’ve got your classics like chairs and tables, more personalized ones like sledgehammers and two by fours, and downright bizzare ones like cacti and kitchen sinks. Typically they’re only used in no disqualification matches, or in a heel spot. |
| 112 | * '''Format''': In the territorial days of wrestling, this was as close to a "script" as one would find. It simply listed the segments in order to give the announcers and production crew an idea of what was coming up (something every TV show does). Also called a "run sheet". Information was kept to a minimum to preserve kayfabe lest a fan or other outsider find one.[[note]]Today formats actually '''are scripts''', at least in WWE, with promos written out word for word. Formats are frequently leaked online, and usually mocked, but no one really cares because by that point the show has already happened. To give you an idea of how over-produced wrestling has become, formats in the Wrestling/AttitudeEra were around 5 pages and before that maybe one sheet of a legal pad. In the 2020s they average around ''40 pages''.[[/note]] |
| 113 | * '''Freebird Rule:''' An unofficial "rule" allowing a stable with three or more members to challenge for and defend a tag team title with any two of its members. Named after The Fabulous Freebirds, who popularized this concept. |
| 114 | * '''Fuck Finish:''' Basically any finish that isn't considered a clear and decisive victory for one of the participants. Draws, countouts, disqualifications, the dreaded Dusty Finish (see above), manager interference, and getting the pin after the ref gets bumped and [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder about 20 heels come down and beat up the babyface]] are all examples of fuck finishes. Contrast "Clean Finish" above. When done properly they help build (or extend the life of) an angle and draw more money in the long run, when done too often or when done at the wrong time (like in blowoff matches or at major events) fans start feeling like they're being ripped off and tune out. Too many of these finishes are believed to have not only killed off WCW, with the constant nWo beatdowns and the later constant convoluted finishes under the Russo regime, but also [=WCW's=] predecessor company Jim Crockett Promotions (again, see "Dusty Finish" above). In polite company the term "screwjob finish", which is closely related but not exactly the same thing[[note]]A screwjob finish puts the heat on the heel, a fuck finish puts it on the promotion[[/note]], will usually be used instead. |
| 115 | * '''Future Endeavored''': Fired. Comes from WWE's standard message for announcing releases, in which the company without fail "wishes [wrestler] well in their future endeavors."[[note]]When WWE ''doesn't'' do this, either by giving a very curtly worded press release (like "WWE has terminated [X]'s contract") or not saying anything publicly and just leaking it to the dirtsheets, it's a pretty sure sign the wrestler in question was [[Main/RoleEndingMisdemeanor canned for some sort of serious disciplinary issue]], rather than cost cuts or "creative has nothing for you".[[/note]] |
| 116 | * '''{{Garbage wrestl|ing}}er''': A common synonym for "hardcore" wrestling; a style based more on brawling, weapons, and highspots than traditional working styles. |
| 117 | ** It can be said that there's two grades of garbage wrestling. The first, generally referred to as "hardcore" or "extreme" wrestling involves lots of foreign object use (primarily chairs, tables, and ladders, WWE even has a show called ''Tables, Ladders, and Chairs'') but these objects are usually gimmicked in some way, or worked with in the safest way possible (see "Plunder" below). Blood is often seen but only from the forehead via blading, fire and barbed wire is used sparingly. Stunts such as jumping off a high place onto an opponent laying prone on a table are commonplace. This style was popularized by Wrestling/{{ECW}}[[note]]Though it traces its roots back to the Memphis territory, and was heavily influenced by both Japanese promotion Wrestling/{{FMW}} and the wild bloody brawls of Puerto Rican promotions like WWC[[/note]] and was heavily featured in the Wrestling/{{WWE}} during the Wrestling/AttitudeEra and the Wrestling/RuthlessAggressionEra, today it is prevalent across all North American promotions. |
| 118 | ** The second type of garbage wrestling is what's known as "deathmatch" or [[Wrestling/{{CZW}} "Ultraviolent"]] wrestling, which is like if someone read the above paragraph and said "Okay, but how can we make it ''really'' unsafe?" Window panes, fluorescent light tubes, explosives, power tools, and liberal use of barbed wire and fire are the hallmarks of deathmatch wrestling. These matches tend to be incredibly bloody thanks to the participants getting cut to shreds on real broken glass and razor wire because there's no real "working" involved, it's just people willingly and intentionally inflicting injuries on themselves and each other. Unlike the hardcore wrestling above deathmatch wrestling is mostly relegated to the VFW halls and [[Music/InsaneClownPosse Juggalo gatherings]], though it's a bit more popular in Japan, remaining currently strong in the independent circuit. These matches are absolutely ''despised'' by many in the wrestling business (WWE refuses to even acknowledge it) because it takes no actual talent and it casts the entire business in a very bad light.[[note]]Wrestling/JimCornette is probably the most vocal critic of this type of "wrestling" and rightly so, as deathmatch promotion IWA-Mid South went so far overboard with it that they nearly got pro wrestling '''banned entirely''' in Cornette's home state of Kentucky, which caused a ton of hassles when he owned Ohio Valley Wrestling (which at the time was [=WWE's=] developmental promotion). Even to this day Kentucky is second only to New York in having the strictest athletic commission with regards to wrestling, and a handful of states (Maryland in particular, as evidenced by them slapping Wrestling/{{AEW}} with a $10,000 fine after Wrestling/KennyOmega used a barbed wire broom in a match with Wrestling/JonMoxley, along with a warning that any further trouble would lead to their show getting shut down and their promoter's license revoked) have rules in place that act as a ''de facto'' ban of this sort of "blood and guts" wrestling.[[/note]] |
| 119 | ** To sum it up, if two wrestlers are having a match that's dangerous, but if everyone behaves like a professional and everything goes as it should then everyone goes home with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises, that's a hardcore match. If a trip to the emergency room is a certainty even if everything goes exactly to plan, that's deathmatch wrestling. |
| 120 | * '''Gas/Gassed''': Historically, "gas" was slang for steroids, but nowadays, "gassed" is more often used to describe when a wrestler is blown up or exhausted from a match, i.e. "out of gas". |
| 121 | * '''Gate''': The money collected in ticket sales for a show. During the territory days (and today with some smaller promotions) wrestlers were paid a percentage of the gate, meaning more fans equaled better payoffs[[note]]Of course what the promoter ''said'' the gate was and what the gate ''actually was'' were often two different amounts. This skimming was done more to screw the [[Wrestling/MikeRotunda IRS]] and the state athletic commissions (who usually got a 10% cut) rather than the boys, though some promoters were known for going a bit overboard with it[[/note]], though today television rights fees are the main source of revenue and wrestlers are on fixed contracts. Shows like ''[=WrestleMania=]'' and the [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling NJPW]] Tokyo Dome shows can draw gates in the 8 figures, while [=WCW's=] ''Road Wild'' pay-per-views and ''Bash at the Beach'' 1995 drew a '''$0''' gate because they were held at the [[UsefulNotes/SouthDakota Sturgis]] motorcycle rally and an actual beach in Southern California, respectively, free for whoever wanted to show up. |
| 122 | * '''Gig marks''': Deep scars on the forehead that stem from a wrestler blading too often in his career. Abdullah the Butcher was infamous for these [[note]] To the point that he used to put items in his scars[[/note]], but most wrestlers who were on top for a long period of time before the '90s would have them to some extent. They became less common among North American wrestlers during the '90s due to TV networks cracking down on the amount of blood and violence in wrestling, and WWE banning blading outright at various points in its history. |
| 123 | * '''[[TheGimmick/ProfessionalWrestling Gimmick]]''': |
| 124 | ** A character portrayed by a professional wrestler. This includes the character's moves, mannerisms, appearance, entrance music and promo style. Many wrestlers have several gimmicks throughout their careers until, if they're lucky, they find one that resonates and they stick with it through their career. |
| 125 | ** Also can refer to merchandise; often in the context of (in an independent promotion) merchandise directly sold by the wrestler or someone in his employ. "Gimmick table" refers to the merchandise stand (not to be confused with gimmick''ed'' table, that's the next entry.) |
| 126 | ** Can also, as a verb, be used in the context of altering a prop for visual effect. For example, gimmicking a table consists of sawing partially through it on the underside for a better breakage.[[note]]Pre-cutting tables will often result in the table breaking before it's supposed to, which not only ruins the spot but also looks really fake. The proper way to gimmick a table is to simply remove the metal bracing from the underside, then do the spot with wrestlers that are actually big enough to break it. The custom WWE commentary tables are specifically designed to collapse in on themselves to make the bump as safe as possible (provided the monitors are removed), and helped along by removing most of the pins that hold the table together.[[/note]] |
| 127 | ** Can ''also'' be used to describe an object that a wrestler always carries with him (or has someone else carry for them) like Wrestling/TheUndertaker's urn or Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s black baseball bat. |
| 128 | * '''[[Main/GimmickMatches Gimmick Match]]:''' Basically any match that's not a standard one-on-one singles or two-on-two tag match with all basic rules being enforced (and some would even consider tag team matches to be gimmick matches.) At one point these were mainly done on pay-per-views or other shows meant to draw a bigger than normal crowd, and were always the main event, but the overuse of them starting in the Wrestling/AttitudeEra (particularly in Wrestling/{{ECW}}[[note]]Which basically had no rules outside of that a pinfall or submission would end the match, in other words nearly '''every match in ECW''' was a gimmick match. As Wrestling/LanceStorm put it, "ECW let us break all the rules. It also taught us ''why'' those rules existed in the first place"[[/note]]) has severely reduced their drawing power. Cage matches, ladder matches, any sort of [[Main/GarbageWrestler Garbage Wrestling]], and the Wrestling/RoyalRumble are some examples. A pretty extensive list can be found [[Main/GimmickMatches here]], and another one [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling_match_types here]]. |
| 129 | * '''Give''': To allow a lower-card or new wrestler more offense than one would expect given the gap in status between the wrestlers. Established wrestlers typically did this because they liked the new wrestler or saw potential in their future, but it was also sometimes done as a favor. Ex: "Wrestling/TerryFunk gave Wrestling/EddieGuerrero a lot of offense because Terry was trying to help Eddie get a spot in {{Wrestling/WCW}}." |
| 130 | * '''Glom''': A sneak attack from behind outside of a match. Usually refers to a heel or group of heels jumping a babyface backstage, if it happens in the ring it will often be called getting "[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Pearl Harbored]]". |
| 131 | * '''Go/Going Home''': Enter the final sequence of the match (comeback or finish). Typically refers to being called as an audible, for an injury, a missed time cue, [[https://youtu.be/7zIXkND6hAs?t=412 because the handful of muscle relaxers you took before the match just kicked in]], or other sudden reason. |
| 132 | * '''Go-home show''': A promotion's last televised show before a pay-per-view event. Promotions will typically not run house shows in the days immediately before a PPV, allowing the wrestlers to literally go home and rest up for the PPV. Usually consists of lots of talking and video packages but very little in-ring action, as no one wants to get injured a couple days before a big payoff. Contrast "Fallout Show", the first TV show ''after'' a PPV. |
| 133 | * '''Going into Business (for Themselves)''': A wrestler who, for real, decides to ignore the script or refuses to cooperate with their opponent and does their own thing (e.g. leaving a match halfway, intentionally hurting another wrestler, referee, or even a fan without provocation, performing a dangerous spot without conferring with their partner). This is regarded as the highest form of unprofessionalism in wrestling, as wrestlers need to be able to trust each other to be able to work together and protect each other. Wrestlers who go into business for themselves are often quickly, sometimes permanently ostracized by the industry. "Going into business for yourself" can also refer to wrestlers airing real life grievances or otherwise going "off script" during promos, while this isn't quite as serious as doing it during a match it can still lead to [[Main/HostilityOnTheSet backstage fights]][[note]]Like the AEW ''All Out'' 2022 fiasco, detailed over on the [[TroubledProduction/ProfessionalWrestling Troubled Production]] page[[/note]] and people being told [[Main/RoleEndingMisdemeanor they can go cut their shoot promos somewhere else from now on.]][[note]]Like Wrestling/RicFlair, who was [=WCW's=] booker at the time, shitcanning Wrestling/PaulHeyman after Heyman cut a Main/WorkedShoot promo (back before the "worked shoot" was even a thing) without authorization. [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections Heyman would play the "My dad's a lawyer" card and was promptly re-hired.]][[/note]] |
| 134 | * '''Go/Going Over''': To win a professional wrestling match. The opposite is to "put" someone over (see: '''Job'''). |
| 135 | * '''Going wide''': Using the fixed-angle wide camera with no zoom for an extended period during a match. This is commonly due to an accidental cut or a wardrobe malfunction. |
| 136 | * '''Good hand''': A wrestler regarded as skilled by other wrestlers. This isn't a synonym for "worker," as the emphasis isn't on action, but rather for being easy for other wrestlers to work with. This involves things such as not being too stiff, being in the right place for spots, and providing the right amount of assistance to the other wrestler. A particularly good hand can be referred to as a "night off." Can also be a form of damning with faint praise, as while other wrestlers may enjoy working with a good hand, a good hand may not have the necessary charisma or ringwork to be a star. |
| 137 | * '''Gorilla position''': The area backstage immediately before the entrance ramp, or the senior agent placed there. The agent is responsible for cueing entrance music, and sending wrestlers out at the appropriate time, as well as ensuring they have any necessary props (weapons, championship belts, etc.) before hitting the ring. Named after the late Gorilla Monsoon, who fulfilled this role at many WWF TV tapings. Since communications technology was not readily available back then, the position also allowed Monsoon to signal the referees to wrap up a match by waggling his glasses. WCW called it the "Jody position", after Jody Hamilton, who often served in this role at its tapings; AEW calls it the "Dusty position" after Wrestling/DustyRhodes, late father of company cofounder Wrestling/CodyRhodes. |
| 138 | * '''Goozle''': To choke, grab, or attack another wrestler by the neck. Sometimes the setup to the chokeslam. |
| 139 | * '''Gusher''': A deep cut which bleeds heavily. Typically caused by botching a bladejob and cutting too deep, though it may be purposefully performed. A famous example would be Eddie Guerrero's bladejob at ''Judgement Day'' in 2004, which left the ring drenched in blood after he accidentally hit a blood vessel. |
| 140 | * '''Guzzle''': To completely dominate a match at the other wrestler's expense. |
| 141 | * '''Grab a Hold''': An instruction used to get a match back on track if there's been a mistiming, botch, or a miscommunication. Grabbing a submission hold settles things down and gives both competitors time to get on the same page again and plan their next move. |
