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Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is the performance, management, and marketing of an athletic performing art which contains elements of catch wrestling, mock combat and theatre. It has origins in carnival sideshows in the late 19th century as part of displays of athletics and strength, and its staged aspects grew out of a need to heighten excitement and lessen the strain on performers. Modern professional wrestling usually features simulated striking and grappling techniques, which are modeled after diverse sets of wrestling and pugilistic styles from around the world. Realistic performance is very physical and requires intense specialized training. Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ...
There is also a game called Pro Wrestling for the Sega Master System. ...
The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...
Pro Wrestling (Gokuaku Doumei Dump Matsumoto in Japan) is a professional wrestling video game released for the Sega Master System by Sega. ...
Next big thing redirects here. ...
Performance art is art where the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time, constitute the work. ...
Catch wrestling is a popular style of wrestling. ...
It has been suggested that Ritual fighting be merged into this article or section. ...
Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...
For other uses, see Sideshow (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Grapple. ...
Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...
Professional wrestling has gradually become a pervasive form of entertainment globally, especially in Japan and North American countries. High-profile figures in the sport often become cultural icons, such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Rikidozan, and El Santo. Leading universities have developed courses of study on the cultural significance of professional wrestling.[1] North American redirects here. ...
American cultural icons. ...
Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ...
Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ...
RikidÅzan (Japanese: 力é“å±±, Korean: ì—ë„ì‚°, November 14, 1924 - December 15, 1963) was a professional wrestler, known as the Father of Puroresu and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. ...
Rodolfo Guzman Huerta (September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984), more widely known as Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata, or Samson, the silver-masked man in English translations, was a Mexican wrestler, actor, and folk hero. ...
It is a billion-dollar industry, drawing revenue from ticket sales, television broadcasts, branded merchandise and home video. Pro wrestling was instrumental in making pay-per-view a viable method of content delivery. Annual shows such as WrestleMania are among the highest-selling pay-per-view programming. Pay-per-view is the name given to a system by which television viewers can call and order events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes later. ...
Official WrestleMania logo WrestleMania is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment since 1985. ...
Currently, the dominant professional wrestling company worldwide is the United States-based World Wrestling Entertainment, which absorbed many smaller regional companies in the late twentieth century, as well as its primary competitor, World Championship Wrestling. WWE's primary competitor differs from region to region; in the the United States, it's primary competitor is Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In Mexico, it is Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, and in Japan, it is New Japan Pro Wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ...
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ...
Asistencia AsesorÃa y Administración (AAA) is a Lucha Libre Professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico. ...
New Japan Pro Wrestling (新日本プãƒãƒ¬ã‚¹, shin nihon puroresu) is a major professional wrestling federation in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. ...
Types There are many different types of professional wrestling.
Sports entertainment style combines colorful characters and dramatic storylines with a lesser focus on the sporting aspects. This is the style of product produced by World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is arguably the most popular form of professional wrestling. Despite its popularity, it is decried by some critics as over the top and circus-like, due to frequent usage of melodrama, comedy, and intentional camp. Sports entertainment is a type of entertainment that takes the form of a sporting event, but with more emphasis on dramatic storylines, humor, spectacle or titillation than on a contest of athletic skills. ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ...
For other uses, see Circus (disambiguation). ...
Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ...
A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ...
Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value. ...
Southern style -- colloquially (sometimes mockingly) known as "wrasslin'" -- puts equal emphasis on theatrics and athleticism, and tends to favor traditional roles of hero and villain. It was wildly popular in the American South throughout the twentieth century, where it was produced by the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crockett Promotions, and early World Championship Wrestling. The U.S. Southern states or The South, known during the American Civil War era as Dixie, is a distinctive region of the United States with its own unique historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ...
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ...
Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ...
For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ...
Puroresu -- Another type, rarely found in North America, is strong style wrestling, which forgoes elaborate characterizations in favor of athletic prowess. This is very popular in Japan as the fighters use martial arts strikes and complex submission holds and matches are treated as pure sport rather than sports entertainment. The Japanese crowd rely on sportsmanship and clean finishes. Promotions using this include Pro Wrestling NOAH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. An extension of this, with legitimate maneuvers actually applied, is known as shoot style, and was pioneered by Universal Wrestling Federation. Puroresu is Japanese professional wrestling, as seen in FMW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and All Japan Pro Wrestling. ...
North American redirects here. ...
Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...
Submissions are often done in grappling by tapping the opponent with the hand. ...
Sports entertainment is a type of entertainment that takes the form of a sporting event, but with more emphasis on dramatic storylines, humor, spectacle or titillation than on a contest of athletic skills. ...
It is sporting to shake the hand of ones opponent after the end of a game. ...
Pro Wrestling NOAH is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000. ...
New Japan Pro Wrestling (新日本プãƒãƒ¬ã‚¹, shin nihon puroresu) is a major professional wrestling federation in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. ...
Shoot style is a form of professional wrestling in which strikes and holds are real and still, however the matches are still predetermined. ...
The original Japanese-based Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1984 to 1986, formed by wrestlers who had left New Japan Pro Wrestling. ...
