Glossary of professional wrestling terms

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Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable nomenclature throughout its existence.^[1] Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses,^[2] and the slang itself is often referred to as "carny talk". In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the worked nature of the business.^[1]^[2] In recent years, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms.^[1] Many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to performance-related terms.^[2]

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File:The Shield Teamwork.jpg

The Shield performing a beat down on Kane

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File:Rougeau Brothers' Finishing Move.jpg

The Fabulous Rougeaus performing a double team maneuver

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File:The Authority plus Kane and Randy Orton.jpg

Kane (second left) as enforcer for The Authority

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File:Irwin R Schyster in 1994.jpg

Mike Rotunda used a tax collector gimmick as Irwin R. Schyster

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File:Lesnarbotch.jpg

Brock Lesnar performing a highspot; a shooting star press at WrestleMania XIX

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File:Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman April 2014.jpg

Paul Heyman (right) as manager of Brock Lesnar

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File:Andre in the late '80s.jpg

André the Giant was a notable monster heel late in his career

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File:The Ultimate Warrior April 2014.jpg

The Ultimate Warrior was popularly billed as being from Parts Unknown

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File:Thecabinet.jpg

John "Bradshaw" Layfield (right) cutting a promo

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File:Ted DiBiase headlock on Daniel Bryan.jpg

Ted DiBiase Jr. performing a rest hold on Daniel Bryan

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File:NWo WM31.jpg

The nWo performing a run-in during WrestleMania 31

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File:The Shield's fist pose.jpg

Stables can vary in size, from three-man units like The Shield (pictured) to large groups with varying membership such as the nWo

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File:Christian v Orton at MITB 2011.jpg

The TitanTron (background) at Money in the Bank in July 2011

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File:Enzo Cass Carmella.jpg

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady with their valet Carmella

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Notes[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 "Torch Glossary of Insider Terms". PWTorch.com. 2000. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Kerrick, George E. (Summer 1980). "The Jargon of Professional Wrestling". American Speech. 55 (2): 142–145. doi:10.2307/3050508.

References[]

Beekman, Scott. Ringside: A history of professional wrestling in America (Greenwood, 2006)
Foley, Mick (2000). Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-103101-1.

Harley Race; Ricky Steamboat; Les Thatcher (2005). The Professional Wrestlers' Workout & Instructional Guide. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-947-6.

Kerrick, George E. "The jargon of professional wrestling". American Speech (1980): 142-145. JSTOR
Laurer, Joanie (2001). If They Only Knew. ReaganBooks. ISBN 0-06-109895-7.

Mazer, Sharon. Professional wrestling: sport and spectacle (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1998)
Murray, Thomas E. "The language of bodybuilding". American Speech (1984): 195-206. in JSTOR
Stone Cold Steve Austin; Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-7720-0.

External links[]

Total Wrestling Terms
Wrestling Booker's Glossary of pro wrestling terms at the Wayback Machine (archived June 13, 2008)

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[torch-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 "Torch Glossary of Insider Terms". PWTorch.com. 2000. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2007.

[amspeech-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Kerrick, George E. (Summer 1980). "The Jargon of Professional Wrestling". American Speech. 55 (2): 142–145. doi:10.2307/3050508.

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