| 142 | * '''Green''': Inexperienced, a rookie wrestler. Short for "greenhorn" and not exclusive to wrestling; it's a common term in many blue-collar jobs. |
| 143 | * '''Hardcam/Hardcamera:''' A fixed camera, typically positioned in the audience seats so that it can look down and capture the whole ring. Not only is this the most common view for home audiences, when wrestlers are delivering promos, they will often look directly at the hardcam. Floor cameras will generally be positioned on the same side of the ring as the hard camera, maintaining a consistent field of vision. Hardcams are also useful because a show can disguise an empty arena by having the live audience seated opposite the hardcam. |
| 144 | * '''Hardway:''' Drawing blood legitimately, without the use of a blade, either intentionally or by accident. When someone bleeds the "hardway" they typically had a cut or gash inflicted by a strike or a weapon and split open. Sometimes done intentionally, more often than not a mistake. Also used as a verb, to "hardway" someone is to strike them and draw blood. Wrestling/BrockLesnar's forearm strike that split open Wrestling/RomanReigns at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 34'' is a good example of someone being busted open hardway.[[note]]It's also a good example of why wrestlers use the blade, as both Reigns and Wrestling/RandyOrton ended up concussed in the process of being intentionally hardway'd thanks to [=WWE's=] strict "No blading" (but ''not'' "No blood") policy.[[/note]] The hardway was considered to be "good for the business" back in the day because many felt it made professional wrestling look legitimate. |
| 145 | * '''Head drop''': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A move's receiver landing on top of their head]], either due to a botch or on purpose; often results in a legit concussion or neck injury. While a number of finishers do this deliberately - such as the famous [[Wrestling/KentaKobashi Burning Hammer]] - the extreme, inherent danger of such moves means they're very rarely brought out. |
| 146 | * '''Heat''': Heat can simply refer to a wrestler's ability to get a reaction from the fans. However, heat is usually used to describe the ability of a Heel (see below) to make the crowd hate him or her, with other kinds of heat being given other names. This is not a bad thing. Far from it. The more heat a heel has, the more the fans dislike them and want to see the babyface beat them, and is basically how the heel draws money. |
| 147 | ** ''Babyface heat'' refers to a babyface's ability to get people to like them and react loudly to them. |
| 148 | ** ''Backstage heat'' refers to legitimate anger between two pro wrestlers, or between any of the myriad backstage personalities, performers, and executives behind the show (the last one will often be called "heat with the office"). This can lead to fights, disciplinary action such as de-pushes, suspensions, or even to people getting fired if the issue is detrimental enough. |
| 149 | ** A variant of Backstage Heat is ''Locker Room Heat'', where wrestlers are unpopular with some or all of the other wrestlers in a promotion, but typically for things that wouldn't warrant disciplinary action (see Wrestling/TheMiz being hazed in his rookie year for being a '[[Series/TheRealWorld reality star]]' rather than a legitimate wrestler). In the past wrestlers with locker room heat would often be hauled in front of "[[KangarooCourt Wrestler's Court]]", see below. |
| 150 | ** ''Canned heat'' is pre-recorded crowd noise edited into broadcasts or played over speakers. |
| 151 | ** ''Bad heat'', sometimes referred to euphemistically as ''the wrong kind of heat'', is when a match outcome or a character so offends the paying audience that they are effectively booing the product rather than the heel. This is exceptionally dangerous, as it can be mistaken for legitimate heel heat, and potentially damage a market if that heel returns in a leading role. For example, in the mid-90s when the Gangstas (a group of black wrestlers) debuted in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (a southern promotion with mostly white audiences), their racially charged promos drew loud boos, leading the promotion to think they were getting over as heels, but effectively killed live attendance in return meetings. If it gets ''really'' bad, sometimes to the point where the entire venue is about to riot and assault the wrestlers (see, again, the Gangstas), it's called ''Nuclear Heat''. |
| 152 | ** A variant to bad heat that is so prevalent it has its own category is ''go-away heat'', more famously known as XPacHeat, which is when a crowd legitimately hates a person on a wrestling show as opposed to hating the character a wrestler performs as and how it is presented in the context of the angle or match. This can happen for a variety of reasons: |
| 153 | *** Overexposure - this was how [[Wrestling/SeanWaltman X-Pac]] became the TropeNamer, by regularly winning midcard and upper midcard matches against more interesting opponents without actually doing anything or evolving, despite being a talented performer. |
| 154 | *** A gap between push and the fans' perceived level of a wrestler's performance or entertainment value - this is the problem Wrestling/RomanReigns faced for many years. |
| 155 | *** A real-life incident causing the fans to choose a side and rally against the wrestler they think was wronged, such as the case when Wrestling/{{Lita}} cheated on Wrestling/MattHardy with Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} and the fans turned on Lita and Edge. Edge managed to turn this heat to his advantage to become a top-line star, while Lita's career tanked as a result of it. |
| 156 | ** Having '''no heat''', as in getting no reaction from the fans ''at all'', is the kiss of death in wrestling. Wrestlers that get silence from crowds are usually quickly repackaged or told that their services are no longer required. |
| 157 | ** '''Silent Heat''', while not seen much these days, is the most dangerous form of heat. If a wrestler is getting heat on a babyface and the crowd goes from angry and making noise to silent, it means the fans are no longer interested in seeing the babyface overcome the heel and are instead looking for a way to reach the heel or searching for weapons to attack the heel with. It's the moment the crowd goes from "I want to see my favorite wrestler get that monster" to "Where's a brick? I'm going to bash his head in myself." Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield once experienced this when he wrestled Wrestling/EddieGuerrero in Eddie's hometown of El Paso. As JBL went after Eddie's mom, the crowd went silent. Eddie told him to "get the fuck out here," and JBL was quickly escorted out of the building and El Paso. |
| 158 | * '''Heat machine:''' Recorded crowd noise (cheers, boos, or chants for particular wrestlers) piped into the arena's PA system, used to encourage similar reactions among the live attendants. Can also refer to similar effects added in post-production. Can often become a thing of derision; such as when at one WCW PPV, referees were attempting to clean debris from the ring with loud cheers occurring at regular intervals. Largely a thing of the past. Or at least it was until the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, when WWE was forced to run shows with no fans. In their defense the heat machine was also being used in regular sports around this time, for example the UsefulNotes/{{NFL}} (also running with no fans) was piping in the crowd noise from the VideoGame/MaddenNFL series during games. |
| 159 | * '''Heat Magnet''': A heel known for their ability to generate intense animosity from the fans. It can also be used in a shoot context to describe someone within the wrestling industry known for causing trouble and getting themselves significant backstage heat, or someone who gets a lot of backstage heat because of their public perception, whether it is deserved or not. |
| 160 | * '''Heat, The''': Not to be confused with '''Heat''', but related to it. The Heat is part of what is considered the classic four-part match structure: The shine, the heat, the comeback, the finish. The heat is the part of the match where the heel cheats to gain an advantage. |
| 161 | * '''{{Heel}}''': The "bad guy" or "villain" in a professional wrestling match or angle. |
| 162 | * '''HeelFaceTurn:''' When a bad guy ('''heel''') wrestler switches sides and becomes a good guy ('''babyface'''). |
| 163 | * '''Heel program:''' When two heels feud with each other. Generally discouraged, especially in the old days, because the fans have no one to get behind, which is an important element of WrestlingPsychology. Sometimes done to set up a HeelFaceTurn. Compare EvilVersusEvil. The term is used more to describe a business/creative dispute where everyone involved comes out of it looking pretty lousy (the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob would be cited as an example by many) rather than anything seen on camera. |
| 164 | * '''Hey rube''': A brawl. The term is antiquated but comes from the carny days when a wrestler or someone else involved in the carnival would get in a brawl with a mark and yell "hey rube" as a signal to others that they were brawling with a "rube" or mark. |
| 165 | * '''Highspot''': Either a sequence of spots, a high risk move (legitimately and in Kayfabe), or a moment in a match where the crowd's reaction reaches its peak. |
| 166 | * '''Hold Up''': When a talent threatens to no show (see below) an advertised match due to pay disputes. Wrestling/JeffJarrett famously did this when he refused to lose the WWF Intercontinental Championship to {{Wrestling/Chyna}} without receiving a six-figure guarantee (in Jarrett's defense his contract expired the day before and he wasn't under any legal obligation to do the match at all.) Jarett got his money but also ended up being blackballed from the company for nearly twenty years, which led to the creation of [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]. |
| 167 | * '''Homesteader''': Used in the territory days to describe a wrestler who never left a particular territory. Since most wrestlers cycled through the territories at some point in their careers, a homesteader was usually a wrestler who could only work in a specific territory due to their history and relationship with the promotion's fans that would be hard to recreate anywhere else. Sometimes this resulted out of loyalty, steady use, or great pay. The closest modern equivalent would probably be Wrestling/TheUndertaker since he remained with {{Wrestling/WWE}} for thirty years and obviously couldn't take the gimmick with him had he left. |
| 168 | * '''Hooker''': An archaic term, and the title of early NWA champion Wrestling/LouThesz's autobiography. What shooters are to performing wrestlers, hookers were to shooters; not only could they wrestle, but they knew how to hurt or maim someone. |
| 169 | ** The term's meaning changes with the times. Before the National Wrestling Alliance and for sometime afterwards, all champions such as Thesz would be hookers, in case someone tried to go into business for themselves. As the NWA territories became established so did the "hooking" practice of baiting fans into lasting a certain amount of time in the ring with a wrestler for a cash prize. In this case the "hooker" would know at least one hold that could quickly subdue an unexpectedly tough challenger, to prevent the promoter from having to pay up while also having the theatrical skills to let the suckers think they stood a chance. Hooking more or less died with the territories, for obvious legal reasons, [[note]] Even in the dying days of hooking, lawsuits occasionally happened and many promoters banned the practice [[/note]] but a similar concept is still occasionally used, albeit with plants and not real fans. With the collapse of the territories, hooker tends to refer to someone a promoter or booker puts someone they don't like in a match with specifically to get them hurt (see policeman below). |
| 170 | ** British wrestlers often used the similar term "ripper", which not only connoted an ability to harm opponents in the ring, but also a legitimate mean streak and willingness to hurt others. Arguably the most famous "ripper" would be AWA wrestler Billy Robinson. |
| 171 | * '''HopeSpot:''' Often used in a Face-In-Peril situation, this teases the RickyMorton's attempt to get the hot tag and let his partner take over to kick ass, only for the attempt to be quashed by the heel team. |
| 172 | * '''Hoss''': A large wrestler with a well-built body, but often with little technical wrestling ability, sluggish in-ring style and sometimes not much charisma. Can be used as both a positive and a negative term. |
| 173 | * '''Hot''': Whether a promotion is popular with the audience, consistently draws large crowds, sells merchandise, gets wrestlers over, etc. It's often been said that a hot promotion can almost do nothing wrong, while a cold promotion can do almost nothing to get hot again. If the term is applied to a wrestler or tag team, it is synonymous with over. Because many consider the wrestling business to be cyclical, the entire business can be described as hot if every major promoter is doing well. |
| 174 | * '''Hot shotting''': Effectively, running the promotion in fast forward with rapid-fire can't miss angles, title changes, heel/face turns. While this can quickly burn out a booker, talent base, and paying audience, sometimes it's regarded as a necessary risk in order to build fan interest. |
| 175 | ** It can also refer to booking that is built at the spur of the moment and without a long-term plan. This can often lead to matches or angles that are developed out of nowhere and end just as quickly, leading to wrestlers who don't gain sustained pushes or satisfying payoffs (see Wrestling/KofiKingston's sudden push to the WWE Championship, and just as sudden loss). |
| 176 | ** Note that hot shot booking may not necessarily be bad. A wrestler may get injured or fall ill and derail an ongoing angle, perhaps even at the last minute before a show or pay-per-view, and something needs to be done to replace said wrestler. |
| 177 | ** Hot shotting was considered downright necessary in the territories if business fell in the toilet. A good booker, however, knew when to pull back so the hot shotting didn't burn out the fans and kill the territory's towns. Promoters also sometimes hot shotted to get a territory hot to sell it. This unscrupulous practice was done to make a territory look more profitable than it actually was and left the buyer holding the bag. The most unethical promoters would even buy the territory back at a reduced rate and then start the process again to sell it to yet another victim. |
| 178 | * '''Hot tag''': The key moment in a tag team match. Typically, the heel team will isolate one wrestler from his partner, and then wear him out for an extended period of time. When the wrestler tags his fresh partner, typically this is the comeback for the babyface team. |
| 179 | ** A '''Cold tag''' or "iceberg tag" is when the crowd doesn't react to a "hot" tag because the heat hasn't been properly built up, or because the babyface doesn't know how to properly make a comeback. This will kill a tag match dead in its tracks and is a sign of a lack of training and/or poor agenting. |
| 180 | * '''House''': The paid live attendance for an event. As wrestlers have almost always been paid a percentage of the gate receipts, the term carries significant usage. |
| 181 | * '''House show''': A live event not aired for television. House shows were once the bread and butter for wrestling promotions, with TV acting as a loss leader and advertising medium. Nowadays, they take a back seat to pay-per-views and television revenue. |
| 182 | * '''Hulking Up''': The exaggerated movements, no-selling, and expressions associated with a wrestler's comeback. Although it's associated with Wrestling/HulkHogan, many other wrestlers, such as Wrestling/JerryLawler, have had similar routines. |
| 183 | * '''Independent:''' Historically referred to wrestling promotions that weren't Wrestling/{{NWA}} members, but weren't considered "outlaw promotions" (see below) because they weren't encroaching on any NWA territory. Examples include the Wrestling/{{WWF}}, the Wrestling/{{AWA}} (both of whom were NWA members at one point), and Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. Today independent, or "indies", refers to smaller promotions that for financial reasons are limited to a small geographic area and usually don't have any sort of TV deal.[[note]]Exactly what is and isn't a "indie" can be somewhat debatable, Wrestling/RingOfHonor was considered one despite being owned by a billion dollar broadcast conglomerate and having a syndicated TV deal that put their show in nearly as many homes as ''Monday Night Raw''. ROH themselves never really being able to figure out exactly where they stood (or wanted to stand) on the wrestling ladder under Sinclair ownership is a big reason why the company is now an Wrestling/{{AEW}} sub-brand[[/note]] Most current wrestlers began their career in one of these promotions. |
