Glossary of professional wrestling terms

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 70.105.254.135 (talk) at 17:48, 15 February 2006 (→A). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of slang, in-references and jargon. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals, and the slang itself is often referred to as "carny talk". Often wrestlers would use this lingo in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the pre-planned nature of the business. In recent years, widespread wrestling discussion on the Internet has both popularized and corrupted some of these terms.

Template:CompactTOC2

==A== WATCH TNA IMPACT SATURDAY NIGHTS 11:00PM EASTERN TIME ONLY ON SPIKE TV ***** WWE SUX***** QUOTE THE RAVEN NEVERMORE

  • A-Show, A wrestling event where the biggest draws in professional wrestling perform. Refers to the top shows run by the WWF/WWE (RAW) and the now defunct WCW (Nitro).
  • A-Team, a group of a wrestling promotion's top stars who compete at a given event. The organization's second-tier of stars are called the B-Team, and so forth. Frequently, the B-Team will compete at a different venue the same night wrestlers on the A-Team are competing in a different event elsewhere, although a promotion will sometimes schedule an event with B-Team wrestlers to test a new market. (This term is not to be confused with the NBC-TV series of the same name.)
  • Abortion, to discontinue a feud or gimmick suddenly, usually without explanation. Usually, this is due to a lack of fan interest, if an angle is poorly executed or fans find the storyline morally objectionable. The most recent example of this is WWE's cancelling of Muhammad Hassan's gimmick at The Great American Bash 2005 just as he was being elevated to the #1 Contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship. An older term not used today because of its objectionable basis, although a recent WWE RAW angle involving Kane and Lita was aborted with an actual abortion (strictly speaking, a miscarriage, and her "pregnancy" was completely worked).
  • André shot, a filming technique used to emphasize or exaggerate the height of a wrestler, either by shooting them from an upwards perspective or by filming them interacting with someone of average or below-average height. This principle is also utilized in using referees that are shorter than the average adult male, to enhance the heights of the wrestlers involved in the match. It is named after André the Giant, who often stood on a phone book during studio interviews to exaggerate his height.
  • Agent or Road agent, management employee, often a former veteran wrestler, who helps wrestlers set up matches and relays instructions from the bookers. Often acts as a liaison between wrestlers and higher-level management
  • Angle, a fictional storyline
  • Apter mag, an older-type professional wrestling magazine that sticks to kayfabe. Refers to the magazines connected to journalist Bill Apter, a notable example being Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

B

  • B-Show, a wrestling event featuring the middle and lower-level talent of a wrestling promotion.
  • B-Team, Group of wrestlers on a B-Show. See A-Team.
  • Babyface, a good guy (compare "tweener" and "heel")
  • Backyard wrestling, the act of wrestling as a hobby rather than a job, usually but not always untrained, predominantly by teenagers.
  • Bait and switch, When a promoter teases the fans into believing one thing is going to happen and switches to something else resulting in shock and surprise (best-case scenario) or confusion and disappointment (worst-case scenario).
  • Batman match, alternate term for a very poorly executed match, with blown spots and showing light. Term takes its name from the 1966-1968 ABC-TV series, which featured bizarre and deliberately silly fight scenes with comical choreography.
  • Beat down, when a wrestler or other performer is given a massive beating, usually by a group of wrestlers.
  • Billy Gunn'd, relates to anyone who fails to register an impact despite being consistently given a main event push by the Creative Team and is bumped back down to the undercard. Refers to the push Billy Gunn received for over a year after winning the 1999 King of the Ring.
  • Blade, a sharpened object used for "blading"
  • Blading, the act of cutting oneself open in order to bleed, usually on the forehead (compare "juicing")
  • Blind, when a referee has his back turned while the other side is cheating. Usually done by heels in order to gain the advantage in a match.
  • Blow off, The final match in a feud, usually at a pay-per-view event or on cable TV. While the involved wrestlers often move onto new feuds, sometimes it is the final match in the promotion for one or more of the wrestlers.
  • Blow Up, when a wrestler completely exhausts all of his energy, either because he has low stamina, or by performing too many exhilarating moves early in the match making him extremely fatigued
  • Blown spot, a spot that does not go as planned, also botch
  • Bonzo gonzo, A point in a tag team match when everyone is the ring at once and the referee has lost control.
  • Booker, the person in charge of setting up matches and writing angles; referred to as the "Creative Team" by WWE
  • Booking, what a "booker" does
  • Botch, a scripted move that failed
  • Boys, what wrestlers call themselves (as in "the boys in the back")
  • Broadway, when two wrestlers wrestle to a draw in a 20 to 60 minute time limit match. (i.e. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat in NWA or Sabu vs Terry Funk vs Shane Douglas in ECW or CM Punk vs Samoa Joe in ROH).
  • Bull, an older, more "carny" term for a wrestling promoter.
  • Bump, when a wrestler, referee, valet/diva or others hit the mat or ground (as in "take a bump" or "sick bump")
  • Bury, the act of a promoter or booker causing a wrestler to lose popularity by forcing him to lose matches badly (squash) and/or making him participate in unentertaining or degrading storylines (compare "push")
  • Bowling Shoe Ugly, coined by Jim Ross, this term refers to brawlers not known for being great mat technicians, e.g. Kane, Snitsky, Goldberg, Batista, Vader, etc.

