List of wrestling terms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In wrestling , special terms have emerged over time.

A.

  • A-Show : Most important TV show of a wrestling organization. Usually the biggest stars of the promotion appear there . Typical representatives are RAW ( WWE ), All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite ( AEW ), Impact Wrestling ( TNA ) and formerly WCW Monday Nitro ( WCW ).
  • Affiliate : Wrestling promotion that is connected to a major promotion as a sub-organization (sister or subsidiary organization).
  • Alumni : Former PhD wrestlers . Form the inactive part of a wrestling roster .
  • Amateur wrestling : Describes classic wrestling and is the opposite of pro wrestling .
  • Angle : Technical term for an element of the storyline . An angle can be an interview between a wrestler and the backstage interviewer, a statement from a promotion official, or a meeting of two "hostile" wrestlers outside of a match.
  • Associates / Associated Promotions : Wrestling promotions that are linked to a major promotion or an affiliate . In contrast to the local promotions, these may already hold the banner of the superordinate promotion.

B.

  • B-Show : A wrestling show broadcast on TV. A B-Show is a minor TV format with a few stars. Rather, stars primarily compete against jobbers . One of the most famous (unofficial) B-shows is WWE Superstars . (see also A-Show )
  • Babyface : see Face
  • Banner : Name for a promotion under which it conducts an event.
  • Beatdown : Storyline segment in which a defenseless opponent is struck down by one or more wrestlers to the point of apparent incapacity to fight.
  • Blackbook : Blocked Directory in Sports. Is subordinate to the State Athletic Sport Commission (SASC) . Local and national bans, their duration and a reason for banning are noted there. For those affected, a national ban means that it is usually a temporary full ban. This prohibits him from an activity in the areas controlled by the SASC and the banned can only compete in the three US states that do not have a sports committee. In extreme cases, international bans can be noted in a blackbook, which are then unlimited. That amounts to a professional ban. Locks or entries in the blackbook can also be used as part of a storyline . For example, at the end of the 1990s, wrestler Justin Credible had his colleague Sabu banned from ECW . At that time, the patient was usually seriously injured (broken jaw and ribs, etc.) and the lock gave him the opportunity to heal his injuries.
  • Blading : Bleeding you have caused yourself by cutting with a sharp-edged object, for example with the help of a razor blade.
  • Board of Directors : Executive director of a promotion . This is responsible for the development of the various storylines and usually consists of the chief bookers and the major promoters .
  • Booker : Person who sets up the various matches and writes the course of the respective storyline ( feud programs , etc.).
  • Booking : Engaging wrestlers for a promotion or for a show. These are carried out by the booker.
  • Botch : An improperly executed or unsuccessful action that poses a risk of injury to the opponent and the person carrying out the action.
  • Brawl : According to the storyline, an out of control match in which the opponents seem to beat each other without any recognizable special grips, throws and jumps.
  • Brawler : Wrestler who seemingly quickly loses control of himself and wildly beats his opponent.
  • Bump : Term for the fall of a wrestler or other person involved in a match or segment. The fall does not have to be from a great height to be considered a bump . The correct fall, ie "taking bumps", is one of the most fundamental aspects of wrestling training, as it greatly reduces the risk of injury.

C.