| 184 | * '''IWC''': Internet Wrestling Community, the various websites, discussion boards, etc., where fans discuss wrestling. Exclusively the domain of (and pretty much synonymous with) the Main/SmartMark, see below. |
| 185 | * '''Japan tour''': Professional wrestling in Japan doesn't run a consistent house show circuit, but rather "tours" of specific length, typically starting and ending in Tokyo. This allows for extended rest periods between tours for talent, shared travel and room accommodations, and allows rotation of talent between specific tours. Thus, many Western professional wrestlers will have made one or more of these tours, even if they don't otherwise work in Japan. |
| 186 | * '''Jerk The Curtain''': To wrestle the first match of the card; wrestlers commonly booked in this manner are sometimes called "curtain jerkers." |
| 187 | * '''Job''': A loss in a wrestling match. The act of losing can be referred to as "jobbing", "to do/doing the job", "doing the honors", "doing the favors" or "putting someone over". |
| 188 | * '''{{Jobber}}''': Also referred to as "job guy", "carpenter", "enhancement talent", and "ham and egger" [[note]] The amount of money they make being the equivalent of a plate of ham and eggs[[/note]] this is a pro wrestler whose primary purpose is to lose matches. These performers are important, as they are needed to build up new stars by giving them ring experience and someone to win matches against. Oftentimes Jobbers are some of the more experienced wrestlers in a promotion and work with young talent, sort of on the job training. [[Wrestling/SteveLombardi The Brooklyn Brawler]] served in this role for a long time in WWE, and is still a trainer and agent behind the scenes. Although the term carries negative connotations today, professional jobbers were often highly respected within the industry. The term carpenter came from the expression "They can't draw you a house, but they can build one," emphasizing their importance in helping get other wrestlers over. Jobbers with unique skills, such as taking a specific bump or voluntarily dislocating the shoulder, were highly sought after and traveled from territory to territory to help get a wrestler or move over. |
| 189 | * '''Jobber to the Stars''': Can mean two different things depending on who's using it. |
| 190 | ** Historically, it was used to refer to wrestlers who were so low on the totem pole they didn't always make it onto the shows, but who were still a step above the generic doughy no-entrance no-gimmick full jobbers. Unlike a normal jobber, who strictly worked television tapings, a jobber to the stars would work underneath on house show tours. They were usually given at least a little bit of time to shine in their matches, and might occasionally win matches against full jobbers or each other. The position was often given to young wrestlers seen as potential future superstars who needed more experience, and to veterans who the company didn't want to push anymore but who were valuable for their ability to make their opponents look good. The vast majority of jobbers to the stars would be considered babyfaces, as they would be used to build up the heel side of the roster in preparation for matches with higher-up babyfaces. Well known jobbers to the stars include Special Delivery Jones, Wrestling/BarryHorowitz, and The Gambler. This usage is falling off as the role itself isn't used much anymore, but as of 2021 AEW has a great example of one in Serpentico. |
| 191 | ** In more modern times, it's used to refer to wrestlers who always seem to be in or near the main event scene, but can't ever quite seem to win the big one. They may even be given a 'transitional' title reign, but in the long run they'll always come out looking inferior to the true superstars ([[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], Wrestling/JohnCena, etc...). Wrestling/{{Kane}} is a great example. |
| 192 | * '''Job out''': To lose a series of matches when on your way out of a company. Called the "time honored tradition" by Wrestling/VinceMcMahon during the famous [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob "Bret screwed Bret"]] interview. As there's really no point in investing time and resources in a wrestler that's leaving by pushing them the only sensible thing to do is use them to help get other talent over. Depending on the acrimony of the promoter-wrestler divorce these can range from simple clean losses in competitive matches to outright burials. |
| 193 | ** "Job(bed) out" can also refer to a wrestler losing most (or all) of his matches as punishment for some sort of infraction. Wrestling/TripleH's burial in 1996 as punishment for the "Curtain Call" incident is the most widely known example of this. |
| 194 | * '''''Joshi puroresu''''' (or simply '''''joshi'''''): Japanese women's wrestling. Japan differs from most of the rest of the world in that women traditionally work in separate promotions from men, although joshi promotions semi-regularly cooperate with their men's counterparts.[[note]]Creator/{{Bushiroad}}, which has been the principal owner of [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling NJPW]] since 2012, took said cooperation to the logical extreme by purchasing [[Wrestling/WorldWonderRingStardom Stardom]] in 2019.[[/note]] |
| 195 | * '''Juice''': Typically synonymous was blood, i.e. getting juice, but it can also allude to steroids, especially when prefixed with "the." (E.x.: "Wrestling/NewJack had a reputation for getting juice in matches" vs. "Wrestling/ScottSteiner was on the juice during much of his WCW run.") |
| 196 | * '''{{Kayfabe}}''': The art of presenting professional wrestling as a legitimate athletic competition. Up until the 1980's kayfabe was kept at all times; wrestlers never appeared out of character or acknowledged their lives outside of the ring, and breaking kayfabe was punishable by anything from ostracization by other wrestlers to firing and blackballing from the industry. These days kayfabe refers more to the in-world context of specific parts of wrestling performance, e.g. someone suffering a "kayfabe" injured shoulder doesn't actually have an injured shoulder, they are pretending to for the purposes of a story line. |
| 197 | * '''Killing a town''': An action or inaction that severely damages the houses in a particular town. This can include exposing the business in that town, poor booking, or a popular wrestler leaving. Note that some wrestlers used to kill a town on purpose, especially smaller towns, because they no longer wanted to work there. Can be instantaneous or stem from years of bad decisions. Ex: "The Sheik killed Detroit by staying on top for twenty years and refusing to do jobs." A town or territory that had been killed off was referred to as having "gone dark". This can also happen due to events outside a promoter's control, New York went dark in the late 1930s after someone stooged to a newspaper and exposed the business, and didn't make a comeback until the elder Vince [=McMahon=] started running there in the 1960s. |
| 198 | * '''King's Road''': A style of Japanese pro-wrestling that emerged from [[Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling AJPW]] in the 90s. It took the in-ring fantastical storytelling of American pro-wrestling, and stripped it of all gimmicks, feuds, or angles, as well as elements such as blading and submission holds being discarded. Matches could only be won by pinfall, and the narratives typically involved sport-loke 'fighting spirit' and surpassing one's limits. Unfortunately, this translated to an escalation of dangerous stunts to increasingly raise the stakes, with wrestlers constantly resorting to using moves that dropped their opponents on their heads and necks. After Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa, one of Japan's biggest wrestling stars, [[CasualtyInTheRing died in the ring]] likely due to prolonged use of this style, it has since been largely phased out. See also 'Strong Style', the competing style of Japanese wrestling at the time and has had greater longevity. |
| 199 | * '''Laying It In:''' To work stiff (see below) but still safely for the sake of realism. During pay-per-views or other big matches some wrestlers will put a little more bite on their strikes and a little more oomph into their bumps to make it look good, though doing this without the consent of the opponent or when it's not really warranted (like random TV matches or matches with spots so obviously fake that there's no point in making any of it look real) is considered unprofessional. |
| 200 | * '''Leader''': The wrestler calling the match. Alternatively, an experienced veteran within a match. A match between two inexperienced wrestlers, which is very much discouraged, is said to have had no leader. |
| 201 | * '''Light''': Essentially, the opposite of stiff. A move that doesn't hit hard. Can be a negative quality in a wrestler though if the lightness makes the move look fake. |
| 202 | * '''Live-to-tape''': For a TV production that isn't filmed all the way live, live-to-tape recording means that the show is recorded ahead of time, but it is recorded in order and with gaps for commercial breaks; the live audience is effectively seeing the same show that will air on TV later. The alternative is a "clip show." |
| 203 | * '''Locker room leader''': A highly respected veteran, typically a main eventer, who holds enormous influence over the other boys in the locker room. Younger wrestlers often seek out a leader for advice regarding their careers or even general life advice. Wrestling/TheUndertaker is the classic example for the WWE, to the point that Wrestling/TripleH, who was a veteran himself at that point, actually sought the Undertaker’s advice when he started dating Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon in real life. |
| 204 | * '''Locker room sellout''': A match that the wrestlers themselves want to see and watch from the back, either because they know it's going to be great, terrible, or real life heat exists between the competitors. This is also known as "selling out the curtain". |
| 205 | * '''Loose''' or '''Light''': Opposite of "snug" or "stiff", a wrestler that doesn't hit with any force and doesn't crank down on holds. Appreciated by the opponent unless it looks really fake, which it usually does. Most of the Rock n' Wrestling Era guys (Hogan, Savage, Warrior) were pretty loose workers. Sid, despite his reputation as being difficult to work with, has been said to actually work very light and safe. |
| 206 | * '''Main event:''' The primary ticket or PPV-selling match of a wrestling card. Often the last match of the card; WWWF/WWF/WWE house shows have historically put the main event before the intermission, giving the top wrestlers a chance to get out of the building without being mobbed, as well as allowing the promotion to use the main event finish to sell tickets for the next month's event (i.e., if a top heel was counted out walking to the back, next month's event could be a steel cage match, preventing such an escape). |
| 207 | * '''Mark''': (1) An older derisive term for a fan that still believes wrestling is real, or a much more neutral term for any fan that has no connection to the business besides buying a ticket. (2) An insult to describe a fan, wrestler, or promoter that doesn't understand how the wrestling business works[[note]]To quote Dutch Mantel, "Wrestling was a lot better when the marks were in the seats and not in the ring"[[/note]]. (3) To call yourself or someone else a fan of a particular wrestler, tag team, faction, or promotion; such as "I'm a Wrestling/KevinNash mark" or "He's an Wrestling/{{ECW}} mark." |
| 208 | * '''Mark Booking:''' When a promoter books angles and matches because he wants to see them as a fan, rather than for the purpose of actually making money. Usually consists of so-called "dream matches" featuring either the stars of yesterday being offered massive payoffs to come out of retirement or Japanese wrestlers that no one but the internet fans recognize. A signature move of the "Money Mark", see below. The term was pretty much simultaneously (though completely independent of one another) coined by Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/JimCornette while talking about Wrestling/{{AEW}} on their respective podcasts. In a broader sense "mark booking" can also refer to catering to the tiny minority that is the ultra-hardcore segment of the SmartMark fans instead of trying something that will appeal to a wider base. |
| 209 | * '''Mark for yourself''': A derisive term for a wrestler who believes they're better in the ring or more over than they actually are, or cares about their image, matches, or the belts they win more than they care about making money. Wrestling/BretHart has often been criticized for this, particularly by people in the business - both Wrestling/ScottHall and Wrestling/KevinNash called Bret "the $450,000 champion" because in their eyes Hart cared more about winning matches and being the top babyface than agitating for higher payoffs. |
| 210 | * '''Wrestling/MartyJannetty''': A tag team wrestler who fails to succeed as a singles wrestler following a breakup. The eponymous wrestler was considered around the level of Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, but drug problems and injuries kept him from reaching the heights his former partner reached. Today, any former tag team member can be called a Marty Jannetty if they aren't as successful as their former partner. Compare BreakupBreakout |
| 211 | * '''Matchmaker''': The individual publicly identified by the promotion as the one responsible for signing matches since, logically, ''someone'' has to be organizing or approving matches. Before the modern era, Kayfabe was still highly protected, and promoters didn't want the public to know about the existence of a booker or who was actually responsible for organizing matches. Furthermore, bookers could also be active wrestlers in prominent positions, so calling them matchmakers would call into question the legitimacy of the results. Instead, promotions placed "matchmakers" on their programs, often some official within the company, to explain to the fans who assigned the matches without publicly acknowledging the existence of a booker. The closest modern equivalent would be a "general manager" or other authority figure, but matchmakers need not be on-screen talent. They simply needed to fulfill the role in promotional material. |
| 212 | * '''Mid-carder''': A wrestler who is over enough to be considered a popular wrestler, but is not over enough to consistently work main events. Mid-carders typically hold the majority of a promotion's secondary titles. |
| 213 | ** A related term is '''upper mid-carder''', referring to a mid-carder who can transition to the occasional main-event programs, or even back again. Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/TheMiz famously spent most of their careers as upper mid-carders, even though they main-evented several major events[[note]]Jericho main-evented ''Wrestling/WrestleMania X8'' and lost to Wrestling/TripleH, Miz defeated Wrestling/JohnCena in the main event of ''[=WrestleMania=]'' 27[[/note]] and won the main titles before. |
| 214 | * '''Midget Wrestling''': A subgenre of Professional Wrestling that peaked between the 1950s and 1970s. Wrestlers with dwarfism were often used as a "special attraction" and traveled the United States much in the same way women's wrestling was treated because there wasn't enough interest in "midget wrestling" to create its own division within a single promotion. WWE actually tried creating a "mini" division in the '90s near the start of the Wrestling/AttitudeEra and again in 2005 with a "juniors" division.[[note]] Both names stemmed from "midget" falling out of favor in the United States as a term to describe people with dwarfism.[[/note]] Both attempts were quietly abandoned within a year of launching. On the whole, "midget wrestling" has experienced a sharp decline in the United States since the 1970s, with these wrestlers filling comedic roles instead of being featured as legitimate wrestlers. Midget wrestling still has a following in Mexico (where it's called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-Estrella Mini-Estrella]] or simply "minis"), with many of the wrestlers being smaller {{Expies}} of popular luchadores. |
| 215 | * '''Milking''': Drawing a move, angle, match, or spot out to maximize the reaction. Generally, bookers and wrestlers want the audience anticipation at its highest before executing something to get the biggest reactions and draw the most money. |