C

  • Canned heat, when cheers or boos are pumped into an arena via the sound system or added to a television show in post-production (i.e. WWE SmackDown!, which is taped on Tuesday and edited for broadcast on Friday, or the "Goldberg" chant)
  • Carry, the act of one wrestler doing most of the work (selling moves, calling spots) to make a match watchable. E.g. Chris Benoit would 'carry' Gene Snitsky to a good match.
  • Catchphrase, a phrase or expression that is repeated in promos and interviews to encourage crowd interaction.
  • Championship, in kayfabe, a recognition of a wrestler being the best in his or her promotion or division in the form of a championship belt (also "title" or "strap"). Outside of kayfabe, championships are won/held by a wrestler whom the bookers believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership.
  • Cheap heat, when a wrestler (often a heel) incites a negative crowd reaction by insulting the crowd (for example, by insulting the city, or a local sports team) or by using a news event as part of his promo. For example, Simon Dean at No Mercy 2005. (compare "cheap pop")
  • Cheap pop, when a wrestler (often a face) incites a positive crowd reaction by "kissing up" to the crowd (for example, mentioning the name of the city, or complimenting a local sports team) (compare "cheap heat") For Example, Mick Foley always gets a cheap pop by mentioning the city he's in by name.
  • Cheap shot, when a wrestler uses a low blow or a foreign object to get an advantage over his opponent.
  • Circus, derogatory reference to a promotion's extenisve use of cartoon-type gimmicks. Often used in reference to the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s and early 1990s, due to gimmicks such as clowns, animal mascots and wrestlers adopting animal-like characteristics).
  • Clean finish, when a match ends without cheating or outside interference (compare "screwjob")
  • Clean house, when a wrestler eliminates everyone in the ring, either in a battle royal or during a save.
  • Closet champion, a current titleholder (usually a heel) who ducks top-flight competition, cheats to win (usually by managerial interference), and – when forced to wrestle good opponents – deliberately causes himself to be disqualified (since titles often do not change hands by disqualification) to retain his title.
  • Color, a term used by wrestlers and promoters to discuss the amount of bloodshed in a match, i.e. "getting good color" would end up looking like a Crimson Mask.
  • Color commentator, the commentator who adds interest and excitement to matches. Often biased towards the heel.
  • Clusterfuck or Cluster, A call made in the back to signal most, if not all wrestlers to enter the arena and begin a large fight in the middle of the ring. Usually used to end a boring match or disrupt a lull in the show. Can also be when a match has no flow. (compare "over-book")(See The NWO)
  • Crimson mask, a face covered in blood (see also "Muta scale")
  • Curtain jerker, the first match on the card, or a wrestler who wrestles in the first match of the card, especially on a regular basis

D

  • Dark match, a non-televised match at a televised show (compare "house show")
  • Dead weight , when a wrestler goes limp in the middle of a move to make his opponent look weak or just rib him. See Sandbag.
  • The Deal, another term for title belt.
  • Dirtsheet, a newsletter, magazine, or website that portrays wrestling as scripted entertainment, rather than portraying it as a sport. Dirtsheets often offer backstage information and gossip about wrestlers and others involved in wrestling.
  • Diva, a term originating from the WWE. Generally synonymous with valet, but can refer to any woman involved in wrestling, either as "eye candy" or as a wrestler. See also Superstar.
  • Do business When two wrestlers work together to get a match or an angle over. Also when a wrestler does a job or angle when asked regardless of whether it helps him/her.
  • Doing business on the way out To job before leaving a particular promotion.
  • Double-clutch, to hesitate and bounce before jumping off the top rope, resulting in limited airtime and height
  • Double juice, when two wrestlers blade during a given match. Can be expanded to "triple juice", "quadruple juice", etc.
  • Double turn, the rare occurrence when the heel or the face switch roles during an angle or a match. The best example of this is the Bret Hart/Steve Austin match at Wrestlemania 13.
  • Draw, to be able to attract the attention of the audience.
  • Drawing Power, Having recognition with the fans as a star, someone fans pay to see.
  • Dropping the strap, when a titleholder agrees to be booked to lose the title to a contender
  • Dud, a very poor, boring or otherwise uninteresting match. Can also be a match with morally objectionable elements. Occasionally called by Jim Ross, "A match with bowling shoe tendencies."
  • Dusty finish, a finish in which a substitute referee's decision in a match, usually in favor of the face, is overturned by the original referee. Refers to Dusty Rhodes, who booked many such finishes in NWA and later in WCW.