  • Call (ing) : Verbal communication between two wrestlers during a match; especially when an opponent whispers to his opponent what action he will now take. This allows the operator to adjust correctly and react accordingly. The calling should not be noticed by the audience under any circumstances.
  • Call-Up : The rise of a superstar from the WWE development league NXT to the main roster. After the call-up, the superstar will appear on one of the main shows Smackdown Live or Monday Night Raw .
  • Canned Heat : An audience reaction added via loudspeakers in the hall or (in the case of recorded programs) in post-production. In this way, the promoter's intended reaction of the audience to a particular wrestler is usually "corrected" if it did not meet expectations.
  • Card : List of matches at an event. Usually, the prestige of matches increases in a card from the so-called undercard to the main event , whereby the wrestler's status can often be foreseen directly from the position in the card.
  • Carry : A wrestler carries his opponent when the (positive) quality of the match is almost entirely due to his participation. The main opponent helps the mostly untalented opponent by z. B. the course of the match is determined by his calling . The ability to carry a bad opponent through a match is what distinguishes an experienced top wrestler.
  • Championship : An ongoing championship in wrestling. The championship is usually determined in tournaments and symbolized by title belts. A championship can also be expressed in the form of cups and bowls. See also World Championship .
  • Championship belt : a wrestler's title belt. Present in several stages in the doctoral studies .
  • Cheap Heat : A wrestler - often a heel - gets a negative reaction from the audience, e.g. B. offends the public or the city. Cheap Heat does not add to a wrestler's overness as it only affects the match or segment in question.
  • Cheap Pop : A wrestler - often a face - gets a positive audience reaction, e.g. B. praises the audience, the city or a local sports club. Mick Foley is known for his popular Cheap Pops .
  • Cheap Shot : Unpredictable and often illegal action by a wrestler due to inattention on the part of the opponent, who can apparently gain an advantage in a simple way. If it is used during a match, this action is usually not noticed by the referee according to the storyline . Typical cheap shots can be low blows, blows with a prohibited object, or attacks from behind. They are mostly used on heels in order to portray them as cowardly or malicious. Ric Flair is known for launching swift illicit attacks. Among other things, he hid a brass knuckles in one of his knee pads.
  • Chief Booker : Main booker for a doctorate. Mostly identical to the promoter and sometimes referred to as the main booker , major booker or head booker .
  • Chief Referee : Main Referee of a promotion, also known as Senior Referee , Main Referee or Head Referee .
  • Color Commentator : Commentator who not only comments on the ring itself (see Play-By-Play Commentator ), but also includes the storyline or takes sides with a wrestler.
  • Cover : Wrestler tries to end a match by pinfall . Here a wrestler presses both shoulders of the opponent against the ground; if the wrestler can hold the cover on until the referee has tapped the ring floor three times, that wrestler has won the match.
  • Cruiserweight : A wrestler weight class that has a certain maximum weight (e.g. 93 kilograms in the WWE ) and often fights for a title in its own division (e.g. the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in the WWE ).
  • Current roster : see roster

D.

  • Dark Match : An unaired match from a wrestling program normally televised and shown only to the indoor audience. Dark matches are often used for newbies or new gimmicks to test the audience's reaction.
  • Development Territory : Development area of ​​a major doctorate ; usually within the scope of an associated local doctorate and can also consist of several local doctorates.
  • Dirtsheets or dirt sheets : German " dirt sheets ". Wrestling newsletters or fanzines that disseminate alleged or real background information about wrestling and are not sponsored by a specific promotion. They endangered the earlier common Kayfabe .
  • Dusty Finish : The outcome of a match in which the decision of the substitute referee (who represents the referee, for example because he is "unconscious" according to the storyline ) is changed by the original referee. It is named after Dusty Rhodes , who as a booker wrote many such outcomes for matches in the WCW .
  • DUD : A bad or completely uninteresting match.

E.

  • Noble jobber : Wrestler who, like a jobber, has the task of making other wrestlers better known by winning against him. However, a noble jobber can occasionally win a match (usually against established heels) or at least defend himself more strongly and look good himself for a few minutes.
  • Discontinued : Vacant title that is no longer awarded.
  • Moving in : see Entrance
  • Entrance : Entry of a wrestler or an official into the hall. The entrance is mostly supported with music and pyrotechnics and is shaped by the gimmick and status of the wrestler. A face often claps each other with the fans in the front rows when marching in or distributes gifts to the audience in the front rows, while a heel engages in verbal arguments with the audience or ignores them at all.
  • Development League : see Development Territory

F.