| 216 | * '''Wrestling/MondayNightWars:''' A period of time when Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s ''[[Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro Monday Nitro]]'' went head-to-head with then [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]]'s ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Monday Night: RAW]]'' for ratings supremacy, starting in 1995 with the debut of ''Nitro''. WWF started out strong, but lost ground as the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]] storyline took off. At one point WCW won the ratings battle for 83 weeks, before ultimately losing out and closing in 2001. The final episode of ''Monday Nitro'' aired on March 26, 2001.[[note]]That final ''Nitro'' was also WCW's last wrestling card, with the majority of the WCW employees being let go two days later. However, that wasn't [=WCW's=] last broadcast, the final episode of ''WCW Worldwide'' (which was just a clip show with no matches shown in full) aired on April 1, 2001 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tmv4GEYwck and had commentator Scott Hudson wishing the fans goodbye]].[[/note]] |
| 217 | ** In March 2010 [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] tried to start a second Monday night war when they moved ''Impact'' from Thursday to run head-to-head with ''Monday Night Raw''. [[EpicFail To say this was a bad idea would be a massive understatement]], ''Impact'' slunk back to Thursday with its tail between its legs after 10 weeks after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNA_Impact!%27s_move_to_Monday_nights getting completely massacred in the ratings]] and a program that was able to draw 1.5 million viewers before the move was lucky to draw a third of that when they moved back. TNA never recovered and today exists under a new name[[note]]Though they will go back to the TNA name in 2024[[/note]] basically as a Canadian indie promotion. |
| 218 | * '''Money mark''': Usually an insult. An independent wrestling promoter who runs a promotion to get himself over as a wrestling star or player in the wrestling business, rather than as a legitimate promotion. It is widely, though not totally, accepted that this was Dixie Carter's reason for buying and operating [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] for many years. [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]'s Tony Khan gets (justifiably) accused of this as well. Often used interchangeably with "Angel" (see above), though not all angels are money marks. |
| 219 | * '''[[WrestlingMonster Monster]]''': A wrestler, typically a heel but sometimes a babyface, who is booked to win matches in a quick, decisive fashion to make them look intimidating and unbeatable. If a heel is a monster, often they'll go through the entire roster until the top babyface finally finds a weakness to exploit. If a babyface is a monster, they'll often go undefeated for a long period of time. Note that monster and hoss can sometimes overlap, but a monster need not be a hoss. It's more about the presentation. |
| 220 | * '''Mouthpiece''': A manager or other on-air personality who does all of the promos for a wrestler due to their lack of promo skills. |
| 221 | * '''Muta Scale''': An informal measure among some fans of the amount of [[BloodIsTheNewBlack blood shed in a match]]. The scale starts at 0 (no blood), with 1.0 Muta being equivalent to the blood loss of [[Wrestling/KeijiMutoh The Great Muta]] in an infamous 1992 NJPW match with Hiroshi Hase. A small handful of matches have been rated above 1.0. |
| 222 | * '''[[Wrestling/WWENewGenerationEra New Generation]]:''' A shift in WWE (then-WWF) programming starting after the steroid trial in 1993. After Wrestling/HulkHogan left the company, WWF turned to wrestlers like [[Wrestling/BretHart Bret "Hit Man" Hart]], Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]], [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]], Wrestling/LexLuger, and Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}} to become its top stars. The New Generation era focused on smaller, more athletic wrestlers and moving from the cartoonish gimmicks of TheEighties [[Wrestling/WWEGoldenAgeEra "Rock and Wrestling" era]] to [[Main/WrestlingDoesntPay gimmicks where wrestlers had to take a second job]][[note]]Among them [[Wrestling/JeffJarrett a wrestling country singer]], [[Wrestling/BobHolly a wrestling stock car racer]], and [[Wrestling/MikeRotunda a wrestling IRS agent]]. Wrestling/JimCornette (who was on the creative team for most of this) refers to this period as the Occupation Gimmick Era[[/note]]. The New Generation Era is considered to be from 1993-1997, before WWF transitioned to the Wrestling/AttitudeEra, and is considered a low point in WWF history both financially (the WWF posted a net loss for FY's 1994 and 1995) and creatively. |
| 223 | * '''New York''': WWE/WWF. Historically, the WWWF and later WWF centered its territory around New York City and Madison Square Garden. Many wrestlers refer to the promotion itself as "New York" or simply "up north." Even though the corporate headquarters are in Stamford, Connecticut, this nomenclature is still used as something of an ArtifactName. |
| 224 | ** Other companies are sometimes referred to by the locations of their corporate HQ. Atlanta (or simply "down south") was Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Philadelphia was Wrestling/{{ECW}}, Orlando formerly referred to [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]][[note]]Which was renamed Impact Wrestling when the Canadian-owned Anthem Sports bought the company, or more accurately took control of the company when TNA ran out of money and Anthem was their largest creditor. Anthem would later purchase AXS TV, giving Impact a permanent TV home and ending the constant Main/ChannelHop that was the main cause of the company going broke in the first place. Also of note is that TNA/Impact has always had its corporate HQ in Nashville, even in the era it ran mainly from Orlando.[[/note]] but now refers to [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] and the WWE Performance Center (fans might remark that an obviously green wrestler "needs to be sent back to Orlando"), and Jacksonville is Wrestling/{{AEW}}. Historically, Memphis referred either to the Nick Gulas/Roy Welch promotion or Jerry Jarrett's CWA (or later USWA), Dallas referred to WCCW, Charlotte referred to the Crockett promotion (JCP) that eventually became the aforementioned WCW, and Portland referred to Pacific Northwest Wrestling, etc. |
| 225 | * '''Night off''': When a wrestler works with very skilled wrestler who can carry them or works light; alternatively, working with someone like Wrestling/HulkHogan who isn't going to do much above the bare minimum, is going to work a very safe style, and isn't likely to have a very long match. |
| 226 | * '''NoSell:''' ''Not'' reacting to an opponent's move, as if it didn't hurt them at all. Unplanned No Selling is considered a major dick move for making the other guy look weak and/or undermining kayfabe[[note]]Though it can also be done to ''preserve'' kayfabe, like no-selling something that even Music/StevieWonder could see missed by two feet[[/note]], but it can be used legitimately to convey that a wrestler is ''just that tough''. |
| 227 | * '''No-Show:''' When a wrestler or other employee deliberately misses a show or other event. Usually happens due to contract, pay, or creative disputes. [[note]] It can also be done in protest, such as when Wrestling/MickFoley no-showed a RAW following the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob. [[/note]] Occasionally can happen just because someone is too wasted or strung out to work, Wrestling/JakeRoberts built up a reputation for doing this (among others, it's a common theme among Wrestling/{{ECW}} alumni) and Wrestling/KevinNash has claimed he no-showed ''Starrcade 97'' because [[TheStoner he ate too many cannabis edibles]] and got so stoned he thought he was having a heart attack. No-showing a scheduled appearance could get a wrestler or other figure fired if the stakes were high enough, while talent who no-showed sometimes did so in lieu of giving notice. (see below) |
| 228 | * '''Notice:''' Similar to two weeks' notice in other professions. When a wrestler informs the booker or promoter that you intend to leave the promotion. Promoters typically wanted a minimum of thirty days to finish up a wrestler, but even more notice was preferred if possible. Note that this could go both ways, with a booker or promoter giving a wrestler notice so the talent could find a spot elsewhere. Failure to give notice was potentially worthy of being blackballed. This is less common in modern professional wrestling since most talent are signed to lengthy contacts. |
| 229 | * '''Office, The''': (1) The promotion, promoter, booker, or non-wrestling staff in general. Contrast "The Boys" above. (2) A squeeze of a wrestler's or referee's forearm by a wrestler (also often called "the Iggy"); can be used as a signal to signify the wrestler is selling and not legitimately hurt after a rough move, tell another wrestler to lighten up on a hold, or various other meanings. |
| 230 | * '''Out''': An explanation for a wrestler's loss so that said wrestler doesn't appear weak for losing. Typically done to continue a feud or to move a wrestler on to a different feud if the "out" in question is outside interference from a third party. Ex: Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} attacked Wrestling/JohnCena during his match with [[Wrestling/RobVanDam RVD]] to give Cena an out. Compare WorfHadTheFlu for a similar concept outside of wrestling. |
| 231 | * '''Outlaw promotion''': An archaic term for a specific kind of independent promotion. In the days of the territories, professional wrestling was essentially a series of regional monopolies. Outlaws tried to break those monopolies by running against the established promoters, who were often affiliated with the NWA. "Outlaw" shows generally featured weaker talent and wackier characters and angles. This is partly because wrestlers who worked for outlaw promotions could be blackballed and partly because outlaw promotions were even more notorious for having NoBudget than the territories. The term "outlaw" is also used as a catch-all insult (mainly by Wrestling/JimCornette) towards anyone or any promotion deemed unprofessional, more or less the wrestling equivalent of "bush league". |
| 232 | * '''Over''': How popular a performer, angle, move, or match is with the crowd. |
| 233 | * '''Overbooked''': Too much stuff going on in a wrestling match. Either too many gimmicks or stipulations in the match, or too many people involved in the match. This isn't always a bad thing, matches with older wrestlers or celebrity "wrestlers" will often be overbooked to hell to hide the fact that they really can't work a straight match (or at least have a good one), an example being the Wrestling/{{Sting}} vs. Wrestling/TripleH match at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 31'' that saw all of Wrestling/DGenerationX ''and'' the entire original Wrestling/NewWorldOrder make a run-in[[note]]Why the nWo was making a run in on behalf of their sworn enemy Sting, especially when everyone knows Hall and Nash are best buddies with Triple H in RealLife, wasn't ever really explained. But the crowd loved it[[/note]]. |
| 234 | * '''Oversell''': When a wrestler sells a move in an unrealistic and exaggerated way. Heels typically do this when a babyface makes a comeback to get the crowd even more excited, but the most famous example comes from the infamous Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Wrestling/HulkHogan match wherein Michaels oversold Hogan's offense to get back at Hogan for refusing to have more than one match by putting Michaels over. |
| 235 | * '''Over the rail''': When a fan or fans leave the seating area and try to attack the wrestlers or get in the ring. This used to stem from a heel having a ton of heat but eventually became more about getting on television than actually trying to hurt anybody. A fan who went over the rail was considered “fair game” for violent retaliation but companies discourage this now to avoid lawsuits[[note]]Though keep in mind that any moron doing this will still get smacked around by security (just not beaten to a pulp) and handed over to the police, where upon said moron will be charged with criminal trespassing at minimum. In other words it's still a '''very bad idea''' to try this[[/note]]. The “rail” in question refers to a guardrail, but the term is still used when no guardrail is present, or a barricade is used instead, such as in WWE. |
| 236 | * '''Paid Show''': A show where the promoter, instead of collecting money through ticket revenue, is paid a flat fee in advance for putting on the show. Whoever is paying (usually the owner of the building the show is in) collects the gate and concession revenue. Largely done by smaller promotions[[note]]often as a fundraising effort, for instance a high school will run one in their gym to raise money for the football team[[/note]] and are usually spot shows, though WWE also runs paid shows with the "Crown Jewel" events in Saudi Arabia. |
| 237 | * '''Paper:''' Complimentary tickets (hence the term "comped") to televised shows, allowing for the appearance of a larger crowd than would pay to see such an event. Historically, nearly all TV shows gave tickets away free of charge (although many would have long waiting lists for such events), as TV events were shot in small venues and would feature multiple tapings per one attendance with few "marquee" matches. WCW was notorious for doing this even for bigger shows during their down period in the early 90s, leading their [=PPVs=] to be mockingly referred to as "Paper-views" by smarks[[note]]And it still didn't really work, even with free tickets and the entire crowd herded over to the hard camera side tons of empty seats can be seen. The WWF was also papering some [=PPVs=] during the New Generation era, of the 60,000 people at 1997 Royal Rumble (held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX) somewhere in the neighborhood of a staggering '''''18,000''''' were comped, and most of the paid tickets were heavily discounted[[/note]]. With weekly traveling TV productions, promotions such as WWE are typically able to charge full freight for live attendance to their programs, though usually a small amount of comps are handed out to [=VIPs=] and charity/community groups. |
| 238 | * '''Pap Smear:''' An attempt at blading that draws very little visible blood. Usually caused by an inexperienced swordsman understandably not being fully committed to slicing their forehead open. Wrestling/LexLuger famously got one of these during his match with Wrestling/RicFlair in the main event of the 1988 ''Great American Bash'' PPV, unfortunately the finish was the match being stopped by the referee due to blood despite said blood being barely visible on camera,[[note]]And since they were in Maryland, where the state athletic commission will stop a match if there's ''any'' blood, changing the finish on the fly wasn't an option. The idea was that if the law was on the books anyway they might as well use it to add some extra realism, but it backfired[[/note]] thus kicking off Luger's career-long trend (both in and out of kayfabe) of choking in big moments. |
| 239 | * '''[[PayingTheirDues Paying Your Dues]]''': To work [[YouGetMeCoffee minor or menial tasks]] early in one's career, such as "[[{{Jobber}} doing the job]]", helping put up and take down ring equipment, and generally enduring '''ribs''' from the veterans. This is typically cited as necessary to gain experience before being let near more important matches or angles, along with teaching the newbies locker room etiquette and instilling the right attitude toward their role. One of the most noted examples of paying one's dues would be Wrestling/TheMiz's early career in WWE. Wrestling/PaulWight notably complained about wrestlers not doing this despite [[{{Hypocrite}} not doing it himself]] - he beat Wrestling/HulkHogan for the WCW world title '''in his first professional match'''[[note]]In a ''really'' screwy finish that caused the title to be vacated a short time later, but still...[[/note]] and was used as a main event guy from the start - which didn't go over too well with fans or other people in the WWE locker room. |
| 240 | * '''Payoff''': The amount of money one receives for working a single show. This used to be determined primarily by the house, but now wrestlers in larger promotions are paid on a contractual basis. A payoff can also refer to the conclusion of a feud and usually sees the babyface go over. |
| 241 | * '''Pearl Harbor''': A sneak attack carried out by one wrestler on another wrestler, typically [[InTheBack from behind]]. Named for the attack that brought the United States into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the phrase hasn't been used as often since the 1980s. Also called "Pearl Harbored" or a "Pearl Harbor job" |
