POACHING ZEBRAS, or: Don’t Bury the Ref

Don’t bury the ref. It really is that simple.

In the past, I’ve done an article on what it takes to be a good referee. Now that we know what a referee needs to do to fulfill their duty in relation with the wrestlers, let’s see what the wrestlers need to be doing in return.

Let’s start with backstage. Respect the referee. He or she is a worker under the employ of the promoter and booker, just like you are. Shake his or her hand and treat them with common human decency, not like a second-class citizen. They are your co-worker and a necessary component of the story you are going to tell tonight. Treat them as such.

I understand in some of the lower level garbage indies out there, you may end up getting the promoter’s brother reffing. Or even worse: a “big fan” who helped to set up the ring that night. The same can be said for some wrestlers: this isn't a problem that plagues solely the ranks of officials. However, just as there are good independent wrestlers out there, there are some good independent referees too. When you find them, latch onto them and become their best friend. Try to get them assigned to your matches. They will serve you truly as a third worker in that ring. Rather than what most of you think makes a good referee (one that just stays the fuck out of your way), there's a lot more to it than that on their end. You should always know where your ref is, he is a worker in there and you need to be consciously aware of and work with him or her.

To further expand on the in-ring aspect, let’s look at the psychology of the referee. What is the purpose of the referee? We need to make one thing absolutely clear: generally speaking, the goal of professional wrestling is to project the illusion of sport. There are no rules. There exists only the illusion of rules. Timing cues and other television production minutia aside, the referee’s job is to maintain said illusion of rules, which adds to the greater illusion that we are all working so hard to create.

Now, when you watch a sport (say baseball, football, UFC, whatever), what happens if a player blatantly cheats? He is disqualified and thrown out of the game. Now, if you blatantly do that directly in front of the referee in the arena of professional wrestling and he doesn’t kick your ass straight out of the ring? That is called burying the ref. But even more, it is burying professional wrestling as a whole.

Still don't get it? Look at it like this: when a referee sees the heel blatantly cheat right in front of him, who does the heat really go on? Answer: the ref. AKA not the stars of the show like it should (specifically the heel, in this case). The crowd sees that the ref saw the illegal tactics and didn't DQ the heel. Now the crowd has heat with the referee because they cheated the baby face out of a fair fight. Put this in a shoot perspective: who are you mad at when your favorite sports team is playing and a referee doesn't make the correct call? The opposing team? Or the ref?

How much power does the referee have? How severely should they enforce the rules? Let things go by or call it like it's a shoot? There is no definitive answer, it is up to the individual promoter's discretion. As a ref, you should always discuss this with your superior regarding how you should handle when (not if, because it guaranteed will happen at some point) wrestlers do things that they should know better than to do. Some promoters and bookers will give the ref full power to "teach workers a lesson" for burying a ref by allowing a shoot DQ. Some will not allow any such thing. Some fall on a spectrum somewhere in between. It all depends on the culture of the company and professional goals.

Things will vary company-to-company. One philosophy is that as a referee, you need to protect the business of the match. This is a more theatrical perspective. For those who hold this belief, on the grander scale of things, the most important thing in the match is the business of the match. Wrestling has moved so far into the realm of entertainment that refs shouldn't ever go into business for themselves and throw out matches over the ten count or DQ someone just because of a rule break (unless that is the culture of the company). When Randy the Ram broke the flag over the Ayatollah's back in The Wrestler, do you think if that indie ref threw that match out that the actors, director, or producers would be okay with that? Or, in the world of the movie, if the promoter would have okayed that? No, because then the fucking movie ends with a DQ or the promoter's big main event ends on a flat note. Don't fuck up the business of a match just because it's a rule. If you, as a referee, think it is at your discretion without clearing it with your superiors, you are wrong. Responding to unprofessionalism with your own bout of unprofessionalism is a perfect example of two wrongs not equaling a right.

On the opposite pole the other philosophy bore by some promoters will expect the official to treat the match like it is a shoot. There is a saying, "a wrestler can get his heat back, but a referee can't." That is to say that once a referee's credibility is in doubt, the finish is in doubt. The standard of these promoters is that if a wrestler is burying the referee to a ridiculous point (let’s say, a blatant low blow right in front of the official), the referee should disqualify him. If the wrestler is hot at the ref for that, the promoter would not only stand by the official, but be hot at said wrestler for being a lazy fuck. He or she should been a true worker by attempting an act of subterfuge and hiding the breaking of the rules. But even with this "shoot" officiating style, a certain wisdom is required to see that it is used in moderation. Unless specifically stated, don't necessarily DQ someone because they won't break the five count. Grab them and pull them off. Be a hands-on official. Do what you can on your end to make sure the business of the match is successfully carried out. Your job as an official is to not only enforce the rules, but to help facilitate the flow of the match. To the best of your ability, don't be the one who screws up the rhythm. Most indie workers do a fine enough job of it on their own.

Now, if you're a company that runs student shows (and let's face the facts, almost all indies are essentially student shows), your wrestlers should be in a constant state of learning. And what better lesson than having your match get thrown out because you were being stupid in the ring and not respecting the ref?

But that is a show-to-show thing. Some bookers or promoters are very serious about their angles and stories. If you fuck up something a booker has been working weeks on because you decided to method act in that moment, be prepared to get chewed out backstage. If you are a well-trained wrestler, you shouldn't be making these mistakes in the first place. So, if you're a worker reading this who got shoot DQ'ed this weekend, don't get hot at the ref. Instead, look in the mirror and direct your feelings there, as you're the fucko who doesn't know how to work.

So, how do you avoid burying the referee? Treat him with the same respect you would an official in a legitimate sports contest. Like anyone who is of authority and can directly affect you in a negative way. Like your boss at work. Because the referee is the boss in that ring. You cannot touch him. You cannot lay a finger on him. You cannot cheat or bend the rules in front of him. Figure out a way to hide it in plain sight from him. Work out a way that doesn’t make him look like a jackass, either. If you conceal it in a way that makes the ref look like he is a jackass, that’ll put the heat on the ref. And that isn’t where you want the heat. You want it on yourself or your opponent.

And lastly, for those of you looking to get to the fed, WWE is strict in the way they handle rule-enforcement. If any cheating is done within range of what the ref can see, not only is the match is thrown out immediately, but the responsible performer is fined. And guess whose pocket that $500 goes into? The referee that called him on it. And if the ref doesn't call them on it? Their ass is fired.

If indie referees threw out every match that a guy buried him and realistically should be disqualified, 95% of independent shows would be over in fifteen minutes including entrances. Let's clean up our act a little bit, for professionalism's sake.

Until next time,
-AWV

4/15/13 Raw Thoughts

A few days late, DVRed-Raw thoughts:

Orton is on tonight. He was connected, you could feel it. Brock just reestablishes his monster status, recovering from his defeat at 'Mania. Heyman also continues to show he's arguably the best promo guy in the business. I'm guessing the cage is being done as an illusion to the Octagon.