  • Face : Wrestler or official who takes on the role of the “good guy” for the audience and receives or should receive pop . Faces are characterized by supporting other faces, distributing gifts to the audience, a fair fighting style or certain comedy interludes. The "evil" counterpart of the face is the heel .
  • Windfall : German term for a jobber taken from boxing . Was preferred by German TV presenters in the early 1990s, since then it has been rather uncommon.
  • False Finish : The moment of a match at which the audience assumes that it will end immediately. B. a wrestler is pinned and the referee counts. The apparently inferior wrestler can save himself from defeat at the last second and continue the match. False finishes are intended to further increase the tension in the final phase of a match.
  • Federation : see Wrestling Federation
  • Feud : Elaborated storyline program in which several parties - individual wrestlers or even entire groups compete against each other. A feud program is usually built up over a relatively generous period of several months in the course of a storyline with matches and other show elements.
  • Finisher : Action with which a wrestler is usually allowed to defeat his opponent at the end of the match. The finisher is supposed to represent the toughest action of the respective actor and often has a special name.
  • Finishing move : see finisher
  • Five Star Match : A match of exceptional quality. The name arose from the evaluation of matches established by Dave Meltzer using a five-star scale.
  • ***** Match : see Five Star Match
  • Forbidden object : see Foreign object
  • Foreign object : An object that appears to be used illegally in a brawl .
  • Free agent : person without a permanent contract. Is only booked for individual matches (see also booking ). This person is therefore only a freelancer.
  • Freebird Rule : Rule according to which a stable consisting of three (rarely more) wrestlers who currently holds a tag team title can have it defended in title matches by any two members. First the rule was introduced by the eponymous Fabulous Freebirds .
  • Free Tournament : An open wrestling tournament that runs outside the storyline and can be jointly hosted by various promotions. There are no time limits or restrictions. The so-called KO principle officially applies to these free tournaments . These tournaments are characterized on the one hand by technically high-class wrestling matches and on the other hand by particularly brutal hardcore matches . see also Shootfight Wrestling
  • Free tournament : see Free Tournament
  • Fuck up : see botch

G

  • Gaijin : Foreign wrestler in Japanese graduations . These often appear as heels .
  • Garbage wrestling : Originally known as hardcore wrestling . This was introduced in 1989/90 by Giant Baba for the wrestling style of the FMW .
  • Gimmick : Ring character portrayed by a wrestler to credibly sell feud programs and other storylines . The field of possible gimmicks is very wide and sometimes a wrestler keeps his gimmick over his entire career. One of the most famous gimmicks in wrestling is that of the undertaker . The term is also often used to distinguish real views and actions of a wrestler from those in the storyline.
  • Gimmick Wire : Prepared barbed wire from the larger promotions, where the barbed wire is made of sheet metal or hard rubber for matches under hardcore rules .
  • Gorilla Position : Position of the senior backstage manager, directly in front of the wrestler's entry ramp. Named for Gorilla Monsoon .
  • Grand Slam Champion : Form of the Triple Crown Champion and describes a wrestler who, in addition to the three highest titles of a wrestling organization, was able to achieve a fourth, further title of the organization.

H

  • Head Referee : see Chief Referee
  • Heat : Negative audience reactions in the form of boos, whistles or other expressions of disapproval that heels generate in them. The term heat is sometimes used by fans when wrestlers cause trouble within the promotion. In this context, the term is mainly used in Internet forums.
  • Heel : Wrestler who takes on the role of the villain for the audience and gets heat for it. Above all, a heel characterizes the (illegal) use of weapons, insulting fans and other wrestlers, resting outside the ring during the match and low blows against the opponent. The classic types of heel are the Foreign Heel , a foreigner who berates the venue, the Monster Heel , a tall, extra-muscular wrestler, the psychopath, and narcissistic wrestlers who are in love with themselves. The opposite of the heel is the face .
  • High-Flyer : Wrestler who mostly performs acrobatic actions from the top ring rope. As a rule, the performing wrestlers are of relatively small and light build. One example is the superstars Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara .
  • High flying : see high flyer
  • Hot Tag : Change ( tag ) of a tag team match that has been worked towards for a long time. A wrestler is dominated by the opposing team and prevented from changing. But after the hot tag has been completed, the fit opponent who has been substituted usually manages to deal with both opponents at the same time for a short time. Since the audience is hoping for a hot day and thus creating tension, it will only take place with face teams.
  • Hooker : Wrestler who has the ability, even in a real or open match (where the end of the match does not coincide with the intended storyline), to make the opponent incapable of fighting with appropriate grips . They're mostly used when a newbie gets too cocky or wrestlers don't stick to agreements . A well-known hooker was Lou Thesz . Today, real hookers are rarely seen in wrestling.
  • Houseshow : Event that is not televised or published on DVD and is therefore only seen by the audience in the hall.
  • Hulking up : Short phase in a match in which an inferior face- wrestler suddenly recovers from the actions of his opponent within a very short time and initiates an offensive himself. In doing so, he no-sells the moves of the opponent, which are intended to interrupt the hulk-up , which is often supported with strong gestures . The expression was derived from Hulk Hogan , as there is such an action in very many of his matches.

