A-Show/A-Team
Quite an obvious one, but one you don’t hear too often. An A-show is an event when the top draws in the company band together (the A-team) to put on the best show. Think of Raw as WWE’s weekly A-Show, and Wrestlemania as their biggest A-Show of the calendar year.
Abort
Vince is famous for this. Basically it’s when an angle/feud/gimmick is cut short with no explanation. Remember impostor Kane? The one who disappeared with no explanation?
A more recent example would be TNA cutting The Beat Down Clan from recorded episodes, because they fired Hernandez and didn’t want him on the show. So they were forced to edit all BDC footage and replace all of it with recaps and other segments. They were heavily involved in the product for months, then they suddenly disappeared with little mention. MVP and others decided to leave the promotion over the decision.
Agent
A management employee, usually a former wrestler (but doesn’t need to be) who helps the current wrestlers set up matches, plan storylines and give instructions from the bookers. They often act as the liaison between wrestlers and higher management. WWE call them producers, while other promotions call them (road) agents.
Angle
A fictional storyline. An angle can last one day, or several years, depending on how “over” it becomes, and depending on the talent and promotion. Angles are frequently used to enhance feuds, or to make a particular wrestler look strong in the eyes of the viewer. There’s no limit to how many wrestlers (and non-wrestlers) can be involved.
Apter Mag
Generally refers to wrestling magazines designed to give content which remains true to kayfabe. The most common being PWI (Pro Wrestling Illustrated), which was associated with Bill Apter. This one’s for Harley Race daddy.
Arm Color
Rarely happens, but sometimes when an arm gets “color”, it means the wrestler bladed their arm, or were cut open the hard way. Best example of this would be the wrestler Abyss in TNA wrestling, who’s been known to have arm color during some of his Monster’s Ball matches.
Around The Horn/Loop
More of a term used by wrestlers on the road, Around the horn (or loop) refers to a road trip to each town or a series of towns in which a promotion runs events.
Babyface
Often shortened to “face”, the term babyface is one of the oldest, and is still very common. The term was coined from the idea of putting the “nicest” looking guy over as champion so the fans could get behind them as they fought the ugly “heels”.
Backyard Wrestling
When a group of untrained wrestlers (usually teenagers) decide to “try it at home” as a hobby. It can sometimes refer to an independent promotion with little drawing power.
Beatdown
Quite a simple one really. When a wrestler is taking a beating from another wrestler, or more commonly, a group of wrestlers.
Blading
Also called juicing. Blading is the art of keeping a small blade hidden away in a wrestler’s trunks, wrist tape, or on the referee (who will pass it to the wrestler when the time comes), so when the match reaches a certain point the wrestler can cut themselves as the camera pans away, simulating a nasty blow to the head. Ric Flair is best known for blading.
Blind
When a referee is distracted by a heel, often to the point of annoyance for the viewer as the referee loses all sight (and hearing) while the other heel(s) cheat and beatdown on the babyface. Earl Hebner is known as the blindest referee in wrestling.
Blind Tag
Often used in tag team matches (or four corners). A wrestler tags his partner, which the referee sees, but the opponent in the ring doesn’t; the blind tag will often give the tag team a huge advantage, sometimes going as far as winning the match quickly afterwards.
The other form of blind tag is when a referee is distracted by the heels and a tag is made by the babyfaces. The face will try enter the match, but is inevitably cut off by the referee who claims they are not legal, as the referee was blind to the tag. While the referee argues with the face, the heels will enter the ring and ambush their tag team partner, much to the disdain of the audience.
Blown Spot
Also known as a missed spot. While some may also call it a sequence of botches, a blown spot is a series of mis-timed moves, with both wrestlers selling the moves too much, or too little, resulting in a sloppy sequence.
Blow Off
The final match to end a feud. It can also refer to the last match between two rivals before they leave a promotion. The best example I can think of is Eddie Guerrero vs Dean Malenko’s last ECW match.
Blow Up
When a wrestler is exhausted during a match. This usually happens to heavier wrestlers with more body fat. Not always though, as The Ultimate Warrior would often blow up during his matches.
Book/Booker
The screenwriter of any promotion; they book the wrestling card and angles. They decide who goes over, and who puts others over. Good bookers are able to entertain the crowd with logical stories paired with exciting matches and feuds. Bad bookers will often be criticized for boring cards and controversial angles. You can’t blame wrestlers when they go over; it’s always the bookers decision. Except back in the WCW days when some wrestlers had the power to book themselves.
Boom Boom Boom
Sometimes called the “meat of the match”. When wrestlers talk through their plans for the upcoming match, the flurry of moves before the finish can sometimes be referred to in this way. “We’ll start out with a test of strength, then.. boom boom boom, and the heels run in for the DQ.”
Botch
If you have never seen Botchamania, go to YouTube and watch some; it’s quite addictive. For those who don’t know what a botch is, it’s an embarrassing mistake made by anyone in the business, whether they’re wrestling, commentating, or cutting a promo. A botch can range from an amusing hiccup, to something so bad it can end a career. These days I refer to every mistake on television a botch.
Bounce
An old term used to describe the move leading to the pinfall.
Broadway
A time limit draw. It’s called this because both wrestlers “go over” in the process. A good example of a recent broadway was Samoa Joe vs CM Punk in ROH. It’s rare to see a broadway nowadays.
Bump
Every wrestler needs to know how to fall to the mat properly to cushion the impact. This is referred to as bumping, and wrestlers bump in every match. As a result of decades of bumping, several wrestlers pick up severe back injuries and are advised never to bump again.
There’s also a phantom bump, which occurs when a wrestler bumps despite the other wrestler botching the move. This makes both wrestlers look foolish, and phantom bumps are frequently ridiculed by non-wrestling fans for showing how “fake” wrestling is.
Bury/Buried
The term is often misunderstood and overused by disgruntled wrestling fans. The term means a gradual or sudden demotion of a wrestler’s status in a promotion. Wrestlers who were once in the main event will be forced in to squash matches, or wrestlers already working in the mid-card will either be involved in embarrassing skits, or not be booked at all for several weeks/months despite being fit enough to wrestle.
Being buried is not losing one match quickly on television, or even having a losing streak. A wrestler could be losing, but as long as the company keeps the focus on their story, they are still being featured, and the losing streak could be a device to gain sympathy for the babyface, or to encourage fans to jeer a whiny heel. A burial is used as a means to punish a wrestler for reasons we don’t usually don’t see or know about, as the wrestler could be hard to deal with backstage and perhaps is feeling a little entitled.
Burials are most common in WWE, with Vince punishing wrestlers to keep them in check, reminding them no one’s bigger than the company. It’s a message to stay humble and easy to work with or face the consequences of less airtime, and more importantly, less money.
Busted Open
Just like in boxing, if a wrestler begins to bleed from the head, whether it was from blading or done the hard way, they have been busted open.
Business
I’ve already used this one, and it’s common sense really, but I had to round it out to 25. The wrestling industry is often referred to as the wrestling business, or just the “business”. It refers to wrestling around the world, reaching out to every promotion past and present.
And that’s all from me, stay tuned for another Lingomania coming to your screen in the near future. Thanks for reading.