E

  • Enforcer, a wrestler who accompanies another to matches, and acts as a bodyguard. This term was coined by Arn Anderson, who's nickname was "The Enforcer".
  • Enmascarado, Spanish term for a masked wrestler
  • Extreme wrestling, a style of wrestling based heavily on highspots and weapon attacks. See also Hardcore wrestling

F

  • Face, short for "babyface"
  • False comeback, when a face mounts a brief offensive flurry before losing it to a heel wrestler after being dominated for several minutes. Usually, a false comeback happens before the actual comeback.
  • False finish, a spot which the audience expects to finish the match but the wrestler kicks out or makes it to the ropes, used to build excitement during the home stretch.
  • Fan cam, a video of a wrestling event taped by a member in the audience.
  • Feeding, the heel's role during a babyface comeback where he runs at the babyface only to be repeatedly fended off, with the hope that the series of bumps by the heel will generate positive fan heat for the babyface. A babyface could also feed the heel in hopes of generating fan sympathy.
  • Feud, a battle between two or more wrestlers or stables, often involving matches, promos and angles. A feud usually lasts for several months.
  • Fighting Spirit, a demonstration of a wrestler's will to win in the face of adversity, usually in a spot involving the no selling of a supposedly powerful or match-ending move (such as a head drop) as a counter to a dominant series of moves by the opponent. Originates from puroresu, though some American indy workers influenced by puroresu have since began to implement such spots into their matches.
  • Finish, the planned end of a match (see also "Dusty Finish," "Clean Finish")
  • Five Moves of Doom the particular combination of moves that a wrestler uses in every match, often leading up to the pin. In reference to Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and more recently, John Cena and their tendency to use the same moves in the same sequence in every match.
  • Five Star Bump When a wrestler takes an impressive massive bump. A good example of this is Mick Foley's bumps from King Of The Ring, Jack Evans's two massive bumps from the top of the cage at CZW's Cage Of Death 6.
  • ***** (Five Star) Match, A perfect match, not just one of the best matches of the year but one of the best matches of all time.
  • Finisher, a wrestler's trademark move
  • Flair Flip, a move, popularized by Ric Flair, where a wrestler is flipped upside down and often ends up on the other side of the ropes on his feet on the ring apron. Another noted user is Shawn Michaels.
  • Flair Flop, Ric Flair's trademark gimmick of selling a blow by taking a few steps and then falling face-forward with his legs going backward.
  • Flat back bump, a bump in which a wrestler lands solidly on his back with high impact, spread over as much surface as possible.
  • Flub coverup, when a poorly executed maneuver is called a "variation" by the announce team.
  • Fluff, A move or punch that is made to look or sound as thought it hurt but the opponent feels nothing,
  • **** (Four Star) Match, An exciting and entertaining match considered to be a Match of the Year candidate.
  • Freebird rule, unofficial rule which allows any two members of a three-man tag team to defend the tag titles. Named after the Fabulous Freebirds, who first did this in Georgia Championship Wrestling. (This "rule" was also used by the Jersey Triad in WCW, Demolition in the WWF, The Russian Team in Jim Crockett Promotions, The Suicide Blondes in ECW and XXX in TNA.)
  • Front office or Office, the headquarters and staff that handles the administrative affairs of a wrestling promotion.

G

  • Gaijin, An American, or other foreign worker in Japanese promotions. (not strictly a wrestling term, as it is a Japanese word for a foreigner.)
  • Garbage wrestling, "hardcore" matches or extremely spot heavy matches wherein wrestlers use nothing but weaponry or highly planned out spots to attack each other, also outrageous gimmick matches that have no obvious elements of traditional in-ring competition. Promotions that have built their reputation on this type of matches or spotfest style wrestling include XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling) and CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling). Can also refer to certain types of backyard wrestling. Term was coined by Giant Baba of All Japan Pro-Wrestling when he referred to Atsushi Onita's FMW promotion (Which used barbed wire and other such dangerous implements) as "garbage" but later evolved to encompass spotfests as well.
  • Gas, steroids (see also juice and roids). Also, stamina (as in out of gas, when a wrestler is tired and unable to perform properly)
  • Gate, amount of money generated from ticket sales. Merchandise sales are thrown into the gate.
  • Geek, to cut oneself.
  • Gig, the blade a wrestler uses to cut himself.
  • Gig mark, A scar from blading.
  • Gimmick, a unique trait that defines a wrestler's identity, or an implement used to cheat i.e., William Regal's gimmick was to knock out opponents with his brass knuckles (brass knucks were a "gimmick"). Can also mean a wrestler's attire or outfit.
  • Gimmicked, hitting someone with or putting someone through an object that has been altered to break easily.
  • Gizzmo, old term for gimmick.
  • Get the tights, grabbing the opponent's upper part of the trousers or shorts, or the lower part of the shirt or tank top in order to get the pin.
  • Go home, a saying that a wrestler is told by a ringside commentator or the referee. It indicates that the wrestlers should end the match shortly thereafter. Also see Take (it) home.
  • Go over, to beat someone.
  • Goozle, a chokeslam.
  • Go through, a time limit draw.
  • Going bush, moving from a major league promotion to a regional or independent promotion.
  • Going into business for himself, when a wrestler goes against what has been discussed for a match or segment and improvises, usually for the benefit of his own character or persona.
  • Goldberg push, when a wrestler goes on a long winning streak by squashing opponents.
  • Gongus wrongus, refers to the futile ringing of the bell during a post-match beatdown.
  • Good Hand, a wrestler who other wrestlers enjoy working with due to that wrestler being in total control during the match, not getting lost, not working too stiff or too light. Also called a "Steady Hand".
  • Gorilla position, the staging area just backstage of the entrance curtain. Named in honor of WWF mainstay Gorilla Monsoon, since applied to this area in most U.S. promotions.
  • Green, refers to a wrestler (often called a green boy, green horn, or green as grass) who is in the early stages of his career and, as a result, often makes mistakes because of his inexperience.

