Pick A Winner

One thing I get asked a lot when people find out what I do is how a winner is determined and how much of the match is planned. As you are familiar, professional wrestling is considered "fake." Watching someone who has never had a match try to figure one out is like watching someone try to figure out a magic trick. You're subjected to all manner of outlandish theories and misdirected nitpicking. I think this scrutiny is needless and condescending to the guys who work.

I'm going to give you a brief walk through of what happens from the locker room to the final bell. Hopefully, this answers some questions. For the sake of this example, we will assume that the card is posted when the first wrestler enters the dressing room. You don't always know who you're working(wrestling) beforehand.

The promoter is the one who determines the winner and loser. The decision could be based on any number of criteria, from furthering a storyline to just giving the fans a reason to cheer a victorious babyface( good guy). He usually either tells everyone the results, or finishes, himself or gives them to the referee(s) to deliver.

Often the instruction will be as simple as "Babyface over. Clean." That would mean that the good guy is to win with no shenanigans involved in the finish. Sometimes, a condition is given. "Heel over. Use your manager to help you cheat." That would mean that the bad guy will win, but that his manager(advisor or valet who watches the match from the outside of the ring. Think Jimmy Hart, Jim Cornette, Bobby Heenan. Miss Elizabeth) will have to directly or indirectly cheat to cost the good guy the match.

In my experience, a fully scripted match or ending is rare. Places I've never worked might be different in this regard. Even when specific conditions are requested, wrestlers are generally given the creative freedom to come up with their own way to fulfill the scenario. The promoter might want approval of your idea. They usually at least want to know what you're going to do, if only to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

The rest is up to us, the workers. This is where it comes down to individual style. Some guys like to "call" every last punch and kick. Others may take the other extreme and "call it in the ring", which is to say he wants to improvise everything. No matter the style, it is most common to at least call the finish, any unusual moves, and "change of heat" spots( Where a wrestler ends his opponent's offense and takes the offense himself).

I'm reasonably comfortable improvising, but I like to have the heat changes and finish planned out. I find planning every single move in a match is very difficult. I'm always concerned that if something is missed, that the match's flow will be interrupted. It could also lead to two guys staring at each other like idiots when a move goes wrong. Working on the fly also helps to rectify moments just like that.

The actual in-ring part of the night is a separate topic unto itself, but I will say one more thing about the actual match: getting the finish right is the most important part of the actual match. Even if the whole match was full of mistakes. Even if the crowd didn't react at all. No matter what...get the ending right. Messing up a finish will almost always get you a stern-talking to at the very barest minimum. Plan on getting chewed out and just hope it's not too bad.

I'll tackle an actual match in a future post. I don't think this can be put any simpler. I love putting together matches. Every one is unique, no matter how many times you've worked with your opponent.

I hope this is a help. I've given this exact speech almost word-for-word dozens of times and it's nice to get it in writing.