I.

  • Independent Circle : The independent wrestling scene outside of the major associations. Mostly related to the US and Canadian scenes.
  • Independent promotion : Smaller promotion that has no or hardly any pay-per-views and generally has no nationwide TV presence. Their main source of income lies in the entrance fees for the events, which are usually held monthly, and in any DVD sales. Wrestlers are not firmly committed, but only booked per event, so that an Indy league rarely has better-known wrestlers exclusively under contract. The expression itself is not clearly defined. For example, every American promotion apart from the market leader World Wrestling Entertainment is often referred to as independent , although the designation no longer applies to TNA and Ring of Honor .
  • Indys : see Independent Circle
  • Interference : Intervention of a wrestler in a match in which, according to the storyline, he is actually not involved. An interference leads to a disqualification of the wrestler, to whose advantage the intervention occurs. This intervention by other wrestlers is often used to show none of the protagonists as weaker by clear defeats before major events.

J

  • Job : Planned loss of a match. Also called “doing the job” or “working”.
  • Jobber : Wrestler who is paid to lose to better-known wrestlers in order to increase their motivation and to make them more popular with the audience (to work).
  • Joshi : see Joshi Puroresu
  • Joshi Puroresu : Japanese women wrestling.

K

  • Kayfabe : Agreement that wrestlers and officials in front of the camera (and sometimes in public) pretend that everything in wrestling is real. Originally a fantasy language that wrestlers used to coordinate their actions in the ring. Also used as a code word when Marks were around.
  • Kickoff show : see pre-show
  • Kick-out : Interruption of a pin attempt by the losing counterparty. Usually a kick-out only takes place after the referee has already counted to two - a kick-out at one thus demonstrates the wrestler's particularly high level of fitness at the time of the pin attempt.

L.

  • Legends contract : Special contract in large wrestling associations. Well-deserved wrestlers and managers under legendary status have a very large influence on the planning of a match. Holders of a legendary contract can choose their opponent themselves and decide whether to win or lose. Wrestlers who have "legendary status" with the WWE can compete in the independent wrestling scene (including the NWA) under their most successful WWE gimmick, provided that film recordings are not publicly broadcast on TV.
  • Light Heavyweight : A wrestler weight class that has a certain maximum weight (e.g. 99.79 kilograms in the WWE ). Today this weight class is hardly considered any more (unlike the cruiserweight class), but there were also titles for it (e.g. the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in the former WWF ).
  • Local Promotion : Subordinate doctorate that is attached to a major doctorate . This promotion is located below the associated promotion, as it is usually not organized under the banner of the higher-level promotion. (see also Associates )
  • Lucha Libre : Mexican wrestling, which is particularly characterized by its high-flying actions .
  • Luchador : Name for a wrestler from Mexico or Puerto Rico who has also become naturalized outside the catchment area of ​​the Lucha Libre . Luchadores often appear masked.

M.