Another style which emphasizes high levels of brutality, focusing on use of weapons and unusual environment elements for heightened violence, is called extreme, hardcore, combat, 'garbage' or ultra-violent wrestling. It also incorporates legitimately dangerous stunts, such as falls from high places onto folding tables, sometimes lit on fire. For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ...
King's Road is a variant of Japanese puroresu which features long matches filled with dramatic tension built up from the physical struggles. This style was pioneered by All Japan Pro Wrestling. All Japan Pro Wrestling ) (AJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. ...
While some promotions specialize in one specific style, others produce events with a more diverse array that appeals to varied tastes. Extreme Championship Wrestling, for instance, is commonly known as a pioneer of the hardcore style, but its product is best described as Southern style with less emphasis on the hero/villain dichotomy. Lucha libre has elements of sports entertainment (masks and midget wrestlers) but also puts focus on a wrestler's athletic prowess and matches can often have dire results, including loss of hair. This article is about the independent promotion from 1992-2001. ...
One of the most well known Lucha Libre wrestlers (luchadores), Rey Mysterio. ...
Staged nature of professional wrestling -
Throughout the history of professional wrestling, the utmost care was taken to ensure that the staged nature of professional wrestling was kept secret to the audience, a concept known as kayfabe or "working the marks". Kayfabe was largely broken down by the steroid trials of the World Wrestling Federation (now referred to as World Wrestling Entertainment, after the organization brought and lost a trademark infringement case against the World Wildlife Fund) and the advent of the worldwide web in the 1990s. However, this changed little of how wrestling is produced. Like those of film and theatre, the professional wrestling audience overlooks the inner workings of the performance, invoking suspension of disbelief and allowing for dramatic license.[2] [3] In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as real, that is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as unstaged or not worked. ...
In professional wrestling, a shoot refers to any unplanned event – that is, the event is real and not staged. ...
In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as real, that is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as unstaged or not worked. ...
In professional wrestling, a work is slang for a staged event (that is, one that enforces kayfabe). ...
The victim of a confidence game or magic trick is often called the mark, or the vic. ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
Note: After losing a court case in 2002 on the use of the initials WWF, the organization previously known as the World Wrestling Federation has rebranded itself as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. WWF - The Conservation Organization was formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and Worldwide Fund for Nature. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Artistic licence or license (US), also known as dramatic license/licence, is a colloquial term used to denote the liberties an artist may take in the name of art — for example, if an artist decided it was more artistically correct to portray St. ...
Occasionally a performer will deviate from the intended sequence of events. This is known as a shoot. Sometimes shoot-like elements are included in wrestling stories to blur the line between performance and reality. These are known as "worked-shoots". However, the vast majority of events in professional wrestling are entirely preplanned. In professional wrestling, a shoot refers to any unplanned event – that is, the event is real and not staged. ...
Rules The simulated nature of professional wrestling is only one of the many differences it has with traditional wrestling. There is no governing authority for professional wrestling rules, although there is a general standard which has developed. Each promotion has their own variation, but all are similar enough to avoid confusion. Any rule described here is simply a standard, and may or may not correspond exactly with any given promotion's ruleset. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
General structure Matches are held between two or more sides ("corners"). Each corner may consist of one wrestler, or a team of two or more. Most team matches are held by tag team rules (see below). Other matches are free-for-alls, with multiple combatants but no teams. In all variants, there can be only one winning team or wrestler.
The standard method of scoring is the "fall", which is a accomplished by:
- pinning the opponent's shoulders to the mat for three seconds,
- knocking out or otherwise incapacitating the opponent,
- forcing the opponent to submit,
- a forfeit via a disqualified opponent,
- or the opponent remaining outside the ring for too long (count-out).
These are each explained in greater detail below. Typically, falls must occur within the ring area. This article is about the pinfall (or pin) as it is defined in professional wrestling. ...
Knockout (also referred to as a K.O. or knock), is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and others sports involving striking. ...
For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...
For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...
For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...
Most wrestling matches last for a set number of falls, with the first side to achieve that number of pinfalls, submissions, or countouts being the winner. Historically, matches were wrestled to 3 falls ("best 2 out of 3") or 5 falls ("best 3 out of 5"). The standard for modern matches is one fall. These matches are given a time limit; if not enough falls are scored by the end of the time limit, the match is declared a draw. Modern matches are generally given a 10- to 30- minute time limit for standard matches; title matches can go for up to one hour.
An alternative is a match set for a prescribed length of time, with a running tally of falls. The entrant with the most falls at the end of the time limit is declared the winner. This is usually for 20, 30 or 60 minutes, and is commonly called an Ironman match.
In matches with multiple competitors, an elimination system may be used. Any wrestler who has a fall scored against them is forced out of the match, and the match continues until only one remains.
Many modern specialty matches have been devised, with unique winning conditions. See Professional wrestling match types. Many types of matches can be found in professional wrestling. ...
