Encyclopedia > Dark match (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a dark match is a match that is part of a televised card, but is not itself televised. Most dark matches are held at the beginning of wrestling cards; usually, one or two dark matches are used to "warm up" the live crowd for the upcoming televised event. // Professional wrestling is a form of performance art where the participants engage in simulated sporting matches. ... A professional wrestling, the card is the lineup of the matches that will be staged at a given venue for a given perfomance. ...
Dark matches typically feature either local talent, or talent from developmental territories for a larger promotion. Televised WWE cards will often feature talent from its main developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, in their dark matches. A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that performs regular shows involving professional wrestling for monetary gain. ... // World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ... Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American Independent circuit professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, KY. OVW is the most recognized facilities for up and coming wrestlers and serves as the official training grounds for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). ...
Darkmatches at the end of a card generally feature main event-level wrestlers, and are often used to sell more tickets to the live event and also to send the crowd home happy.
Darkmatches are almost never acknowledged (in kayfabe), but are sometimes used to gauge fan reaction to developmental talent that a promotion is considering elevating to their main show.
Recently, matches before a Pay-Per-View event are also considered darkmatches in the WWE after the indefinite suspension of the webcast of Sunday Night Heat.
Backyard wrestling, the act of staging pro-style wrestling (not to be confused with sport wrestling or amateur wrestling) as a hobby rather than a job, usually (but not always) by untrained performers, predominantly teenagers.
Hardcore wrestling, matches that focus on the use of weapons such as chairs, chains, fireballs, ladders, and tire irons, often combined with brawling all over the arena, rather than traditional wrestling holds and techniques, also referred to by some as "garbage" wrestling.
This period of the match is intended to convey the talent and ability of the face and is usually ended when the heel cheats or employs unsportsmanlike tactics to gain the upper hand.
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