  • Main Event : Main match and conclusion of a wrestling event. In the main event, the biggest stars of the promotion ( main eventers ) or the current world champions appear almost exclusively .
  • Major doctorate : most important doctorate in a region.
  • Match : The main element of the shows, the meeting of two wrestlers or tag teams in the ring or, according to special rules, in other locations. The organizers and the audience are also happy to falsely describe and perceive it as a “ fight ”. A fight is real, while a match is an element of the plot within the previously worked out storyline .
  • Mark : Fan who thinks everything that goes on in wrestling is real; for which the Kayfabe applies without restriction. Marks usually place special emphasis on the storylines and less on the wrestling quality of a match. On the one hand, marks are often smiled at under Smart Marks for precisely this reason; on the other hand, one often envies them, because they can enjoy the storylines completely carefree and cheer along without questioning the quality of the gimmicks , matches and storylines. The Sports Entertainment WWE aims mainly at Marks from. Marks have become rather rare in the age of the Internet, because even the smallest research discovers that wrestling is only for show. The word mark is meanwhile also used negatively for particularly die-hard fans of a certain wrestler, a certain promotion etc.
  • Manager : Optional ring attendants of a wrestler who are usually not active in the ring. Rather, they accompany their protégé to the ring and, according to the storyline, sometimes intervene in his favor. The manager also takes on the interviews, especially with wrestlers who have little charisma, cannot use the microphone well, or receive little reaction for other reasons. Female managers are commonly called valets .
  • Micwork : ability of a wrestler or manager to use the microphone, i.e. to give good interviews. In sports entertainment , charismatic wrestlers can achieve enormous success through good micwork despite rather limited wrestling skills
  • Midcard : Middle area of ​​an event card in which wrestlers compete who have a lower status than the main eventers . Hence these wrestlers are also called midcarders . There are often special titles for midcarders, e.g. B. the WWE Intercontinental Championship .
  • Midget : Small wrestler who mainly acted as an additional show element in the early years of wrestling.

N

  • No contest : The referee present declares a wrestling match a no contest if, according to the storyline, no wrestler is able to continue and he has to abandon this match.
  • No Show : A wrestler doesn’t come to his scheduled performance, either intentionally or unintentionally.
  • No-selling : A wrestling action generates no reaction from the audience or a wrestler. The latter may during the storyline done by this no-selling within a Shoots or Works is illustrated.

O

  • Officials : The officials of a promotion. Usually consists of the promoters , bookers and the referees . These represent the corresponding doctorate externally.
  • Opener : First match in a wrestling event.
  • Overness : Status of a wrestler with the audience. A face is over when it is cheered, while a heel is at best met with pure hatred. Achieving the desired oversight is one of the most important tasks of a wrestler and can have a decisive influence on his future career. Generating unwanted audience reactions is a major setback for a wrestler.
  • Over-selling : A wrestler shows an exaggeratedly strong reaction to an attack by his opponent and thus makes him seem untrustworthy. Since the choreographic factor of wrestling comes to the fore, over-selling can definitely be seen as a violation of Kayfabe . In the 1990s, over-selling was more common to highlight the power of giants and magical gimmicks . That's why some wrestlers, like Shawn Michaels , who peaked in the 1990s, still see this over-selling today.

P

  • Parts Unknown : Popular term so that you don't have to specify the place of origin of a mystical or monstrous wrestler. The name was mainly used in the 1980s and early 1990s, since during this time the characters appearing under this key point mostly received a comic-related gimmick .
  • Play-By-Play Commentator : Commentator who impartially comments on the events of the ring. The color commentator then often takes over the counterpart .
  • Pop : Spontaneous reaction of the audience, for example cheering on a wrestler.
  • Powerhouse : Wrestler who stands out in the ring because of his physical strength. He takes appropriate actions, and the audience is often shown his superiority over the opponent.
  • Pre-Show : Type of preliminary reporting, especially in the case of pay-per-views of the larger promotions , which is often supplemented by one or two matches .
  • Producer : see Road Agent
  • Promo : Interview, speech or statement by a wrestler, which is mostly used to verbally exaggerate a feud program .
  • Promotion : Company that organizes wrestling events. The currently most influential promotion is the American WWE , which holds the position of the global market leader.
  • Promoter : Operator of a wrestling marketing company . This is mostly identical to the chief booker .
  • Professional wrestling : see pro wrestling
  • Pro-Wrestling / Pro Wrestling : Type of smaller independent promotions to sell their view of wrestling to the public. The focus of pro-wrestling is more on the sporting element and is in contrast to today's sports entertainment , which declares wrestling as pure entertainment. Pro-wrestling also stands for the generic term wrestling and in contrast to amateur wrestling .
  • Puroresu : Japanese wrestling.
  • Push : Career boost of a wrestler who appears more often than usual in an A-Show with a push , wins against other great wrestlers and is often also allowed to receive an important promotion title, usually first a midcard and then a world title.