H

  • Ham-and-Egger, a jobber. The term originates from the salaries paid to enhancement talents, which are low, but can still buy a simple meal. The expression was used most extensively by legendary Manager and color commentator, Bobby Heenan.
  • Hardcore wrestling, matches that focus on the use of weapons such as chairs, chains, fireballs, ladders, and tire irons, often combined with brawling all over the arena, rather than traditional wrestling holds and techniques, also referred to by some as "garbage" wrestling
  • Hard way, when a move does much more damage than a worked move.
  • Hard-way juicing, bleeding that is not self-inflicted (compare "blading" and "juicing")
  • Heat, a wrestler getting a crowd reaction (see also "cheap heat", "canned heat")
  • Head drop, a move which, as a result of a botch, causes the receiver to be dropped on their head, often resulting in a legit concussion or other injury such as a broken neck. Also, especially in puroresu, the term can refer to a bump which is intended to make a move appear as if the receiver landed on his/her head. In reality, the full force of the move is intended to be taken on the upper back and shoulders, though such moves still carry a high degree of legitimate risk with them.
  • Heat vacuum, a phrase associated with workers who are not able to get any crowd reaction, either positive or negative.
  • Heavy, a wrestler who is hard to lift.
  • Heel, a bad guy (as in "monster heel"; compare "tweener" and "babyface")
  • Highspot, a top-rope move, or a series of maneuvers perceived as dangerous.
  • Hood, the mask of a masked wrestler.
  • Hooker, a wrestler with strong mat-wrestling abilities, usually one who has worked for carnivals taking on "all comers". Since these types of events are on the decline, this word is falling out of common usage.
  • Hope spot, when a babyface is being beaten on by a heel and teases a brief comeback, only to have the heel take over offense again.
  • Hotshot, when a promoter or booker rushes to a feud, a climax of a feud, or books a big match on TV instead of at a PPV in order to get a short-term boost for business. Also applies to angles or turns that are done for shock value rather than acting as a part of an ongoing storyline.
  • Hot tag, in a tag team match, when a face wrestler tags in a fresh partner after several minutes of being dominated by his heel opponents. Often the hot tag happens after several teases (where the other face is enticed into the ring, only to be stopped by the referee and the heels getting away with illegal tactics).
  • House show, a non-televised show (compare "dark match")
  • Hoss, a large wrestler who lacks talent, and has a low workrate.

I

  • Indy, short for "independent promotion", refers to a wrestling group that is too small to compete on a national level.
  • Indy pants, shiny, black, baggy trousers. Often worn as ring gear in independent promotions.
  • Internet wrestling community (or IWC) - The vast amount of fans (often smarks) who talk about professional wrestling via the Internet.

J

  • Jeff Jarrett Match, a match featuring Jeff Jarrett that has a distinct and repetitive pattern to it: brawling in the crowd, several false finishes, run-ins, an El Kabong, followed by Jarrett hitting the Stroke for the pin and the victory.
  • Job, a scheduled loss (also "jobbing", "jobber", "jabroni", and "job cleanly"; compare "screwjob").
  • Jobber, a wrestler whose primary function is losing to better-known wrestlers. Some synonyms include preliminary wrestler, enhancement talent, loser, jabroni, babaganoosh and ham-and-egger.
  • Jobber to the stars, a midcard wrestler who is fairly well-known, and gains victories over lesser-known wrestlers on occasion, but is primarily used as a jobber to talent higher on the card than him.( i.e Orlando Jordan)
  • Juice, steroids (see also gas and roids). Also, blood (see juicing).
  • Juicing, bleeding (frequently, but not always, self-inflicted) (compare "blading" and "hard-way juicing").