Antonio Cesaro is great and the match with Kofi was good too. Kofi's promo didn't make sense because he's (kayfabe) not American. They’ve jobbed Cesaro out too much to make the title change really mean anything.

WWE has a genius spin with this Fandango-ing gimmick. Vince basically has WWE starting its own version of Gangnam Style. If Vince can get this to be a meme and catch on he will get huge eyes on WWE. Last week, Jersey made Fandango. If this catches, it will make CNN and morning talk shows. Vince is really going deep down the entertainment rabbit hole. Alternatively, this Fandango-ing can bite WWE in the ass. Like when fans do it during non-Fandango matches, when the fans get bored.

Fandango should cut promos how he hates the Fandango-ing, being offended as a trained dancer is now being compared to stupid trending dances. He is not a punchline, he is an artist. He dropped the ball on his promo tonight, he didn’t heel it up enough.

Damn it, Dolph found his groove. He is ready, in the ring and on the stick. Just on the entrance alone there was presence. Good for him. Swagger vs. Dolph, how bout those two amazing amateur wrestlers go. Then great psychology to lead into the strikes. Even the commentary is spot-on here, too. Note: WWE just gave you a quality heel versus heel match here. Dolph worked pseudo-face whilst still remaining a heel. He worked basically as a tweener, which allowed WWE to test out how over Dolph really is outside of the Jersey smart mark crowd. The important thing to watch is what the business of the match is: establishing Swagger as a credible threat to the title. Take notes, kids. On a personal note, I completely disagree with Dolph losing, especially considering he just won the belt last week.

Ryback cuts a decent promo while getting the story over. Good for him. Did anyone hear Cena calling directions to The Shield? "Look at Ryback! Look at Ryback!" Need to turn down those ring mics. Cena should be selling, not playing director. WWE has too much money to be multitasking him like that.

I also want to point out a master-level psychological ploy that Cena carried out, one that is usually reserved for high-level politicians. Listen to Cena's promo, he added a subtle good ol' southern boy to his accent, even his verbiage changed. It wasn't over the top, it came off like, "oh me, I grew up in the south, but then moved to Boston, but you can still hear I have a lil' southerner in me." It connects him to them, despite whether it's true or not.

He stops enunciating words. Drops the "g" off words ending in "-ing," it's tone things. I looked it up, and low and behold, this week's Raw came from Greenville, South Carolina. I think it's safe to say I nailed that.

This is a common political tactic to get the crowd on your side. Hillary Clinton got called out for it when she was running for president. It gives the masses a way of feeling a better direct connection with you when they talk and sound like you do. You're now one of them.

Until next time,
-AWV

Style

These days, all that matters is style. Look at the most recent election (Note: the 2012 US Presidential election). What did either candidate say during the debates? Nothing too surprising from a substance point. So the debates were decided on style. Why? Because everyone has an opinion on style and most people aren't smart enough to sort through the substance.

Just like wrestling fans. Which isn't a commentary on their intelligence, but "smartness" to the business of pro wrestling. Most fans have no idea what good wrestling is. Most wrestlers don't either. Don't get me wrong, as a performer you can't suck (and if you do you better have the look and charisma to make up for it). But so long as you are passable (which most of the indies today are not), it all becomes about style.

So to my more advanced followers, work on character and style, because that's what gets you noticed on the national scale. Most guys in WWE today are just hype and style.

Everything of that style needs to be synchronized to make it a believable character. For example, everything Fandango does fits the gimmick. The guy has had a three month build up and will debut (and most likely win) at WrestleMania. While I'm sure many of you hate this gimmick because you're "purists," you have to look at the bigger picture of WWE. It's no longer pro wrestling. Shit, it's barely sports-entertainment. It's just "entertainment" now. Triple H versus The Undertaker being billed as the end of an era wasn't just a gimmick, it was a shoot. Pro wrestling ended and we are now in the era of entertainment.

This has been a slow transition since The Rock came back, but kicked into high gear at Raw 1000. There has been a very noticeable change in WWE's business plan. Watch Daniel Bryan on Saturday Morning Slam. It's all silly, hokey gimmick. In fact, even the wrestling resembled something that you would do when you would be wrestling in front of children. They have over the top PSAs featuring villains saying,"don't try this at home." The camera cuts away anytime someone is hit in the head. It's all story and character-driven stuff.

The WWE Network is happening whether you want it or not. Vince doesn't accept no for an answer. So he created a show, Main Event, for the purists who love to watch a longer, more technical match. A Saturday morning cartoon show called Slam Masters, and a flagship show where it all comes together with Monday Night Raw. On Friday he crams all the backwash he couldn't fit on Raw into Smackdown. You will eventually have that cruiserweight show and other niche audience products, such as the Vet House, etc.

Vince will place programming out to all the "friendly" networks right now, build the idea of the WWE Network. Plop all of his shitty WWE films on it and produce even lower budget shit movies like Syfy does, using his "superstars" as cast members. This is what he is building to. His new business model has very little to do with actual wrestling. That's right kids, WWE just got MTVed. You know how music television has very little music on it? That is where professional wrestling is going.

I am sure the majority of you are asking, "why?" Because there is a lot more money under the big umbrella of the "entertainment" business then there is with the "pro wrestling" business. Same with MTV. Overall entertainment makes more money than just music.

And sadly, kids, that's simply how this world works. And that's how art forms like music and wrestling die. My goal now is to preserve as much of the art, business, and culture of pro wrestling as I can, while I transition all of you independent pro wrestlers into independent entertainers. I'm not saying I like it anymore than you do, but I'm not here to like things. I'm here to help. And moving with the times is a necessary thing if I expect to help anyone.

Until next time,
-AWV

Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture

Anthony asks, do you feel that workers and promoters tend to be, more often than not, behind the times on trends and popular culture? How important is it to pay attention to that kind of stuff?

Workers and promoters are at times behind when it comes to pop culture, but there is a reason for that.  Promoters can't book too much based on mainstream news stories from any aspect of pop culture within the week it occurs. That would turn wrestling into Saturday Night Live, only not funny (no matter how hard they try). Also, current event stories tend to die off quickly (IE, the Dorner story. In that case, literally), which would make angle longevity a problem.

Wrestling has always appealed to the masses by playing to their hopes, fears, and in many cases, preconceived notions. WWE always has and always will continue to play to popular sentiments of society, though maybe not in a daily scope. Pro wrestling perfectly dramatizes the preoccupations and pathologies of society. When executed properly, wrestling speaks to matters of broad and compelling interest. It says the right things at the right time, in the right way to the right people (paying customers). In other words, promoters and often workers themselves use the big ideas from pop culture and convey those ideas to the audience in an easy-to-understand way with a conclusion the way the audience wants them to play out. Those ideas mainly revolve around race, sex, nationalism, and frankly any other stereotype Vince can exploit and make money off of.

