Wrestling Dictionary:

Full Credit to Sean Carless from Live Audio Wrestling. Make sure to check out his site at www.thewrestlingfan.cjb.net 

Wrestling was once looked at with the same type of mystique as magicians tricks as we'd marvel at the theatrics and the physicality. We deep down knew that what we were witnessing was a "show" but still the tricks of the trade were still kept under heavy wraps and exposing these secrets or breaking character was looked at as treason. Today's athlete is not his character (with a few exceptions) and when they leave the arenas, and appear on TV talk shows and make media appearances they are looked at more as an "actor" who portrays said gimmick than the gimmick itself. Today's fans are also more knowledgeable (in some cases) then they were in years past as shows like Tough Enough & documentaries like "Beyond the Mat" have stripped away the mystery and exposed the inner workings of a business once determined to keep their practices a trade secret. Today it is commonplace to hear Fans use the same inside terms that their favourite athletes do to one another. We as a whole get to live vicariously through the business this way, and using "code words" are another way to make oneself feel more involved than just sitting in front of the Television and watching the shows.
As much as we would like to believe it, the "smart" fan may not be as much of the majority as we would think and often using these terms mean little more to them than speaking a different language. In an effort to help I have compiled a list of Pro Wrestling buzz-words followed by a brief definition and/or example.

Angle: An Angle is a Storyline. Wrestling is made up of angles. The angle is usually written to be the reason as to why the wrestlers in question would have conflict to begin with. The classic angle predominant throughout Wrestling’s storied history has been Betrayal. Angles are used to get fans emotionally involved in the conflicts they're watching. Perhaps the most successful "Angle" of all time would be Vince McMahon Vs. Steve Austin, which allowed the Fan to live vicariously and relieve their frustrations through Steve Austin who was portrayed as an "everyman" while Vince was the arrogant and wealthy boss. We as a society thrive on wanting the underdog succeed and a character who can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds has always been appealing.

Blade: To Blade or "Juice" means to produce blood by making an incision with a razor usually hidden in the Wrestler's wrist tape or sometimes in the tights. Today in wrestling "blading" is done more subtly then in years past as a tiny cut is usually made on the forehead that will produce flow but not necessarily scar ones head forever. There have been many wrestlers over the years who take blading to new levels as the incisions made were haphazardly carved leaving grotesque scar tissue. It was almost looked at like a right of passage for some wrestlers. Classic bladers are Dusty Rhodes & Abdullah The Butcher. Steve Corino is currently a wrestler who blades frequently as well. Blading like anything in wrestling is an art form and a good blader can do it seemingly without the audience even noticing. In an interesting "blading"note, in 1992 WWF had a ban on blading going into Wrestle Mania that year and during that show Bret Hart bladed in his match with Roddy Piper and did such a seamless job that even promoters were fooled as Bret convinced them that the blood was completely accidental and happened during a collision, and in retrospect it added to the drama of the match.

Blow Up: Blowing up is losing ones breath or breathing heavy during a match. It is usually the result of bad cardiovascular conditioning.
Booker: The booker is the individual who makes and decides the matches outcome. Many times a Booker may also come up with creative finishes for the matches as well. A good booker will put together matches and storylines that will capture the fans imagination. Many Wrestlers have been "bookers" all the while still competing in the ring. In the 1980's and 1990's both Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair had the book all the while still competing on top. It has been argued many times that this practice is a conflict of interest. One of WWF's top bookers throughout it's history has been Pat Patterson who has created many creative angles and matches, One note able Patterson creation is the Royal Rumble. Not many people know this but Kevin Nash is the only wrestler to hold the book in both WWF and WCW, both times "booking" himself as World Champion. (Although his 1995 Run is regarded as the lowest drawing Title reign ever)

Bump: Is a fall or hard landing taken by a Wrestler. Some bumps are controlled like a back body drop for example but some are not as Mick Foley who is arguably the sports most famous (infamous?) bumper can obviously attest to.

Draw: A Draw or to Draw means for lack of a better term to make money. A top Draw will keep fans coming back to see more.

Face: A Face is technically a "Good Guy" but in this day in age of shades of gray a "Face" is simply someone who is popular. A Face's job is to win over the crowd through interaction and sympathy. A Face gets over by being in peril then eventually defeating the odds. A Face that is not sympathetic given being too dominant is often turned on by a crowd who for the most part wants to cheer the underdog. A perfect example of this was Hulk Hogan's run in 1980's and into the 90's. Eventually fans became complacent with the Hulkster's act and began booing him as the result of his matches were often very predictable.

Finish: A Finish is a scripted or predetermined ending to a match.

Green: Green means inexperienced. A green wrestler often shows that lack of experience by either being nervous in the ring or blowing spots and sometimes being unable to recover from it. Every wrestler is usually "Green" at one point.

Hard Way: Hardway is to be busted open legitimately. Hardway can happen accidentally or sometimes on purpose. Harley Race had an uncanny skill of being able to open a cut on a wrestlers head with a well placed headbutt.

Heat: Heat has two meanings in Wrestling circles. One is the amount of reaction a Wrestler gets be it Face or Heel by crowds. Heat is the most important thing in Wrestling bar protecting your opponent as fan reaction can make what would be normally viewed as a mediocre match seem special through the enthusiasm shown by the crowd. A perfect example of this phenomenon was Hulk Hogan Vs. The Rock from Wrestle Mania 18. The second meaning of "heat" by definition means tension or sometimes dislike. If a Wrestler has "heat" with the boys, that means that they are angry with him. A perfect example of having 'Heat" is Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in 1996-97.