K

  • Kayfabe, term used to describe the illusion (and up-keep of the illusion) that professional wrestling is not staged(i.e. that it is authentic athletic competition, and that the on-screen situations between performers represent reality). The term is said to have been loosely derived from the Pig Latin pronounciation of the word "fake"
  • Kick out, when a wrestler breaks a pin by kicking upward, usually right before the ref counts to three.
  • Kill, to diminish or eliminate heat or drawing power. There are a variety of ways to do this, but mostly it is done by having a wrestler do too many jobs. A house can be killed by too many screw-job endings. Synonymous with bury

L

  • Lead ass, a wrestler who is often uncooperative in the ring; or, the act of being uncooperative in the ring.
  • Legit, anything that is "real"; for example, a "legit" wrestler has a background in actual fighting, a "legit" event is one that actually took place (outside of kayfabe), a "legit" fight is when two wrestlers actually come to blows. Often used as a synonym for shoot.
  • Legit heat, a real-life conflict between wrestlers such as the feud between Matt Hardy and Edge.
  • Lemming, a narrow-minded, blindly loyal fan of a promotion.
  • Loose, applying holds with less force than average
  • Lucha libre or Lucha, Mexican professional wrestling. Means "Free Fighting" in Spanish. Used to describe the Mexican style of wrestling that consists of high-flying acrobatic moves.
  • Luchador, a Mexican wrestler, Luchadores is the proper plural form
  • Lucha rat, a fan that prefers Mexican-style pro wrestling over American-style.

M

  • Main eventer, a wrestler who is in contention for the World Title, or is promoted in Main Events regardless of whether the title is in the line or not.
  • Manager, a performer assigned to accompany a wrestler to the ring and put him over in interviews. Often used to help a heel cheat and incite the crowd. Less popular today than years past.
  • Mark, a fan who believes that some or all of professional wrestling is real (compare "smark"). Also, a fan who idolizes a particular wrestler, wrestlers, promotion, or style of wrestling to a point some might consider excessive (for example, "John Cena mark", or "TNA mark").
  • Marking out, a moment of enjoying professional wrestling 'for what it is' rather than analyzing its staged nature
  • Marriage, a long drawn out feud between two wrestlers, teams, or personalities.
  • Máscara, a Mexican masked wrestler (from the Spanish word for mask)
  • Mercy kill, a move such that little or no selling is needed by the recipient. Usually because the recipient cannot sell. See the WWE Women's Championship of WrestleMania 21, Trish Stratus Chick Kicked Christy Hemme to save a match that was not up to WrestleMania par.
  • Mic work, the art of speaking and giving promos
  • Midcarder, a wrestler who wrestles in the middle of the events, is seen as being high in seniority but less than a money draw.
  • Missed spot, a move in which the timing is off or it showed light. For example, at Backlash 2004 Shelton Benjamin performed a botched lariat from the top rope, though the crowd bought it.
  • Money mark, someone who invests money into a promotion or starts a promotion to rub shoulders with pro wrestlers. A money mark is usually ridiculed by wrestlers when he or she is not within their presence. Some money marks will use their influence to insert themselves into their promotion's product despite having little or no training. Pornographer and XPW promoter Rob Black was seen as a "money mark" by some wrestlers.
  • Money match, a non-title match which was the most heavily promoted of the card that is placed near or at the end of a live event. The main reason fans attended the event or watched the event. Example: Most Hulk Hogan matches where he doesn't wrestle for the title.
  • Money promo, a promo that is so good and meaningful that it's enough to draw buyrates for the PPV all by itself.
  • Monster heel, a villain who is portrayed as unstoppable, usually to set up a feud with a promotion's lead face.
  • Moondogs, cutoff blue jeans with heavily frayed ends, the ring gear worn by the Moondogs tag team.
  • MotYC, Match of the Year Candidate
  • Mouthpiece, a manager who does the promos for a wrestler with little or no mic skills.
  • Muta scale, a scale to measure the amount of blood lost by a wrestler in a match, from 0.0 to 1.0. A Muta rating of 0.0 corresponds to no blood loss, and a Muta rating of 1.0 corresponds to the amount of blood lost by The Great Muta during a 1992 match against Hiroshi Hase, during which Muta performed what is widely hailed as the most gruesome bladejob of all time.

N

  • Nash, or Pulling a Nash, when a wrestler suffers a serious injury by doing something simple, like walking. Named after Kevin Nash, who tore his quadriceps muscle by walking towards the corner. Other wrestlers who have pulled a Nash include Triple H and Vince McMahon.
  • No-sell, giving no reaction to another wrestler's offense

O

  • Opposition promotion, a promotion set up in an established promoter's area with the intent to oust the established promoter. Opposition promotions often used tactics that broke kayfabe to outdo their competition. Opposition promotions were generally unsuccessful and the practice died out with the territory system but opposition promotion tactics have been used by promotions like WCW and H2Pro Wrestling.
  • Over, popular, accepted by the fans
  • Over-book, to book a finish to a match that involves interference from a large number of wrestlers who are not involved in the actual match. (Compare "clusterfuck")
  • Over-sell, showing too much of a reaction to another wrestler's offense e.g. The Rock's reaction to the Stone Cold Stunner.
  • Outlaw rule, in a four-way tag team match, anyone is allowed to tag anyone else, but partners on the same team can't pin each other. Named for the New Age Outlaws, who once simply pinned each other in a cheap way to win a match.

