The Secret Language of Pro Wrestling, Decoded

Image via Complex Original

(ˈbābēfās)

A “good” wrestler. A babyface is honorable and ethical; he or she fights cleanly, defends the vulnerable, and elicits a positive reaction from fans. John Cena and Becky Lynch are prime examples of babyfaces. Babyface is often shortened to “face” amongst fans.

Fan #1: “John Cena is going to be a babyface for his entire career, isn’t he?”

Fan #2: Yeah, he’s a role model for cancer kids. If he turns his back on them, their little hearts won’t be able to take it.”

(hēl)

A “bad” wrestler. A heel can be a scary monster, like Nia Jax. A heel can regularly cheat or act cowardly, like The Miz. A heel can also be super cocky, arrogant, or disrespectful, like Chris Jericho. A great heel elicits boos and angry fan reactions. When a face betrays his or her allies in the ring or suddenly turns evil, this is known as “turning heel.” When a wrestler is booked to have both face and heel characteristics—typically, half the audience will boo and the other half will cheer—this wrestler is called a “tweener.”

Fan #1: “Listen to how much Roman Reigns is booed, even though he’s supposed to be a face!”

Fan #2: “It’s awful. WWE should turn him heel, but they’re stubborn and ignore their fans.”

(ˈjäbər)

A wrestler who regularly loses, or “jobs,” to other wrestlers. Jobbers are some of the most underrated performers in the business. Their duty is to make the other wrestlers look strong; thus, any successful professional wrestler owes his career to jobbers. There are different levels of jobber. Heath Slater establishes the rock bottom of the roster and loses to everyone, often in comedic fashion. Someone like Kane or Big Show is a “jobber to the stars”—he demolishes everyone below him, and acts as the gatekeeper to the main event—any belt contender must be able to beat the jobber to the stars. The most respected type of jobber is a “carpenter,” a technically skilled wrestler (often more skilled than the wrestlers he is losing to) who stays in the mid or lower tier and functions as a mentor to new talent.

Fan #1: “Do you remember how scary Yokozuna was in the ring?”

Fan #2: “Oh yeah. I loved when he used to defeat two jobbers at once.”

(märk)

A fan who believes that what he sees in the ring is real and competitive. Today, aside from young children, very few marks still exist. So, in modern times, “mark” more commonly refers to a fan who is willing to play along and suspend his disbelief. Having a genuine emotional reaction to the show is referred to as “marking out.” The opposite of a mark is a “smark,” or smart mark. This is a fan who is ‘smart’ to the business, and knows that what he is seeing is scripted. In modern times, however, “smark” more commonly refers to a fan who criticizes the show from a backstage perspective, believing that he knows better than the writers.

Fan #1: “When the Dudley Boyz returned to Raw and put their opponents through tables, I marked the hell out!”

Fan #2: “Ugh, the writers suck. Why can’t we get some independent wrestlers? The Dudleys are so old now. They’re probably going to job to everyone on the roster.”

Fan #1: “You stupid smark. Just shut up and just enjoy the show.”

(päp)

A sudden, loud response from the crowd. A pop is usually a positive reaction, and it usually occurs during a wrestler’s entrance, especially when the wrestler is returning from injury and hasn’t been seen in some time.

Fan #1: “The Undertaker got a massive pop during his entrance tonight.”

Fan #2: “Yeah, when the lights went out and the bell tolled, I think I lost my hearing.”

(hēt)

An extremely negative reaction to a wrestler. A heel ought to have heat; if the audience hates him, it’s a sign that he is doing his job properly. Sometimes, however, a wrestler like Eva Marie has “X-Pac heat” (coined after controversial 90’s wrestler X-Pac), which means that the wrestler is hated by the fans for being unskilled, bad at acting, poor at ringwork, or repetitive—not because of their actions in the storyline. A wrestler can also have “backstage heat,” which means that his fellow wrestlers are pissed at him, usually for a perceived lack of respect.

Fan #1: “The rumor is that Roman Reigns has massive heat backstage.”

Fan #2: “I wouldn’t be surprised. He got busted for a drug violation, and that makes the whole locker room look bad.”

(ˈprōmō)

A monologue or interview that is delivered by a wrestler. Promos can move the storyline forward, promote a match that will take place later in the show, or plug a pay-per-view where the wrestler will be making an appearance. Reciting one of these monologues is known as “cutting a promo.” A well-rounded wrestler is excellent at promos, and uses them to either make the audience hate him or get the audience on his side. Years ago, promos were improvised by their speakers; today, especially in WWE, promos tend to be more scripted. Above is the most famous promo of all time: “Hard Times,” which was delivered by Dusty Rhodes in 1985.

Fan #1: “The Ultimate Warrior cuts really intense promos.”

Fan #2: “True, but even though they grab my attention, I never understand what the hell they’re about.”

