Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is generally any form of
wrestling in which the wrestlers receive payment for participating. Historically,
North American and
European professional wrestling has involved matches where the outcome was predetermined, and the term professional wrestling or
pro-wrestling has evolved to refer almost exclusively to predetermined matches, also referred to as "
works". Modern professional wrestling usually features
striking and other techniques, which are modelled after diverse sets of global wrestling and
pugilistic styles.
Modern professional wrestling is a
performing art, where the participants create an entertainment show simulating a
combat sporting match. The level of realism can vary from moderate (the American
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion) to highly realistic (the Japanese
strong style as exemplified by
Antonio Inoki) to unrealistic (In
Mexico the dominant style is the stylized, theatrical
Lucha libre).
The simulated nature of professional wrestling is only one of the many differences it has with traditional wrestling. Other differences can be found by looking at the supposed rules of pro wrestling.
The
referee has ultimate control in any match, and has so much authority that a decision reversal can only be made by the referee involved in the match; even the promotion owner has no influence over this decision. Of course, even this "rule" is subject to modification, depending on current storylines within the promotion. A common means of this is a promotion owner or other high official modifying the stipulations of a match to invalidate a referee's decision, such as declaring it a no-disqualification match after a wrestler wins by disqualification. A "motto" in the pro-wrestling world used to describe the interpretation of the rules (actually more like loose guidelines) is: "You can't call what you don't see", implying that anything is justified as long as the referee doesn't see. This is often used as a plot twist to drastically change the momentum in a match. One of the better-known occurrences has a referee getting "accidentally" knocked senseless or thrown outside of the ring. While he's stunned, one wrestler, usually a face, will suddenly have the match won, only to then have it robbed from them via outside interference, a foreign object, or some other unfair means. The referee, unaware of what happened, will recover just in time to notice a pin that reflects the new situation, and make an arduous
three-count. A variation on this finish, the
"Dusty finish" (after
Dusty Rhodes, who frequently used such finishes as a booker), has the substitute referee making the three-count in favor of the face, only to have it overturned by the original referee.In addition to pinfall, a match can be won by
submission,
count-out,
disqualification, or failure to answer a ten count.
Punching is permitted as long as the wrestler's fist is open. This is probably the most ignored rule, as referees almost never disqualify a wrestler for throwing closed-fist punches. Instead, the referee simply admonishes the wrestler to stop, which is rarely successful. In addition, wrestlers may only kick with the flat part of the foot, and "low blow" only refers to actually
striking the crotch. If either wrestler is in contact with the ropes or if any part of the wrestler is underneath the ropes, all contact between the wrestlers must be broken before the count of five. This strategy is often used in order to escape from a
submission hold, and also, more seldom, a wrestler can place his foot on the ropes to avoid losing by pinfall.
Pinfall
In order to win 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. Illegal pinning methods include using the ropes for leverage and hooking the opponent's tights, therefore they are popular cheating methods for heels.
Submission
To win by submission, the wrestler must make his opponent give up, usually, but not necessarily, by putting him in a submission hold (i.e., leg-lock, arm-lock, etc.).
Passing out in a submission hold constitutes a loss by
knockout. To determine if a wrestler has passed out, 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 it has recently become more common to see this happen, although often the third time, the wrestler in the hold will fight their way out.
Today, a wrestler can indicate a submission by "
tapping out," that is, tapping a free hand against the mat. The tapout is not a traditional part of professional wrestling; it was introduced during the mid-1990s in response to the increased popularity of
mixed martial arts competitions (at a time when people like
Ken Shamrock were also arriving in the business), where the tap out has always been accepted. Rarely, some promotions have used the option of a verbal submission, in case of the wrestler's arms being inactive due to the submission maneuver.
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 10 (in some promotions it can be a 20 count). If both wrestlers are outside the ring, the count is broken if either one re-enters and exits the ring. If not, both wresters will be counted out. This is known as a double countout, or to a lesser extent, an "impossible draw".
If both of the wrestlers are lying on the mat and not moving, the referee may issue a ten count. One wrestler reaching his knees will break the count. If neither wrestler reaches their knees or feet, it is considered a draw, also known as a double knockout, or incorrectly, an "in ring count-out."
The countout rule indicates that a wrestler cannot win a match while any part of his opponent's body is not in the ring. This allows escape from pinfalls and submission holds, by grabbing hold of one of the ring ropes, thus forcing the referee to break the hold or stop the count. This is also why the referee will start a count once a wrestler has reached the top rope; he is out of the ring area.
Disqualification
Offenses punishable by disqualification (or "DQ") include:
* Performing any illegal holds or maneuvers, such as refusing to break a hold when an opponent is in the ropes, choking or biting an opponent, staying on the top
turnbuckle, and repeatedly punching with a closed fist, for more than a referee-administered five count.
* Any outside interference involving a person not involved in the match striking or holding a wrestler. If someone attempts to interfere but is ejected from the ring by a wrestler or referee before this occurs, there is usually no disqualification.
* Striking an opponent with a
foreign object (unless the rules of the match specifically allow this).
* A direct
low-blow to the groin.
* Laying hands on the referee.
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. Almost always, 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. Indeed, 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.
If both participants (or teams) 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.
Variations
The rules for a one-on-one pro wrestling match have not always been the same. For instance, the NWA had a rule that your opponent couldn't be thrown over the top rope. The now-defunct
World Championship Wrestling (WCW), an offshoot of the NWA, formerly had a rule stating you could not jump off the top rope onto a prone opponent. Both instances would have caused a disqualification. The World Wrestling Federation once disqualified wrestlers for pulling their opponent's ringwear or tights while covering for a pin. The move is still illegal in most promotions, but only breaks the hold or pin. In Mexico, the
piledriver has long been portrayed as the ultimate illegal maneuver, but the same move is commonly used in other countries.
