In professional wrestling, legit (from "legitimate") is a slang term used to describe a match or event which has not been booked, or a performer who relies on wrestling skill and ability, as opposed to his gimmick, to gain notoriety and popularity with fans. In the recent past many matches and wrestlers were presented as being "legit", although this was not always, or even often, the case. Two of the most famous exceptions to the rule (in actuality and known backstage for being "legit") were Lou Thesz and Frank Gotch. For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ... Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of slang, in-references and jargon. ... A booker, as the term is used in professional wrestling, is a person who puts matches together and determines basics about their content, such as relative overall length, who the eventual victor will be, and many of the moves which will be made during the match; in other words, the... Ancient Greek wrestlers (Pankratiasts) Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons, in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of their opponent. ... In professional wrestling, a gimmick is a wrestlers personality, behavior, attire and/or other distinguishing traits while performing. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Frank Gotch in a published photo Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1878 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler back when the contests were largely real (see catch wrestling). ...

Definitions

The term is also often extended to mean a wrestler with a legitimate background as an actual street fighter or brawler (he may also be a former professional boxer, a stuntman, martial artist or have crossed over from a real sport), who brings legitimate fighting skills to the apparent, but often tightly controlled, "chaos" of the pro wrestling arena. A "legit" competitor in this instance may tend to revert to the actual violence of real fighting, causing concern (and danger) among opponents, and others.

The term "legit" can also be attributed to an incident where a legitimate injury occurs during a professional wrestling match. An example would be during the Four-Way Tag Team Ladder match at Armageddon 2006, in which Joey Mercury suffered a severe head injury, a broken nose and a possibly fractured frontal bone, and severe lacerations around his left eye as a result of a see-saw ladder maneuver by Jeff Hardy.^[1] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Armageddon is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. ... Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), is an American professional wrestler working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. ... Jeffrey Nero Jeff Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the RAW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he is the reigning Intercontinental Champion. ...

Also, during a Last Man Standing Match at One Night Stand 2008, Randy Orton broke his collarbone after going for an RKO on Triple H; but it was reversed & Orton was thrown outside of the ring. Jerry "The King" Lawler said to fellow broadcast partner Jim Ross, " I think Orton told referee Mike Chioda he broke his collarbone". Triple H ended the match, faster than usual do to Orton's physical well-being, with a sledgehammer to the face. Randal Randy Keith Orton[1] (born on April 1, 1980), nicknamed The Legend Killer, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its RAW brand. ... RKO could stand for: RKO Pictures The R.K.O. - finishing manoever (and initials) of WWE professional wrestler Randy Orton. ... Paul Michael Levesque[4] (born July 27, 1969)[4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former Hunter Hearst Helmsley moniker. ... Orton can refer to more than one place/person: Places Orton, Peterborough Orton, Cumbria People Beth Orton Joe Orton Randy Orton Bob Orton Kyle Orton Edward J. Orton Jr. ... Jerry The King Lawler Jerry ONeil (The King) Lawler (born November 29, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ... Michael Jason Chioda, born August 1 in New Jersey is a senior referee that is currently signed to the World Wrestling Entertainment to referee on the Raw brand. ... Paul Michael Levesque[4] (born July 27, 1969)[4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former Hunter Hearst Helmsley moniker. ... For other uses, see Sledgehammer (disambiguation). ...

In March 2005, a new professional wrestling promotion was announced called Real Pro Wrestling. This promotion is being packaged as being strictly legit, although such promotions in the past have either proven to be short-lived or have soon resorted to booked and worked matches, which pro wrestling fans claim is due to what they see as the inherently dull nature of legit wrestling (possibly because of the lack of gimmicks and theatrics that are usually found in mainstream professional wrestling). This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Real Pro Wrestlings Logo. ... In professional wrestling, a work is slang for a staged event (that is, one that enforces kayfabe). ...

See also

• List of professional wrestling slang

Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of slang, in-references and jargon. ...

References