| Term |
Definition |
| angle |
a
wrestling "plot" which may involve only one match
or may continue over several matches for some time; the
reason behind a feud or a turn. |
| baby
face |
The
"fan favorite" or "good guy". The person
who the fans cheer. |
| blade |
when
a wrestler takes a razor blade and runs it along his skin to
produce a cut that bleeds. |
| blind
ref. |
when
a referee misses heel tactics or is distracted by a valet or
manager at ringside and missing the action inside. |
| blow
up |
to
become fatigued or exhausted from a match. |
| book |
To schedule a
wrestler for a show.
|
| booker |
the
individual responsible for angles, storylines, who
wins/loses, finishes, and helps in the hiring and firing in
a promotion. |
| bump |
a
fall or hit done as a spot (see spot) which takes the
wrestler (or other participant, i.e; referee, manager) out
of the ring or out of action. |
| Call
a Match |
To
inform your opponent of upcoming moves or spots throughout
the match. |
| calling |
to
tell your opponent what the next move will be. |
| card |
The
line up of the matches. |
| carry |
to
make a green opponent look good in the fans eyes. help
bring the workrate up against a lesser opponent. |
| cheap
heat |
to
generate heat by using the microphone to praise or bash fans
and/or their town. |
| clean
job |
a
loss by legal pinfall or submission without resorting to
illegalities. |
| cleans
house |
when
a wrestler eliminates every other man in the ring. |
| Dark
Match |
A
match held after a TV event or PPV that is never aired. |
| Double
Juice |
When
both wrestlers blade in the match. |
| draw |
to
attract fans; the popularity of a wrestler, the ability to
bring in fans. |
| dud |
aparticularly
bad and totally uninteresting match. |
| fall |
a
referee's count of three with the loser's shoulders on the
mat. |
| Face |
A
good guy |
| feud |
a
series of matches between two wrestlers or two tag teams;
many times they will interview and bad mouth the other
wrestler. |
| finish |
the
event or sequence of events which leads to the ultimate
outcome of a match. |
| Finisher |
Move
that leads to the win. |
| foriegn
object |
an
object which is not allowed in a match, used as a weapon. |
| garbage |
matches
or promotions that have no wrestling but pure violence. |
| gate |
Amount
of money that is gained from ticket sales. |
| gimmick |
the
way a wrestlers supposed to be like, a
persona that a wrestler is given. |
| green |
not
good due to inexperience in the ring. |
| hardcore |
a
fan who is really into the sport. |
| hardway |
real
blood produced by means other than blading, i.e; the hard
way. |
| heat |
enthusiasm,
a positive/negative response from fans. |
| heel |
a
bad guy. |
| highspot |
a
particularly acrobatic or high flying move. |
| house |
the
wrestling audience in the building. |
| house
show |
a
wrestling event un-televised. |
| international
object |
foreign
object, something not allowed in the ring. |
| IYH |
In
your House. |
| job |
a
staged loss; When
a wrestler loses a match to another wrestler. |
| jobber |
an
unpushed wrestler who looses match to pushed wrestlers;
usually on a losing streak. |
| jobber
to the stars (JTTS) |
mid-card
wrestler who jobs to all the big name superstars. |
| juice |
blood. |
| kayfabe |
of
or related to inside information about the business,
especially by fans; it can also be called "to act the
part". |
| kill |
diminish
or eliminate heat or drawing power, generally by doing too
many jobs to opponents who are not credible. |
| light |
not
connecting with punches/kicks. |
| Marking
Out |
When
someone begins to get emotionally involved in a match by
chanting, or screaming. |
| mark |
A
person who believes that that wrestling action is real. |
| Mark
Out |
When
a smart fan gets into an angle or a match and enjoy it as if
you were a mark. |
| Mid
Carder |
A
wrestler who is well known, but primarily wrestles on the
undercard. |
| No
Show |
When
a wrestler does not show up for a scheduled appearance. |
| NWA |
National
Wrestling Alliance. The first known federation that had a
belt recognized as a world title. It is a loose base of many
independent federations that are financially linked and by
name to the NWA. |
| Office |
The
headquarters of a wrestling organization. |
| over |
To
be popular with the audience, accepted
by the fans; generates a lot of heat. |
| paper |
complimentary
tickets, given to fans to make the arena look as if it sold
out. |
| Paying
Dues |
Term
for gaining experience by showing respect to other
wrestlers, like doing jobs to veterans. |
| Plant |
A
wrestler, or someone who works for the organization, who is
placed in the audience who pretends to be a fan, yet
participates in an angle. |
| pop |
sudden
heat from a house as a response to a wrestler's entry or hot
move. |
| post |
to
run or be run into the ringpost. |
| potato |
to
injure a wrestler by hitting him on the head or causing him
to hit his head on something. |
| program |
a
feud that will be touring the country. |
| Promoter |
The
head of the wrestling organization. |
| Promotion |
The
wrestling company. |
| push |
when
a wrestler starts to go on a winning streak and gets title
shots; also gets more interview time. |
| put
over |
to
do the job to help your opponent get a push. |
| Ref
Bump |
When
the ref gets knocked out at a specific point in the match so
that a wrestler, usually the heel, can commit an illegal act
or move, such as interference. |
| Rest
Hold |
A
move in the match which is lightly applied, to give the
wrestlers time to breath between highspots. |
| run-in |
interference
by a non-participant in a match. |
| save |
a
run-in to protect a wrestler from being beat up after a
match is over. |
| screw-job |
A
finish with a controversial ending, often upsetting the
fans. |
| sell |
"to
sell a move", meaning to act hurt when a move has been
applied. |
| script |
the
planned flow of the match; also the deciding outcome of a
match. |
| Sheets |
Slang
for newsletters and journals that break kayfabe |
| shoot |
A
work that becomes a legitimate fight, to hit or hurt your
opponent on purpose during the course of the match. |
| Shooter |
One
who shoots using skills such as amateur wrestling, karate,
or martial arts. |
| smark |
a
smart mark; a guy who thinks he knows everything there is to
know about wrestling; doesn't care much for gimmicks or
angles. |
| Smart |
A
person who has the knowledge of the inner workings of the
wrestling industry. |
| spot |
an
event or sequence of events which makes a particular match
distinctive, a high-point of a match. |
| squash |
A
match where one wrestler totally dominates his opponent. |
| stable |
a
group of wrestler's united to watch each other's backs. |
| stiff |
a
wrestler who cannot manuever around the ring very swiftly;
he doesn't have much flexibility or stamina. |
| Strap |
Championship
belt. |
| stretch |
a
form of shoot where one wrestler dominates rather than
injures the other as a proof of personal superiority. |
| Swerve |
When
a finish of a match is changed so that all of the industry
insiders are left shocked. |
| tap
out |
to
give into a submission manuever. |
| Territory |
The
area that a promotion runs it's shows and airs it's TV
shows. |
| tight |
good
close punches and kicks that connect, may hurt a little, but
do not incapacitate; working stiff. |
| turn |
When
a wrestler changes from a heel to a face, or from a face to
a heel. |
| tweener |
A
wrestler who acts as a face to the crowd, but wrestles and
gets wins by acting as a heel. |
| work |
Predetermined
outcome, a
deception or fraud, the opposite of a shoot. |
| workrate |
the
approximate ratio of good wrestling to rest holds in a match
or in a wrestler's performance. |