Heel: The Heel is the antagonist of the "Face". Villainous and evil, a heel is supposed to invoke hatred from a crowd and if not hated then one is not doing ones job properly. Today in Wrestling there are very few true "heels" as its cool or chic to spout clever catch phrases thus giving them appeal, the exact opposite effect a heel should have. A true Heel does what the crowd doesn't want him to do and absolutely NEVER panders to them.

Job: To Job means to intentionally lose. A jobber is a wrestler who while ultimately losing enhances the talent he's in the ring with by taking that wrestlers arsenal and making him look good in the process. Anyone can lie down, but a good "Jobber" or "Jabroni" (which until Rock began using it on air, was carny slang for a nobody) makes the wrestler's offense look truly devastating. There really aren't jobbers anymore as in today’s political WWE, A wrestler who does the "Job" one week usually gets his win back the next.

Kayfabe: Kayfabe in layman terms is portraying something that is in fact fantasy as if it was reality or fact. A perfect example of commonly used "Kayfabe" is Wrestle Mania 3 having 93,000 fans when in reality it was about 15,000 less than that. Kayfabe is almost extinct in today's product but in the past it was a rule as to which all wrestlers had to adhere to. The image that one portrayed in the ring was one he had to convey in public. AWA promoter and Wrestler Verne Gagne used to be a huge proponent of this practice and on many occasions informed his locker room many times that if they were "Whipped" or beaten up in public they would not have a job waiting for them as this would in his mind destroy the credibility of the wrestler. Locker rooms were kept separates as Heels dressed with Heels and Faces with Faces. In the WWF of the 1980's Vince McMahon would go to great expense to attempt to "sell" the gimmicks as reality. During Ted Dibiase's run, Vince was said to book the Million Dollar Man on first class flights and even gave Ted a wad of his own pocket money so Dibiase could appear as his ultra-rich persona in public without anyone knowing any better. Vince went to great effort and expense to have his Superstars be accepted as their characters inside and outside the ring, making his infamous 1997 GoodGuys Vs. Badguys speech that much more ironic.
Mark: A Mark was term used by the Promoter or Wrestler describing the Audience member who was taken in, or believed what they saw was in fact "real". It goes back to carnival days where carnies would sucker audiences in through theatrics and bizarre attractions. There are fewer marks in today’s Wrestling world, but still a mark is anyone who unconditionally buys the company line with no questions asked.

Paper: To Paper a Wrestling card is to fill the unsold seats in the arena by giving out free tickets. WCW would often do this during their Monday Nitros to give the appearance of a packed house. One of WWF's most famous "papering" was done at Royal Rumble'97 in San Antonio where thousands of tickets were given away to fill the half empty Alamo Dome.

Pop: The "Pop" is an enthusiastic reaction given by a crowd be it positive or negative. Crowds pop often for entrances and moves deemed extraordinary. A Pop usually comes out of nowhere and is a sudden burst of extreme cheering or booing.

Potato: To "Potato" is to really connect in a match, usually the result of unpulled punches and kicks. For the most part a potato is accidental but sometimes recklessness or downright sadism can be blamed as well. The most recent example of "potatoing" was by Bob Holly onto Tough Enough 3 winner Matt which garnered alot of negative attention. A wrestlers main concern is protecting his opponent and himself and potatoing is looked upon as unprofessional or incompetent.

Screw Job: A screw Job finish is an ending to a match by nefarious means such as outside interference and sometimes can be used so either Wrestler involved does not have to do a job. It is basically a way to have an ending without a competitor being defeated fair and square.

Sell: To "Sell" means to make a hold or maneuver look realistic by acting injured or stunned. Selling is paramount to putting on a realistic performance.
Spot: A Spot is a rehearsed or planned moment in the match. A "High Spot" is the defining moment in a match that usually brings the bout to an end, although purists will attest that today's product is all "High spots" taking away the appeal of once special moves. For example: If a Wrestler kicked out of a moonsault, why would they get beat with a DDT? ECW and TNA although athletically charged have been blamed for overexposing highspots leading the crowd to have unreal expectations as the wrestlers have to top their last death defying maneuver.

Shoot: "shoot" is a buzzword in Wrestling that means real or unscripted. However a "shooter" is a legitimately skilled grappler. The term shooter or "hooker" goes back to the early territory days where rival promoters would employ legitimate wrestlers as their Champions, so no double crosses would take place as trying to fix one of these matches would be an impossible task. Perhaps the most famous "hooker" was Lou Thesz who was regarded as the most legit World Champion of that era. In today’s Wrestling, shooters are not as commonplace and with a few exceptions including Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, today’s "hookers" or shooters are found mostly in the MMA world. However in the WWE being a shooter holds little water as performance is priority and being a shooter does not necessarily translate to being a good performer.
Squash: A squash is a match where a wrestler completely dominates the other with the opponent getting in little if any offense before being convincingly defeated

Stiff: To wrestle "Stiff" is to make hard contact on punches and holds although the contact is not usually meant to injure. The hold is still planned but is delivered with much more physicality. In Japan wrestling "stiff" or snug is a common practice. There are many arguments as to whether working snug is beneficial, on one hand it makes the match more visually appealing but on the other it can shorten careers. Lance Storm has recently been a critic of the snug Japanese style. Wrestlers such as Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit are considered "stiff" but the two are very professional and are adept enough to prevent injury but in the hands of a sloppy wrestler working "stiff" is similar to potato’ing.
Work: A "Work" is the opposite of a shoot. Works are pre planned and executed according to a certain storyline.

Workrate: "workrate" is the standard on which matches are judged based on performance and effort given by said wrestler and the pride he puts into his matches. Although what is considered good work is arguable by some, some universally accepted good "workers" are Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Chris Benoit & Mitsuhara Misawa. 

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