Each match is assigned a referee, who is the final arbitrator. (In multi-man lucha libre matches, two referees are used, one inside the ring and one outside.) Generally an action must be seen by a referee to be declared for a fall or disqualification. This is commonly exploited to great dramatic effect. Referees are expected to be fair, neutral and unbiased, although special guest referees may be used from time to time, who usually display personal favoritism and heavily influence the outcome of the match. A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. ...
One of the most well known Lucha Libre wrestlers (luchadores), Rey Mysterio. ...
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. ...
Matches are held within a wrestling ring, an elevated square (or hexagonal) canvas mat with posts on each corner. A cloth apron hangs over the edges of the ring. Three horizontal ropes or cables surround the ring, suspended with turnbuckles which are connected to the posts. For safety, the ropes are padded at the turnbuckles and cushioned mats surround the floor outside the ring (though in kayfabe, the mats do not offer much protection. Jerry "the King" Lawler once mentioned at Royal Rumble 2005 "Those mats are more to protect the floor than they are the wrestlers that are out there."). Guardrails or a similar barrier enclose this area from the audience. Wrestlers are generally expected to stay within the confines of the ring, though matches sometimes end up outside the ring, and even in the audience, to added excitement. For other uses, see Square. ...
A regular hexagon A hexagon (also known as sexagon) is a polygon with six edges and six vertices. ...
Look up Canvas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as real, that is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as unstaged or not worked. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
This article is about the professional wrestling pay-per-view event. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Tag rules -
In some team matches, only one entrant from each team may be designated as the 'legal' or 'active' wrestler at any given moment. Two wrestlers must make physical contact (typically palm-to-palm) in order to transfer this legal status. This is known as a tag, with the participants tagging out and tagging in. A professional wrestling tag-team consists of two or occasionally three wrestlers who are working together as a team. ...
The non-legal wrestlers must remain outside the ring or other legal area at all times (and avoid purposeful contact with the opposing wrestlers) or face reprimand from the referee. In most promotions, the wrestler to be tagged in must be touching the turnbuckle on his corner, or a cloth strap attached to the turnbuckle.
Some multi-wrestler matches allow for a set number of legal wrestlers, and a legal wrestler may tag out to any other wrestler, regardless of team. In these matches, the tag need not be a mutual effort, and this results in active wrestlers being tagged out against their will.
Techniques Wrestlers may grab, hold, twist, or strike any part of an opponent's body, except the throat, groin, or eye. An opponent's hair or clothing may not be grabbed. For other uses, see Throat (disambiguation). ...
The groin is the crease at the junction of the torso with the legs and the adjacent region that includes the external genitals. ...
For other uses, see Eye (disambiguation). ...
For the 1968 stage production, see Hair (musical), for the 1979 film, see Hair (film). ...
A baby wearing many items of winter clothing: headband, cap, fur-lined coat, shawl and sweater. ...
Wrestlers may strike an opponent using any part of their own limbs, head or body, with the following exceptions: punching requires an open fist and kicking must use the flat of the foot. Biting is not allowed, nor is spitting in the eyes. In the context of unarmed combat or melee, a punch is a thrusting blow, esp. ...
Kicker redirects here. ...
A bite is a wound received from the mouth (and in particular, the teeth) of an animal. ...
Asian mist refers to the illegal maneuver of spitting a colored liquid in the face of an opponent in professional wrestling. ...
Wrestlers may lift an opponent and throw them, drop them, or otherwise force them to the mat. Such techniques which land an opponent on the head or neck, such as the piledriver, may be disallowed by some promotions. A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponents head into the mat. ...
A wrestler may jump onto an opponent, whether standing or lying down, in any manner.
A wrestler may entangle an opponent in the ropes, turnbuckles, or corner posts, but the referee will usually attempt to free him or her.
Any legal wrestler is open to attack from any direction at any time, including when they are downed, as long as they are not in contact with the ring ropes. If either wrestler is in contact with the ropes or if any part of the wrestler is underneath the ropes, all grappling contact between the wrestlers must be broken within five seconds. This rule is often used strategically in order to escape from a submission hold, and a wrestler can place his foot on (or under) the ropes to avoid losing by pinfall. This is commonly referred to as a rope break. Two wrestlers clinching. ...
Scoring conditions
Pinfall -
In order to score by pinfall, a wrestler must pin both his opponent's shoulders against the mat while the referee slaps the mat three times. This is the most common form of defeat. If a wrestler's shoulders are down (both shoulders touching the mat) and any part of the opponent's body is lying over the opponent, it is completely legal for the three count to be made. Illegal pinning methods include using the ropes for leverage and hooking the opponent's clothing, therefore they are popular cheating methods for heels, unless certain stipulations make such an advantage legal. Such pins as these are rarely seen by the referee and are subsequently often used by heels and on occasion by cheating faces to win matches. This article is about the pinfall (or pin) as it is defined in professional wrestling. ...
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. ...
Occasionally, there are instances where a pinfall is made where both wrestler's shoulders were on the mat for the three count. This situation will most likely lead to a draw, and in some cases a continuation of the match or a future match to determine the winner.
