In my own words, pro wrestling is a sport, of sorts, that features various styles of striking and grappling techniques. I say of sorts because modern pro wrestling is generally not considered a sport and instead falls under “sports-entertainment”. This is because along with the physical action, there are pre-determined results, over-the-top storylines and other elements that portray pro wrestling as more of a circus show than a legitimate sporting event.All pro wrestling events consist of a series of matches which are generally contested in a four sided ring, although six-sided rings are not uncommon.
Most matches are between two wrestlers but there are a wide variety of different match types, so it could be 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 1-on-2, 1-on-1-on-1, etc.
Matches begin with the wrestlers making their entrance to the ring, which consists of music and flashing lights. The purpose of this is to get the crowd into the upcoming match. Each wrestler has their own type of entrance, so each arrival is unique.
Every match has a referee, who is in charge of starting and ending the match and to maintain order in the ring [although that rarely happens]. Once the wrestlers get in the ring, the referee orders for the bell to be rung and that starts the match.
A match can be won either by pinfall, submission, disqualification or count-out.
For a “pinfall”, the most common way to win a match, one wrestler has to hold their opponent’s shoulders to the mat for three seconds, which is counted by the referee. A wrestler can break the pin count by raising one shoulder off the mat, pushing the opponent off or by touching the ropes either with their hand or foot before the referee reaches the count of 3.
A “submission” occurs when one wrestler grabs ahold of a joint of their opponent and twists or squeezes to cause a great amount of pain, such as an ankle lock or a choke of some kind. In order for the match to end by submission, the wrestler in the hold has to repeatedly tap the mat [a tapout]. Once the wrestler in the submission taps out, the opponent releases the hold and is awarded the victory. However, a wrestler can also break the hold without ending the match by touching the ropes with their hand or foot.
“Disqualifications” occur when one wrestler performs an illegal move [like a low blow], physically strikes the referee or hits an opponent with a foreign object [like a chair]. Pretty much, DQ’s are called at the discretion of the referee, so some infractions may get called and some may not. If a wrestler is called for a disqualification, the match is stopped and the other wrestler automatically wins.
Matches are, for the most part, supposed to stay inside the ring. To help enforce that, wrestlers can only remain outside of the ring for 10 seconds, which is counted by the referee. If the referee reaches the count of ten and one of the wrestlers is outside the ring, that would be considered a “countout” and the wrestler that is inside the ring wins the match. If both wrestlers stay outside the ring when the referee reaches the count of 10, then the match is ruled as a “double countout” and no one wins.
After a wrestler wins the match, the referee signals for the bell to be rung again and the match officially ends. Although the results are determined before the match begins, pro wrestling is still a very physical activity that requires a good sense of timing. Wrestlers usually train for a couple of years in order to properly perform the maneuvers.
Wow, that was a lot longer than I planned. Anyway, I’ll end this post with an example of a full wrestling match.
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