| 242 | * '''People, The''': Pretty much synonymous with fans, but it's less derogatory than mark and is thus used in a wider context. Traditionally, "the people" refers to your paying live audience or viewing audience at home. Wrestling is unique in that's there's really no FourthWall, the audience is not only acknowledged but wrestlers will speak directly to it, and commentary teams are hired specifically for this purpose. The people are an important element in wrestling since they can make or break a match, determine who is over, and theoretically, though not always, determine who gets pushed. |
| 243 | * '''Pencil''': Archaic slang for the booker, a wrestler looking to get booked somewhere might ask another wrestler that's worked there "Who has the pencil in that territory?" Comes from the fact that long term plans always get screwed up because of [[Main/OnSetInjury injuries]], [[Main/ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]], [[Main/RoleEndingMisdemeanor people getting fired]], [[Main/ScrewThisImOuttaHere people quitting]], [[Main/TroubledProduction people refusing to job]], new talent suddenly becoming available, etc..., so the actual book would ''always'' be written in pencil and not ink. |
| 244 | * '''Phantom Bump''': A bump taken for no logical reason because the person taking the bump was never hit by anything[[note]]For example, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEbOx3XiNoQ Batista staggering back after a shove from Mark Henry, then taking a bump onto his back]] ...several seconds ''after'' the initial shove[[/note]]. Usually the result of a misunderstanding, miscommunication, or mistiming. |
| 245 | * '''Piece, A''': When a wrestler has a stake in a promotion or a town. Wrestlers in the territories who became essential to the business of a town could negotiate for a percentage of a town's gate or even a percentage of the territory. Notable examples include Wrestling/JerryLawler for Memphis, Wrestling/BrunoSammartino and Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon for the WWWF, and the Briscos for Georgia. A piece of the promotion could also be sold outright, much like a company sells stock. This was the highest success most wrestlers strived to achieve since owning a piece of a successful town or territory paid much better than simply being on a card. Moreover, wrestlers could buy a piece of a town, the promotion rights to a town, or a promotion in its entirety, but this was usually only when a town or promotion was nearly dead. |
| 246 | * '''Pillmanize''': To "break" a wrestler's ankle, arm, or neck by placing it between the seat and headrest of a steel chair, and then stepping or jumping on the chair. Named for Wrestling/BrianPillman, whose real-life ankle injury in a 1996 auto accident was sold for storyline purposes as the result of an attack of this type by Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, which led to the famous "Pillman's Got a Gun" moment. |
| 247 | * '''Plant''': A wrestler, stagehand, or actor, usually seated in the front row, who poses as a fan. Sometimes the subject of an attack by a heel; also occasionally "randomly selected" from the crowd to take part in a match or storyline. For example, on the April 16, 2007 episode of Raw from Milan, Italy, Wrestling/SantinoMarella was a fan who Wrestling/VinceMcMahon selected as a Challenger for Wrestling/{{Umaga}}'s Intercontinental Championship. The unknown Marella scored a surprising upset and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship with an assist from Wrestling/BobbyLashley. But in reality, Marella had been wrestling since 2002 and had been in WWE's development system since 2005. Note that sometimes large numbers of "fans" can actually be plants. {{Wrestling/WCW}} in the '90s would hire models to sit at their television, which gave the impression that attractive people liked their product and reduced the number of black children appearing on their television. [[note]] Since WCW taped in the middle of Atlanta, many local kids, predominantly black, regularly attended tapings, much to the dismay of executives. The wrestlers loved it though, as the kids would usually boo and cheer who they were supposed to and were ''really'' loud.[[/note]] Plant can also refer to a wrestler (always someone unknown to the crowd) pretending to be something other than a wrestler, for example most of the security guards you see on [=WWE's=] TV shows breaking up brawls are really Performance Center trainees and local indie workers[[note]]The security you see in the crowd right near the barricade (usually in a bright windbreaker with something like "EVENT STAFF" written on it) is legitimate, hired by the arena at [=WWE's=] expense[[/note]], though some smaller promotions (Wrestling/RingOfHonor was known for this) will actually use their training school guys as security. |
| 248 | * '''Plunder''': The assortment of weapons and paraphernalia wrestlers can/will use in a match, including but not limited to tables, chairs, trash cans, kendo sticks, chains, fire extinguishers, bags of flour, barbed wire, and thumbtacks. Many of these weapons are either found around or underneath the ring, and are almost always gimmicked (unless some production crew screws up). |
| 249 | * '''Policeman''': A tough wrestler who can physically punish an opponent in the ring for slights against the promoter or locker room. In the earliest days of professional wrestling, a policeman effectively acted as a bodyguard for the champion to protect him from hostile challengers. As the number one contender, the policeman would have to be beat before the challenger could take on the champion, with such matches actually constituting "shoots." |
| 250 | * '''Politician''': A wrestler known for getting themselves or their friends top positions on the card and keeping those positions by influencing the promoter and/or booker. Politicians are also sometimes responsible for getting bookers to bury talent. Despite this, politicians often remain popular among the other wrestlers in the locker room due to their ability to play both sides. (In)famous politicians include Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/TheKliq. Also called a locker room politician or backstage politician. |
| 251 | * '''Pop:''' A sudden loud cheer from the crowd, usually for a babyface wrestler making an appearance, a comeback or scoring a win. When it gets cranked up to eleven, it's called a [[Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors Road Warrior Pop]]. |
| 252 | * '''Post:''' A spot where a wrestler is hurled into the ring post--either through their own momentum when missing an attack or because someone else threw them. |
| 253 | * '''Potato''': A stiff or painful punch, delivered intentionally or accidentally. |
| 254 | * '''Popcorn match''': Historically, the match after the intermission in an arena show. This would typically be a slowly-worked match with no key gimmick or top star, encouraging the fans to take their time at the concession and merchandise tables. Can be something of a rehab assignment, giving an injured wrestler an easy night's work. Crudely referred to as the "piss break match" these days and has basically replaced the intermission. In WWE these were almost exclusively women's matches starting towards the end of the Wrestling/AttitudeEra, but this practice largely ended in 2015 when WWE ditched the "Divas" moniker and began treating women's wrestling as legitimate competition and not just Main/FanService. |
| 255 | * '''Powder/Powdering Out''': A wrestler escaping a ring, often after sustaining attacks from an opponent. |
| 256 | * '''Pre-show''': A free TV program aired before the start of a pay-per-view event, also known as a '''kickoff show'''. Usually shown either via streaming on the promotion's website or social media outlets, or on a promotion's normal TV outlet. Serves the same purpose as a pre-game show for televised sports, and often features preliminary matches. |
| 257 | * '''Program''': An extended feud with multiple meetings, designed to reach a desired conclusion and set the wrestlers up for new programs with other wrestlers. |
| 258 | * '''Promo''': An interview, skit or monologue delivered by a wrestler in-ring, backstage, or in a vignette. Delivering or performing a promo is known as "cutting a promo". If the promo has a specific target, that person is said to have had the promo cut "on" them by the wrestler who delivered it. Ex: "[[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] cut an epic promo on Wrestling/BillyGunn." Can also be used in a behind-the-scenes context if a wrestler yells at another. Ex: "Wrestling/DustyRhodes cut a promo on Bubba Rogers for dropping a jobber on his head."[[note]]Specifically getting in his face and yelling "Do '''NOT''' do shit you don't know how to do!" (Bubba dropped the jobber trying a move he had never attempted before.) This has become informally known by fans as the "Dusty Rule", and when wrestlers don't follow it the results are usually not pretty, see "Botch" above.[[/note]] |
| 259 | * '''Promoter''': The head of a wrestling company or federation. The boss. The man in charge. The equivalent of a film/television Executive Producer. The most famous example of a Promoter would be Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, former owner of WWE. |
| 260 | ** The term promoter can also refer to live event promoters, responsible for booking house shows and TV arena shows in the buildings under their control. These individuals arrange the times and dates with the building managers, and arrange local advertising in exchange for a piece of the gate. For example, [=WrestleMania=] III at the Pontiac Silverdome was promoted by Zane Bresloff, who would later promote live events for WCW. In territory days, some promoters (in this sense of the term), such as Paul Boesch in Houston and the Tunneys in Toronto, had their own local specialized TV, and would often feature wrestlers not associated with the talent office they were aligned with. |
| 261 | * '''Protect the Business''': The mentality that Kayfabe must be protected ''at all costs''. Did somebody call wrestling fake? Beat that guy up. Two wrestlers got into a legitimate fight? Don't go to the cops. They might ask too many questions. Do you have to go to court? Commit perjury if you have to, but don't acknowledge that wrestling is a work. This extended into being very selective about who was smartened up as to the intricacies of the business or let into it. Wrestlers even used to maintain the illusion of Kayfabe injuries in front of their own children to protect the business. It was thought that exposing the business (see above) in any way would destroy it, thus protecting the business was the number one rule of anyone in it. Needless to say, this softened considerably starting in the 80s when wrestling executives began exposing the business themselves. |
| 262 | * '''Protected''': Anything (can be a person, particular weapon, spot, or wrestling move) that is considered effectively sacrosanct by the booker and/or promoter. A protected wrestler doesn't lose often, a protected move wins matches very frequently, protected officials aren't touched by wrestlers. |
| 263 | * '''Pullapart''': Two or more brawling wrestlers being pulled apart and/or held back by a crowd of 'security guards' or referees. Typically done outside of matches during a storyline segment. |
| 264 | * '''''Puroresu''''':[[note]]Referring here to its usage in English-language media and commentary. In Japanese, ''puroresu'' (プロレス) refers to all professional wrestling, regardless of promotion or nationality.[[/note]] |
| 265 | ** In the strict sense, a style of wrestling developed and popularized by [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling NJPW]]. |
| 266 | ** In a broader sense, all Japanese wrestling. In western usage it's usually shortened to "puro", simply because it's easier to pronounce and type. |
| 267 | * '''Push''': Putting a wrestler in a position to succeed and draw money. This is typically done by having the wrestler win matches, putting them in favorable angles where they look good, and giving them high profile matches against quality opponents in highly visible settings. Typically means to have the pushed wrestler win the world title. A "push" can be earned through talent, but it can also be the result of nepotism. Thus, while fans have a huge say in whether a talent gets pushed and that push is continued, some promoters have continued to push talent despite indifference or hostility from the fans. Historical examples of this include George Gulas [[note]] The son of wrestling promoter Nick Gulas[[/note]], Erik Watts [[note]] The son of wrestling promoter Bill Watts[[/note]], and Wrestling/RomanReigns [[note]] Member of the famous and influential Anoa'i family[[/note]] before 2018 or so. |
| 268 | * '''Push/Pushed to the Moon/Rocket Push:''' When a performer is pushed very suddenly and very quickly to a prominent spot on the card. Possibly even the world championship. Same as Strapping the Rocketship (see below) to a performer. Sometimes this is done to a new character or a newly-signed free agent to establish them as a major player. The phrase "pushed to the moon" is often used derisively in hindsight when this happens to a character but they failed to get over. |
| 269 | ** '''Example:''' In spring 2017, Wrestling/JinderMahal was pushed to the moon, receiving a WWE Title reign that lasted until November of that year. (Long by 2017 standards.) This was largely because WWE had a major tour of India planned, and wanted to have a champion of Indian descent holding the belt. Once the tour was over, Mahal lost the title and has slipped back into midcard obscurity, as he failed to get over with fans. His reign was marked by lackluster or offensive promos, mediocre matches, a failure to win matches cleanly (all but one of the matches he had during his push were won as a result of interference), and the perception that he had been elevated beyond his abilities. |
| 270 | * '''Put Over''': To lose a match to someone. Alternatively, to make another wrestler look good, even if the person putting over the other wrestler comes out on top, to the point that fans see the wrestler being put over as an equal after the match or angle. |
| 271 | ** Related to this is the term '''"Showing Ass"''', which is to do things that will make your opponent look like a legitimate threat regardless of if the opponent is winning (and ''especially'' if he's losing), and can be said to be the difference between just doing a job and actually putting someone over. Contrast most of the matches between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/MickFoley (which were mainly Foley beating the hell out of Taker until Taker used his "supernatural powers" to make a comeback and gut out the win) to the matches between Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/BillyKidman (which were Hogan beating the hell out of Kidman until Kidman won with a fluke pin, at which point Hogan just went right back to beating on him.) The term usually only comes up in conversation when complaining about wrestlers that don't do it; Hogan[[note]]Perhaps an even better example of Hogan not showing ass was completely [[Main/NoSell no-selling]] a powerbomb from 450 lb. Wrestling/BigVanVader during the build-up to their match at ''Superbrawl V''. This made the outcome of the Hogan-Vader match a forgone conclusion (as if it wasn't obvious already), and the poor PPV buyrate for ''Superbrawl'' reflected this, in addition to [[Main/XPacHeat completely turning the crowd against supposed heroic babyface]] Hogan, though this would actually come in handy when Hogan [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder turned heel]] about a year later[[/note]], Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/JeffJarrett during the early years of [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]], and to a lesser extent Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/BrockLesnar[[note]]The most blatant example being his match with [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 32'', where he refused to do any of Ambrose's spots and basically treated him like a jobber. While this is somewhat understandable on Lesnar's part (especially considering some of the [[Main/GarbageWrestler things that Ambrose has done]] now that he doesn't have Vince telling him "no") the match came off looking ''really'' unprofessional and the WWE braintrust would have been much better off booking both guys with someone they were more comfortable working with[[/note]] were/are the most frequent targets for those complaints. |
| 272 | ** "Put over" can also refer to speaking about someone or something in a complimentary manner. During promos a wrestler will often start with putting their upcoming opponent over by praising their skills and noting their past accomplishments, then getting into the meat of the promo with the boasting or insults. This establishes that the opponent is someone worth beating, and more importantly someone worth paying to see. |