For example, look at nationalism in the '80s, Hulk Hogan — “The Real American” — took down every threat to America with great ease.  He defeated The Iron Sheik to win the Championship during the height of Iranian tensions. He later defeated Nikolai Volkoff during the height of the Cold War. In the '90s he vanquished Sgt. Slaughter, who turned against America during the first Gulf War. Hogan’s career during the '80s and early '90s was the perfect example of pop culture and American sentiment being infused into wrestling storylines. That being the idea, or reassertion, of American domination and the cartoonish villains that “threaten” the country. Each character Hogan took down was grossly exaggerated and made into the American stereotype of various foreign and domestic threats, be they Middle Easterners or Russians from their attire to their in-ring antics. Hell, they were so over-the-top cartoonish that they did in fact make a cartoon about all of this, Hulk Hogan’s Rock n’ Wrestling Show.

Brother Love was born of the '80s’ evangelical movement. The Million Dollar Man was symbolic of the wealth created by the Reagan administration and the lifestyle so many wanted to lead (as parodied in American Psycho). The list goes on and on. Stone Cold was emblematic of the '90s’ MTV generation’s attitude of sticking it to the man and blazing your own trail through life. 

Today, John Cena holds the torch as our patriotic, all-American hero. Not only as the face of the company, but as the man to take down evil. Perfect example: WrestleMania 27. Watch John Cena’s entrance. The all-American hometown choir singing an overly Godly intro. Vince basically dared the crowd to boo Cena. “If you’re booing John Cena, you hate America, God, the hometown of Atlanta, and hell, it was a black choir, so that makes you a racist too.”

For another modern example, look at Muhammad Hassan, a thinly veiled terrorist. But once shit got too real with the London bombing he had to be taken out by the former “American Bad-Ass”, The Undertaker. Or look at Jack Swagger and his manager, Zeb Coulter. Their heel gimmick is that they are extremist Republicans. Brilliant.

Today you also see a greater influx of minority wrestlers getting pushes, which has everything to do with the demographics of WWE’s audience. A huge percentage of WWE fans are Mexican or Latino, which leads to the recent championship pushes of Rey Mysterio as the blue-collar, hard working, underdog Mexican hero. Winning the WWE Championship was his take on the American dream, of hard work and perseverance paying off. Mysterio’s title reign also coincided with hotly contested immigration debates in America. Alberto Del Rio’s heel character as the aristocratic Mexican brought out the contempt many in this country hold for that nationality, as well as enlightening them to the separation of wealth in Mexico. Del Rio as a heel is everything the core white male audience hates: an educated, wealthy minority that rubs his success into the typical mid-class wrestling fan’s face. So why the gear shift (face turn) of Del Rio? The obvious answer may have been reactionary to the writing on national electoral wall and nicely ties into the new Swagger gimmick.

WWE used to be an extremely character driven company that pushed a lot of stereotypes. It broke away from that a bit during the Attitude Era, but even then, you had a gang war between the Puerto Rican gang (Los Boriquas), the Black Panthers (Nation of Domination), the skinhead biker gang (DOA), as well as that young rebellious gang of white kids thrown in the mix (D-Generation X). Stereotypes are a big part of wrestling, but guess what? They are also a big part of the entertainment business as a whole. Vince cleverly exploited this, as did the promoters who came before him with evil Germans and Japanese fresh off of World War II.

It is very important to pay attention to pop culture when you are looking at wrestling, you can create compelling storylines based off of it. One problem I see with the indies trying to capitalize on this is the lack of coverage they receive and the continuity (or lack of it) within the promotion. Will the talent involved show up religiously enough to run an angle? How many storylines are (successfully) run on indy shows? It is harder to infuse pop culture on the indy circuit unless you are basing your gimmick off of something from it.

Until next time,
-AWV

The Religion of Wrestling

Jason Whisman asks, Neil deGrasse Tyson was doing a lecture on how he looked upon the universe and was drawn to it, and felt a sudden burst of emotion and wonder. Very similar to a religious awakening. He went on to say that science to him was what God is to religious people. I wonder, could wrestling do that for people? Could it bring an awakening or sense of belonging? We have a documented history which a lot of people study (like science or the Bible). We have role models that might not be perfect in all aspects, but we mark out for them nonetheless (like religious people do for Jesus and the Apostles). We have versions of Heaven (WWE, Japan) and versions of Hell (backyard wrestling, $5 Wrestling). So, technically, could pro wrestling be a sort of religion?

Well Jason, it is for me. In lieu of religion, there is philosophy, and the search for God in the minutiae. In other words, it is human nature that we search for the essence of God in things. The dogma, the rules, the language. The closest thing to what we, wrestlers, do, are strippers and preachers. Strippers are unquestionably workers. They suck you into their world, they make themselves the most important thing, not just in the room, but in the world at that moment. A stripper runs a shine, a heat, a false comeback, and finally, cheats the mark of victory, but still leaves them unable to wait to return. Regardless of whether a stripper is actually attractive or not, they convince you that they are the hottest thing in the universe, literally dripping with sex appeal. Why? Because strippers think they are the hottest thing in the world. It's all confidence. Besides, you should never go to the strip club to see the strippers. Go to see the women in the audience get naked. That's the swerve. Ultimately, it was dicks and pussy that ruined both the Garden of Eden and wrestling. I digress.

If wrestling is our religion, a significant other should understand that, just as he or she wouldn't ask us to give up Christianity, Judaism, or any other form of belief, to some of us wrestling is that religion. Dick and pussy can ruin that for us. Ruin its purity by distracting us from prayer. People see the passion a true artist has for the business and try to own it. When they can’t, they attempt to destroy it. It's not that your significant other doesn't want you to love wrestling, it's that they don't want you to love anything more than them.

Preachers have you convinced they are in touch with God. Why? Because they absolutely believe it. When you go to a preacher he tells you he hates the way you live, the way you spend your money, the way you raise your children. And you still come back the next week. That's classic heel work. They tell you they dislike every aspect of your life and you come back to get heat on yourself all over again the next week. Preachers are heels. Watch the first ten minutes of The Last Exorcism, tell me it isn't the exact advice you've read in my articles on gimmicks, promos, and making the fans believe.

Morality plays will always work. The Bible is just a booking sheet to get over an agenda. If you read the Old Testament, it's all about a booker putting himself over. So much so, he had to create a heel, because he was so overpowering that no one could get any heat on him. So he gives up the book to his son and everyone gets to run heat on him until the big comeback: Revelations.

Religion is found anywhere passion exists. So, yes, there are plenty of comparisons. Sales at the gimmick table are paying tithes to the baby face savior.

As far as comparative truths, you mentioned $5 Wrestling and backyard wrestling, but aren’t there offshoots of religions? Snake handlers and tent revivals, which aren't the accepted norm, but faith flows from them, be it misplaced or not.

Often, the boys getting fucked over. The only thing an indie wrestler loves more than a push is getting fucked. It adds to their martyrdom. All faiths love a martyr.

