Glossary of professional wrestling terms

Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of slang, in-references and jargon. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals, and the slang itself is often referred to as 'carny talk'. Often wrestlers would use this lingo in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the preplanned nature of the business. In recent years, widespread wrestling discussion on the Internet has both popularized and corrupted some of these terms.

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A

Agent or Road agent, management employee, often a former veteran wrestler, that helps wrestlers set up matches and relays instructions from the bookers. Often acts as a liason between wrestlers and higher-level mangement
Angle, a fictional storyline
Apter mag, an older-type professional wrestling magazine that sticks to kayfabe. Refers to the magazines connected to journalist Bill Apter.

B

Babyface, a good guy (compare "tweener" and "heel")
Backyard wrestling, the act of copying professional wrestling by untrained persons, usually involving excessive violence and extreme stunts
Blade, a sharpened object used for "blading"
Blading, the act of cutting oneself open in order to bleed, usually on the forehead (compare "juicing")
Blow Up, when a wrestler completely exhausts all of his energy, either because he has low stamina, or by performing too many exhilarating moves early in the match making him extremely fatigued
Blown spot, a spot that does not go as planned, also botch
Booker, the person in charge of setting up matches and writing angles; referred to as the "Creative Team" by WWE
Booking, what a "booker" does
Botch, a scripted move that failed
Boys, what wrestlers call themselves (as in "the boys in the back")
Broadway, when two wrestlers wrestle to a draw in a 60- or 90-minute match
Brock, to blow the biggest move in the biggest match, also to double-clutch on the top rope. Refers to Brock Lesnar after such an incident occurred at WrestleMania XIX.
Bump, when a wrestler hits the mat or ground (as in "take a bump" or "sick bump")
Bury, when a wrestler loses popularity by forced losses, especially by being squashed (compare "push")

C

Canned heat, when cheers or boos are pumped into an arena via the sound system or added to a television show in post-production
Card, the lineup of matches
Cheap heat, when a wrestler (often a heel) incites a negative crowd reaction by insulting the crowd (for example, by insulting the city, or a local sports team) (compare "cheap pop")
Cheap pop, when a wrestler (often a face) incites a positive crowd reaction by "kissing up" to the crowd (for example, mentioning the name of the city, or complimenting a local sports team) (compare "cheap heat")
Clean finish, when a match ends without cheating or outside interference (compare "screwjob")
Clusterf**k or Cluster, A call made in the back to signal most, if not all wrestlers to enter the arena and begin a large fight in the middle of the ring. Usually used to end a boring match or disrupt a lull in the show. (compare "over-book")
Curtain jerker, the first match on the card, or a wrestler who wrestles in the first match of the card, especially on a regular basis

D

Dark match, a non-televised match at a televised show (compare "house show")
Dirtsheet, a newsletter, magazine, or website that portrays wrestling as scripted entertainment, rather than portraying it as a sport.
Diva, a woman involved in wrestling, either as eye candy or as a wrestler
Double-clutch, to hesitate and bounce before jumping off the top rope, resulting in limited airtime and height
Draw, to be able to attract the attention of the audience
Dropping the strap, when a titleholder agrees to be booked to lose the title to a contender
Dusty Finish, a finish in which a substitute referee's decision in a match, usually in favor of the face, is overturned by the original referee. Refers to Dusty Rhodes, who booked many such finishes in WCW.

F

Face, short for "babyface"
Feud, a battle between two or more wrestlers or stables
Filler, a match or segment that has no form of importance or backstory to it. Used mainly to occupy extra time on the event card
Finish, the planned end of a match (see also "Dusty Finish," "Clean Finish")
Finisher, a wrestler's trademark move
Front office or Office, the headquarters and staff that handles the administrative affairs of a wrestling promotion.

G

Garbage wrestling, "hardcore" matches wherein wrestlers use nothing but weaponry to attack each other, also outrageous gimmick matches that have no obvious elements of traditional in-ring competition. Promotions that have built their reputation on this type of matches include XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling) and CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling). Can also refer to certain types of backyard wrestling.
Gas, steroids (see also juice and roids). Also, stamina (as in out of gas, when a wrestler is tired and unable to perform properly)
Gimmick, a unique trait that defines a wrestler's identity, or an implement used to cheat i.e., William Regal's gimmick was to knock out opponents with his brass knuckles (brass knucks were a "gimmick").
Get the tights, grabbing the opponent's upper part of the trousers or shorts, or the lower part of the shirt or tank top in order to get the pin.
Go home, a saying that a wrestler is told by a ringside commentator or the referee. It indicates that the wrestlers should finish the match. Also see Take (it) home.
Gorilla position, the staging area just backstage of the entrance curtain. Named in honor of WWF mainstay Gorilla Monsoon, since applied to this area in most U.S. promotions

H

Hardcore wrestling, matches that focus on the use of weapons such as chairs, chains, fireballs, ladders, and tire irons rather than traditional wrestling holds and techniques, also refered to by some as "garbage" wrestling
Hard-way juicing, bleeding that is not self-inflicted (compare "blading" and "juicing")
Heat, a wrestler getting a crowd reaction (see also "cheap heat", "canned heat")
Heel, a bad guy (as in "monster heel"; compare "tweener" and "babyface")
Hooker, a wrestler with strong mat-wrestling abilities, usually one who has worked for carnivals taking on "all comers". Since these types of events are on the decline, this word is falling out of common usage.
House show, a non-televised show (compare "dark match")
Hoss, a large wrestler who lacks talent, and has a low workrate

I

Indy, short for "independent promotion", refers to a wrestling group that is too small to compete on a national level.