| 273 | * '''Rat''': [[Main/{{Groupie}} A female fan who attends the matches to sleep with the wrestlers]]. Also called a "ring rat" or “Arena Rat”. Rats are less common now as the wrestling fanbase becomes more dominated by 18-49 year old men, but they were prevalent within the industry before the 2000s. See "Blowjob" above for a wrestler booked specifically to draw in these women. |
| 274 | * '''Receipt''': |
| 275 | ** A stiff or shoot punch delivered in response to the same, or to an insult. May or may not be authorised by a promotion's higher-ups[[note]]For instance, JBL being knocked senseless by a shoot chairshot from Stevie Richards over the former taking liberties with the Blue Meanie was done with the blessings of management[[/note]]. |
| 276 | ** An insult or promo delivered in response to an insult. |
| 277 | * '''Ref bump''': When a referee is knocked over during a match, usually by accident, and [[GlassJawReferee often leaving them unconscious for several long minutes]]. With the ref out, the heel can use underhanded tactics without consequence, and the face can't win the match legitimately. |
| 278 | * '''Ref stoppage''': When the referee stops a match because one or more combatants can't continue. Outside of Kayfabe, this is usually done to prevent a wrestler from having to do a job or get someone over as a monster. Note that ref stoppages can also be shoots if someone is legitimately injured, and a referee can actually get heat from the promotion or from smart fans for failing to do this when appropriate. |
| 279 | * '''[[ReTool Repackage]]''': To take a wrestler off house shows and TV for several weeks and bring them back with a new gimmick, name, or both. This may need be done multiple times, Glenn Jacobs went from [[Main/WrestlingDoesntPay evil dentist]] Issac Yankeem, D.D.S. (which didn't get over) to Fake [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]] (which ''really'' didn't get over) to Wrestling/{{Kane}} (this one stuck), all in the span of about two years. Wrestlers will often be repackaged when going from one promotion to another, either [[Main/ScrewedByTheLawyers because their previous employer owns their old name and gimmick]] or the wrestler simply wanting to try something else that might get them over better. |
| 280 | * '''Resthold''': A hold, such as a side headlock or reverse chinlock, that can be applied with little effort, and has little context in the match's storyline. Restholds are used when wrestlers need a moment to catch their breath, or can't think of what to do next. Frequent use of restholds are a sign of a poor worker. |
| 281 | ** "Resthold" also used to be a derisive term for long, drawn out holds applied very loosely by unathletic and/or lazy wrestlers. Yokozuna was notorious for these, his near 10 minute "nerve hold" on Wrestling/LexLuger at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania X'' being one of the more famous examples[[note]]In fairness Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}} still had to work the main event with Wrestling/BretHart later on and needed to conserve his strength, and no one really cared about the Yoko-Luger match to begin with[[/note]]. As these types of wrestlers have long since disappeared from the business this use of the term has fallen by the wayside. |
| 282 | ** It should be noted that resthold began as a derisive term among smart fans (Dave Meltzer is believed to have coined the word), and many old-timers, such as Wrestling/AlSnow and Wrestling/JimCornette, don't recognize the term as legitimate wrestling terminology. |
| 283 | * '''Rib''': A practical joke played by one wrestler on another. A frequent occurrence on the road and in the locker room. Although any wrestler can be a victim of a rib, they are even more commonly played on new wrestlers to test them. Wrestlers who commit ribs are called "ribbers". Infamous ribbers include Wrestling/MrFuji, Wrestling/CurtHennig, and Wrestling/OwenHart. |
| 284 | * '''Ribbing on the square:''' A practical joke meant to make a point; a wrestler on the receiving end of one of these has typically offended the wrestler playing the prank or the rest of the locker room in some manner. |
| 285 | * '''Ring General:''' Not to be mistaken for a FourStarBadass, a ring general is a very skilled, very experienced, and very respected worker, and are often locker room leaders. Ring generals are known for their professionalism and reliability to produce quality matches while keeping their opponents safe, and even though they may not be main eventers or title holders, they will often be the ones calling the shots and setting the pace in a match against younger, more popular wrestlers. Famous ring generals include Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/RicFlair, and Wrestling/BretHart. Less famous but no less respected ones include Wrestling/{{Christian}}, [[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} Dustin Rhodes]], and Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels. |
| 286 | * '''Road Warrior Pop:''' A crowd reaction named for Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors. An extremely loud pop, usually louder than the typical pop for even the top babyface. The Road Warriors were usually tremendously popular wherever they went, and would almost always generate the loudest pop, or crowd reaction, of the night with their entrance. |
| 287 | * '''[[Wrestling/WWEGoldenAgeEra Rock and Wrestling]]:''' Basically, TheEighties. Wrestling exploded with the proliferation of cable and pay-per-view. Regional promotions (territories) began to vanish as WWF and NWA/WCW quickly emerged as the two largest promotions in the country, fighting for dominance. WWF took the lead with stars like Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/RandySavage, Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, The Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, "The Million Dollar Man" Wrestling/TedDiBiase, Wrestling/RoddyPiper, and Wrestling/JakeRoberts. WCW built around established, primarily southern stars like Wrestling/RicFlair and Wrestling/DustyRhodes; as well as developing new talent such as Magnum TA (whose career was cut short in a horrific car accident) and Wrestling/{{Sting}}. Staple events ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' and ''Starrcade'' were both created during this time, as were secondary events ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' and ''Wrestling/TheGreatAmericanBash''.\ |
| 288 | WWF aggressively bought out many territories during this time, such as Calgary Stampede, Maple Leaf Wrestling, Houston Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling. WCW (based mostly off of Mid Atlantic Wrestling) consumed Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid South Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling from Florida. The only other major promotion was Verne Gagne's AWA which managed to limp into the next decade, until finally dying in 1991 after losing most of its top-tier talent to WWF. Both companies entered an AudienceAlienatingEra following the boom, and wouldn't truly emerge until the Attitude Era. |
| 289 | * '''Rub:''' Putting a new or lower card wrestler with a more popular wrestler in hopes of getting the less popular wrestler over. A common way of doing this before the internet was to claim that a new wrestler was a relative of an established wrestler, thus creating a WrestlingFamily. Notable examples of this include the Graham family, the Anderson family, and the disaster that was Lance Von Erich [[note]] Because he was a local wrestler, fans figured out that Lance wasn’t really a Von Erich. This hurt the credibility of the promotion and the family. [[/note]]. Another method is to simply put a lower card wrestler in an alliance with a main event wrestler. EX: "Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake was given the rub by putting him with Wrestling/HulkHogan." "Giving them the rub" also refers to an established wrestler losing to a young wrestler or a newcomer to the promotion to give them credibility and hopefully boost their drawing power. This will often be built up into a big match in a Main/PassingTheTorch moment, though it can sometimes backfire, numerous attempts to give Wrestling/RomanReigns the rub only made the fans [[XPacHeat hate him even more]], and it took a complete change in his character for the fans to accept him. |
| 290 | * '''Run-in:''' Any time a wrestler who is not announced to be in the match appears, typically to interfere and help a wrestler who is participating. |
| 291 | * '''Running opposition''': When one wrestling promotion runs house shows, television, or pay-per-view against another. All "outlaw" promotions did this by design, but even larger promotions, such as WWE, can do this to try to hurt competitors. |
| 292 | * '''Wrestling/RuthlessAggressionEra:''' Typically seen as lasting from 2003-2008, this era of WWE programming followed the Wrestling/AttitudeEra. It is marked by the decision to split the enormous WWE roster into two separate brands ([[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]). The [=SmackDown=] Six emerged on the "blue" brand led by Wrestling/PaulHeyman creatively. Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/KurtAngle, Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}} and Wrestling/{{Chavo Guerrero|Jr}} became the brand's centerpieces. This era also saw the emergence of the famed Ohio Valley Wrestling (then a WWE developmental territory/school) Class of 2002. Headlined by Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, Wrestling/RandyOrton, and Wrestling/{{Batista}}; most of this group would go on to become major main event players for the company for the next decade-plus. Those four, alongside Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Kurt Angle, and Edge, were considered the headliners of the era, with Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/BigShow, Rey Mysterio, Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/BookerT, Wrestling/RobVanDam, and Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield generally making up the second tier. |
| 293 | * '''Sandbag''': Not providing the necessary assistance for a "lifting" move such as a bodyslam or a suplex. Can be done unintentionally out of inexperience or a mistime, or if intentional, it's a spot, a rib, or deliberate non-cooperation (which is extremely unprofessional, when done on purpose it's sometimes called "lead ass"). |
| 294 | * '''Schmoz''': A chaotic brawl between a crowd of wrestlers, usually to close out a show and leave it as a cliffhanger for the next episode or Pay-Per-View. |
| 295 | * '''Screwjob''': |
| 296 | ** An unfair ending to a match, often involving cheating and/or an authority figure to cause some distraction that costs a wrestler (often a babyface) the win. Done right, it can keep heat on a program for a bigger rematch. Done poorly, or done too often, can kill interest in the feud or promotion. Also called a "fuck finish." |
| 297 | ** It can also be a shoot (real life), where a change to the finish of the match is made between the promoter and one of the participating wrestlers without telling the other - originally known as a Double Cross, before events redefined the term. Considered incredibly unscrupulous and unprofessional, the most famous example would be the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob, but a lesser known and earlier example would be the "Original Screwjob" match between Wrestling/WendiRichter and Wrestling/TheFabulousMoolah, where Richter was screwed out of a finish and stripped of her Women's Championship because she refused to sign an extension to her contract unless she was properly compensated (she was being paid ''far'' less than some of her [[Wrestling/HulkHogan male counterparts]] despite being almost as big a draw). |
| 298 | * '''Scripted''': For a long time, something of a dirty word in the wrestling business. In the past, both matches and promos were largely improvised by the talent, with broad direction given by the booker. Beginning in the 1980's, some wrestlers such as Randy Savage would begin planning matches move-for-move, and even rehearse them with their opponents ahead of time. Nowadays, nearly all matches and promos are planned in such a manner, in order to meet tight time restrictions on the television product. |
| 299 | * '''Shine, The''': Part of what is considered the classic four-part match structure: The shine, the heat, the comeback, the finish. The shine is where the face comes out to gain an early advantage and demonstrate that they are the superior competitor, thus establishing the heel's need to cheat and employ underhanded tactics. |
| 300 | * '''Sell''': Pretending to be hurt to make a wrestling move [[TheatricsOfPain look painful]], or to convince the audience that a performer is suffering an injury where none exists. |
| 301 | ** Sell can also refer to a reaction generally. If a wrestler doesn't react to a rib, he or she is said to have not sold it. This can extend to botches or other mishaps where a wrestler is expected to remain calm and not break character. |
| 302 | * '''Sell Like Death''': To sell the effects of an attack for an unusually prolonged period of time. Often used in the negative, such as “He took a single dropkick and sold like death.” Note that this is distinct from overselling because overselling requires exaggeration. Wrestlers usually sell like death simply by pretending to be unconscious. When a referee does this, it's a GlassJawReferee. |
| 303 | * '''SevenYearRule:''': Coined by Wrestling/JimCornette to describe the amount of time before it's acceptable to reuse an angle or gimmick, with the thought being that enough of the audience has changed and enough time has passed to have not seen or forgotten the previous use of that angle or gimmick. |
| 304 | * '''Shoot''': To fight for real with real attacks and holds. This can be done intentionally, such as a performer throwing "shoot" punches to try and inflict believable damage for the purposes of the performance (such as getting color the hardway, see multiple above). It can also be done when two wrestlers have a personal issue. It can be done by mistake, a wrestler not pulling their punches, or an opponent not preparing to take a move or blow correctly. |
| 305 | ** Also to use personal or real life issues in a promo or interview either for humor or to make the content more vicious. Such as when Wrestling/AJLee told the Wrestling/BellaTwins that it was unfortunate that talent wasn't "sexually transmitted", as the Bellas were dating Wrestling/JohnCena and [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] at the time[[note]]Brie eventually married Bryan[[/note]] and were not perceived to be great wrestlers in their own right. |
| 306 | ** Anything that involves a pro wrestler publicly breaking kayfabe is a shoot, including positive things, such as an interview where Wrestling/JimmyJacobs praises his hated enemy [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]]. |
| 307 | ** A '''Shoot Interview''' is as the name implies an interview with a wrestler where he or she talks about all the behind the scenes parts of their career, these first sprang up in the late 90s with the majority of them produced by Rob Feinstein's RF Video or Sean Oliver's Kayfabe Commentaries. This differs from the sort of "expose" interviews (like Eddie Mansfield going on ''Series/TwentyTwenty'' and blading) in that they're meant to educate and entertain people that are already fans rather than damage wrestling's reputation, and were marketed and sold to the [[Main/SmartMark smart fans]] that already knew the whole thing is a work.[[note]]The shoot interview market really took off after WCW and ECW closed (mainly because a lot of people in wrestling were out of a job and needed a payoff), WWE figured that if the market was there they might as well grab a slice and created a show called ''WWE Confidential'', a [[SarcasmMode totally]] [[WrittenByTheWinners unbiased]] behind the scenes look at WWE events past and present. The show is probably best remembered for being where Wrestling/ShawnMichaels first publicly admitted that he was in on the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob. 83 episodes were made, 63 of them are on the WWE Network and Peacock[[/note]] They're also much longer, running at least 90 minutes and some lasting several hours. The shoot interview [[TechnologyMarchesOn was made obsolete by podcasts]] in the mid 2010s (Oliver now co-hosts one called Kliq This with Wrestling/KevinNash), though excerpts and some full interviews can be found on Website/YouTube and other websites. |