Submission To score by submission, the wrestler must make his opponent give up, usually, but not necessarily, by putting him in a submission hold (i.e., figure four leg-lock, arm-lock, etc.). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr. ...
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. ...
David Michael Bautista (born January 18, 1969),[1] better known as Dave Batista or by the ring name Batista, is an American professional wrestler. ...
Passing out in a submission hold constitutes a loss by knockout. To determine if a wrestler has passed out in WWE, the referee usually picks up and drops his hand. If it drops three consecutive times without the wrestler having the strength to stop it from falling, the wrestler is considered to have passed out. At one point this was largely ignored, however the rule is now much more commonly observed for safety reasons. If the wrestler has considered to have passed out, the opponent then scores by submission. A boxer is knocked down and receives the 10-count. ...
A wrestler may voluntarily submit by verbally informing the referee. Also, a wrestler can indicate a voluntary submission by "tapping out"[4], that is, tapping a free hand against the mat or against an opponent. Submission was initially a large factor in professional wrestling, but following the decline of the submission-oriented catch-as-catch-can style from mainstream professional wrestling, the submission largely faded. Despite this, some wrestlers, such as Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Ken Shamrock, and Bret Hart, became famous for winning matches via submission. A wrestler with a signature submission technique is portrayed as better at applying the hold, making it more painful or more difficult to get out of than others who use it. A submission (depending on the context also referred to as a tap out or tapping out) is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat. ...
An idiomatic phrase in English describing a situation in which an ad hoc solution must be improvised due to the lack of ideal conditions. ...
Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ...
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler. ...
Christopher Michael Benoit (IPA: ) (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler who wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
Ken Shamrock (born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick on February 11, 1964 in Macon, Georgia) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. ...
This article is about the professional wrestler. ...
Countout A countout (alternatively "count-out" or "count out") happens when a wrestler is out of the ring long enough for the referee to count to ten (or twenty), and thus disqualified. The count is broken and re-started when a wrestler in the ring exits the ring. A wrestler entering the ring does not break the count for a wrestler outside the ring. If both wrestlers are outside the ring, the count refers to both. A common tactic, to buy more time outside the ring, is for one wrestler to re-enter the ring to restart the count and then immediately re-exit it (referred to as "breaking the count"). If both wrestlers remain outside at the count of ten, both are counted out in what is known as a "double countout" or "impossible draw".
If both wrestlers are lying on the mat and not moving, the referee may issue a ten count for them to get back to their feet. Either wrestler reaching their knees will break the count. If neither wrestler reaches their knees or feet, it is considered a draw, known as a double knockout or, incorrectly, an "in ring count-out."
The countout rule also indicates that a wrestler cannot score by standard methods while any part of his opponent's body is not in the ring. This allows escape from pinfalls and submission holds by putting any part of the body on the ring ropes (a rope break). A pin, a fall, or a pinfall (the last term most commonly used in professional wrestling) is a victory condition in various forms of wrestling that is met by holding an opponents shoulders or scapulae (shoulder blades) on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. ...
The referee, in certain promotions, does not instigate a count despite wrestler's being out of the ring. This is usually after a large bump, where both wrestlers are taken down. This is, in kayfabe, to allow the contest to continue as neither wrestler would benefit from the count due to both wrestlers being incapacitated temporarily. In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as real, that is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as unstaged or not worked. ...
Disqualification Disqualification from a match is called for a number of reasons: - Performing any illegal holds or maneuvers, such as refusing to break a hold when an opponent is in the ropes, hair-pulling, choking or biting an opponent, or repeatedly punching with a closed fist. These violations are usually subject to a referee-administered five count and will result in disqualification if not released before.
- Attacking an opponent's eye, such as raking it, poking it, gouging it, punching it out or other severe attacks to the eye.
- Any outside interference involving a person not involved in the match striking or holding a wrestler. If a heel attempts to interfere but is ejected from the ring by a wrestler or referee before this occurs, there is usually no disqualification. In this disqualification method, the wrestler being attacked by the foreign member is awarded the win.
- Striking an opponent with a foreign object (unless the rules of the match specifically allow this).
- A direct low blow to the groin (unless the rules of the match specifically allow this).
- Intentionally laying hands on the referee or to an extreme case, often in special referee matches, touching the referee with any body parts.
- Pulling an opponent's wrestling trunks for a pinfall during a match (although this usually only results in nullification of the pinfall).
- Pulling an opponent's mask off during a match (this is illegal in Mexico).
- Throwing your opponent over the top rope (this was once illegal in the National Wrestling Alliance, but is rarely enforced now).
- In a Royal Rumble, it is illegal to enter the ring before your due entrance.