Isn't the baby face preaching to some degree? Isn't he center stage, under the lights, fighting the good fight? Not only for himself, but the betterment of the world? But alas, the baby is only as strong as the roadblock in front of him. A baby face must tap into the righteous fire, the indignation of refusing to compromise their values. Same as a fire and brimstone preacher. Save them all, or we all perish.

At the end of the day, what is religion? An ideology that gives those who participate a sense of belonging. Something that gives those who don’t believe a reason to scorn those who do. A search for a higher truth. I’d say pro wrestling fits those parameters.

Until next time,
-AWV

On the Subject of Masks and Hoods

Most wrestlers don't even have a gimmick or a character to start off with in wrestling, which is a massive flaw in their training. From what I have generally seen, if you're under a hood there is something very gimmicked up about you. If you're going to wear a mask, do something that has never been done before with it. Don't try to have a design like Rey Mysterio's. Try to be original with your mask. Look at Delirious or Abyss. Their gimmick isn't defined by that mask, but it is strongly supported by it. Your mask should represent your character more than anything else.

Generally (in the style of old school American wrestling), heels are the ones under masks because they have something to hide. If you're a babyface with a mask, your mask has to become part of you. This is why heels love to tear off the face’s mask: to you, as a face, it should feel as if your very skin is being pulled from your skull. That mask is part of you, it becomes who you are.

As far as cultural significance is concerned, with their bright colors and designs, the mask hearkens back to Aztec and Mayan ritual. The anonymity the mask gives allows any masked wrestler to become an everyman. A symbol is always stronger than mortal man. Conceptually, it is also without race. It’s not as much an identity as it is a mythology.

Look at the most popular lucha libre stars, such as El Santo and Blue Demon — not necessarily considered all-time greats when it came to in-ring talent. However, all became iconic due to their strict adherence to kayfabe, as far as the mask was concerned. For most of their lifetime, they were never seen in public without them. They never showed human weakness. Therefore, they were suspended above mortality. The mask allows for the apotheosis of man to legend.

Masks also provide you with a shield. Many wrestlers are nervous when they first start. A mask can be their version of a safety blanket. This allows them to mentally click over into their character; similar to when you put on a nice suit, shave, do your hair up, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "damn, I look good."

Here is my question to you: is it that suit that is making you feel the way outlined above? Your haircut? Is it that you're clean-shaven? No. You were the same guy before you were all cleaned up as you are now that you're looking all spiffy. But your confidence level has changed and that's really the core of professional wrestling. You have to be confident in that ring and you have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. If you don't, neither will anyone else. And would you pay to see someone or something you don’t believe in? Nobody wants their entertainment to be half-assed. Give it all or nothing.

In the end, it isn't the mask that makes you who you are, it’s your mental state. That's the trick. That's your answer. If a promoter sticks you under a hood as, say, a ninja, you should be able to make it work. In the case of the ninja, the mask should only be there to enhance the overall character. Is it the ninja mask that makes him a ninja? Or is it just part of his whole?  Your outfit, body language, and your moveset should all reflect what the fanbase's idea of a ninja is. I respect creativity out of young guys when they pitch me characters, but realize the fans should know who you are in that ring before the bell even rings based on your look, the way you carry yourself to the ring, the way you enter the ring, and the types of poses you hit as you're in the ring. These are all nonverbal cues to the audience to establish who you are.

Masked wrestlers can also be a very helpful thing to a booker. It can give you added options in creating some fun stories, like when Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan came back as The Midnight Rider and Mr. America, respectively. Or it can allow for a complete repackage of someone. For reference, see Demolition Smash's transformation to the Repo Man or Rikishi's to the Sultan. Smash went from a power-and-paint, high energy ass-kicker to becoming a kleptomaniacal Repo Man. And the Sultan is about as far off from Rikishi as you can get. But these guys took those masks and, in some cases, it made them who they were.

There are some limitations to wearing a mask. The most obvious is that it at best impairs, at worst hides your facial sells. In the age of high-definition television, this is a huge disadvantage. Especially when you are performing for a televised audience. Now, because of your mask, the audience at home cannot read the emotion on your face. That means you have to almost double up on your body language sells. I’m not saying be hokey or too over the top with your body language, just be more aware of it. As a wrestler, I put a lot of mental effort into how my face is reflecting what is happening in the ring. Now that this has been taken away from you, you should put that effort into more effectively conveying the story with your body language. Like how a blind man’s sense of hearing is stronger to make up for his inability to see. Don’t wrestle harder, wrestle smarter.

As you read this, it is my deepest hope that I am breaking through to you that there is so much more to wrestling than “shine, cutoff, heat, hope spot, comeback, finish.” There is so much more to be taken into consideration than “what move comes next” and how it leads to the next spot. This again reiterates my statement, “pro wrestling is a high-level thinking business, despite its reputation.”

Until next time,
AWV

An Inside Look at Promoters and Bookers

Just as a disclaimer, this is again one of those 90% rules. There are still a handful of reputable places to work these days. You should already know who they are, because chances are you have tried to contact them at some point. I have found very few humble or modest promoters or bookers (or wrestlers). Many of them have God complexes. They think that center of the universe and treat the boys as such. To their defense, it’s very difficult to be a successful nice guy... especially in this business.

Most indie promoters and bookers are lazy and look at the boys as commodities to exploit. Let me take you inside the mind of most promoters and bookers for some perspective. To them, you are just a ripe orange ready to be picked off the tree. Once they pick you and suck all there is to suck out of the delicious orange that you are, in the end when there is nothing else left to take. You become nothing more to them than the orange peels left on the floor. If you're lucky you will be remembered as one of the better tasting oranges.

And while you say that's fucked up, I want you to realize in their minds they are being generous. They look at you and say, “it could be worse, I could have never picked you at all. There are plenty of other oranges to be picked off this tree.” To them, you are lucky, privileged, because you simply could have fallen off the orange tree and rotted away on the ground like all the other oranges the promoter or booker didn't choose to pick.

Honestly, this mindset speaks to a greater societal point. Those who are the job creators in general practice this ideology. They just won't admit this like I will. As fucked up as it sounds, in a way it could be argued that they are correct for doing so. Because for them, it’s good business.

To effectively create long-lasting, captivating stories requires a lot of time, energy, and mental processing. If a promoter truly wants a story to carry from show to show, they should have a strategic plan laid out for when you, the boys, join in on the process. It’s very hit or miss out there with promoters and bookers. I have had promoters walk up to me and hand me the next six months of my story. And I have had some that didn't know what they were gonna do with me an hour after bell-time.

If you are working for a promotion that the promoter, booker, or any one of their relatives are always in the main stories or are always the champions, this is usually a problem. Many promoters are paranoid and feel that they can only trust themselves or those who are closest to them. If you're in one of these promotions, you have my sympathy. Chances are the booker is only worried about one or two of the main storylines and the rest of the roster goes very much underutilized.

There are certain exceptions to the rule, such as when your family happen to be the most talented or most over stars of the company. When you come from a successful wrestling family, like the Harts, Samoans, Von Erichs, etc., this should be expected. I don't want to get into who is right and who is wrong here, because the fact of the matter is, even if they are wrong, who are you to question it?

