Here is a glossary of terms to help you understand what's going on in the ring!
Angle - a plot or storyline, which is used to make a single match more interesting, or to continue a match over several weeks.
Big Two - the nickname given to World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.
Bout - a competition between two wrestlers; a match.
Bump - if a wrestler falls off, gets pushed off, or gets thrown off the ring apron and lands on the ground, he just took a bump.
Call - wrestlers call their moves by whispering or muttering into their opponent's ear, and from this the opponent will know what move he is to perform or be ready to receive. This is one of the reasons why so many wrestlers have long hair as it makes it easier to hide calls!
Dud - a match that is especially poor.
Face - [also babyface] traditionally a "good-guy" wrestler, or one who generates lots of cheers. Today, the most popular wrestlers are often those who don't play by the rules, don't respect authority, and act like anything but nice guys!
Freestyle wrestling - wrestling style in which both the arms and legs may be used to execute holds or to defend against attack.
Getting over - to become popular or accepted with the fans.
Gimmick - the wrestler's character or in-ring persona, something distinctive or quirky.
Heat - response from the fans or other people in the business.
Heel - a "bad-guy" wrestler. At one time, a heel was someone who cheated to win. Now, not all heels cheat and not all faces are goody-goodies!
Job - to lose.
Jobber - a wrestler who always loses.
Juice - to bleed.
Kayfabe - the act of acting! When a wrestler "breaks kayfabe," he is no longer playing the character that he is in the wrestling world, rather he is just being himself. In the old days there was an unwritten rule that, in order to prevent wrestling from being exposed as a work, wrestlers were never to break kayfabe when they were in the presence of wrestling fans.
Main Eventer - a wrestler who wrestles in the main event or somewhere else near the top of the card.
Mark - a fan. A "smart mark" is a fan who knows the business.
Over - if a face is over with the crowd, it means that they cheer him. If a heel is over with the crowd, it means that they boo him. Regardless of whether he is a face or a heel, a wrestler's main priority is to get over with the crowd.
Pop - cheers from the fans.
Potato Shot - when a wrestler accidentally delivers a blow that lands heavily and could cause legitimate damage.
Promo - an interview. Doing an interview is called "cutting a promo.
Promoter - someone who promotes live wrestling events in front of an audience
Rest-hold - a move or hold that slows down the pace, allowing wrestlers to catch their breath.
Rib - a practical joke.
Scientific Wrestler - a wrestler who is well schooled in the art of wrestling.
Sell - the act of receiving an opponent's move and making it look impressive. A good wrestler is one who not only knows how to perform moves well, but also knows how to make his opponent's moves look good.
Shoot - a real fight between wrestlers, where one or both are trying to actually hurt each other.
Spot - a move or series of manoeuvres.
Squash - when one wrestler wins without any real resistance from his opponent.
Stiff - 1. a move, such as a punch or a kick, that is delivered with such force that it looks especially realistic; 2. a wrestler who moves very stiffly in the ring and just doesn't look good
Turn - to become a face if you're a heel or vice versa.
Tweener - a wrestler who is not a clear-cut babyface or heel, but falls somewhere in between.
Work - a staged or faked incident.
Workrate - how much effort a wrestler makes in matches.
Worked shoot - an angle that is made to look so realistic, people will think that it is actually a shoot.
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