5 wrestling terms you must know about

Seth Rollins and the ever smiling John CenaPro wrestling fans want to be smart. It’s a desire born mostly out of love for the business, a love that is equaled only by the connection that fans feel for the stars in the ring and the storylines they work in. It’s also born out of the need to know as much as possible regarding backstage news and gossip that typically finds its way online basically every day of the week.Being in the know is very important and it’s not a concept reserved for pro wrestling. Every major sport has its share of aficionados, men and women who know how the game is played and can regurgitate stats like reciting the alphabet.But knowledge is not necessarily power in this case, as simply knowing wrestling terms does not translate to a full understanding of the business. A complete grip of wrestling psychology sounds like an achievable goal but for the talent on the inside, nothing compares to having the full experience of being in the ring and working to get over.However, that will never stop both casual and diehard fans from wanting to know as much as they can about the industry they love.

#5 Babyface

Ricky Steamboat is arguably the best babyface the business has ever known

Babyfaces are the ones you want your kids hanging out with. They’re role models, inspirations, good guys that just want the chance to perform and earn their way in the business through hard work and force of will. They know what it means to have a good heart, to always fight for the right thing and do all they can to never let down their friends, their family, and the fans that support them.

Ricky Steamboat was the greatest babyface of all time because he epitomized what it meant to be a good guy. He worked hard, he fought hard and he never made any excuses for coming up short. He was one of the best in the game and he won matches based on his ability, not through taking shortcuts of any kind. He had a very likeable face, he was a nice guy and at the end of the day, he never changed who he was to get what he wanted.

Babyfaces represent the best of people, the part of us that wants to believe in something greater than what we are. Daniel Bryan was over not just because of what he could do between the ropes but because of his ability to bring fans together and rally them to his cause. They saw a good man being held down and they cried out for his redemption. Without them, Daniel would never have had the run he enjoyed.

A strong protagonist can bring the house down with an inspiring comeback. He can bring fans to their feet in praise of his efforts and he can bring faith back to a company when everyone says it’s over.

Stone Cold Steve Austin was not the typical babyface, but his popularity trumped the novelty of it. He made fans believe and that is what the best protagonists do.

#4 Heel

Ric Flair is considered by many to be one of pro wrestling’s best heels of all time

Heels are the villains of the business. They wear the black hats; they take shortcuts when they can, they lie whenever possible and they must always be open to cheating to get what they want. Heels have the ability to make an entire arena hate them and they absolutely revel in it.

Heels make the business go round. Without strong atagonists, there is virtually no chance for any protagonists to truly be successful. Batman is a classic character and perhaps the most popular of all time but his rogues gallery is a big reason why. Batman himself exists because of evil around him and despite how hard he fights to win the day, evil like The Joker will always be there.

There is no drama in seeing a hero with no viable villains to challenge his place in the world. That is where the bulk of the criticism leveled at John Cena comes from; if he is unstoppable and no one really has a chance of shutting him down, then what’s the point?

Protagonists must constantly be in danger of being destroyed or fans lose interest. Win or lose, a guy’s mettle is not proven if it’s not tested. Heels make that happen, they provide the danger and the challenge that keeps every babyface hero motivated and popular. The stronger the heel, the stronger the face and that’s the way it’s been for years in not only WWE but in the world of professional wrestling.

Dusty Rhodes was an amazing performer but without Ric Flair and The Horsemen seeking to take him down, it would not have been the same. The Rock & Roll Express were top of the heap in tag team wrestling but without The Midnight Express, where would they be? Without Lita to push Trish harder than she had ever been pushed, what would have become of women’s wrestling in their time?

Heels make it happen and they always have.

#3 Kayfabe

Rusev and Lana are not the first ones to break kayfabe

Kayfabe is dead and anyone that’s been a pro wrestling fan for longer than 10 minutes knows it.