| 308 | * '''Shooter''': Someone who has a legitimate fighting background. Shooters are revered even amongst wrestlers as tough guys as someone that even they don't want to fight in RealLife. In the old days most pro wrestlers were legitimate amateur wrestlers, some with impressive pedigrees. Verne Gagne was a two-sport All-American for example. Wrestling/BrockLesnar was an NCAA and [[UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingCHampionship UFC]] Heavyweight Champion. Wrestling/KurtAngle won an UsefulNotes/{{Olympic|Games}} Gold Medal ([[MemeticMutation with a broken freakin' neck]]). Some guys were just tougher than nails and nobody wanted to fight them, most notably [[Wrestling/{{Meng}} Haku/Meng]], who was one of the few people Wrestling/AndreTheGiant was legitimately afraid of. |
| 309 | * '''Shoot-Style/Shoot Wrestling''': A Japanese style of professional wrestling developed in Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation that became very popular in the 1980's and early 90s[[note]]A UWFI pay-per-view aired in the US, only one month before the first UFC[[/note]]. Under various rulesets, and names, these promotions eschewed virtually all "cooperative" professional wrestling moves in favor of something appearing much more competitive and "real" looking, such as simple strikes, realistic submissions, and martial arts techniques. Largely came out of New Japan's "Strong-Style", with stars such as Wrestling/AkiraMaeda, Wrestling/SatoruSayama, and Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara having been recruited by Wrestling/AntonioInoki from legitimate combat sport backgrounds. Many of these promotions, such as Pancrase and RINGS, would later forego fixed outcomes entirely and become part of the first generation of Japanese MMA. One lasting impact of shoot-style was that the popularity of their "all clean finish" format more or less permanently eliminated "brawl to the back" finishes that the major promotions used to use to protect top stars. |
| 310 | * '''Shot''': A scheduled appearance for a promotion. Typically used in the context of a single or limited number of appearances in exchange for good pay or as a favor to the promoter. Ex: "Wrestling/JimCornette agreed to make a shot for Wrestling/PaulHeyman in exchange for an apology for Heyman's handling of the NWA tournament."[[note]]Heyman was actually supposed to apologize to then-NWA President Dennis Coralluzzo, who was made to look like a fool when Heyman double-crossed him. According to Cornette the apology was never given, which is why you never saw him in ECW again, though he notes that he was paid $750 cash (despite saying he didn't want money, just the apology) and that Heyman paid for a steak dinner for Cornette and Coralluzzo and a limo ride from New York City to Philadelphia and back.[[/note]] |
| 311 | * '''Sickness, The''': Refers to the multitude of drug addictions and premature deaths (particularly of prescription drug overdose and/or heart attacks due to steroid-induced left ventricular enlargement). For a "fake" sport, professional wrestling has a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_premature_professional_wrestling_deaths very real and very horrifying body count]]. |
| 312 | * '''Sloppy''': A match with a lot of botches, miscues, near-injuries (or just injuries), etc... or a wrestler known for having such matches. Most rookie wrestlers are this by default, because they're rookies and haven't been around long enough to get any good yet. |
| 313 | * '''Smart''': Knowing that professional wrestling is a work and having at least a rudimentary knowledge of how it's worked. "Talking smart" meant using wrestling terminology or acknowledging wrestling is a work in front of others. |
| 314 | * '''Smarten Up''': To educate someone as to how the wrestling business works. Not ''just'' that it's predetermined but exactly how it operates either in the ring, behind the scenes, or both. To smarten someone up can also mean to let someone in on a secret generally. Note that almost no one was smartened up before the 1980s. Even if someone outside of the wrestling business knew it wasn't legitimate, the exact details were still a closely guarded secret. Wrestlers often refused to smarten up their own family members, especially children, for fear that they would let the secret out and hurt the business. Even trainees weren't smartened up until their trainer felt that they could be trusted, so early "training" often consisted of trainees getting beat up instead of learning how to work. |
| 315 | * '''Main/SmartMark''' or '''Smark''': A fan that understands the finer points of wrestling and keeps up with the business aspect of the sport (see "Dirt Sheet" above) as much as they do with the in-ring action and storylines, but doesn't have any actual connection to the industry. Though once quite rare (and almost unheard of outside of the Northeast) the overwhelming majority of wrestling fans today can be considered smarks thanks to the death of kayfabe, the internet, and [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin many]] [[Wrestling/JimCornette popular]] [[Wrestling/KevinNash wrestling]] [[Wrestling/EricBischoff personalities]] doing podcasts and shoot interviews that expose the business. |
| 316 | * '''Snug''': If being 'stiff' is to deliver legitimate strikes, then being 'snug' is to put on legitimate submission holds. Notably used in conjunction with '''stretching''' by a number of old-school wrestlers like Stu Hart, as a means of training. |
| 317 | * '''Spot:''' A move predetermined to happen in a match, including the reaction by the opponent. While the outcomes of pro wrestling matches are decided in advance, most of the action is improvised, with the exception of spots at key moments. |
| 318 | ** A '''Spot''' can also be a wrestler's position on the card, which is highly sought after and protected. Alternatively, it can refer to a having a job in a promotion. Ex: “Plowboy Frazier got a spot in Memphis.” |
| 319 | * '''Spotfest''': A derisive term for a match that emphasizes spots and highspots over WrestlingPsychology, often completely ignoring the classic four-part match structure. Pretty much exclusively the domain of cruiserweights/high flyers thanks to the influence of Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' (which by design completely throws psychology out the window in favor of intricate gymnastics), though most multi-man matches like the "Fatal 4 Way" and ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank'' (and its AEW knockoff "Casino Ladder Match") will devolve into a spotfest before long because it's all but impossible to plan out anything logical for a match that's basically being advertised as a total free-for-all. |
| 320 | * '''SpotMonkey''': A derisive term for a wrestler whose matches consist of highspots instead of psychology and often refuses to sell moves, usually thanks to poor training (or no training). Whether a wrestler counts as a spot monkey can be ''very'' controversial in fan circles, though basically everyone can agree that Wrestling/{{Sabu}} is the Main/TropeCodifier and a Main/FountainOfExpies of guys that think doing stunts and pro wrestling are the same thing. |
| 321 | * '''Spot show''': A house show performed in a location that is not a regularly scheduled town. Typically involves (or involved, the term is more or less synonymous with "house show" nowadays) a subset of a touring crew working a shorter card. Historically, these often overlapped with paid shows. |
| 322 | * '''SquashMatch:''' A quick and overwhelming victory. The vast majority of matches involving jobbers are squash matches. |
| 323 | * '''Stealing a House''': Getting a one-time bump in business by using a wrestler who has no chance at longevity. A promoter might come across a local celebrity, sports star, or a person with a unique quality who wants to be used in the wrestling business, though the person in question has no talent. The promoter will utilize their top wrestlers or best workers to help build a match with the subject. If done correctly, the promotion will see a temporary increase in business because of that match, but the match can [[ItOnlyWorksOnce only be done once]] per town (or once nationally) since the fans will see the attraction lacks talent and won't want to see it again. |
| 324 | ** Wrestling/SidEudy (a.k.a. Sid Vicious, Sid Justice, Sycho Sid, or just Sid) was the king of this. He had an incredible look and a freakish charisma that certainly attracted attention at first, the problem is that Sid is ''very'' limited once the bell rings, both in terms of agility and wrestling skill, meaning any subsequent matches are going to get diminishing returns if people know he'll stink out the joint. But since Sid never really stuck around more than a few months anyway, either because he refused to work during softball season[[note]]Sid absolutely ''loves'' playing softball and it usually took priority over his wrestling career. In 1989 he was offered a guaranteed contract from WCW that would have gave him a world title run and more money than anyone else not named Wrestling/HulkHogan or Wrestling/RicFlair. '''He turned it down because they wouldn't give him softball season off.''' If you ever hear people call him "[[Main/EmbarrassingNickname Softball Sid]]", this is why[[/note]] or because he just refused to do business (or because he [[Main/RoleEndingMisdemeanor got fired]] for nearly murdering [[Wrestling/ArnAnderson one of his fellow wrestlers]] with a pair of scissors), nobody really got sick of him and he could consistently be brought in for an easy (but brief) revenue spike. |
| 325 | * '''[[PowerStable Stable]]''': A group of three or more wrestlers who form an alliance. |
| 326 | * '''Stick:''' Antiquated carny-ish slang for a microphone. Usually used when describing someone's ability to cut promos, like "Wrestling/CMPunk is really good on the stick." |
| 327 | * '''Stiff''': A punch or move that hurts more than it should for being performance. Someone whose moves are this way is said to "work stiff" or be a "stiff worker", either as a deliberate choice to enhance the danger and seriousness of the fighter, or just by accident. Stan Hansen was a notoriously stiff worker, mostly because he was so blind without his glasses that he couldn't see his opponent to pull his punches. Compare '''snug'''. |
| 328 | ** "Stiff" (or usually "big stiff") can also refer to a wrestler that has a lot of muscle but very little agility, making them pretty hard to move around the ring. [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid]], Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, and Wrestling/KevinNash in the latter half of his career are examples. Ironically most big stiffs aren't stiff workers. |
| 329 | ** "Stiff" can also refer to a mean-spirited remark or rib considered beyond the acceptable boundaries of locker room etiquette. These actions or remarks can often be the basis of legitimate heat (animosity) between wrestlers. |
| 330 | * '''Stooge''': A wrestler, manager, or road agent who acts as a "spy" for the promoter, informing them of any indiscretions committed by the wrestlers on the road. Longtime WWF manager Mr. Fuji, who was very much one of these, was often called "Fuj the Stooge" on WWF TV by opposing babyfaces, and former road agents Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson would become the on-air "stooges" during the Wrestling/AttitudeEra. |
| 331 | * '''Strap the Rocket Ship to (Performer):''' To give a performer a '''huge''' push, typically involving a World Title win and lengthy reign. This is usually only used in reference to a young wrestler's first big main event push. Once this process is complete a performer will either have proven themselves as a main event draw; or they will return to the midcard to regroup and have their character adjusted. |
| 332 | * '''Stretcher job''': When a wrestler is injured badly and carried out on a stretcher. Used to get another wrestler, angle, gimmick, or move over due to the gravitas of the situation. |
| 333 | * '''Stretching''': The act of physically harming aspiring wrestlers in the ring, both to drive off uncommitted wannabes and humble future trainees. Usually by way of holds meant to strain or other cause discomfort. Not done so much anymore, out of legal fears and the fact that many wrestlers nowadays are not trained shooters. Stretching can also be somewhat synonymous with shooting, though stretching is exclusively applied to former amateur wrestlers who can legitimately hurt opponents with holds. Ex: "Wrestling/LouThesz could have stretched most of the locker room if he wanted to." |
| 334 | * '''Strong Style''': A style of wrestling that incorporated realistic/stiff kicks, suplexes and submission holds while eschewing the high-flying, bombastic moves. Originating in the 90s from Japan's [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling NJPW]], whose wrestlers often came from legitimate martial arts backgrounds, the style has influenced and permeated throughout the wrestling world. See also "King's Road/Royal Road", a style from NJPW's rival company AJPW, and "Shootwrestling", which grew out of "Strong Style". New Japan's dominant role in the Japanese professional wrestling scene since the early 1980's, and the numerous successor promotions created by its stable of volatile personalities, "strong style" tends to be frequently misapplied to New Japan-adjacent movements such as "shootwrestling" or all Japanese wrestling. |
| 335 | * '''Studio Show:''' A television taping held at a local studio instead of an arena. Because wrestling was very popular and drew high ratings, many local television studios allowed promotions to film in their local studio in exchange for airing the shows. This saved promoters money since the cost of running a studio taping was negligible compared to an arena. It also allowed promotions to increase their visibility in a local market and draw bigger crowds to their house shows. Tickets were given away instead of sold since the prevailing wisdom at the time was no one would pay to see a wrestling show they could see for free on TV. Matches were typically squash matches, though major stars sometimes faced off without a clear winner. With the death of the territories, the studio show more or less died, though TNA's tapings at Universal Studios in the 2000s and the NWA's revival in the late 2010s could be seen as modern equivalents. |
| 336 | * '''Sweeten:''' To pipe in artificial noise to make wrestlers appear more popular or more hated than they actually are with the live crowd. Promotions with large budgets have historically and are guilty of this because a silent crowd is considered "death" in professional wrestling, and sweetening can potentially help foster the IntendedAudienceReaction, though it can also backfire[[note]]WCW, which showed credits at the end of [=PPVs=] and ''Clash of the Champions'' shows, were so shameless about messing with the crowd noise that they had an "audio sweetening" guy '''listed in the credits'''. Speaking of those credits, the booking committee and all the agents were also listed under their real names, and if you really know your territory wrestling history you'll probably recognize all of those names[[/note]]. Note that some promotions will even edit previously aired footage to change the crowd noise. Compare LaughTrack for a similar concept used in works outside of the wrestling industry. |
| 337 | * '''Swerve:''' Originally meant to con someone, but has since come to reflect a style of booking where an unexpected event occurs in the opposite direction of where the angle seemed to be heading. The term is heavily associated with Wrestling/VinceRusso. Let's say, for example, that a company had an angle building that implied Bob was turning on Steve. A swerve would have Steve turn on Bob. A swerve could also have a completely unrelated talent turn on Bob for no adequately explained reason. Compare AssPull |
| 338 | * '''Sword''': Synonymous with a blade. The instrument one uses to cut oneself. The main difference between the two words is that sword is always a noun, while blade can be either a noun or verb depending on the context. |
| 339 | * '''Tag Rope:''' A small length of rope roughly 2 feet long tied around the top of the ringpost in the corners of each team during a tag team match, the wrestler on the apron must have hold of the tag rope to be tagged in. This prevents a wrestler from getting tagged in from halfway down to the other corner, while also giving the heel team a convenient tool to choke their opponent when the ref isn't looking. Somewhat archaic and not universally used to begin with[[note]]And even when the tag rope is used the announcers often won't say anything about it, so fans might not even notice it's there unless they're looking for it[[/note]] (WWE for the most part hasn't used them), when a tag rope isn't being used a wrestler will have to have one hand on the ringpost or turnbuckle to be tagged in. |