In practice, the rules of the fight are often violated without disqualification due to the referee being distracted and not seeing the offense, or the referee seeing the offense but allowing the match to continue. In WWE, a referee must see the violation with his own eyes to rule that the match end in a disqualification and the referee's ruling is almost always final. It is not uncommon for the referees themselves to get knocked out during a match. While the referee remains "unconscious", rules are often violated at will. In some cases, a referee might disqualify a person under the presumption that it was that wrestler who knocked him out; most referee knockouts are arranged to allow a wrestler, usually a heel, to gain an advantage. For example, a wrestler may get whipped into a referee at a slower speed, knocking the ref down for short amount of time; during that interim period, one wrestler may pin his opponent for a three-count and would have won the match but for the referee being down. Also, the referee rarely disqualifies the wrestler who knocked him down when the referee recovers. Eye-gouging using the thumb Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers, other bodyparts, or instruments. ...
// Foreign object is a professional wrestling term for an object introduced into the match. ...
A groin attack is an attempt to cause pain to the groin area of ones opponent, either through punching, kicking, grappling, squeezing or biting. ...
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ...
This article is about the professional wrestling pay-per-view event. ...
If all participants in a match continue to breach the referee's instructions, the match may end in a double disqualification, where both wrestlers or teams (in a tag team match) have been disqualified. The match is essentially nullified, and called a draw or in some cases a restart or the same match being held at a Pay Per View or next nights show. A professional wrestling tag-team consists of two or occasionally three wrestlers who are working together as a team. ...
In most wrestling promotions, a championship cannot change hands as a result of a disqualifications, often referred to as the "champions advantage." Playing into this, some heel wrestlers will attempt to "get themselves disqualified" to "protect" their championships. The WWE Championship belt, an example of a championship belt in professional wrestling. ...
A relatively recent trend in wrestling has been the development of the no-disqualification (or Hardcore) match. This type of match became increasingly prominent during the 1990s, and was a particular feature of the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion. When WWE (then WWF) unveiled its new 'Attitude' era in 1997, the no-disqualification match was used as a centerpiece for this new design of wrestling, and a Hardcore Title was offered between 1998 and 2002. Completely new matches developed from the Hardcore/no-DQ match, including: Christian Cage after being chokeslammed onto a pile of thumbtacks. ...
This article is about the independent promotion from 1992-2001. ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ...
World Wrestling Entertainments Hardcore Championship was a championship defended under hardcore rules: No Disqualifications, meaning all weapons and interference are legal. ...
- Ladder match (participants must post a ladder in the middle of the ring and climb it to grasp a hanging object - usually a title belt).
- Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (a ladder match where all three items may be used as a weapon against an opponent).
- Hardcore match (a no-disqualification match where falls count anywhere, even out of the venue).
Draw A professional wrestling match can end in a draw. A draw occurs if both opponents are simultaneously disqualified (as via count-out), neither opponent is able to answer a ten-count, or both opponents simultaneously win the match. The latter can occur if, for example, one opponent's shoulders touch the mat while maintaining a submission hold against another opponent. If the opponent in the hold begins to tap out at the same time a referee counts to three for pinning the opponent delivering the hold, both opponents have legally achieved scoring conditions simultaneously. Traditionally, a championship may not change hands in the event of a draw, though some promotions such as TNA Wrestling have endorsed rules where the champion may lose a title by disqualification. A variant of the draw is the time-limit draw, where the match does not have a winner by a specified time period (a one-hour draw, which was once common, is known in wrestling circles as a "Broadway"). For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...
A submission (depending on the context also referred to as a tap out or tapping out) is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat. ...
// Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ...
"No Contest" A wrestling match may be declared a "No Contest" if the winning conditions are unable to occur. This can be due to excessive interference, loss of referee's control over the match, one or more participants sustaining debilitating injury not caused by the opponent, or the inability of a scheduled match to even begin. A No Contest is a state separate and distinct from a draw -- a draw indicates winning conditions were met. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in practice, this usage is technically incorrect.
Dramatic elements While each wrestling match is ostensibly a competition of athletics and strategy, the goal of each match from a business standpoint is to excite and entertain the audience. Although the competition is staged, dramatic emphasis can be utilized to draw out the most intense reaction from the audience. Heightened interest results in higher attendance rates, increased ticket sales, higher ratings on television broadcasts (which result in greater ad revenue), higher pay-per-view buyrates, and sales of branded merchandise and recorded video footage. All of these contribute to the profit of the promotion company. For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ...
This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...
From the earliest days of the medium, television has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. ...
Pay-per-view is the name given to a system by which television viewers can call and order events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes later. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Character In Japan, most matches are treated as pure sport with seriousness of purpose (See puroresu). Puroresu is Japanese professional wrestling, as seen in FMW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and All Japan Pro Wrestling. ...
In Latin America and English-speaking countries, most wrestlers (and other on-stage performers) portray character roles, sometimes with personalities wildly different from their own. These personalities are a gimmick intended to heighten interest in a wrestler without regard to athletic ability. Some can be unrealistic and cartoon-like, while others carry more verisimilitude. In lucha libre, many characters wear masks, adopting a secret identity akin to a super hero, a near-sacred tradition. A gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something stand out from its contemporaries. ...
For other uses, see Cartoon (disambiguation). ...
One of the most well known Lucha Libre wrestlers (luchadores), Rey Mysterio. ...