Considering the cyclical nature of wrestling, average pro wrestling salaries vary greatly depending on revenue and how well the business is doing at any particular moment. Currently, in the WWE, lower card performers earn upwards of $90,000 and the top stars around $750,000 base. (Base pay was introduced in the mid 1990's in WCW as a way to keep wrestlers loyal and for them not to jump to another organization. Before that pro wrestlers had no base pay and basically were paid for performance.) However, if merchandise and pay per view bonuses are figured in, pay can get into the millions.
Triple H and
John Cena were the highest earners in the WWE in 2005 each making just over $2,000,000. Superstars such as
Shawn Michaels,
The Undertaker,
Batista,
Kurt Angle and
The Big Show also made seven figure salaries as well with wrestlers such as Edge (
Adam Copeland),
Rey Mysterio,
John Bradshaw Layfield and
Kane making close to a million per year (including bonuses). Wrestlers in the $500 to $750k range include
Ric Flair and
Booker T.
Stone Cold Steve Austin made over $6,000,000/yr in the heyday of the WWE between 1998 and 2002, as did
Hulk Hogan in the late 1980's. Hogan is said to have accumulated close to $60 million in his over 20 yrs of wrestling full time (and still occasionally wrestles once to twice a yr in which he takes home about $500,000 per match).
The Rock made anywhere between $3 to 5 million per year during his most popular years and
Mick Foley pulling in close to $3 million in the late 90's to early 2000's. Top stars also get perferable treatment such as
first class airfare, hotel, and car all paid for (superstars to get this kind of treatment include
Triple H,
Shawn Michaels,
The Undertaker,
Kurt Angle and
John Cena). In the case of
John Bradshaw Layfield he also gets a limo and a five star hotel paid for (due also in part to make his character more believeable), and Triple H gets use of WWE's personal private jet several times a year (notably Triple H is also the son-in-law to WWE owner
Vince McMahon). Some superstars may only get first class tickets but not their hotel or car paid for (stars such as Edge and Rey Mysterio). But all professional wrestlers, regardless of their status on the roster, get airfare paid for and free food with catering at all WWE events. At major events such as
Wrestlemania and
Summerslam all wrestlers get hotel, car and food paid for.
Most professional wrestlers are men, and especially in North America, they are usually large in size, often to extremes. Competitions or divisions are sometimes set up for men of lesser size; the popularity of such divisions varies over time.
Women have long participated in professional wrestling, first in woman-versus-woman matches that were low on the bill compared to mens' matches, and then later as
managers or
valets accompanying male wrestlers.
Midget wrestling has been a unique aspect of professional wrestling, and can be traced to professional wrestling's carnival and vaudeville origins. In recent years, however, the popularity and prevalence of midgets in wrestling has greatly decreased.
The organizations that schedule and produce professional wrestling performances are known as
wrestling promotions. Currently, the only major wrestling organizations left in North America are the
United States promotions of
WWE and
TNA and the
Mexican lucha libre promotions
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and
Asistencia AsesorÃa y Administración. Of these, WWE is by far the largest and most influential throughout the world. While these organizations are the most prominent and popular, there are many other smaller, regional promotions known as "
indies", many of which are official territories of the
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Other major independent promotions include
Ring of Honor,
AWA Superstars of Wrestling,
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and
Combat Zone Wrestling.
Outside North America, there are other federations throughout
Europe and also in
Japan,
Puerto Rico,
Hawaii and the rest of the
Caribbean.
The traditional Japanese style differs from the American style in that it is portrayed more as a sport than as pure entertainment. The term
strong style was coined by
New Japan Pro Wrestling promoter Antonio Inoki. Inoki incorporated more martial arts and legitimate techniques to his arsenal, and performed the moves and strikes with more force than in traditional American style, in effort to make his pro wrestling look more legitimate. A style known as
King's Road was created by
Giant Baba which is similar but slightly different. This style is the dominant style used by
All Japan Pro Wrestling descendants.
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History of professional wrestlingTerminology
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Professional wrestling aerial techniques (e.g.
Shooting star press,
Moonsault)
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Professional wrestling attacks (e.g.
Leg drop,
Superkick)
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Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers*
Professional wrestling finishers*
Professional wrestling holds (e.g.
Boston crab,
Pinfall)
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Professional wrestling illegal weapons (e.g.
folding chair,
ring bell)
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Professional wrestling match types*
Professional wrestling schools*
Professional wrestling slang*
Professional wrestling throws (e.g.
Backbreaker,
Brainbuster,
Chokeslam,
Cutter,
DDT,
Facebuster,
Neckbreaker,
Piledriver,
Powerbomb,
Powerslam,
Stunner,
Suplex)
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Wrestling PhysicsProfessional wrestling worldwide
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Professional wrestling in Australia*
Professional wrestling in Japan*
Professional wrestling in Mexico*
Professional wrestling in United KingdomLists of wrestlers
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List of professional wrestlers*
List of professional wrestling stables*
List of real names of professional wrestlersTypes of professional wrestling
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List of professional wrestling styles*
Real Pro Wrestling*
Backyard wrestlingFantasy professional Wrestling
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E-wrestlingRadio Programs
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Wrestling Observer Live*
House of Deception golden age wrestling history, 1911-1979
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DMOZ*
ProWrestlingHistory.com*
Pro Wrestling Title Histories*
Obsessed with wrestling - biographies, results, title histories, etc*
CBC Digital Archives â€" Cross Country Smackdown: Pro Wrestling in Canada
