Welcome to the Wrestling terms page. Ever wondered what a certain word of phrase in wrestling means? This is the place you'll find it.
| angle / noun Any scripted storyline, segment, etc. [Example: The WWF recently ran an angle in which Stephanie McMahon was kidnapped by the Ministry.] |
| blade / verb To cut oneself with a small razor blade (usually concealed in the tights or wristtape) in order to produce blood, for effect. This act is also known as a 'blade job', and is occassionally done by an opponent. [Example: Steve Austin did one of the more memorable blade jobs at WrestleMania XIII in his Submission Match versus Bret Hart.] |
| booker / noun Person who decides, or helps decide match finishes, angles, etc. Occassionally, a wrestler of high status will also contribute as a booker (e.g., Kevin Nash). [Example: Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson are two of the WWF's main bookers.] |
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bump / noun A fall or shot taken by any person involved with a match-up. A 'ref bump' is one taken by the referee, and usually will take him out of the picture until convenient to the story. [Example: Mick Foley is often held in high regards due to his willingness to take brutal bumps.] |
| decision / noun To win via pinfall, submission, countout, disqualification, or other means. Most matches are scheduled for one decision (fall), though some — such as Iron Man Matches — are won by having the most decisions at the end of an alotted time period. [Example: Neither Bret Hart nor Shawn Michaels had a single decision at the end of their WrestleMania XII Iron Man Match.] |
| draw / noun; verb 1 (v.): To "put asses in the seats"; to attract fans. [Example: Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels are examples of personalities who draw.] 2 (n.): A certain personality who attracts any particular number of fans; i.e., a top-draw. [Example: Steve Austin and the Undertaker are among the top draws in the WWF.] |
| dud / noun A very weak and uninteresting match; usually used as part of a "star" rating system (i.e., -4 to 4 stars) to describe a match lower than the lowest negative digit. [Example: A contest between Hulk Hogan and the Warrior will likely end up rated a dud.] |
| face / noun A "good guy", or "fan favorite". Also known as a babyface. [Example: Hulk Hogan was the WWF's biggest babyface during 1980s era.] |
| finish / noun The final events leading to the conclusion of a match. [Example: The finish of Owen v. Bret Hart at WrestleMania X saw Owen counter Bret's victory roll for an upset pin.] |
| hardway / adj. Most commonly used in conjunction with "juice" (blood); to juice hardway is to bleed from a legitimately stiff shot, fall, etc., rather than using a blade to make an incision. [Example: Rob Van Dam juiced hardway at Hardcore Heaven '99 when Jerry Lynn elbowed him to the side of the eye.] |
| heat / noun A response from the crowd; often used in conjuction with "heel" or "face" in order to describe the type of reaction. [Example: Vince McMahon's interviews commonly draw massive heel heat.] |
| job / noun; adj. 1 (n.): A scripted (as most every pro-style match is) loss; to job to someone is the same as "putting them over". To do a clean job is to lose via clean pinfall or submission, without interference, foreign objects, etc. [Example: Ric Flair has earned great respect, due in part to his willingness to do the job in most any situation.] 2 (adj.): Used in conjunction with other terms, such as "blade" to describe an event. [Example: see 'blade'.] |
| kayfabe / noun Relating to "inside" aspects of the business; to maintain kayfabe, as a wrestler, is to remain in-character. Also includes divulging inside details, etc. [Example: During the 'Raw is War' tribute to Owen Hart, many wrestlers were allowed to break kayfabe in speaking about Owen in their interviews.] |
| mark / noun; verb 1 (n.): Commonly pinned as someone who cheers for the good guys and boos the bad guys; one who believes pro-wrestling is real, or seems to from over-enthusiasm. [Example: Thousands of marks can be seen populating WWF tapings every week, often wearing 'Austin 3:16' shirts and such.] 2 (n.): Used in conjunction with an orginization or personality to describe an enthusiastic fan; i.e., a WWF mark or a Chris Jericho mark. [Example: There are many more WWF marks on the internet today than there are WCW marks.] 3 (v.: To mark, or "mark out", is to find great excitement in a particular event during a show. Usually reserved for people who don't believe themsleves to be true "marks". [Example: Many people marked out for Bart Gunn's upset knock-out over Steve Williams.] |
| plant / noun A person planted in the audience, as though they were a fan; promotions often use plants to hold up signs praising a certain wrestler/orginization, or to have them run-in during the course of the event at some point. [Example: Most of the infamous "DX flashers" that made it on television were plants.] |
| pop / noun A sudden reaction from the crowd, usually for a wrestler's entrance, trademark moves, catchphrases, etc. [Example: The biggest pop of any given night usually goes to the entrance of Steve Austin.] |
| screw job / noun A finish which usually upsets the general viewing audience; one which comes via run-ins, use of weapons, etc. [Example: The majority of 'Raw is War's' matches end in screw jobs as of late.] |
| shoot / noun; verb 1 (n.): An unscripted event; Ultimate Fighting Championship matches are known as "shoot fights", as they have no pre-detirmined winner. [Example: Ken Shamrock, prior to signing with the WWF, competed in shoot style matches.] 2 (v.): To shoot, for example during a match, is to stop co-operating with the other person(s) involved. Shooting is also used to describe unscripted interviewing/speaking. [Example: Jeff Jarrett and Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman, upon their WWF returns, were allowed to shoot on-camera, in hopes that they'd cut down World Championship Wrestling.] |
| smart / noun One "in the know", in regards to behind-the-scenes information. [Example: Some believe that reading news on the internet will help one qualify as a smart; others believe that only the wrestlers and executives are the only true smarts.] |
| spot / noun A distinctive point in the match, such as a complicated mat sequence or single big move. High spots ("high-risk moves") are common with flashier wrestlers, cruisers and fliers in particular. [Example: Matches involving the Brood and Hardy Boyz often include a spot in which Edge hits an impressive spear on Jeff Hardy.] |
| squash / noun; verb 1 (n.): A (usually) short match, completely dominated by one competetor/team. [Example: Many of Paul Wight's matches thus far have been complete squashes.] 2 (v.): To squash an opponent is to be the one who dominates during the contest. [Example: Vader consistently squashed jobbers during his early WWF days.] |
| stiff / adj. A hit (such as a chop, punch, or kick) which connects harder than the average "pulled" punch (one which doesn't hit full-on). Vader, Fit Finlay, Steven Regal, and Chris Benoit are all known for their stiff shots. [Example: Ric Flair dishes out some of the stiffest chops in professional wrestling.] |
| turn / noun; verb 1 (n.): To switch orientation from face to heel, or vice-versa. Used in conjunction with "face" and "heel" for clarification. [Example: Hulk Hogan made one of the most infamous heel turns of all time at 'Bash at the Beach' in 1996.] 2 (v.): Used in verb context; as in, X turned heel by turning on Y. [Example: Hunter Hearst Helmsley turned heel at WrestleMania XV by turning on X-Pac.] |
| work / noun Any scripted event; the opposite of a shoot. Many works are designed to seem as though they were shoots (particularly with "fans" jumping the guardrail as a way to introduce new wrestlers). [Example: Vince McMahon's firing of Steve Austin in 1998 was a work.] |
| workrate / noun General measure of active wrestling to restholds during the course of a match. Well-conditioned, experienced wrestlers (Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Rey Misterio, Jr.) most often have better workrate than younger athletes, or those not in optimal shape (The Godfather, Viscera, Konnan). [Example: Juventud Guerrera and Eddy Guerrero put together excellent matches, which can be credited partially to the excellent workrate of each competetor.] |
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These wrestling terms thanks to The Reveloution.
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