Can’t get enough pro wrestling? Well, if you want to sound like a “real” pro, you have to know the special lingo. Here’s some sports trivia to help you out.
Face (noun). A “good guy.” (Wrestlers with pretty faces are often cast as good guys.)
Heel (noun). A “bad guy.” Someone who cheats and breaks the rules to win.
Feud (noun). A grudge match, frequently between a face and a heel.
Turn (noun or verb). When a heel changes his persona and becomes a face, or vice versa.
Potato (verb). To injure a wrestler by hitting him on the head or causing him to hit his head.
Stiff (adjective). A move intended to cause real injury.
Run-in (noun). Intervention in a match by an audience member or other nonparticipant.
Blade (verb). To intentionally cut yourself with a hidden piece of razorblade in order to produce “juice” (see below).
Juice (noun or verb). Blood. Usually caused by blading.
Job (noun). A staged loss.
Post (verb). To run someone into the ring post.
Hardway juice (noun). Blood from an unintentional injury.
Heat (noun). The negative reaction and booing from the crowd at a fight.
Pop (noun or verb). A sudden positive rise in the crowd, such as when a popular wrestler makes his entrance.
Bump (noun). A fall or other move that results in the wrestler falling out of the ring.
Jobber (noun). A wrestler who does a job—he’s hired to lose to the featured wrestler. Also known as redshirts or PLs, short for “professional losers.”
Clean job (noun). A staged loss that doesn’t involve illegal wrestling moves.
Screw-job (noun). An ending that isn’t clean—someone, usually the heel, wins by cheating.
Shoot (noun). The opposite of a job—one wrestler really is trying to hurt another.
This article first appeared in Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Sports Spectacular. Check it out for more sports trivia.