PSYCHOLOGY, or: Stop doing shit that doesn’t make sense, and start doing shit that does make sense.

Arguably the thing most lacking in professional wrestling today is a sense of realism emanating from the product. The type which makes the audience’s suspension of disbelief come naturally. Now you may be asking, what do I need to add to my match or overall product achieve that factor? The answer is simple: good ol’ fashion psychology. Otherwise known as logic (which in itself is known as "stop doing shit that doesn’t make sense and start doing shit that does make sense").

Professional wrestling is a predetermined, theatre in the round exhibition which showcases drama and athletic prowess. There is absolutely no denying or escaping that. That being said, it is up to us as performers to put on a show so compelling that the fact of wrestling being “fake” is left in doubt or forgotten altogether by the audience. To quote what Johnny Valentine said to a young Roddy Piper, "I can't make you believe wrestling is real, but I sure as hell can make you believe that I am." This is impossible if at any time in the match, angle, storyline, or promo, a fan points to something and says, “that doesn’t make sense. Why did they do that?” Or, “that doesn’t look real.”

The easier of the two problems, “that doesn’t look real,” is solved by a simple motto I was taught when I was still training and have held near and dear to my heart ever since: tight is right. This doesn’t mean take an Idaho road trip and start potato farming (AKA stiff the shit out of each other). It means a little bit of contact doesn’t hurt anyone (unless they’re a crybaby. In which case they’ve entered the wrong profession). Tighten that shit up. Nothing’s worse that seeing so much daylight between a punch that it gives you a third-degree sunburn. Don’t be afraid to connect. Just take it in moderation.

Now that we’ve solved that, it takes us to the more problematic of the two issues at hand: things not making any goddamned sense. We live in an age of wrestling where the overall athletic abilities of the average professional wrestler are much greater than years past. And that is a good thing, but as Uncle Ben said after being shot to shit, “with great power comes great responsibility.” And the great power that today’s athletes possess is just that, in their athletic prowess, with the responsibility being not to use it to wrestle like a complete asshole.

This means being able to logically and reasonably justify everything that you do in a match, holding it to a standard as if the bout was a legitimate contest. Asking yourself, “why?” Not, “why not?”

Far too many workers do things because they look cool and not because they make sense. Listen, I’m not saying everything needs to be dull and blasé, without any room for innovation. I am saying it is fine to do cool new things. Just figure out how to logically put them into your match, not just cramming them in there because you want to.

Another huge problem that is related to this is the modern concept that a match can or should be made up of a series of overly convoluted, choreographed spots. In this case, just because you are working hard does not mean you are putting on a good match. Let me tell you, nothing sucks all of the emotion (and therefore, interest) out of a match faster than when the contest stops looking like a legitimate fight and starts looking like two guys waiting for the other to get into place for the next flashy move sequence they have planned. Work smarter, not harder.

An aspect of wrestling often looked over in these spotfests is the art of selling. Selling is arguably the most important thing bell-to-bell. It heightens the emotion (and thus, interest level) involved in the match, whether it be because you are rooting for your hero to overcome the villain or you are finally seeing that same villain get his just desserts.

By not selling, it also takes all of the hard work you put in to do these flashy moves and makes them mean dick. What is the point of a sick looking move if a guy no-sells it? It makes it look ineffective in the fans' eyes. And if something looks that brutal and it isn’t sold, it takes us back to the very root of the problem - to a fan watching it doesn’t make a lick of sense.

That’s psychology in a nutshell. Use it and cherish it, or please do us all a favor and get the hell out of my business.

Until next time,
-AWV