P

  • Paper, to give away a great number of free (comped) tickets to increase the size of the crowd for publicity. Often utilized for televised shows or tapings.
  • Paying dues, general term for gaining experience and showing respect towards veterans; includes in-ring experience, long drives, hard work for low pay.
  • Phantom bump, when a wrestler or referee takes a bump even though the move they are selling showed a bunch of light.
  • Pillmanized, when a wrestler "breaks" another wrestler's ankle by placing their ankle in between the seat and backrest of a folded chair and then jumping on the chair, a technique originally used by Stone Cold Steve Austin in a 1996 feud with Brian Pillman. Also used to refer to the same technique used on a wrestler's neck, employed by Kane on Shawn Michaels and later by Gene Snitsky on Kane, both in 2004.
  • Pillowstrikes, kicks and punches which don't look like they carry any impact.
  • Plant, a trained wrestler who poses as a fan in the audience that a wrestler can physically attack to score some "heat" (note that occasionally, a wrestler will legitimately attack a fan--example: Scott Steiner in WCW attacking a fan for making derogatory comments). Edge stopping a move to argue with a fan at Taboo Tuesday 2004. Plus, Jon Heidenreich shoving fans to the ground to receive much heel heat for his rivalry with the Undertaker.
  • Policeman, a wrestler – usually one who has worked with a promotion for several years and loyal to the top officials – who shoots with an uncooperative opponent to make a point. (ex. Hardcore Holly attacking Renee Dupree and injuring him at a house show for conduct involving crashing a rental car under Holly's name)
  • Politician a wrestler who establishes connections with management in hopes of garnering the backstage clout to influence creative and business decisions behind the scenes. Used to describe, among others, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett, and Triple H.
  • Pop, a sudden crowd reaction (as in "name pop", "cheap pop")
  • Popcorn Match, a match that the audience doesn't care about, put on the card to provide incentive for fans to leave their a seats buy from the merchandise or concession stands.
  • Post, To manipulate ones body mechanics or position in order to make his body weight more manageable for another wrestler to lift and perform a move on. E.g. André the Giant posted in order to allow Hulk Hogan to bodyslam him at WrestleMania III.
  • Potato, an intentional legit punch. Often done when the wrestlers are close to the crowd.
  • Promo, a promotional interview (as in "cutting a promo"). Often includes either an "in-ring interview" or (on television) a skit by wrestlers and other performers to advance a storyline or feud.
  • Promotion, a group that organizes professional wrestling events.
  • Pull-apart brawl, A match that originally involves two or more wrestlers but degenerates into a brawl. At that point, other face and heel wrestlers from the locker room storm the ring, after which an all-out brawl results. Usually, these matches end in a no contest or double disqualification. Alternate: Two wrestlers are brawling without regard to the rules, and other referees and officials enter the ring to break it up.
  • Puroresu, also Puro, Japanese professional wrestling
  • Put over, to allow oneself to be pinned or otherwise defeated by someone or to compliment them in an interview to get that person over.
  • Psychology, To tell a story by working over a certain body part, making a series of moves make sense in the ring. Working the crowd at the right moment, and to sell a lot. The glue that holds wrestling together. The psychology of a match is in short the idea of a match, it can be as simple as going after someone's bad leg or trying to hit a move you know they have a weakness to, through to more complicated ideas like trying to get someone to lose their temper as they won't wrestle as smartly that way. Psychology when used right can make a good match great.
  • Push, when a wrestler gains popularity by forced wins and positive exposure (compare "bury")

R

  • Rest hold, a relaxing hold applied more lightly at a designated point in a longer match, often between high spots. Sometimes, wrestlers (whose match is airing on television) are directed to use rest holds when told of commercial breaks.
  • Rib, a practical joke played on a wrestler.
  • Ribber, someone involved in the pro wrestling business who is well known for playing practical jokes. Owen Hart and Mick Foley are perhaps the best known ribbers.
  • Ricky Morton, a face in a tag team that gets sympathy by being beaten on in the heel corner and gets stopped from making the hot tag. Named after the role Ricky Morton often played in the Rock and Roll Express's matches. The wrestler in this role is often said to be playing Ricky Morton.
  • Ring rat or Rat, a female fan with amorous feelings for wrestlers; a woman who frequents wrestling events to flirt or pursue sexual liaisons with wrestlers. Alternate: any fan who tries to befriend the wrestlers before or after the show, when the wrestler is not currently performing.
  • Ring rust, when a wrestler is out-of-practice, and thus more prone to blow spots, as a result of a long period away from wrestling.
  • Ringer, a veteran wrestler that often administers stretching to ill-disciplined newcomers. See also policeman.
  • Roids, steroids (see also gas and juice).
  • Rube, a term to describe fans who believe wrestling is real
  • Rudo, a Mexican heel wrestler
  • Run-in, when wrestlers not participating in a match interfere with it.
  • Russo swerve, a sudden and drastic storyline development that is either ridiculous or done for no reason. Named after professional wrestling writer/booker/wrestler Vince Russo.