So how should a booker put together a story for the undercard? I have always felt the best approach to this is, as the booker or promoter, imagine you are a nobody breaking into your particular company. How would you go about getting yourself over on your current roster, who would you want to feud with that isn’t currently tied up into one of your main stories on your show? Play it out in your head, mark out for yourself in the role, and then when you feel you have all the kinks worked out on how you would play the part, stop. Look at your roster, see who would best fit into this imaginary character you have created in your mind.

This isn’t complicated, casting agents do it all the time. And the casting agents don't say to themselves, “man I could nail this role!” I hate to sound like a mark here, but know your role. You are a behind-the-scenes person, you job is to help create intricate stories and cast the right characters in that role. Not get yourself over.

If you’re a promoter or booker and you are the Champion or in the main story, you are the guy I’m talking about. Stop it. If you’re the promoter or booker and you are a manager or commissioner, you are guilty of this as well. Your role is a behind the scenes role, I have seen very few guys who could pull off a promoting or booking role and an onscreen role all at the same time. Usually too much ego, greed, and politics get in the way.

Here is an idea, Vince picked the best onscreen role for a promoter or booker. No, not the Mr. McMahon gimmick. The correct answer is commentator, because then you can actively involve yourself in every match, you can see when your workers are doing well and doing poorly, and when your workers can't carry the storyline in the ring (because they are green or if they don't get it yet), you as the booker or promoter can progress their story on commentary, even if they aren't. You serve as the narrator of the book as each of your short stories are told. Remember, it’s all about the business of the match. It also gives you a front row seat to your talent to understand who they are and where they would best fit into your storylines.

If you're a trainer who is no longer an active wrestler, a good role for you would be a referee. I know it might feel like a step down from what you are used to, and can definitely be quite humbling, but look at it like this: your job as a trainer is to help the next generation out. What better place to teach them than in front of a live audience? You can tell them to tighten up their shots or holds if they are looking sloppy, or you can help them recover from blown spots. I know very few good indie refs out there. You as a vet may be able to really help these younger guys and the promoters produce a much tighter show. But don’t forget, if you are out there as a ref, it isn’t about you. So don’t make it that way.

Are you an injured or older vet and have some decent mic skills? Take a step out of the spotlight for a bit, fix your injuries, and coach a rookie. You can really help the next generation out a lot, either by playing the backstage role of a road agent/producer for the rookies’ matches, or as a manager for a young guy who hasn’t mastered the mic yet.

Just some food for thought.

Until next time,
AWV

Cookie Cutter Wrestlers

Note: This article was originally written in 2013 and, as such, is a reflection of said time. Since then, while things have certainly changed a bit (especially with the kick-ass women's revolution and all that jazz and the mainstream embracing the indies), this is still a good general rule of thumb for what the big leagues are looking for. Described below is still an accurate description for those most likely to be successful in this industry.

For a long time, even to this day, WWE has had a mold that they like their wrestlers to fit. It’s a strategic business plan. You don't have to like it, but you need be aware of it.

If you're under 6’, buy lifts. Hell, even if you aren’t under six feet, lifts are never a bad thing to have. Height does matter in Vince McMahon’s eyes. And if they matter in his eyes, that means it matters in the industry’s eyes... but with good reason. Vince is a big guy, hence this shapes his vision of what makes a good professional wrestler. In business and life in general, there is an immediate draw to people who are taller. Here are some fun statistics:

• The average CEO is just under six feet.
• The average US man being 5'9".
• Among CEOs, 58% are six feet or over in the United States.
• Compare that to just 14.5% of US men that are six feet or over.
• Some 30% of CEOs 6'2" or taller.
• Only 3.9% of U.S. men are 6'2" or taller.

There is a subconscious attraction to  taller people. Vince knows this and has successfully exploited it for decades.

Are you plain looking or just flat out ugly? If so, your chances of success have just dropped drastically. Unless being ugly is your gimmick, television and movies have made this a world of pretty people. Vince figured this out with “divas.” The time of super technical, hard-working, high-quality women wrestlers who “get it” is basically over. Sure, occasionally you will find one or two of them out there. But that becomes their gimmick, just the fact that they look different or can work. Vince wants divas to be sex symbols. Why? Because America demanded it. Vince has a largely male audience. And, well, sex sells. Ask yourself, do you think the average American  male would you rather see a wrestling clinic put on by two unattractive women or would  they rather see two Playboy bunnies having a pillow fight? Right, moving on. This applies to men now, as well. And even if Vince doesn't care if a guy is good looking, trust me his people do look to see if you have a face they can put on TV.  I have always told rookies, if you don't have a face that you could see ending up on MTV’s Real World then you have some obstacles to overcome. There are very few ugly or unattractive men in WWE anymore, especially in the younger generation of performers.

If you are out of shape (too skinny or too fat), Vince has little interest in you. Only if you are massively large and out of shape will he raise an eyebrow because of some gimmick he can attach to you. It also speaks to your dedication level if you're not in shape, especially if you are a guy who has a body that could be in shape if you just worked at it. Laziness is not and should not be rewarded.

Until next time,
AWV

Wrestling Gear

Wrestling gear is an often overlooked part of professional wrestling. Before we get too deep into things, let’s set some ground rules. Unless it is directly linked to the visual description of your gimmick, jeans, sweats, and all other normal human being clothing is a no-no. If you look just like the people sitting in the crowd, what makes you special? If you are just one of them, why would they pay to see you? If you have a gimmick shirt you are trying to sell to the crowd, wear it to the ring, then take it the fuck off. If you don't have a good enough body under that shirt to wrestle shirtless, then really, what the fuck are you doing? I thought you wanted to be a pro wrestler? Are you just playing on the indies for fun? If so, please stop and cosplay at a comic con instead. You're killing my business.

Your gear should be an extension of you. Again, this digs into finding or creating an identity. Most people who are following this are novice to the wrestling business, or otherwise not widely known. That means whatever new town you walk into, chances are the people at the show have no idea who you are or what your gimmick is. They don't know if you are a heel or a face. All of this needs to be explained to them the second you walk out the curtain.

Color use. If you're a heel, use a color pattern that defines a heel. If you are a face, use what colors you picture on a hero. Color is important. There is, believe it or not, a psychology to color.

Type of gear. I am always torn on the style of gear to put someone in, there is no overall general answer for that. The better the body you have, the less clothes you should wear. Whether you like it or not, you're a sex symbol. Guys, think about it, do you really care what the divas are wearing? Or do you just want to see less of it? If you're that guy with a good body and good looks, flaunt it. If you the opposite, cover it up.

