In my previous video about the rules of a pro wrestling match, I tried to not use too many inside or wrestling only terms, but here are a few that might be helpful. This isn't going to be a definitive glossary as there's a really good one on wikipedia for that, just some words that are commonly used that a new fan might not know. If you're not a new fan let me know in the comments what words or phrases I've missed that should be in a future part.
Babyface/Heel - A babyface, or face for short refers to a good guy, and a heel is the bad guy. This is similar to the old Westerns clearly defining their heroes and villains by the wearing of white hats and black hats. It's usually easy to tell who the good guy wrestler is, because the adult male fans will hate them just because and for no better reason. ***Admit it lads, we've all boo'ed the top babyface because he wins too much, or because he somehow looks good in jorts, or because you girlfriend has a massive crush on-ahem. Moving on...
The unofficial record for most turns between heel and babyface belongs top the Big Show, who over a thirty year in ring career, turned thirty six times. Them's some pretty worrying mood swings.
Booker - Less common but still around these days, a booker is the person in charge of the creative direction of a wrestling show or promotion, from what actually happens on shows to who is booked on them. Nowadays bigger companies have either a committee or a writing team, but the final say still usually falls with one person in charge, often the wrong person but more on that another day. The creative direction of a promotion is still often referred to by fans as 'booking'. It's even more often referred to as 'bad booking' whether it actually is or not.
Kayfabe - a term that comes from carny speak, kayfabe is an odd word to define. A similar word might be 'canon' as in kayfabe refers to what is being done in storyline or canon terms, rather than backstage or real life. You might use it in such a way as "in kayfabe, Ricochet was badly enough injured that we might never see him again, but in real life he's probably going to the other company for a shitload of money."
Blading - This is one of a few words used to describe the act of a wrestler cutting themselves, usually on the forehead, to draw blood. Other words you might hear include juicing, gigging, getting colour, bashing the bishop, spanking the monkey or choking the chicken. Wait, what were we talking about again? Blood is typically used to add more drama to a wrestling match, though some wrestlers clearly have a kink for it. As the old and slightly cynical adage goes, red equals green, meaning that a blood feud will always draw a paying crowd back to the arenas. Wrestlers will often hide a sharp object or 'blade' somewhere on them, or will be handed it by a referee, and will use it at the opportune time, or if you're reffing a Jon Moxley match, whenever he damn well asks for it so it seems.
Dirt sheet - This used to refer to specific newsletters, which were the primary source for fans to get behind the scenes information, mixed with ridiculous rumours, from inside the business. Nowadays this is a catch all term for the many, many websites that report on inside information usually behind a paywall, the aggregate sites that report on those reports, and the twitter accounts that clickbait the lot of it. Basically, always consider the source, and if they look shifty don't believe them...
Outlaw mudshow - a fairly modern term used by more negative fans and wrestling personalities, often to dismiss anything unusual, comedic or quirky, that doesn't fit traditional standards. While I at first included this to be a sarcastic, there is a serious point to be made here. Please please please, like what you like, and don't hate on other fans for liking what they like. There's too much of that these days, and it just makes everyone dislike each other more than they naturally would. As you delve deeper into wrestling quite frankly, you'll see some mad shit. Some good, some bad, but thats all subjective. Well, nearly all subjective. Some things are universally mocked.
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