S

  • Sable syndrome, when a valet managing a wrestler or tag team eventually becomes more over than the person(s) she is paired with.
  • Sandbag, to not cooperate with a throw.
  • Save, when one or more wrestlers enter the ring to aid an ally. Often, this is when face wrestlers want to stop a heel (or group of heels) from beating up a jobber or lesser face wrestler; however, heel wrestlers frequently use saves to stop a sure title match loss.
  • Scientific wrestling, refers to wrestling action that relies on amateur or Greco-Roman wrestling holds and maneuvers. A scientific wrestler is a wrestler who often uses these holds to defeat his opponent by conventional means or to exploit an opponent's physical weakness (such as various leg sweeps and leg holds to set up for a figure-four leglock submission hold, especially to an opponent who has suffered leg injuries in the past). Many scientific wrestlers are also excellent brawlers who use those skills when needed.
  • Schmozz, a non-ending, designed to keep all participants from losing any heat.
  • Screwjob, a match with a controversial or unsatisfying finish, often involving cheating or outside interference. Notable examples include the Montreal Screwjob.
  • Sell, to make a wrestling match seem unstaged by reacting to an opponents attacks in a manner that would suggest that the techniques were being applied at full-force and that he/she is feeling the painful effects.
  • Seven Year Rule the statute of limitations before a finished angle, gimmick, or storyline can be used again without being criticized for re-hashing storylines.
  • Sheep, When wrestling fans go onto a particular website to kiss up to the wrestler in hopes of "talking" to them. Usually done by women.
  • Shine, the point at the beginning of most matches where the face briefly takes an advantage over the heel. This period of the match is intended to convey the talent and ability of the face and is usually ended when the heel cheats or employs unsportsmanlike tactics to gain the upper hand.
  • Shock TV, using risque angles and promoting controversy in order to draw ratings.
  • Shoot, an unplanned event in the show, something "real" (as in "shoot interview"; compare "worked shoot").
  • Shooter, a wrestler who has a background in legitimate fighting (originally catch wrestling, now more often mixed martial arts), or otherwise has a reputation as a tough guy.
  • Shootfighting, competitive full-contact mixed martial arts tournaments, used in comparison to the staged performances of professional wrestling.
  • Showing light, when a wrestler visually shows making absolutely no contact to his opponent when performing an attack (also "loose").
  • Sitcom writers or Soap opera writers, term used to disparage the WWE Creative Team for the perceived poor quality of the television shows. This comes from WWE's own hiring practices, in that they prefer writers with sitcom and/or soap opera experience to writers with wrestling experience.
  • Slobberknocker, term used to describe a wild brawl. Made famous by Jim Ross.
  • Slop Match, term used to describe a match - almost always between female wrestlers - taking place in a pool of mud or a similar substance.
  • Smark, (contraction of "smart mark") a fan who knows that pro wrestling is staged but enjoys it anyway (compare mark).
  • Smart, someone who has inside information on the wrestling business.
  • Sock, an older term for a masked wrestler.
  • Sports Entertainment, a term coined by the WWE to differentiate its product from traditional professional wrestling as well as to attempt to garner interest from a broader audience. It refers to the mix of wrestling, scripted storylines, and concepts which borrow from other forms of popular entertainment.
  • Sports Entertainment Finish, a TV main event that ends with a run-in or stable beatdown, the final shot before going off the air being a wrestler posing over or walking away from a fallen wrestler, the fallen wrestler reacting to a beating, a victorious wrestler celebrating, etc.
  • Spot, a planned move, as in "high spot" (i.e. a move off the top rope) or "blown spot."
  • Spotfest, several high-impact moves or finishers in a row, often seen in matches with several participants.
  • Spot monkey, a wrestler who is capable of performing incredible spots and not much else.
  • Spot shuffle, When a wrestler who is out of position moves into position to allow his opponent to execute a maneuver.
  • Spud, a match with a lot of potatoes.
  • Squash, an extremely one-sided match which is usually over quickly.
  • Stable, a group of allied wrestlers.
  • Stalling, a heel tactic whereby anything is done to avoid wrestling.
  • Star ratings, a scale used by fans and/or critics to rate the quality of a wrestling match (DUD being the worst although some critics use negative stars if they think the match is bad enough, four or five being match of the year quality). Often used on recap websites.
  • Staring at the ceiling, another term for getting pinned.
  • Stiff, when a wrestler puts too much force into his attacks or maneuvers on his opponent, deliberately or accidentally.
  • Stooge, although this sometimes means "to tell on someone," it more often refers to a heel wrestler booked in the position of underling associate of another heel, often as part of an storyline. The stooge will do his boss' dirty work, such as getting squashed in matches against a face (with whom the heel has a feud) to set up a run-in (and subsequent beatdown) and future match.
  • Strap, another name for the championship/title belt in a promotion.
  • Stretching, applying submission locks and holds with full force as a way of disciplining an inattentive or disrespectful wrestler.
  • Strong style, a Japanese professional wrestling style that is worked, yet aims to deliver realistic performances. The style emphasizes highspots, stiff attacks, and worked shoots.
  • Stroke, backstage influence, often derived from family connections.
  • Sunday wrestling (or, Saturday wrestling), often referring to syndicated wrestling shows that aired on local TV stations on the weekends, mainly during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. These shows consisted mostly of squash matches to push established wrestlers; promos; and announcements of upcoming events. See: WWF Superstars of Wrestling, WWF Wrestling Challenge, WCW Saturday Night, WCW WorldWide.
  • Superhuman comeback, when one wrestler, usually a face, no sells his opponent's offense, usually after several minutes of being dominated. This tactic usually sets up the finish and victory by the face wrestler. Most frequently associated with Hulk Hogan (whose "Hulking Up" usually signalled the match would soon end).
  • Superstar, A WWF/WWE wrestler. When the WWF began marketing its events and television shows as sports entertainment, they also started to refer to their workers as "superstars", instead of "wrestlers".
  • Swerve, a surprise (and often unexplained) plot twist.