R.

  • Referee : referee of a promotion.
  • Referee Bump : Special variant of bumps , in which the referee seems to come to harm or short term incapacitated. Also called Ref Bump for short .
  • Ring Rust : Lack of wrestling practice by an athlete who, for example, returns to the ring after an injury break. A high level of ring rust can lead to an increased number of botches .
  • Referee : see Referee
  • Road Agent : Person who trains with active, mostly young wrestlers on a promotion and discusses the processes for matches or other planned performances with them. The road agent also often mediates between management and the wrestlers. Road agents are mostly former, experienced wrestlers or referees.
  • Rope break : Action by a wrestler, for example to interrupt a seemingly successful surrender by gripping the ring ropes. According to the rules of the National Wrestling Alliance, which are binding for all promotions, the opponent must now resolve his task within five seconds. Such a cover can also be interrupted by the defeated opponent putting a leg on a ring rope.
  • Roster : Active wrestling roster for a promotion made up of wrestlers and officials . The squad can be divided by a roster split ; for example, the WWE entertains with RAW , SmackDown! and WWE NXT currently has three rosters. These each also form a TV format of the same name.
  • Rulebreaker : Wrestler who disregards the existing rules according to his storyline and attacks his opponents with prohibited items, for example. A rule breaker is often portrayed as a heel at the same time to make the role look more believable and to reinforce the audience reaction .
  • Run-In : Often times unfair intervention by a wrestler in a match. Usually leads to the disqualification of the person not attacked.

S.

