QNo Qs for the time being.
R Rasslin' (or Wrasslin')
refers to a southern style of professional wrestling which emphasizes kayfabe and stiffness, with fewer squash matches and generally longer feuds. Also a derisive phrase, used mostly by mainstream media in its depiction of professional wrestling itself.
(A note from LB: Be careful when looking up this word. You can end up on Rants, Roids, and Rasslin’ and staring dumbfounded at images of very muscular and very psychically excited Batman and Green Arrow in speedos wrestling. And they do grab.)
Rematch clause
if a champion loses his/her title to another, they may invoke this clause to have a rematch in an attempt to regain their lost championship. This can only be used once but the rematch itself can be held on either the day it is invoked or at the next major event. The concept is used for storyline purposes, and is occasionally forgotten altogether.
Rest hold
a hold applied more lightly at a designated point in a match in order to save energy.
Rib
practical jokes played by or on wrestlers. Wrestlers spend a lot of time together in close quarters and often resort to practical jokes, either to break the monotony or to get revenge for real or imagined wrongs.
Ribber
someone involved in the pro wrestling business who is well known for playing practical jokes backstage.
Ring psychology
wrestling a match properly so that the crowd becomes personally involved in the show.
Ring rat
similar to a rock and roll groupie, it is someone with amorous feelings for wrestlers and frequents wrestling events to flirt or pursue sexual liaisons with wrestlers. They can also be referred to as arena rats. Not the same as stalkers.
Ring rust
when a wrestler is out-of-practice, and thus more prone to miss spots, as a result of a long period away from wrestling.
Roids
slang phrase for steroids. Roid Rage is the paranoia, depression, and explosive outbursts caused by steroid use.
Run-in
occurs when one or more individuals who are not actively participating in a match run into the ring. Run-ins are almost always made by heels, typically to further a feud with a babyface. More often than not, a run-in will result in a "beat down" in which the heel(s) pummel the babyface(s) until the script calls for the beating to stop, either from the heels' satisfaction with their handiwork, a retaliatory run-in by one or more babyfaces, or (less often) the entrance of one or more authority figures (referees, agents, security personnel). Sometimes a run-in results from a babyface wanting to stop a heel from physically punishing a weaker opponent, usually to set up a feud.
Rushed finish
when the end of a match is hurried, usually due to a botch, injury, or time constraints. A match may have a rushed finish for the following reasons: a person in the match is injured, and needs the match to finish as soon as possible to protect themselves (they often do this by rolling up their opponent for a pin or causing a disqualification); the match is a timed match, where the viewers can see a clock, and the match must end before a certain time on the clock, for storyline purposes; the match is televised, and it had been going on for too long, so its end had to be shortened; or there was a botch in the match, and the wrestlers have to recover the situation to make it look realistic.
S
Sandbag
to not cooperate with a throw and to act as dead weight, which makes the moves the wrestler is attempting much harder, if not impossible to pull off. An alleged sandbagging incident occurred on an episode of SmackDown! in 2002 when Hardcore Holly sandbagged Brock Lesnar when attempting a powerbomb, causing Lesnar to drop Holly on his neck - leaving Holly sidelined for over a year.
School
a school or gym that teaches students the necessary skills to become professional wrestlers. Students undergo strenuous physical conditioning while learning the basics of the wrestling industry, proper performance techniques, and character development. The courses are taught by qualified professional instructors who have usually worked for several years as professional wrestlers themselves. Some schools are affiliated with a specific promotion company, others are independent.
Screwjob
a match with a controversial or unsatisfying finish, often involving cheating or outside interference. A worked screwjob, is part of the storyline and the match is intended to end controversially. A shoot screwjob is extremely rare and occurs when a change is made without one of the participants knowing, creating an outcome that is contrary to what was supposedly planned for the storyline by the participants. The most famous example of a screwjob of this type is the Montreal Screwjob.
Segment
a non-wrestling part of the show, which may include a promo, a backstage scene, an interview segment (for example, Roddy Piper's Piper's Pit or Chris Jericho's The Highlight Reel), or any other period of the show which does not originally contain any form of violence (as segments may break into scripted fights).
Sell
reacting to an opponent's attacks in a manner that suggests that the techniques are being applied at full-force. In general, selling is the act of convincing the audience that what is happening is real. Certain wrestlers have long-established reputations for "no-selling" (generally refusing to sell), "overselling" (overexaggerating the move's damage), or "mis-selling" (dramatically mistiming the impact to where it looks fake on camera) the opponent's moves.
Shoot
any "real" event in the world of wrestling. Many former or retired wrestlers will release information seen as confidential or overly revealing about the business or a particular performer. (Compare "worked shoot") A shooter is a wrestler who has a background in legitimate fighting (originally catch wrestling, now more often martial arts), or otherwise has a reputation as a tough guy.
