Professional wrestling

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For the Nintendo Entertainment System video game by Nintendo, see Pro Wrestling (video game).

Professional wrestling is a form of performance art where the participants engage in simulated sporting matches. Originating in the days of travelling carnival shows, professional wrestling's humbler beginnings include strongman feats, hook wrestling, and other acrobatic performances. Although it should be noted that in the earlier parts of the 20th Century, "professional wrestling" was at times, just that, a professional contest of amatuer style wrestlers competeing for a purse with similar league structure to professional boxing. However, these contests disappeared from the sports world with the advent of television, due to their exteme length and lack of drama. It was found over the years, to be much more profitable when contests were arranged for both length and dramatic effect.

For over a century, professional wrestling promoters and performers claimed that the competition was completely real and vehemently defended secrets of the trade (a situation known as kayfabe).

Any pretense of sporting competition was dropped in the late 1990s, when Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation began to frequently describe its events as "sports entertainment," along with a formal change of moniker to World Wrestling Entertainment. (Although the name change was in response to a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund against the World Wrestling Federation over the rights to the initials "WWF" in the United Kingdom, the increasing use of the term "entertainment" leading up to the suit's resolution seemed to explain McMahon's willingness to change the name.)

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Reality and fantasy

Professional wrestling is "simulated" in the sense that the outcomes are predetermined, the maneuvers rehearsed and executed cooperatively, and their effects upon the opponent exaggerated. Some treat the performance as a form of entertainment or drama, and would not use the term "fake" in describing it. Various pro-wrestling moves cause genuine pain and can cause serious injury if performed incorrectly. The moves may involve knowledge and skill in gymnastic sports such as weight lifting and tumbling; these can be seen as a form of stunt work performed live and without benefit of backup safety devices such as those used in filmmaking.

The vast majority of the matches have pre-determined results and are said to be "worked". The results are determined by "bookers" to maximize "heel heat" for the bad guy and "(baby)face heat" for the good guy, often in the context of a long-running "feud" or storyline. Typically the wrestlers will work out some signature "spots" marking key moments in the match in advance. During the match, the move sequences and transitions are improvised with the participants "calling spots" to each other to inform them of their next up-coming move. The referee is also often involved in executing the match to schedule and dealing with unforeseen circumstances.

The vast majority of bleeding incidents in wrestling are "real", and are typically induced by using hidden razor blades to cut oneself on the forehead; the act of cutting is known in the business and among fans as "blading", and bleeding is known as "juicing". If a wrestler bleeds without being cut, such as due to an accidental broken nose, he is said to be "juicing hardway". If a wrestler hits another wrestler harder than he should on purpose, that is called "stiff," "being stiff," a "potato" or "potato shot."

Besides the somewhat real violence however, there have constantly been times where the division between reality and fantasy has been blurred, especially when it comes to who should win the matches. See the Clique as an example of this. On occasion, although increasingly rarely in recent decades, a wrestler will shoot, or ignore the script and attempt to win legitimately. This is also known as "going into business for yourself." In the past, promotions' World Champions were often intentionally-chosen "hookers" such as Lou Thesz who could defend themselves if the fight became real.

Rules

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 "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 can'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 effortful three-count.

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. You 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 used very often 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. Since the 1990s, however, the "both shoulders on the mat" condition has been overlooked, if not outright ignored. It is, most often, illegal to use the ropes to secure oneself or gain leverage while pinning, and is therefore a popular cheating method 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. This has been largely ignored since around 1995, although it is still used when an "old-school" wrestler is working a match.

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, where the tapout 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 manouever.

Count-out

A 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 the ring. 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 his or her knees or feet, it is considered a draw, also known as an "in ring count-out."

It should be noted that the count out rule indicates that a wrestler cannot win a match while any part of his opponents body is not in the ring. This allows pinfalls and submissions holds to be escaped by grabbing hold of one of the ring ropes, thus indicating to the referee that they are partially out of the ring and forcing him 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 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.

Variations

The rules for a one-on-one pro wrestling match have not always been the same. For instance, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) had a rule that your opponent couldn't be thrown over the top rope. The now-defunct WCW or World Championship Wrestling, 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 (now World Wrestling Entertainment) 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.

Pro wrestling as entertainment

See Commedia dell'arte for an artistic predecessor to this style of entertainment.

The commedia dell'arte influence can be seen in a number of non-match related elements of professional wrestling. Some examples of these include storylines, gimmicks, interviews, and angles. These "non-wrestling" elements – used to build excitement and interest in professional wrestling matches – have been referred to as "sports entertainment".

While professional wrestling moved increasingly to fixed matches during the late-1800s and early 1900s, for most of the 20th century professional wrestling was promoted as a legitimate sport. It is from this tension between performance and athletic reality that the concept of "kayfabe" originated.

As the 20th century progressed, promoters spent less time focusing on believable sports action, and more time presenting it as a "sports entertainment" spectacle. For a brief time, comedian Andy Kaufman began wrestling women during his act and was the self-proclaimed "Inter-gender Wrestling Champion of the World". Another major step in this direction was taken when Vince McMahon took control of the WWF, now known as WWE. Besides taking his federation into the territory boundries of the NWA, marking the first truly national pro wrestling promotion, and his national WrestleMania pay-per-view shows, McMahon also came up with the "Rock and Wrestling" concept. In fact, a key distinction between McMahon and competitors like Jim Crockett Promotions (the forerunner to WCW) and the American Wrestling Association was the carnival atmosphere created by the promoter's gimmicks and angles.

Indeed, if the term "sports entertainment" was not invented by McMahon, WWE has certainly popularized its use. A popular myth within professional wrestling fandom suggests McMahon adopted the term because staged entertainment insurance premiums are lower than for those for live sporting events. Another suggested reason is to give his business a sense of "legitimacy" in the business community as a form of entertainment, rather than as a "fake" sport. Similarly, McMahon "educated" his fan base, through the 1980s, that they weren't witnessing an improvised sporting contest, and instead that they should tune in for the sports-entertainment aspect; in other words, at least implying that the event was bettered, not diminished, by the very fact that it was being "worked." This was a cunning move, especially given that his competitors were still often presenting themselves as being legitimate sports (WCW commentator Tony Schiavone continued to use the phrase "Greatest moment in the history of our sport" well into the 1990s).

The WWF's "Rock and Wrestling" era has been derided by critics, and professional wrestling "purists", as presenting "cartoonish" characters, interviews, and slapstick skits as opposed to "real" wrestling. Others, however, point out that—aside from cable television and video—McMahon's focus on entertainment was key to pro wrestling's 1980s revival in popularity. This debate is still ongoing within pro wrestling fandom, especially within the "smark" community. Since then, Extreme Championship Wrestling, WCW's nWo gimmick, and the WWF / WWE's "Attitude" era further progressed the development of the non-wrestling aspects of professional wrestling.

Promotions

The organizations that schedule and produce professional wrestling performances and known as wrestling promotions. Currently, the only major wrestling organisations left in North America are the United States promotions of World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, a former NWA member that is still loosely linked to that organization; and the Mexican lucha libre promotions Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and Asistencia Asesoría 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, like TNA, official territories of the NWA. Other major independent promotions include Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling. Outside North America, there are other federations throughout Europe and also in Japan, Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean.

See also: List of wrestling promotions

See also

Terminology

Professional wrestling worldwide

Lists of wrestlers

Types of professional wrestling

External links

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