  • Save , Make the Save: A wrestler comes to the ring to end an unfair act. Often immediately following a run-in .
  • Screwjob : Incident which, from the point of view of the wrestlers involved, ends in an unexpected and unsolicited way. Contrary to prior agreement, a wrestler is deliberately disadvantaged by doing a doctorate. The best-known examples were Wendi Richter and Bret Hart , who in 1985 and 1997 were defrauded openlyby the promoter Vince K. McMahon and contrary to the developed storyline .
  • Selling : reaction of a wrestler to an action by the opponent and thus one of the most important components of wrestling. It is the job of a counterparty to sell the actions realistically, but not excessively. Reactions to a move that are too spectacular are called over-selling .
  • Shoot : Action that violates the plans of the respective booker or promoter . This can be done, for example, through unsettled, tough actions within a match or through very open and critical interviews. A so-called Worked Shoot contrast to the appearance of an Shoots awaken, but is fully planned.
  • Shoot Fight : A match that has gotten out of hand in which the opponents deliberately want to injure themselves in order to decide the match in their favor.
  • Shoot Fighter : Wrestler who deliberately hurts his opponent outside of the developed storyline .
  • Shoot Fight Style : Variant of match management, which is obviously designed to deliberately injure the wrestler. This is located between hardcore wrestling and the actual death matches and was popular in Japan in the 1990s. (see also worked shoot )
  • Shootfight-Wrestling / Shootfight Wrestling : Type of match between wrestlers with different sports backgrounds. Wrestlers with a wrestling background compete against opponents with a boxer background, for example . There are strict rules in shootfight wrestling and, in contrast to the usual wrestling matches, are usually open and without a time limit. This means that there is no winner in advance, as these match types run outside of the storyline. Shootfight wrestling emerged in Japan in the 1990s with the Shoot Fight Style , based on MMA and enjoyed great popularity there. See also Free Tournament .
  • Smart Mark : Fan who is not directly involved in the wrestling business, but still has a relatively high level of insider knowledge. A Smart Mark ignores the Kayfabe and evaluates matches and storylines from different points of view than most major promotions provide. The number of Smart Marks grew rapidly due to the spread of the Internet. Although big promotions like World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling are still mainly aimed at Marks , details are now often incorporated into the storylines that only Smart Marks can understand based on their background knowledge. Other promotions such as Ring of Honor target e.g. For example, by avoiding unbelievable stories and concentrating on wrestling itself, mainly on smart marks .
  • Special Referee : A certain person - mostly a former wrestler, but sometimes also an actor or other celebrities - takes on the role of referee for a match. Most of the time, the special referees are particularly involved in the feud between the two rival wrestlers and intervene for one party in the match or ensure an illegal end. They are either proposed by a wrestler or determined by the promotion officials. In the WWE z. B. Shawn Michaels is the special referee several times .
  • Spot : A precisely planned action or sequence of actions aimed at evoking a specific reaction from the audience. Actions that are very spectacular and particularly thrill the audience are also known as high spots or money spots .
  • Squash : One-sided match in which an opponent is presented as clearly superior and often wins in a short time without significant resistance from his opponent. In the 1980s and 1990s, squash matches were often used to introduce the audience to the gimmick or technique of a wrestler. The "squashing" wrestler competed against a relatively unknown other wrestler. Nowadays, squash matches are mostly used to sell a wrestler to the audience as an indomitable monster heel .
  • Sports Entertainment : WWE's own name for its wrestling concept. She thus refers to the high proportion of storylines interspersed with elements of a soap opera , which are combined with an athletic choreography. Sports entertainment is for pure entertainment. The expression is often used by fans to refer to other leagues such as TNA and understood as a distinction to promotions that are more focused on pro-wrestling such as Ring of Honor .
  • Stable : Group of wrestlers who, according to the storyline, are allied with each other. The purpose of a stable is to build up younger wrestlers by working closely with more experienced wrestlers and developing feuds and storylines. The most famous stable, which eventually also became a real power factor within the then World Championship Wrestling , were the Four Horsemen .
  • State Athletic Sport Commission : Regional sports commission in the United States . Is the top sporting authority in the USA and in 47 states. SASCs monitor compliance with the US government guidelines and ban athletes. For this, the sports commission publishes the so-called black book. The sports commission is also responsible for the recognition of clubs and doctorates . Once they have been granted a license by the SASC, they are deemed to have been established. A license that has been granted can also be withdrawn by it.
  • Stiff : Actions that are carried out particularly hard are referred to as stiff. This type of wrestling is mainly known from Japan and Great Britain.
  • Stipulation : Specified type or action, how a match - different from the three-count - can be finished victoriously. According to stipulation, a tables match can only be won by throwing the opponent through a table and breaking it (see list of wrestling match types ).
  • Storyline : Script with the stories that are built around a wrestler (and his opponent).
  • Submission : (Eng. "Submission") abandonment of a wrestler during the match if he cannot free himself from a submission hold by the opponent. The defeated wrestler taps his hand several times on the floor of the ring (English to tap out ), whereupon the referee lets the match ring and the wrestler who has knocked loses. In some cases, a match can only be won by submission, see also the list of wrestling match types .
  • Sub-organization : see Affiliate

T

  • Day : Clap between two members of a team, whereby the outside wrestler changes and the wrestler in the ring changes.
  • Tag team : a team of two or more members who switch to and from the ring during the match by tapping.
  • Talent Scout : see Road Agent
  • Talents : see roster
  • Three-Count : Successful pinfall . The name is derived from the referee hitting the ring floor three times.
  • Time Keeper : timekeeper. Ring the bell after the referee's instructions. Remnants of the usual match set up into the 1980s over several rounds of predetermined length and winner determination by a jury.
  • Title : see Championship
  • Tournament : Tournament of a promotion . Can be scheduled for one to three days. With an important storyline , such a tournament can last up to six weeks.
  • Triple Crown Champion : Wrestler who has managed to receive the three highest titles in a wrestling organization in his career.
  • Turn : Gimmick change of a wrestler from face to heel status or vice versa. A turn can occur surprisingly through a certain action within an angle ( hard turn ), but it can also take place over the long term in many small steps ( soft turn ). A turn often means a change of gimmick at the same time , although this is not mandatory. One example is Sheamus , who initially appeared as a heel in the WWE Universe under his old ring name King Sheamus, but was rewritten to a Face after winning the WWE United States Championships on March 14, 2011 against Daniel Bryan . The reason for this was that his appearances at both Marks and Smart Marks repeatedly led to spontaneous pops and the attempts by the WWE to portray him as a heel using Canned Heat were exposed on the Internet as a scam.
  • Tweener : Wrestler who combines both aspects of a face and a heel , so the direction of which cannot be clearly assigned. A tweener often competes against both faces and heels, and despite using illegal tactics, is cheered by the audience. The first tweener is superstar Billy Graham .