Shot
Any event for a wrestling promotion that a wrestler is scheduled to appear at. A wrestler will often describe keeping his or her schedule of appearances as "making his or her shots". Not making ones "shots" is considered one of the most unprofessional things a wrestler can do and can easily lead to termination by the promotion.
Shootfighting
competitive mixed martial arts competition, used in comparison to the scripted combat of professional wrestling.
Signature move
a move performed by a wrestler on a regular basis for which the wrestler is well-known.
Slow burn
a program or story-line that develops over a long period of time.
Smark (or Smart Mark)
a phrase coined by Internet wrestling fans to describe a fan who enjoys pro wrestling despite or because they know that it is scripted, as well as generally knowing the "ins-and-outs" of the company and knowing many things about the industry or wrestlers collected by sources and are posted online. Smarks may also be criticized for believing they know more than they do in reality about the workings of the wrestling industry (compare "mark").
Smart
someone who has inside information on the wrestling business.
Sports entertainment
a term coined by WWE to differentiate its product from traditional professional wrestling as an attempt to garner interest from a broader audience. It refers to the mix of wrestling, scripted storylines, and concepts that borrow from other forms of pop-culture entertainment.
Spot
a preplanned move, which is designed to get a particular audience reaction or determine the pace of the match. Spots can be anything from an Irish Whip at a certain time, to a series of spots, for example a succession of reversals. Wrestlers who choreograph their matches before the show will usually decide on an opening spot and an ending, as well as several spots to use throughout the match. The remainder of the match will be divided between transition moves and general offensive and defensive moves. A high spot is a move that is particularly exciting. (See "missed spot")
Squash
an extremely one-sided match that is usually over quickly. Squash matches usually consist of various wrestlers fighting unknown jobbers, usually to help get a gimmick or moveset over. They are also used to portray a larger wrestler as an unstoppable monster heel. Babyfaces also win squash matches to show that they are prepared for a bigger challenge.
Stable
is a group of wrestlers within a promotion who have a common element—friendships, either real or storyline, a common manager, or a common storyline—which puts them together as a unit.
Stiff
when a wrestler puts excessive force into his attacks or maneuvers on his opponent, deliberately or accidentally Vader is an example of someone known for his stiff style of wrestling (he once broke the back of a young wrestler named Joe Thurman, who was paralyzed from the waist down for a couple of hours), as is Jacqueline Moore according to former WWE divas who have worked with her. Professional wrestling promotion Ring Of Honor is known for having a lot of stiff wrestling matches
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. The stooge will do his boss' dirty work, such as getting squashed in matches against a babyface (with whom the heel has a feud) to set up a run-in (and subsequent beatdown) and future match.
Strap
word used for championship belt.
Strong Style
a Japanese-inspired professional wrestling style that is worked, yet aims to deliver realistic performances. The style emphasizes stiff attacks and worked shoots.
Superhuman comeback
when one wrestler, usually a babyface, no-sells his opponent's offense, usually after several minutes of being dominated. Hulk Hogan is famous for this kind of comeback, often called 'Hulking up'. John Cena has been known to do this as well. After performing his signature sit-up, The Undertaker would follow-up with this comeback.
Supershow
a term used by the WWE when both the Raw and SmackDown brands perform together on the same night.
Superstar
a term that was first used by WWF/WWE in reference to the talent on their roster.
Swerve
a sudden change in the direction of a storyline to surprise the fans. Often, it involves one wrestler turning on an ally in order to join someone who had been a mutual enemy up until that point. Swerves frequently lead to the start of a new feud between the former friends. Another kind of swerve is when a booker does everything in their power to convince the fans that something specific is going to happen at a show or someone they're expecting is going to debut (or come back), only to then do something completely different. It is sometimes the result of a false report by a wrestler to the press.
T Take down
When an opponent is taken to the mat from a standing position.
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).
Tap out
submitting to a submission maneuver by tapping on the mat (or, on occasion, on the body of the other wrestler at some obviously-seen point), as in mixed martial arts, rather than verbally acknowledging the submission, as was previously common in professional wrestling. In kayfabe, it indicates that a wrestler is giving up because the submission maneuver they are in is too painful. The tap out was introduced to pro wrestling by former ECW wrestler Tazz, who was experienced and well-versed in Judo.
Three-count
when the referee slaps the mat with his hand to count a pinfall. In theory, a 3 count lasts for three seconds; however, individual referees have their own cadence. When heel referees are used in storylines, they either frequently use slower or faster counts to favor heel wrestlers, or refuse to count a pin against heel wrestlers.
TitanTron (or Tron)
a screen which is directly above the stage area of the arena used for showing entrance videos, other segments, and promos. Based on the naming convention of Sony's well-known JumboTron, a large video screen used primarily in stadiums, arenas, and other public venues, the TitanTron was introduced as part of WWE's Raw set and was named after the then-parent company of the World Wrestling Federation, Titan Sports. The -Tron suffix has since been used to unofficially identify other big screens used in wrestling, such as the "OvalTron" formerly used on SmackDown, or the "PandaTron" used on TNA programming (an allusion to Panda Energy, one of the chief investors of the promotion), or the "JeriTron 5000" used on Chris Jericho's in-ring interview segment The Highlight Reel.