| 340 | * '''Take care of:''' This can mean different things in different contexts, but it's usually used to describe when a wrestler looks out for another wrestler in a match due to inexperience or injury so the other wrestler doesn't get hurt or hurt worse. Generally, it's the opposite of taking liberties. This might involve calling an audible or working light if there's an injury or giving more guidance in a match than normal for an inexperienced opponent. “Protected” can be synonymous with taking care of, in addition to the definition provided above. |
| 341 | ** It can also mean to pay very well, especially if a wrestler is injured or otherwise unable to perform. |
| 342 | * '''Take liberties:''' To shoot, or inflict actual pain on someone during a match in a manner that was not agreed upon beforehand. This is not the same as working stiff or working strong, or a botch that causes injury. This is to beat up the other performer and hurt them legitimately for no reason, typically while limiting or negating their ability to fight back. This is considered a dick move of the highest order. When [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield John Layfield]] beat up Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie at the ''Wrestling/{{ECW}} One Night Stand'' pay per view in 2005, he took liberties with the Blue Meanie[[note]]A couple nights later (with the blessings of WWE management) Wrestling/StevieRichards knocked Layfield out cold with a shoot chairshot during a match, see "Receipt" above[[/note]]. This is still a step below "going into business for yourself" which also involves going against the previously decided finish. Note that a key element in taking liberties is a power or experience disparity between the person taking liberties and the person on the receiving end. An experienced wrestler in a position of power is unlikely to face this situation because the person taking liberties is likely to be fired, receive "receipts" from the other wrestler, or both. A good example of this is when [[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] took liberties with Matt Cappotelli during an episode of ''[[Wrestling/WWEToughEnough Tough Enough]]''. Holly got away with this but certainly would've been fired if he had pulled that with someone on his level or higher. |
| 343 | ** Taking liberties can also refer to particularly mean spirited (and often destructive) ribs done without any justification, usually to non-wrestlers that are much smaller and/or older than the wrestlers. The late Wrestling/HowardFinkel was said to be a frequent victim of these. |
| 344 | * '''Territory system''': Refers to the system of promoting professional wrestling in the United States until the rise of national wrestling promotions. This was a de facto monopoly in which each promoter held exclusive rights to promote wrestling in a given area of the country. With the exception of the AWA and the WWWF (from 1963 to 1971), these promotions recognized the NWA World Champion.[[note]]While the territories are long dead the NWA title still exists, the assets of the National Wrestling Alliance were purchased by Music/SmashingPumpkins frontman (and longtime wrestling fan) Billy Corgan in 2017, shortly after his failed attempt to purchase [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]. The NWA is now just a single promotion [[Main/ArtifactName rather than an alliance of many]] that has a show on FITE TV and Website/YouTube; as of October 2023, Wrestling/{{EC3}} is the champion.[[/note]] |
| 345 | * '''Transitional Champion''': Someone who wins a title from one performer to pass it to another who couldn't beat the old champion for whatever reason. Usually because they were both babyfaces. Sometimes because a champion had a looming injury or suspension and there wasn't time to build a match with the other performer, so they drop the title to their current opponent. Bill Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}'s 2017 WWE Universal Title win is an example; there wasn't time or interest in building a feud between then-champion Wrestling/KevinOwens and Wrestling/BrockLesnar, so Goldberg beat Owens and lost the title to Lesnar a month later at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 33''. The most famous example would probably be Wrestling/TheIronSheik's 4 week run with the WWF belt in 1984 to create a gap between the multi-year title reigns of Wrestling/BobBacklund and Wrestling/HulkHogan. |
| 346 | * '''Tryout Match''': A match given to a wrestler to gauge potential so the promoter or booker can decide whether or not they want to use them. Often a dark match but sometimes airs on "B" or "C" shows. |
| 347 | * '''Turned by the Crowd''': When the audience's reaction forces a change in face/heel alignment. For example, in the Becky Lynch vs Charlotte feud, Charlotte was initially booked as the face and Lynch as the heel, but the audience insisted on cheering Becky and booing Charlotte. |
| 348 | * '''Tweener''': Short for In-betweener. Refers to a wrestler who is neither a strict heel nor a strict babyface. Compare AntiHero. The bulk of tweeners can be considered heels by any real definition (they cheat, use weapons, jump people from behind backstage, etc...), but get cheered either because they attack heels the crowd ''really'' hates (see Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin) or they have enough charisma that people just start liking them (see Austin again, along with the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder and Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen.) Note that a babyface getting booed because people are sick of them is '''not''' the same thing, that's Main/XPacHeat, which is explained in more detail at the bottom of this page. |
| 349 | * '''Underneath:''' The bottom half of a wrestling card, typically working matches before the intermission. Wrestlers working underneath are the lowest full-time wrestlers in a promotion, typically only ranking above part-time TV jobbers. In the territory days, underneath matches would have shorter time limits and restrictions from the booker (no two men on the floor at the same time, no color) in order to not eclipse the top wrestlers. |
| 350 | * '''Vanilla Midget''': A term popularized by Wrestling/KevinNash to describe a small wrestler who lacks personality. |
| 351 | * '''Virgin crowd''': A crowd that has never been exposed to live professional wrestling or hasn't experienced it in a long time. Considered very easy to work back in the day because they reacted to everything more than other crowds. Sometimes the result of returning to a "killed" town after a prolonged absence of several years. Also called a virgin territory. |
| 352 | * '''Visual Pinfall''': A pinfall that is seen by the crowd and commentators, but not the ref, so it doesn't count (see "Ref Bump" above). Usually done so a losing babyface isn't just jobbing flat and can legitimately say he got screwed over ("I had you beat and ''everyone'' saw it, but you took out the ref!"), making a rematch an easy sell to fans, provided they care about the guys to begin with. A "visual tap-out" is the same thing, but with a submission hold. |
| 353 | * '''VTR:''' Production shorthand for a pre-taped segment. Actually stands for '''V'''ideo '''T'''ape '''R'''ecorder, [[ArtifactName though nowadays]] it's just [[TechnologyMarchesOn someone clicking a mouse]]. |
| 354 | * '''War''': When two wrestling promotions are heavily competing against each other and trying to drive the other out of business. Historical wars include The Sheik's territory vs Dick the Bruiser's, Ann Gunkel's war with the Georgia territory, Jerry Jarrett's war with Nick Gulas, Jim Crockett Promotions vs the WWF [[note]] Which led to, among other things, the creation of ''Clash at the Champions'' and the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble''[[/note]], and the WWF vs WCW in the Wrestling/MondayNightWars. Can result from running opposition. Often leads to a brief boom period for one or both promotions[[note]]But not always, [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] tried running head-to-head with ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Monday Night Raw]]'' and got absolutely slaughtered, not only failing to put a dent in Raw's ratings (which actually went '''up''' thanks to counter-programming with stuff like the first face-to-face meeting of Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels since the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob 12 years earlier) but losing ''over 50% of their own viewers in the process'' and never getting them back[[/note]], followed by a decline, which is why the territory promoters tried to avoid them. |
| 355 | * '''Wednesday Night Wars:''' The period when [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]'s ''Dynamite'' went head-to-head with WWE's ''[[Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}} NXT]]'' for ratings supremacy, starting in October 2019 with the debut of ''Dynamite''. The "war" proved to be one-sided, with AEW winning the ratings battle almost every week, both in total viewership and in the key 18–49 demographic[[note]]Though keep in mind that ''Dynamite'' was beating WWE's developmental sub-promotion, not the shows that the wrestlers you'll see at the "Premium Live Events" (aka [=PPVs=]) appear on. ''Monday Night Raw'' gets one and a half times the viewers ''Dynamite'' does at minimum, ''Smackdown'' (which has the benefit of being on network TV) does anywhere between double and triple the ratings AEW pulls[[/note]]. The war ended with WWE moving ''NXT'' to Tuesday nights starting April 13, 2021. |
| 356 | * '''Wellnessed:''' Fan-speak for a wrestler getting suspended for failing a drug test, the name comes from [=WWE's=] [[https://corporate.wwe.com/what-we-do/talent/substance-abuse-and-drug-testing-policy Wellness Policy]], which includes their testing program. If someone is suspended the press release will be something along the lines of "[Wrestler] has been suspended for [X] days for a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy." |
| 357 | * '''Work''': The opposite of a shoot. The art of constructing believable storylines and matches to further the fictional story told in pro wrestling. |
| 358 | ** Work is also a wrestler's ability to perform in the ring, though fans often a have a very different (and opposing) view of what "perform in the ring" means compared to how people people within the business see it. To fans it usually means the ability to perform moves and keep a fast pace (called "workrate" by smarks), to most wrestlers it means one thing and one thing only: the ability to draw money. Of course the two aren't mutually exclusive, as any fan of Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/BretHart, or Wrestling/BryanDanielson will tell you. |
| 359 | * '''WorkedShoot''': An angle or promo designed and executed in such a way as to attempt to convince the viewers it was real, spontaneous or unplanned. Wrestling/CMPunk most famously delivered a worked shoot promo (the "pipe bomb") on ''Raw'' on June 27, 2011 about the state of WWE and why he was planning to leave it. |
| 360 | * '''Worker''': A wrestler's ability to get the audience invested in themselves and/or their opponents. This can apply to knowing what moves to use and when to use them or knowing what to say to get the reaction you want. Note that a great worker isn't necessarily a great wrestler and vice versa. A classic example of a worker vs wrestler would be Wrestling/DeanMalenko, who could outwrestle 95% of any roster but never managed to connect with the audience at the level of anyone above a mid-carder. Meanwhile, Wrestling/JerryLawler could hardly outwrestle anyone in real life, yet Memphis wrestling fans came to see him for decades because of his ability to connect with them. |
| 361 | ** A related term is '''Technical worker'''. This describes someone's ability to perform moves well, safe, and believably. A good technical worker would be someone like the aforementioned Malenko. A technical worker doesn't necessarily draw money or connect with the fans, however. |
| 362 | * '''Working Hurt''': When a wrestler continues to wrestle despite nagging injuries that should keep them from wrestling. This mentality emerged during the territory days when a wrestler might lose their spot for taking time off. Not quite as prevalent as it used to be, partly thanks to contacts, but WCW was often criticized for encouraging this by docking the pay of wrestlers who took time off for injuries, and this is thought to have contributed to the pain pill dependency many former WCW wrestlers ended up having. |
| 363 | * '''Working the Boys''': A type of worked shoot designed not just to fool the fans into thinking it's real, but also to fool the other wrestlers in the locker room. These are quite rare, mainly due to their tendency to go from a worked shoot to [[Main/HostilityOnTheSet just a shoot]], often causing problems off-camera[[note]]To give two examples, the real-life hostilities between Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and the hostilities between Wrestling/JimCornette and Wrestling/PaulHeyman started off as total works designed to fool the locker room (and by extension the dirt sheets). This sort of angle also gave birth to the real life love triangle between Wrestling/KevinSullivan, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, and Nancy Toffoloni[[/note]]. |
| 364 | * '''Working the hold''': Either attempting to make it look like a submission hold is legitimately being applied, selling the result of the hold, or keeping the fans' interest through movements and facial expressions. Failure to do this adequately results in a loss of interest from the fans and gave rise to the term "resthold" (see above). |
| 365 | * '''Wrasslin':''' A term used to denote wrestling in parts of the southern United States. Often employed more violence, blood, and [[ItsPersonal personal feuds]] than territories further north. This style developed because smaller territories in the South had to draw from smaller population centers, so the promoters and bookers would keep people coming back with grudges and blood. Also called "Rasslin" or "Memphis style". |
| 366 | * '''Wrestler's Court:''' A KangarooCourt proceeding backstage, with respected veteran wrestlers as "judge", "jury", and "prosecutor". Wrestler's court was used to mediate disputes between wrestlers or punish behavior considered unruly to the locker room, usually by some sort of compensation in terms of gifts and/or favors. Wrestler's court is now considered ''very'' controversial, as many feel it was often used as a tool to haze younger wrestlers, and has largely been phased out since around the beginning of [[Wrestling/WWEPGEra the PG Era]] in the late 2000s.[[note]]It's believed that Vince [=McMahon=] hated "Wrestler's Court" because he felt it undermined his authority, and only tolerated it because Wrestling/TheUndertaker was in charge of it (which gives you an idea of the influence Taker has, see "locker room leader" above.) Once Taker's career starting winding down and he wasn't regularly at TV anymore Vince put his foot down and ended it.[[/note]] |
| 367 | * '''WrestlingPsychology:''' In-ring acting ability, which includes both portraying a consistent attack strategy, and ability to '''sell''' the other guy's blows. Good psychology is what make a match look more like a believable competition, and less like two guys taking turns hitting each other until one of them suddenly loses. Psychology also involves knowing what to say and what to do to get the IntendedAudienceReaction. Moreover, a wrestler with good psychology can be considered a good worker, but a good wrestler with bad psychology could not. |
| 368 | * '''XPacHeat:''' Refers to genuine hatred/dislike of a wrestler, not because that wrestler is a heel but because the fans don't want to see that wrestler anymore. Also called "go away heat", "go home heat", or simply "the wrong kind of heat". |
| 369 | * '''X Sign:''' Also called the X signal, this is a common signal referees use to alert the back that someone is legitimately hurt and may possibly need medical attention. A referee giving this signal will raise their arms up and make a giant X by crossing them. Can be “waved off” if the wrestler determines they can continue the match. Since smart fans and even casual fans have picked up on the meaning of this signal, it is sometimes used as part of worked shoot angle or Kayfabe injury. |
| 370 | * '''Young Boy''': In Japanese wrestling, a new wrestler in training who does all of the grunt work in order to earn respect. It's typical for a young boy to carry bags, pick up and drive around older, established wrestlers, and do various other odd jobs around the ring. Ring announcers, jobbers, and referees typically do the kind of grunt work in the United States that young boys do in Japan. |
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