Which leads to an important point, most indie guys don't have perfect bodies. If you are one of those naturally bigger (out of shape) guys, wear a singlet, at least that helps you look like you belong in a pro wrestling ring. Or even better, get yourself into passable big man shape. There are some guys who are just never going to tone up, they will always have that lineman football player build. Samoans, for example. It’s not their fault, it’s largely genetic. To paraphrase Jules from Pulp Fiction, "I wouldn't go as far to call the brother fat... he's Samoan." But think back to the Wild Samoans or the Headshrinkers. While they may not have had the body of an Adonis, they were always still very large men who you knew had a lot of muscle under that outer layer of Samoan. The Samoans also lived their gimmicks so well that they were able to overcome their initial appearance. I'm sure when you were a kid watching either of these teams, you weren't thinking, “I’d take a poke at these guys and see what happens.” No, their presence in the ring and their own belief in who they were sucked you into their world. A world where it was viable that they could go toe to toe with the Road Warriors, or any other tag team of the day. And more so their presence (not their gear) made it believable that they could win the match.

Boots. You cheap, cheap bastards, have some respect for my ring! There was a time when if you didn't have wrestling boots on you wouldn't be allowed in the ring. Just cough up the $200 or so for boots and make it happen. Most of you guys have already pissed away upwards of $2,000-$5,000 on “training.” Cough up the couple hundred or so bucks on making yourself look like a professional. Currently, it is acceptable to wear amateur wrestling shoes and kick pads to the ring. To me this screams indieriffic. Unless you're a high flyer and this gives you the flexibility to move around the ring better, I am anti-amateur wrestling shoes. Trust me, when you put down the cash for your first set of boots and you wear them for the first time, you will feel what I'm saying about looking professional. It’s like putting on a suit: it gives you confidence.

Pads. I don’t know how or why you kids wrestle without knee pads, but stop that. Be nice to your knees. You will miss them when they are gone. I know I do. My back, too. Cover up your pads with slips that can go over knee pads. Again, this customizes your gear. You are a product in the ring, you are trying to market yourself. Take every opportunity you can to do just that. Advertise who you are. That few inches of plain black cloth is a perfect place to fit something character-oriented in.

This would be a good time to point out that even bland characters are still characters. “No gimmick needed” is in itself a gimmick (rest easy, Chris Candido). Stone Cold in plain black trunks fit his gimmick. Would a guy named Stone Cold come out in some slick, flashy, Ric Flair-looking outfit? Hell no. It fit who he was. Just as your gear should represent who you are. Your gear should be an extension of you. You cannot be defined by your gear or your mask. Your choice in gear should be very specific and should not be based alone on what looks “cool.” Mankind’s outfit wasn't “cool,” but it defined him. Undertaker’s first gear resembled a bad Halloween outfit found at Party City, but it was perfect for him. It was black and grey, reeked of death, and put an immediate emotional image of who that person was based solely on his ring entrance. Take notice, stand out from the crowd.

Until next time,
AWV

A Treatsie on Psychology

Anthony asks, if a heel does his job, should he be cheered after the match? Or get a standing ovation? Plus a treatsie on psychology - the lost art of professional wrestling.

No, though fans play spoilers. Your goal as a heel should be to get an emotional attachment of disdain. If they're cheering for you, they don't disdain you.

The heel isn't a heel just for the sake of being a dick, he should feel justified. Hitler thought he was right. Dahmer followed a physiological urge. The jeers should make the heel feel as if they are against him because of some sordid past. Remember, at the end of the day, the fact that heels do this speaks to some emotional deficit. A hug from someone who wouldn't give it. They want the world to burn.

Don't act. Be.

Never act mad. Be mad. It is the required emotion. The fans paid for that emotion. Give them what they paid for. There have been times, I would work a young guy and think to myself, "this kid had better fire back." And if he did, even if I was booked on top, I'd put him over.

I was Teflon in my given vicinity. A loss couldn't stick to me. There's a difference between being pushed and being over. If you are pushed, you are being pushed down the throats of the fans. And it may bite a booker in the ass. But, if allowed to get over, a booker can't hurt you, even if you lose every match.

The worker's character should come from some pristine mental landscape that he can tap into. When you were a child, you pictured in your head what your match would be like. That is the vision that should be pursued, with acquired knowledge that only the mat and miles can provide.

When we go into a locker room, a new one, we should observe. It is its own tribe. Though we pray to the same God, we worship differently.

Read philosophy. Why? Philosophy is the opposite of religion. It's the justification of self, about deity.

Any situation, every situation you observe, watch for the psychology. If someone asks you a question, more often than not you can guarantee yourself the first question is just a primer for the real question, which is several questions away.

Wrestling psychology is human psychology.

Watch Toddlers and Tiaras. Watch the moms. That is perfect heel psychology. The mothers feel justified. They will swear it's in defense of their children. It's not. Their selfworth is tied up into a contest they aren't even a part of. They will lie, they will cheat, they will curse other children. All because they feel justified.

Wrestlers feel like the only place they can pick up psychology from is watching wrestling, and that's not true. Watch Tony Robbins, the infomercial guy. Watch his body language. Want to learn "wild man" facials? Watch Charles Manson. He is captivating. Watch how animals attack their prey to learn how to move. I frequently watch animal shows to learn how to move.

Watch Pentecostal preachers. Watch how they draw people in with movement. Everybody thinks it's the words. It's not. It's a form of hypnotism. Hand movement, repetitive motion, the long droning talking, rhythmic music in background. Watch the first ten minutes of The Last Exorcism, it briefly goes over exactly what I am talking about here.

And why is all of this applicable to professional wrestling? Because it is all varying forms of performance art.

Think of it this way, let's say you come to a small northeast town. Wrestling has never been there, or hasn't been there in years. No names, all indie guys. The first show the promoter draws the fans with his efforts. The return show, if done right, the wrestlers and angles draw the second show, through work rate and booking.

We are Alpha and Omega. We create worlds and we destroy them. We run the gamut of emotions. Then we clock out and go home. Fans check reality at the door and we impose our reality on them.

This is all a lost secret of pro wrestling. While everyone was so worried about having the most attitude of the attitude era, the time of amazing high spots and extreme wrestling, the art form I am discussing was dying. Maybe rightfully so, who knows. But now, old is new again.

Until next time,
-AWV

Breaking down the psychology of the most common spot in wrestling

Some call it the International. Others the Universal. In other areas it is referred to as the Southern Spot. If ever they discover life on another world that has the wherewithal to produce their own version of professional wrestling, perhaps they would call it the Intergalactic Planetary. In the '50s it was considered a high spot. Flair and Steamboat would do it multiple times per match in their classic series of matches - incredibly effectively, I may add. Today it is something you will see on every wrestling card you go to, likely multiple times. We all know it and we've all seen it, but how many of you really get it? Let's take a deeper look at the oldest spot professional wrestling has to offer.

It's like the most basic of plays in any sport. It should be your fail-safe. Any worker worth his weight in salt should be able to do this in his sleep. It goes like this: headlock, shoot off, tackle, drop down, leapfrog, hip toss, cover. There are tons of variations - after the hip toss, throw in an arm drag or a dropkick, heel powders out of the ring, whatever fits your fancy.