For other uses of this term, please see Secret identity (disambiguation). ...
A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ...
An individual wrestler may keep one persona for his entire career, or may change from time to time to better suit the demands of the audience or company. Sometimes a character is owned and trademarked by the company, forcing the wrestler to find a new one when he leaves, and sometimes a character is owned by the wrestler. Many wrestlers are strongly identified with their character, even responding to the name in public or between friends. A professional wrestling character's popularity can grow to the point that it makes appearances in other media (see Hulk Hogan, El Santo) or even give the performer enough visibility to enter politics (Antonio Inoki and Jesse Ventura, among others). Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ...
Rodolfo Guzman Huerta (September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984), more widely known as Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata, or Samson, the silver-masked man in English translations, was a Mexican wrestler, actor, and folk hero. ...
For other uses, see Politics (disambiguation). ...
Antonio Inoki (アントニオ猪木), real name Kanji Inoki[1] (猪木寛至 Inoki Kanji), born February 20, 1943) is a Professional Wrestling Promoter and retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides in New York City. ...
Jesse Ventura (born July 15, 1951), also known as The Body, The Star, and The Governing Body, is an American politician, retired professional wrestler, Navy UDT veteran, actor, and former radio and television talk show host. ...
Typically, matches are staged between a protagonist (historically an audience favorite, known as a face, or "the good guy") and an antagonist (historically a villain with arrogance, a tendency to break rules, or other unlikable qualities, called a heel). In recent years, however, anti-heroes have also become prominent in professional wrestling. There is also a less common role of a "tweener", who is neither fully face nor fully heel yet able to play either role effectively. A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ...
In professional wrestling, a face or babyface is a character who is portrayed as heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analagous to villains. ...
For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation). ...
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. ...
In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ...
At times a character may "turn", altering their face/heel alignment. This may be an abrupt, surprising event, or it may slowly build up over time. It almost always is accomplished with a markable change in behavior on the part of the character. Some turns become defining points in a wrestler's career, as was the case when Hulk Hogan turned heel after being a top face for over a decade. Others may have no noticeable effect on the character's status. If a character repeatedly switches between being a face and heel, this lessens the effect of such turns, and may result in apathy from the audience. Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of slang, in-references and jargon. ...
The New World Order was a stable of wrestlers, originally in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
As with personas in general, a character's face or heel alignment may change with time, or remain constant over its lifetime.
Story While true exhibition matches are not uncommon, most matches tell a story analogous to a scene in a play or film, or an episode of a serial drama: The face will win (triumph) or lose (tragedy). Longer story arcs can result from multiple matches over the course of time. Since most promotions have a championship title, competition for the championship is a common impetus for stories. Also, anything from a character's own hair to his job with the promotion can be wagered in a match. An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no gain or loss from whether the competitors are victorious are not in any competition. ...
A scene is an episode in a story. ...
This article is about motion pictures. ...
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. ...
Serial drama is a television genre defining a weekly prime time television series that has a continuing plot that enfolds in a serial fashion, episode by episode. ...
For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Tragedy (disambiguation). ...
A story arc is a term in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books and comic strips that refers to a continuing storyline. ...
Gamble redirects here. ...
Some matches are designed to further a story of only one participant. It could be intended to portray him or her as a strong unstoppable force, a lucky underdog, a sore loser, or any other characterization. Sometimes non-wrestling vignettes are shown in order to enhance a character's image without the need for matches. In theater and script writing, vignettes are short, impressionistic scenes that focus on one moment or give one impression about a character, an idea, or a setting. ...
Other stories result from a natural rivalry between two or more characters. Outside of performance, these are referred to as feuds. A feud can exist between any number of participants and can last for a few days up to multiple decades. The feud between Ric Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat is considered the greatest in professional wrestling history and lasted from the late 70's into early 90's. The career-spanning history between characters Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka is another example of a long-running feud. A professional wrestling feud is a staged disagreement between two wrestlers or factions of wrestlers over a purported slight or insult. ...
Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ...
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) better known by his ring name Mike Awesome, was an American professional wrestler best known in America for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Entertainment and also in Japan for his work with Frontier...
Masato Tanaka (born February 23, 1973 in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in Japan and in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States. ...
In theory, the longer a feud is built up, the more audience interest (aka heat) will exist. The main event of a wrestling show is generally the one with the most heat behind it. Commonly, a heel will hold the upper hand over a face until a final showdown, heightening dramatic tension as the face's fans desire to see him win. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Main Event is Australias only pay-per-view channel. ...
Since the advent of television, many other elements have been utilized to tell story within a professional wrestling setting: pre- and post-match interviews, "backstage" skits, positions of authority, division rankings (typically the #1-contendership spot), contracts, lotteries, and even news stories on promotion websites. For other uses, see Interview (disambiguation). ...
Sketch Show redirects here. ...