U

  • Ultraviolent Entertainment : Hardcore-related and extremely violent interpretation of pro-wrestling . The term was coined by the promotion Combat Zone Wrestling and is only used by this.
  • Umbrella Organization : umbrella organization that acts as the "umbrella master" of various promotions .
  • Undisputed World Champion : Wrestler who combines several World Titles . Is usually declared when multiple promotions to a Major Promotion connect.
  • Unsanctioned Match : A type of match from which the officials of a promotion officially distance themselves. According to the developed storyline, it is considered “open” and gives the actors concerned the opportunity to make their match more violent and risky, as the official rules of the promotion do not apply in such a scheduled match. In principle, matches scheduled in this way are also set up like hardcore matches . Was scheduled several times in the late 1990s by the ECW to give the officially banned wrestler Sabu the opportunity to perform in the ECW during his ban. The specialty in the ECW, however, was that these were real free matches, since Sabu competed against his opponents free of charge. For example, the Justin Credible vs. Sabu completed with such a match.
  • Up-fuck : see botch
  • Uppercard : Area of ​​a show on the threshold of the main event. Here wrestlers compete who have a slightly lower status than the main eventers, but are on the verge of their breakthrough.

V

  • Valet : Female ring companion of a wrestler, who mostly performs the function of a manager .
  • Vacant : A current wrestling title is not worn by any wrestler. As part of the storyline , a wrestler's title can be revoked for any reason and this can be advertised for an elimination tournament. Permanently vacant titles, ie titles that are no longer awarded, are deemed to have been discontinued .

W.

  • Weeklie : Technical or slang term for a wrestling show such as RAW , SmackDown or Impact Wrestling that is broadcast weekly on television or the Internet .
  • World Title : see World (Heavyweight) Championship
  • World (Heavyweight) Championship : Highest title in a promotion that is held globally. Formerly known as the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship .
  • Work : An injury is simulated. A more serious injury is often portrayed so that the wrestler concerned has time to cure minor, real injuries without interrupting the current storyline . Basically, the word can be applied to all planned or choreographed aspects of wrestling.
  • Worked Shoot : In contrast to the work , Kayfabe is often broken, so that the impression of a real shoot is created; Smart Marks in particular should believe that the action goes beyond a work and happens completely unplanned (which is not the case).
  • Worker : Designation is only applied to a wrestler without observing the Kayfabe . In the broadest sense, this term can be applied to all wrestlers.
  • Wrestling Federation : umbrella organization or amalgamation of various promotions under a uniform banner . The most famous federations in wrestling history are the American Wrestling Association , National Wrestling Association , National Wrestling Alliance, and World Wrestling Entertainment .
  • Wrestlingstable : see stable

X

  • X-Pac Heat : negative reaction of the audience to a wrestler because they B. dislike it because of its limited capabilities. Getting X-Pac Heat is a major blow to a wrestler. It's relatively easy to spot with face wrestlers when they are booed by the audience. Heel wrestlers , on the other hand, are supposed to generate heat through their evil deeds , so it is sometimes difficult to distinguish real heat from X-Pac heat . The term was derived from X-Pac , who received such reactions towards the end of his WWE tenure.

Web links and sources

  • Wrestling dictionary on genickbruch.com, accessed March 20, 2012