(sel)

The act of making a wrestling move look impactful—like it really, really hurts. A wrestler can “oversell,” which means he exaggerates the pain. Conversely, if a wrestler “no-sells,” he can make his opponent look weak. A talented wrestler will know how to split the difference between these two extremes.

Fan #1: “The Rock sells the Stone Cold Stunner like nobody else.”

Fan #2: “True. I know his backflip is a bit of an oversell, but for some reason, I still love it.”

(ˈberē)

The act of having a wrestler lose or be embarrassed multiple times within a short time frame. A wrestler is considered buried when fans no longer see him as a legitimate threat or contender. Veterans are often accused of burying newcomers.

Fan #1: Do you remember when Bray Wyatt was considered a legitimate threat?

Fan #2: That’s before every babyface on the roster buried him. That was before Cena and Rock buried The Wyatt Family at WrestleMania, despite being outnumbered 3 to 2.

(ˈkāˈfāb)

An umbrella term that refers to the entire theatrical, predetermined nature of professional wrestling. In the earlier days of wrestling, wrestlers maintained kayfabe at all times, even in public. The Million Dollar Man, for example, traveled separately from the rest of the roster and stayed in first-class accommodations to make his gimmick believable. A wrestler who acknowledges the backstage mechanics of the business is “breaking kayfabe.”

Fan #1: “Chris Jericho doesn’t promote his merchandise when he’s a heel.”

Fan #2: “That’s why I love him. He’s one of the few wrestlers who maintains kayfabe.”

(ˈōvər)

When a wrestler is popular amongst fans. The worst fan response to any wrestler is zero response. Heels want to be booed. Babyfaces want to be cheered. Everyone wants to sell tickets.

Fan #1: “Enzo Amore and Big Cass are insanely over.”

Fan #2: “Definitely. When the fans repeat your catchphrases, you know you’re doing something right.”

(wərk)

A show incident that appears to have been unplanned, but was actually scripted. This is increasingly difficult to pull off successfully. Wrestling fans are a suspicious bunch, and are more likely to assume that any event, however tragic, is part of the show.

Fan #1: “WWE.com is reporting that Jeff Hardy was found unconscious in a stairwell and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Fan #2: “Wow, major news networks also picked up the story. Is this is a work, that’s pretty impressive.

(SHo͞ot)

A show incident that is not planned or predetermined. At WrestleMania 15, Bart Gunn participated in a shoot boxing match against Butterbean; Gunn was legitimately knocked out in the early first round. “Shoot” can also refer an interview that exposes the wrestling business or another wrestler’s actions backstage. This is known as “shooting on” someone. Sometimes during the show, the wrestler makes reference to backstage politics with the permission of the creative team. CM Punk was famous for doing this. This is known as a “worked shoot.”

Fan #1: “Why is the Blue Meanie’s face covered with blood and bruises?”

Fan #2: “Because his brawl against JBL started as a work, but it quickly turned into a shoot.”

(swərv​)

A twist in the storyline. A swerve usually happens when one wrestler betrays another. A proper swerve can take months to set up, leading the audience to believe in the wrestlers’ friendship before turning it on its head. Seth Rollins betraying The Shield is a notable, recent swerve.

Fan #1: “My jaw dropped when Kevin Owens clotheslined Sami Zayn on the ramp.”

Fan #2: “I know! That was an incredible swerve; those two have been like brothers for decades.”

(stif​)

Describes a wrestler who makes impactful contact with another wrestler during a match. This can be a stylistic choice, to make the match more realistic, or it can be accidental, like when Seth Rollins broke John Cena’s nose by mistake. Wrestlers might also work stiff to punish disrespectful wrestlers, as the Acolytes did to Public Enemy in the clip above.

Fan #1: Why is Kobashi limping around?

Fan #2: Because last night, he fought Stan Hansen. That guy is stiff as hell.

(blādING)

When a wrestler decides to add a little “color” to his matches. A wrestler will hide a straight razor in his ring gear, and after he takes a particularly brutal shot to the head, he will cut open his forehead when the audience isn’t looking. Ric Flair was particularly notorious for blading, and he often wore a “crimson mask” by the end of his matches. Blading isn’t the only way that wrestlers bleed, however. Sometimes, people’s foreheads will open up “the hard way,” by planned hits that occur within the match.

Fan #1: “Did you hear that Batista was fined $100K by the WWE for blading in his match against Chris Jericho?”

Fan #2: “WWE takes its PG rating seriously.”

(bəmp​)

The impact between the wrestler and the ground. If a wrestler is slammed particularly hard or falls from a great height, it’s said that he “took a hard bump.” A skilled wrestler will know how to land— usually flat on his back, to distribute the impact—so that he won’t suffer serious injury.

Fan #1: “I always get scared when Brock Lesnar suplexes the Undertaker.”

Fan #2: “Agreed. The Undertaker is too old to be taking that many bumps to the back of his head.”