This spot is done to death, so if you have been working longer than a year or and if after reading this article you feel that you have perfected it, try to push the bounds of your creativity. Spice it up a bit and save the standard for the guys who need it. If you are an experienced piano player you shouldn’t still be dabbling with “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Row Row Row Your Boat," and if you are that guy who is a ten year vet and your best high spot is the international, it’s time to up your game... otherwise, investigate other career paths.

If what I listed above is all you really know about the International - the order and variations - you’ve only been taught how to go through these motions. Chances are you haven’t been trained properly. Let’s dig deeper into the psychology behind one professional wrestling's trademark sequences.

THE LOCK-UP

I can’t tell you how many time I want to punch a greeny in the dick when I see them doing a weak-ass lock-up. It basically screams, “hey, look at this fake bullshit pro wrestling we are doing over here.” This is a fight. It’s real (or at least it should be portrayed as such), please stop just going through the motions. You are trying to win, numbnuts. The lock-up is typically the first physical encounter of a match and sets the tone for the rest of the performance. First impressions are everything in this business, so make it count. I can guarantee you that if a promoter or booker sees footage of you and it starts with a weak lock-up, they're turning it off immediately.

Now, before I go any further, I want to put a note to stiff workers: do not beat the shit out of me with your lock-up. We hit hard at first on the lock-up and then loosen up. Think of two cars blasting down the road for a head on collision, the initial impact is going to be explosive, but once that momentum is stopped it’s just two cars pushing into each other. Now it is time to work the magic. Loosen up and let it become a dance. I’m not saying go limp and flimsy like it’s not a fight, but work it with the guy you are locked-up with.

(Note: Depending on your character, if you’re a heel (a bigger or stronger heel), strike fear in your opponent with how fiercely you attack a lock-up. If you are a face, be bold, defiant against whatever the odds are stacked against you. Don’t back down. You are those people in the crowd. Their champion. They are counting on you to defeat the evil heel you are squared off in the ring against.)

THE HEADLOCK

Have you ever been put into a shoot headlock? I feel a trainer should grab a shoot headlock once on every student so that they learn to respect the hold. My trainer choked me out with a sleeper to allow me to gain a full appreciation of a move that is for the most part today solely used as a bullshit rest hold. So I will ask again, have you ever been put in a shoot headlock? If not, let me tell you, in the real world they suck. Blood and air gets temporarily cut off to your brain and your neck feels like it is being crushed in a vice. This isn't a lackadaisical rest hold... the heel is trying to rip the face‘s head off. Both of their body language and facial expressions should match the reality of what is being portrayed. Remember, the headlock was seen as a legitimate finish back in the day, and for good reason. Go watch a heavyweight high school or college amateur wrestling match. Many of them end in a headlock.

Respect the move, it isn’t a filler hold. If you’re a good worker your match shouldn’t have any “filler” or "rest" holds. Make every movement matter. Every move in a match is a word in a sentence. Every spot in a match is a sentence in a paragraph. All of this builds to you telling your story. You need to respect the weight of all of the moves you do to your opponent or that your opponent does to you, the same way a good storyteller respects every word they put on the page.

So now our heel has the baby in a headlock. They are working it and wrenching it. Reciprocally, the face is desperately trying to work their way out of the hold.

Why does the heel wrench the headlock, and when is the right time?

I hate random wrenching on headlocks. Think amateur wrestling. The only time you’re going to wrench a headlock in is when your opponent is trying to escape. Only when the face causes some sort of separation, either by trying to wrestle out or if they were giving you shots should you be dicking around with big, hokey wrenching. If you’re the heel you are trying to pop his head off like a zit, because this may be your quickest route to victory. And what is the goal of every wrestling match? To win.

So what should the baby face do to try to escape?

Everything and anything. Scramble, try to break out of the lock, grab where the heel’s hands meet on your chin and try to pull it away to stop it from crushing you. Try to push the heel’s face away. Do what you would do to try to escape, minus cheating. Just remember to always fight. You wouldn’t just stand there in a legitimate fight, would you?

Here is a fun little secret that I never see young guys doing. Most of you assholes just stand perpendicular when you are in a headlock. I understand this is how you were trained, and that’s a fine starting point when grabbing the headlock. But if the heel can keep you locked into that T position, you would get choked out or dragged down to the mat expediently. So, alleviate the pressure by turning your body so that you can square up to your opponent (face-to-face). The baby face’s head should be somewhere around the center of the heel’s chest while the heel still attempts to hold onto the headlock. Make sure if you are the baby you still show your face to the crowd - make sure they can see it. That’s your money maker.

Once you are squared up it should take away the pressure of the hold, but he’s still got you. You have a couple options here.

THE SHOOT OFF

You, as the face, are now squared up with the heel, who only just has control at this point - but nothing so vital that he can use it to defeat you. I have always been one to just give a shot or two and then, once their grip begins to loosen, I will almost bearhug them to stand them up taller. From there I will lower my base to slip my head out of the headlock. While all of this is happening, I begin to modify my bearhug grip to push my opponent forward towards the ropes, and continue to slip my head backwards out of his grip.

That’s just one way, but there are a ton of shoot off techniques. I would advise reserving the technique where the face backs the heel into the ropes (using them as a slingshot to send the heel off) solely for when the heel is considerably larger than the baby. Because, for a bigger guy, once he gets moving due to the assistance of the ropes, will he be unable to stop himself or slow himself down. This allows you to sneak out the backdoor of the headlock in the process. If you are the face in this scenario, grab the ropes on either side of the heel once you reach them - this gives added stability for both of you and the fail-safe to prevent either of you from tumbling out of the ring through the ropes (I have seen it and to answer your question, yes, it is hilarious).

So now the baby has successfully gotten out of the heel’s headlock. Up next is the shoulder tackle.

(Note: What most of you guys do in the first ten seconds of the match just took me two pages to write out. I am amazed that this isn’t common sense among workers. Yet, every time I explain this stuff to the younger guys, it’s like I am blowing their fucking mind. This business isn’t checkers, kids. It’s chess.)

THE SHOULDER TACKLE

The momentum of the heel hitting the ropes sends him charging back into the face. The face, who is just coming to from his blood flow being cut off and simultaneously shaking off his sore neck snaps out of it - right into a tackle. The psychology of this spot is critical. If you’re the baby face, sell your neck and act dizzy right after the shoot off. Don’t just stand in the middle of the ring with your thumb up your ass and nonchalantly waiting for the heel to rebound into you.

(Note: If you are a huge heel, why not play it off as, "okay, little guy. Want to go that route? I'll play, but you'll lose." Afterward, the heel has his belly laugh from taking the baby down and the baby gets a small bit of fire in his belly from the exchange.)
The action of the tackle is very easy. It’s a bro hug. Go in like you’re going to give him a hug. Then, when he takes the bump, you should explode through it.