Trachoma
An eye disease caused by a mixture of ring dust and sweat, which caused blindness in several wrestlers including Ed "Strangler" Lewis.
Transitional champion
a holder of a traditionally-short title reign which bridges two "eras", long-running title reigns by usually-popular champions.
Turn
when a wrestler switches from babyface to heel or vice versa. A hard turn occurs when a wrestler becomes a babyface or heel in a sudden surprise plot twist. In contrast, a soft turn is a gradual switch to babyface or heel over an extended period of time.
Tweener
a morally ambiguous wrestler, neither a babyface or heel (an inbetweener). This term is also used to describe wrestlers who use tactics typically associated with heels (e.g., cheating), yet are still cheered by fans in spite of (or because of) these antics. The term is also used to describe wrestlers that remain popular, even though they are actually heels. (In both of the last two cases, a great example is The Road Warriors.) Recently, CM Punk is another example of a heel who is highly popular.
Two-and-a-half count
the count at which a wrestler is said to escape from a pinfall when a referee's hand comes very close to hitting the mat for a three-count. These are often used many times in matches to build excitement. Other fractions are used to denote even closer "counts" -- "two-and-three-quarters" is a common one. (see "Near-Fall")
U Undercard
matches prior to the main event. (See also Dark match).
Underrated
wrestler who gets too little of a push.
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. In the past, there were a number of matches booked to unify two major federations' belts, but these matches would often end inconclusively -- the unification angle only used as a drawing point.
Upset
when an underdog defeats someone who they realistically should not be able to, such as a new wrestler defeating a veteran, or a huge, monster-like wrestler being defeated by a smaller wrestler. For instance, Rey Mysterio is known for upset victories due to his small stature.
V Vacated
the state of a championship in which it is not held by any wrestler(s) due to scripted or legitimate circumstances and injuries.
Valet
a typically female accompanying a male performer to the ring. Many times she functions as "eye candy" and plays the role of an agitator or a source of interference.
Vignette
any piece of video footage featuring characters or events which is shown to the audience for the purposes of entertainment or edification. Usually, they are meant to either introduce a debuting character or to get a wrestler over before their TV wrestling debut. In WWE, wrestlers rarely acknowledge that they are being filmed, forcing the viewer to "suspend disbelief" as to why a camera operator would be allowed to witness and record an intimate or secretive situation
Visionary Fall
A pinfall that the referee doesn't see, but the crowd does. It is usually followed by a late kickout when the referee eventually sees the pinfall and starts counting. It's used to heighten the drama of a match.
W What (interjection)
first popularized by Steve Austin during his time in the Alliance, it has become a highly annoying chant from disrespectful fans, during the pauses in a wrestler's promo, to show how far from over the wrestler is, or how slow and uninteresting the promo is being delivered. Rude fans sometimes end up burying performers with this chant or just cause a nuisance, even to other audience members. More experienced speakers such as Vince McMahon can manage to drown out the what by not giving the audience clear cut pauses in his speaking.
Work (noun)
an event booked to happen, from the carnival tradition of "working the crowd." A work can also refer to the match itself. The opposite of a work is a shoot.
Work (verb)
to specifically and methodically attack, especially a single body part. To "work" on a body part (i.e. an arm) would be to repeatedly use force on that part, until it is damaged enough to be used in the finish of the match. Also, the act of deceiving or manipulating a person or persons, which may or may not be done to preserve kayfabe.
Worker
a wrestler, manager, valet, referee, announcer, or commentator.
Worked shoot
a scripted segment that takes place in a show with elements of reality being exposed, such as an off-screen incident between wrestlers being used as fuel for an on-screen rivalry between them. It can also be a segment that fans are meant to believe is a shoot, but is not, recently used by CM Punk. Made famous by Vince Russo.
Workrate
a wrestler's use of "work" to develop a match. One's workrate is determined by his or her ability to "work" in an intelligent and productive manner. When used by critics, it is an analysis of the action in a match and the skill level exhibited. This word is mostly used by fans and remains unrecognized by most workers.
Wrestler's Court
the unofficial forum among WWE wrestlers for the policing of wrestlers that violate the rules and traditions laid down by the company. The punishments meted out can range from pranking to paying for other wrestlers' travel expenses.
In Matt and Jeff Hardy's book Exist 2 Inspire, they mention an incident they had with The Court while it was still headed by The Undertaker:
Quote:
We got to the next house show and John Bradshaw Layfield told us, 'You guys have been sentenced to Wrestler's Court. Your trial is set for next week at Raw. Wrestler's Court is exactly what it sounds like. All the wrestlers gather in the locker room, and they hold a mock trial. The Undertaker is the judge and John Bradshaw Layfield is the prosecuting attorney. It's pretty scary, because once you get up there on the stand, everybody's against you.
(none)
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