J

Job, a scheduled loss (also "jobbing", "jobber", "jabroni", and "job cleanly"; compare "screwjob")
Jobber, a wrestler whose primary function is losing to better-known wrestlers.
Juice, steroids (see also gas and roids). Also, blood (see juicing)
Juicing, bleeding (frequently, but not always, self-inflicted) (compare "blading" and "hard-way juicing")

K

Kayfabe, the illusion that professional wrestling is not staged (i.e. that it is authentic athletic competition); often used to refer to storyline and setting elements.

L

legit, a wrestler with a background in shoot fighting or reputed to be a real-life brawler is often considered as "legit", i.e. a fighter, not just a talented performer.
Legit heat, a real-life conflict between wrestlers
Lucha libre or Lucha, Mexican professional wrestling
Luchador, a Mexican wrestler
Lucha rat, a fan that prefers Mexican-style pro wrestling over American-style

M

Manager, performer assigned to accompany a wrestler to the ring and put him over in interviews. Often used to help a heel cheat and incite the crowd. Less popular today than years past.
Mark, a fan who believes wrestling is real (compare "smark")
Marking out, a moment of enjoying professional wrestling 'for what it is' rather than analyzing its staged nature
Mascara, a masked Mexican wrestler
Money mark, someone who invests money into a promotion only in order to rub shoulders with pro wrestlers. A "money mark" is usually ridiculed by wrestlers when he/she is not within their presence.

N

No-sell, giving no reaction to another wrestler's offense
No-show, when a wrestler doesn't show up for a match
Nash, when a wrestler suffers a serious injury by doing something simple, like walking. Made famous by Kevin Nash, who tore his quadriceps muscle by walking towards the corner. Other wrestlers who have pulled a Nash include Triple H and Vince McMahon.

O

Over, popular, accepted by the fans
Over-book, to book a finish to a match that involves interference from a large number of wrestlers who are not involved in the actual match. (Compare "clusterf**k")
Over-sell, showing too much of a reaction to another wrestler's offense e.g. The Rock's reaction to the Stone Cold Stunner.

P

Paper, to give away a great number of free (comped) tickets to make a crowd look bigger
Plant, a trained wrestler who poses as a fan in the audience that a wrestler can physically attack to score some "heat"
Promo, a promotional interview (as in "cutting a promo")
Promotion, a group that organises professional wrestling events
Pop, a sudden crowd reaction (as in "name pop", "cheap pop")
Potato, when a wrestler is injured after being hit too hard by another wrestler
Puroresu, also Puro, Japanese professional wrestling
Push, when a wrestler gains popularity by forced wins, especially squashes (compare "bury")

R

Rib, a practical joke played on a wrestler
Ribber, someone involved in the pro wrestling business that is well-known for playing practical jokes
Ring rat or Rat, a (usually underage) female fan with amorous feelings for wrestlers; a woman who frequents wrestling events to flirt or pursue sexual liasons with wrestlers
Roids, steroids (see also gas and juice)
Rudo, a Mexican heel wrestler
Run-in, when wrestlers not participating in a match interfere with it

S

Schmozz, a non-ending, designed to keep all participants from losing any heat
Screwjob, a match with a controversial or unsatisfying finish, often involving cheating or outside interference
Sell, making the action seem unstaged (as in "over-sell" and "no-sell")
Shoot, an unplanned event in the show, something "real" (as in "shoot interview")
Shooter, a wrestler who has a background in legitimate fighting (such as mixed martial arts), or otherwise has a reputation as a tough guy.
Shoot fighting, competitive full-contact mixed martial arts tournaments, used in comparison to the staged performances of professional wrestling.
Showing light, when a wrestler visually shows making absolutely no contact to his opponent when performing an attack (also "loose")
Smark, a fan who knows wrestling is staged but enjoys it anyway (compare "mark")
Smart, someone who has inside information on the wrestling business
Spot, a planned move, as in "high spot" (i.e. a move off the top rope) or "blown spot"
Squared circle, the wrestling ring
Squash, an extremely one-sided match which is usually over quickly
Stable, a group of allied wrestlers
Stiff, when a wrestler puts too much force into his attacks or maneuvers on his opponent
Strap, another name for the title belt/championship in a promotion
Stretching, applying submission locks and holds with full force as a way of disciplining an inattentive or disrespectful wrestler
Stunt granny, an obvious plant
Swerve, a surprise (and often unexplained) plot twist

T

Tag-team, a pair of wrestlers working together in a tag-team match (a match which pits two or more teams of wrestlers against one another)
Take home, also "Take it home," the last spot of a match, or an instruction to a wrestler to finish the match
Tecnico, a Mexican face wrestler
Turn, when a wrestler develops a new "gimmick", often by switching from face to heel or vice versa
Tweener, a morally ambiguous wrestler (compare "babyface" and "heel")

U

Undercard, matches prior to the main event

V

Valet, a female performer assigned to accompany a wrestler to the ring and put him over in interviews.

W

Work, a staged event
Worker, a wrestler
Worked shoot, a scripted segment that takes place in a show with elements of reality being exposed. Also a segment that fans are meant to believe is a shoot, but isn't (some believe that the Montreal Screwjob was a worked shoot).
Workrate, a wrestler's talent level

X

X-Pac heat, when a wrestler receives heat because fans legitimately think he is worthless and should stop wrestling. Refers to the crowd reactions to X-Pac (Sean Waltman) at the end of his second WWE run.

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