(Note: This goes for punches, kicks, clotheslines, and all striking attacks. Come in controlled. Once you have made contact and your opponent is bumping, explode through with whatever you are doing. I hate seeing a tackle where a guy just hits it and looks like he love tapped his opponent. Have you watched football? When guys get tackled they don’t just hit, stop, and stand there. They hit and explode through. If you accidentally explode through too much, just reset and re-position yourself for the next move in the sequence of events.)

Here is something important to factor into this part - the size of the ring. In a sixteen-foot ring, you pretty much can just escape and shoot the heel off. Just in the process of that and the sell, you shouldn’t have to add that much “Hollywood” to it.  In an eighteen-footer, you can drop down to a knee with the shoot off to get the timing down. In a twenty-foot ring, this next step is a must - you may even need to do it in an eighteen-footer, depending on how you sell and what your timing is with your opponent.

If you are working in a larger ring, once you shoot your opponent off, at minimum drop to your knee to show the effort that was put into the shoot off. Be selling the neck and trying to “shake off the cobwebs." Because it’s a bigger ring, that may not be enough. You never want to just be standing there, waiting to take the tackle. If by time you have appropriately shaken everything off and the heel isn’t there to tackle you, pretend that you have “come through” and start an explosive, almost desperate, sprint towards your opponent with your hand raised ready to strike. Your opponent should be running back at you by this time, preparing for you to get obliterated by the shoulder tackle.

You wouldn’t look weak because you, as a baby face, have been getting basically choked and throttled for ten seconds (let someone choke you for real for ten seconds, I promise it takes a lot out of you). Despite your valiant efforts to try to recover, the heel at this point is going to be fresher and has a ton of momentum built up... and he is using all of that to come at you. The face then gets wiped out. Make your heel look strong. Trust me, when you have your comeback in the finish of this sequence, it will make you look all the stronger for overcoming the odds.

If you’re the heel, this motherfucker just got out of your headlock, you were about to crush this kid’s skull. You are peeved that he escaped. When you hit the ropes and see he doesn’t have it all together yet, you explode into him with the shoulder tackle. Make him feel it. Make the crowd feel it. Once you have hit him, pause... Make eye contact so that everyone is on the same page. Shoot the face a look that says, “if you were smart you will stay the fuck down.” Maybe shoot a fan that same look, project a presence of, “if it was you in the ring the exact same thing would happen.” If you are a cocky heel, this is the spot to get your gimmicky stuff in, show your arrogance, let the crowd feel it. You just knocked their hero on the mat, maybe arrogantly brush off your shoulder, make eye contact with a fan and shoot the look, “this is your hero? He ain’t shit.”

DROP DOWNS AND LEAPFROGS (optional)

There is a pause. The heel looks down at the face, challenging him. The heel looks up at the crowd and locks eyes with an audience member. He doesn’t need words to tell them, “this could be you. Try me. I dare you, motherfucker.”

As a face, don't just lay down on your back. Sell up, reach for your opponent - give them a reason to hit the ropes.

The heel floats over and charges the ropes again. Why? Because the heel has just discovered inertia: that a car running fifty miles-per-hour will kill a pedestrian. The baby face feeds up. Optionally, you can add in leap frogs and drop downs as the baby evades the freight train heel.

(Note: I have said this a lot, but I am going to drill it into all of your minds. Attack with all of your moves. While the drop down has basically become strictly a move of evasion today, it was at one point an attack. Yes, it’s a move. You dive at your opponent’s shins to take them out. If you ever wanted to take the bump off this rather go with the face bump or my personal favorite, take a flipping bump like you would from a kitchen sink. When you throw a leapfrog, attack with it. Charge at your opponent and, almost as if you changed your mind to reset for a different move, explode out into a leapfrog. Intensity is key. As an added bonus, have your opponent try to come at you with a telegraphed clothesline off the ropes to give your leapfrog more meaning.)

HIP TOSS (and, optionally, arm drags or a powder)

Finally, our hero (the baby) delivers a comeuppance when they hip toss the heel. If you’re the face and you’re going to be giving this hip toss, please don’t be standing in the middle of the ring, telegraphing this move. You literally can be squared up with your opponent, moving in for an attack and then quickly change your body language into the hip toss position. So, psychologically speaking, you catch them off of their guard, which is what made them susceptible to the hip toss itself.

If you are ending here with the hip toss, please cover him. For the love of the wrestling gods, you are trying to win the match. Right?

However, if you are going into the arm drag, arm drag, dropkick, powder deal, realize a few things:

If you are the heel, you’re in bump-and-feed mode. You take the hip toss, but bounce right up. You’re mad now, so you feed up and throw a left handed punch to try to stop the face’s momentum. The baby face arches back to avoid the punch, and captures the arm into an arm drag. One more big bump, then a dropkick by the baby face. By this point, the heel realizes its time to get out of Dodge and powders out. This effectively establishes the "walking tall" face and the "chickenshit" heel.

THIS IS THE MOMENT OF ENGAGEMENT. If you have done this spot correctly, you should have the crowd hooked in. They should clearly know who the villain and hero both are. If you are the baby, engage the crowd to let them know, “we are gonna win this thing together.” Remember, you are an extension of them, they are living vicariously through you. If you’re a villain, make the crowd feel your frustration. As you are gathering your cool, remember that you’re the heel. Engage the crowd in some way. Don’t be an asshole and just do cheap heat, be unique and make it your own. Believe in what just happened to you. Feel the anger and own it. This will help keep the audience engaged to the show you are putting on.

Now, what did that just accomplish? Usually the heel will be the bigger guy. So he bumps the baby, but really shows no skill, just sells his size. The baby overcomes and out-wrestles the heel (tradition dictates the baby should be the better wrestler than the heel, but this isn't a 100% rule). The heel shows his true heart and chickenshits. This is all encased in the shine, where we establish the baby as being technically superior to the heel.

This is all very basic, Wrestling 101. Yet, I’m amazed at how many people don’t even know this very simplistic stuff. If you’re the guy that veterans yell at and say, “he doesn't know how to do a headlock right, yet he is throwing 450s,” this article is directed at you. Some will never get it and that’s what vets are bitching about.

Don’t get me wrong, we are glad that you can do cool flips, but you are as useful to me as the backyarder who can get hit with paint cans, moving vehicles, and other garbage. Promoters and trainers don’t look for the most athletic guy or the toughest guy, that’s so one-dimensional. They look for the smartest guy. The guy that can turn into a worker to carry all the meatheads out there who just think its about a look; or all the hardcore guys who think it’s just about toughness; or those high flyers who think its all about sequences and spots; or the overly gimmicked up guy who thinks all you need to do is know how to talk and wear cool gear. No, no, no, no, NO.

While all of those are great bases to build off of, it’s psychology and intelligence that separates the cosplayers from the professionals and the mediocre from the best. All of the other things I just listed are great attributes to learning and excelling at the art, business, and psychology of wrestling, but none of those alone will make you successful.

So, that is the most basic spot in pro wrestling. Not so simple, huh? I hope you all learned something, and appreciate all the work that can and should be going into your craft.

Until next time,
-AWV