Also, anything that can be used as an element of drama can exist in professional wrestling stories: romantic relationships (including love triangles and marriage), racism, classism, nepotism, favoritism, family bonds, personal histories, grudges, theft, cheating, assault, betrayal, bribery, seduction, stalking, confidence tricks, extortion, blackmail, substance abuse, self-doubt, self-sacrifice; even kidnapping, paedophilia, sexual fetishism, misogyny, rape and death have been portrayed in wrestling. Some promotions have included supernatural elements such as magic, curses, the undead and satanic imagery. Romantic love is a form of love that is often regarded as different from simply sexual love, or lust. ...
A love triangle is a romantic relationship involving three people. ...
Matrimony redirects here. ...
Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Ethnocracy Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial quota...
Classism (a term formed by analogy with racism) is any form of prejudice or oppression against people who are in, or who are perceived as being like those who are in, a lower social class (especially in the form of lower or higher socioeconomic status) within a class society. ...
Look up nepotism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite— a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below)— are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone...
Resentment is an emotion, from ressentiment, a French word, meaning malice, anger, being rancorous. The English word has the sense of feeling bitter. ...
A young waif steals a pair of boots Stealing redirects here. ...
Cheat redirects here. ...
Betrayal, as a form of deception or dismissal of prior presumptions, is the breaking or violation of a presumptive social contract (trust, or confidence) that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...
Bribery is a crime implying a sum or gift given alters the behaviour of the person in ways not consistent with the duties of that person. ...
// In sociology, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person into an act. ...
Stalking means criminally following or similarly harassing a person over an extended period. ...
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person either obtains money, property or services from another through coercion or intimidation or threatens one with physical harm unless they are paid money or property. ...
For other uses, see Blackmail (disambiguation). ...
Also see Alcoholism and Drug addiction. ...
Marcus Aurelius and members of the Imperial family offer sacrifice in gratitude for success against Germanic tribes: contemporary bas-relief, Capitoline Museum, Rome Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning to make sacred, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the...
Pedophilia (American English), pædophilia/paedophilia (Commonwealth English), or pedosexuality is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent children. ...
Two women in handcuffs and latex miniskirts and tops - Latex and PVC fetishism Wikinews has related news: Dr. Joseph Merlino on sexuality, insanity, Freud, fetishes and apathy Sexual fetishism is the sexual attraction for material and terrestrial objects while in reality the essence of the object is inanimate and sexless. ...
In Eva Prima Pandora, by Jean Cousin (Louvre Museum), Eve, the equivalent of Pandora embodies Original Sin Misogyny (pronounced ) is hatred or strong prejudice against women; an antonym of philogyny. ...
For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Supernatural (disambiguation). ...
Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ...
Look up Curse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
For other uses, see Undead (disambiguation). ...
Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan. ...
Commentators have become important in communicating the relevance of the characters' actions to the story at hand, filling in past details and pointing out subtle actions that may otherwise go unnoticed. A sportscaster is an announcer on radio or television who specializes in reporting or commenting on sports events. ...
Championship titles -
Professional wrestling mimics the structure of title match combat sports. Participants compete for a championship title, and must defend it after winning it. These titles are represented physically by a belt that can be worn by the champion. In the case of team wrestling, there is a belt for each member of the team. The WWE Championship belt, an example of a championship belt in professional wrestling. ...
The WWE Championship belt, an example of a championship belt in professional wrestling. ...
A Championship Belt is used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like the Vince Lombardi Trophy or The Stanley Cup. ...
Almost all professional wrestling promotions have one major title, and some have more. Titles are designated by divisions of weight, height, gender, wrestling style and other qualifications.
Typically, each promotion only recognizes the 'legitimacy' of their own titles, although cross-promotion does happen. Also, when one promotion absorbs or purchases another, the titles from the defunct promotion may continue to be defended in the new promotion.
Behind the scenes, the decision makers in a company will decide to give a title to the most accomplished performer, or the one with the most popular or exciting character. Lesser titles may also be awarded to those performers who show potential, thus allowing them greater exposure to the audience. Sometimes, though, a title will be given to a performer out of necessity, nepotism, politics, a desire for controversy, or other unmerited circumstance. A combination of a championship's lineage, the caliber of performers as champion, and the frequency and manner of title changes, dictates the audience's perception of the title's quality, significance and reputation. Stage has several meanings: In rocketry, a stage is one of several independent rockets used to reduce the need for fuel. ...
A wrestler's championship accomplishments can be central to their career, becoming a measure of their performance ability and drawing power. The most decorated wrestlers tend to be revered as legends. American wrestler Ric Flair has had multiple world title reigns spanning over three decades. Japanese wrestler Ultimo Dragon once held and defended a record 10 titles simultaneously. Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ...
Yoshihiro Asai (born December 12, 1966 in Nagoya, Aichi), better known as Último Dragón, is a Japanese professional wrestler. ...
Non-standard matches Often a match will take place under additional rules, usually serving as a special attraction or a climactic point in a feud or storyline. Sometimes this will be the culmination of an entire feud, ending it for the immediate future (known as a blowoff match).