Kayfabe is the fictional reality of pro wrestling. When two guys get in the ring, they’re not working in a give-and-go environment, they’re actually trying to win the match. If two women hate each other on TV, then they hate each other off TV and would never be caught dead smiling in a pic together. Kayfabe can also be specific by a company in terms of storyline.

For example, Mick Foley didn’t hurl himself off the Hell in a Cell, The Undertaker threw him off. Stone Cold Steve Austin was hurt from the piledriver delivered by Owen Hart, but he left for surgery due to being in a hit-and-run in a parking garage.

Kayfabe was also Rusev and Lana being on the outs, with The Bulgarian Brute being portrayed as the bully and Dolph Ziggler as the man to sweep the damsel in distress off her feet. But then news broke online that Lana and Rusev are engaged, once again driving another dagger into the heart of the long-departed kayfabe of WWE.

Hours after Nikki Bella shocked the world by proclaiming she wished her sister Brie had died in the womb, both women were back on social media smiling and happy as if nothing had ever happened. Stephanie McMahon’s Twitter bio reads that she “plays a bad guy on TV.” Seth Rollins betrayed The Shield last year and will forever have an enemy in Roman Reigns because of it, yet both men appeared in Mattel’s Create a WWE Superstar commercial together.

The issue is that when kayfabe is ignored, then fans can no longer believe. The drama is lost with a wink and a nod from the company and suddenly, it’s less about escapism than it is the cold reality of a promotion giving away all its secrets just because it can. The combination of all the aforementioned events barely just scratch the surface of a problem that is not going away anytime soon.

#2 Sell

No one in WWE can sell quite like Dolph Ziggler

Selling is an art form and for a good number of WWE Superstars, it’s become a lost art.

Selling is the act of making a move look good. If a guy takes a punch then bumps off it, that’s selling. Without proper selling at the right time, the business is exposed and that’s not good for the talent in the ring, the commentators calling the action or the fans watching at home. It’s bad enough that the overall realism of the business is a thing of the past but when the stars themselves advertise it’s a predetermined sport by not making the match look good, it’s even worse.

This is why Dolph Ziggler gets such respect from fans. He looks as though he’s truly taking a beating in the ring and he does it every time he works a match. He draws fans in, makes them believe in what he’s doing and when the match is over, he’s earned their support. Fans want to see him do well and the fact that he knows how to sell only accentuates his ability in the ring and that’s impressive indeed.

But no-selling is killing the sport. Matches that are nothing but spot-fests can be fun to watch but in the end, guys kicking out of one finisher after another is not helping preserve the integrity of the bout itself. It gives the impression of play time, of two guys getting in the ring and showing off physically with no concern over psychology and how fans can lose themselves in it.

No-selling can kill a guy, kill a match and destroy a promotion.

#1 Mark

Daniel Bryan inspired a legion of fans to support him

This is undoubtedly the most overused and misunderstood pro wrestling term of all time. It’s been used with such a negative connotation, with such vile and contempt by so many fans that simply don’t truly know what the definition really is.

It’s the go-to term for anyone wanting to sound smart and above-it-all when it comes to both backstage news and in-ring action. It’s used to dismiss even the most well-meaning fan in one debate after another and the fact is this will probably never end. Despite how much fans truly want to feel part of a community, this is one word that will forever be used to divide and it’s a real shame.

A mark is a fan. Period. If you’re not behind the curtain, not part of the show, then you are a mark. It’s just that simple.

A mark is not necessarily someone that lacks intelligence or knowledge of the business, any more than a fan is because they’re one and the same. But day after day, the word mark is used like any other hurtful four letter word by fans that just want to feel smart. The term “smart mark” or “smark” is an oxymoron because to truly be smart, you must know what it’s like to be in the ring and the majority of fans never have been.

Intelligence outside of the ring can only come from studying the game and having an open mind to others’ opinions. But to the guys in the WWE locker room? Unless you’re in the business, you’re a mark. It’s up to fans whether or not that should be thought of as a bad thing.