T

  • Tag team, a pair of wrestlers working together in a tag team match (a match which pits two or more teams of wrestlers against one another)
  • Take home, also "Take it home," the last spot of a match, or an instruction to a wrestler to finish the match.
  • Tap out, submitting to a submission maneuver by tapping on the mat.
  • Taterin, Getting hit so hard it feels like someone threw a potato at you.
  • Técnico, a Mexican face wrestler.
  • Terri Runnels syndrome, when an unpopular wrestler needs to be paired with a valet in order to get over.
  • Three Month Rule, a term describing the removal from kayfabe of old angles and other events, typically after at least three months have passed without on-screen mention. Anything removed under the "Three Month Rule" can, however, be restored as part of future storylines. The term is normally used only to refer to angles and events that are directly or implicitly contradicted by the current storyline, such as inaccurate claims by the announcers that a wrestler has "never beaten" his current opponent.
  • Tight, holds and moves with more force than average.
  • Title, a championship.
  • Token offense, The meaningless offense the worker doing the job gets in during a squash or an extended squash.
  • Trademark, A character likeness or name that is owned and copyrighted by a federation or in many cases, a wrestler.
  • Transition, the way two wrestlers get from A to B in a match. A move used to get from spot to spot.
  • Turn, when a wrestler develops a new "gimmick", often by switching from face to heel or vice versa
  • Tweener, a morally ambiguous wrestler, neither a bad guy or good guy (an inbetweener). Tweeners are many times turned face or heel based on fans' reaction (compare "babyface" and "heel"). Is also used to describe wrestlers who use tactics typically associated with heels (i.e., cheating), yet are still cheered by fans in spite of (or because of) these antics; a perfect example of this was the late Eddie Guerrero.

U

  • Undercard, matches prior to the main event.
  • Underdog, a wrestler that appears to have little or no chance to win going into a match.
  • Unification, the act of combining two championships into one, the result of which is either an entirely new title or the consolidation of one title into another

V

  • Valet, a female performer assigned to accompany a wrestler to the ring and put him over in interviews.
  • Vocal Selling, when a wrestler makes sound to imply that he's hurt. A very notable vocal seller is Ric Flair.

W

  • Walk-in, a run-in by an injured wrestler. Also a joke term devised for Kevin Nash's slowness in getting to the ring during a run-in due to injury or laziness.
  • Work, a staged event
  • Worker, a wrestler
  • Worked shoot, a scripted segment that takes place in a show with elements of reality being exposed. Also a segment that fans are meant to believe is a shoot, but isn't (some believe that the Montreal Screwjob was a worked shoot). The 2005 Lita - Edge - Matt Hardy storyline is an example of a worked shoot.
  • Workrate, a wrestler's talent level; or, when used by critics, an analysis of the action in a match (e.g., actual wrestling vs. anything else (such as rest holds, managerial interference, etc.)).
  • Wrestlecrap, a storyline or gimmick that is considered embarrassing, laughable, or painful to watch. Coined by RD Reynolds, owner and co-founder of the website of the same name.
  • WWE style, the punch-kick-ref bump style of match that the WWE has been running since 1998. This definition is a bit cynical, but in general the WWE format is characterized repeated use of signature moves by popular wrestlers, a safer style with less dangerous moves or spots, and the one finisher ending (as opposed to Puro wrestling where it is not uncommon for wrestlers to no-sell several finishers). Usually, this can only be said regularly about the weekly televised programs, for at PPVs, this style is often relaxed.
  • WWE style 2, WWE is not wrestling it is a giant soap opera, it is a joke to real wrestling the type of wrestling you se on tna impact saturday nights 11:00pmE and tuesday 12:00amE only on spike tv ***** QUOTE THE RAVEN NEVERMORE***** -TNA RAVEN NEVERMORE-

X

  • X-Pac heat, when a wrestler receives negative heat (boos) not because his character is a heel but because fans legitimately don't like him, or think that he is boring and should stop wrestling. Named for the crowd reactions to X-Pac at the end of his second WWE run.
  • X sign, a gesture made by the referee (crossing both arms) which indicates that an injury is legitimate and medical assistance is required. However, more and more often, the X sign has been used in a kayfabe context, and the injury is not real.

Y

Z

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glossary_of_professional_wrestling_terms&oldid=39757422"