Perhaps the most well-known non-standard match is the cage match, in which the ring is surrounded by a fence or similar metal structure, with the express intention of preventing escape or outside interference -- and with the added bonus of the cage being a potentially brutal weapon or platform for launching attacks. Many types of matches can be found in professional wrestling. ...
Another example is the WWE's Royal Rumble match, which involves thirty participants in a random and unknown order. The Rumble match is itself a spectacle in that it is a once-yearly event with multiple participants, including individuals who might not interact otherwise. But it also serves as a catalyst for the company's ongoing feuds, as well as a springboard for new storylines -- most importantly determining the main event at the following WrestleMania. This article is about the professional wrestling pay-per-view event. ...
Ring entrance  Triple H performing his iconic ring entrance pose, mounting the second rope and displaying his muscularity with the arena darkened and strobing colored lights While the wrestling matches themselves are the primary focus of professional wrestling, a key dramatic element of the business can be entrances of the wrestlers to the arena and ring. It is typical for a wrestler to get their biggest crowd reaction (or 'pop') for their ring entrance, rather than for anything they do in the wrestling match itself. 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. ...
All notable wrestlers now enter the ring accompanied by music, and regularly add other elements to their entrance. The music played during the ring entrance will usually mirror the wrestler's personality. Many wrestlers, particularly in America, have music and lyrics especially written for their ring entrance. While invented long before, the practice of including music with the entrance gained rapid popularity during the 1980s, largely as a result of the huge success of Hulk Hogan and the WWF, and their Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ...
The 1980s wrestling boom (sometimes referred to as the 2nd Golden Age of Wrestling) was a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States of America throughout the 1980s. ...
Other dramatic elements of a ring entrance can include:
- a distinct sound or opening note in the music (used to elicit a Pavlovian response from the crowd)
- pyrotechnics or smoke
- complete darkening of the arena, often accompanied by mood lighting or strobe lighting
- entering in a manner in keeping with their character traits, such as a fast, highly energetic entrance, or a slow, stoic entrance
- driving a motor vehicle into the arena
- acting out a trademark behavior, such as posing to display their muscularity, mounting the ring ropes, or sitting in the corner
- talking to the crowd using a distinctive patter
- coming through the audience, such The Sandman's beer drinking and can smashing entrance, or Diamond Dallas Page's exit through the crowd.
- accompaniment by a ringside crew or personal security
Another method of entry involves descending from the ceiling with a zip line or rappel line and stunt harness. This has been done by Sting and Shawn Michaels, and gained some controversy over its role in the death of wrestler Owen Hart. Classical Conditioning (also Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning) is a form of associative learning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov. ...
Pyrotechnics is a field of study often thought synonymous with the manufacture of fireworks, but more accurately it has a wider scope that includes items for military and industrial uses. ...
This is a current Stagecraft collaboration! Please help improve it to good article standard. ...
An animation illustrating the effect of strobe light A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. ...
Professional Bodybuilder Gustavo Badell posing Bodybuilding is the process of maximizing muscle hypertrophy through the combination of weight training, sufficient caloric intake, and rest. ...
Patter is a glib rapid speech, that accompanies and comments some actions, e. ...
James (Jim) Fullington (born June 16, 1963) better known by his ring name The Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he was dubbed The Hardcore Icon. ...
For the 1930s cricketer, see Dallas Page (cricketer) Page Joseph Falkinburg, Jr. ...
A cornerman giving instructions. ...
A zip-line (also known as a flying fox, zip wire, aerial runway, death slide or tyrolean crossing) consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. ...
Australian rappel demonstrated at a dam in Norway Abseiling (from the German: abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ...
This article is about the musician. ...
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Shawn Michaels. ...
Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian professional wrestler who was most known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ...
Some of the bigger stars in the industry, such as Triple H, The Undertaker, and The Sandman, can perform ring entrances lasting up to three minutes or more. It is not uncommon for ring entrances to sometimes last longer than the match itself, especially in matches involving a mismatch.
Special ring entrances are also developed for big occasions, most notably the WrestleMania event. WrestleMania III for example saw all wrestlers enter the arena on motorized miniature wrestling rings. Live bands are sometimes hired to perform live entrance music at special events. Official WrestleMania logo WrestleMania is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment since 1985. ...
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ...
Wrestlers
Men's wrestling The vast majority of professional wrestlers are men, especially in the North American WWE, where they are usually large in size, often to extremes. Notable examples include André the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Paul "Big Show" Wight, The Undertaker, Yokozuna, Giant Gonzales, The Great Khali, Umaga, and Kane. Usually, competitions or divisions are set up for men of similar wrestling styles, such as technical, brawling, high flying, lucha and hardcore. However, matches involving different weight divisions are often created and are never referred to as unusual or against any rules, despite large differences in height or strength. Rarely, men and women will sometimes wrestle each other. 1903 photograph. ...
1903 photograph. ...
Hackenschmidt in 1903 Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt (August 2, 1878 in Tartu, Estonia - February 19, 1968 in London, England) was an early 20th-century strongman and professional wrestler. ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
André René Roussimoff (May 19, 1946 – January 27, 1993), best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. ...
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