There is a man who comes into my work every day who wears WWF tee shirts and I don't think I have seen him wear the same shirt twice. The first thing he does is change the wallpaper on the desktop of the computer he is renting to a girl in a bikini. He then proceeds to pay 20 bucks to sit for 6 hours and chat in wrestling forums. He looks at WWF web pages and only WWF web pages while eating Cheetos and snickering nefariously; at what I cannot even begin to imagine.

He once came in wearing a tee shirt that was advertising a WWF book of some sort; the slogan for the book was:

"...the BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN!"

I nearly killed him.

I think people who criticize professional wrestling as stupid are stuck up.

When you sit back and think about it, what real difference is there between a Shakespearean play and professional wrestling? The only non-subjective difference is the fact that the people participating in professional wrestling are better athletes, and usually (but not always) worse actors.

Who has the right to criticize another's form of entertainment? As long as no one is hurt, why disparage a form of entertainment that is enjoyed by millions world-wide?

Now that professional wrestling doesn't even try to pretend it's real, accept it as a form of entertainment, up there with jazz, ballet, poetry readings, stock car races, football, baseball and curling.

If you have never tried watching professional wrestling, try it. You'll like it if you enjoy kung fu movies or liked The Matrix.

And the book, it's probably an advertisement for Mick Foley's autobiography. Also known as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind, he was one of the most hardcore of the hardcore wrestlers. Used to do barbwire matches, and weird deathmatches in Japan that involved him, legendary wrestler Terry Funk, some concertina wire, and small amounts of C4 explosive. The book, which I read during an airplane flight, was a surprisingly interesting read. Not great literature by a long shot, but it's obvious that he actually wrote it himself. It's a look at professional wrestling from the inside, but with the refreshing fact that he's not burdened with trying to prove that it's 'real'.

What Professional Wrestling Is

At its simplest, professional wrestling is a scripted direct physical competition between two or more competitors. A match begins with the ringing of a bell and ends when a certain winning condition is met, most frequently a pinfall or a submission, though a wide variety of gimmick matches exist. This definition may seem unsatisfyingly vague, but the fact is that professional wrestling encompasses a wide variety of spectacles, from matches that look like little more than a public bloodletting to high-flying matches that seem more like a gymnastics competition than wrestling.

Historically, professional wrestling has taken its cues for what a match should look like from amateur wrestling, and some of that style can still be seen in more technical wrestlers such as Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle. However, professional wrestling has, as any observer can see, grown to display a style very different from amateur wrestling. Moves such as the piledriver, powerbomb and atomic drop, though popular in Cantonese cuisine, are not often to be found in amateur wrestling. Similarly, the striking moves used in professional wrestling such as punches, kicks, the knife edge chop and the clothesline are illegal in amateur wrestling.

In recent years (from 1980 onward), the content of wrestling shows has changed and gone in two very different directions. On the one hand, you have "sports entertainment", Vince McMahon's vision of a stronger emphasis on storylines, acting, and character development, with diminished time in the ring. On the other, you have the attempt to make the in-ring product more entertaining, such as the innovative high flying and fast pace of Tiger Mask, Dynamite Kid, Jushin Liger, Rey Misterio, Jr. and Chris Benoit, or the gory brutality of the Japanese death match, popularized by Atsushi Onita, Terry Funk, and Mick Foley. In recent year, McMahon's style in the WWE has drifted away from the "crash tv" concept used in the late 1990's, which saw racier, more adult-oriented angles and ultra-short, over-booked matches populating the show. Ironically, with what seems to be a dry spell of creativity in the booking of the WWE of late, the good wrestlers have been given more time in which to work, and matches have been better as a result.

A Brief History of Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling as we know it today started out on the carnival circuit over a hundred years ago. While production value has gone up considerably, it's remarkable how much of the carny mentality still permeates the business. A number of terms used behind the scenes are directly descended from carny terminology, such as kayfabe, work, shoot, angle and mark. Even in this day and age where the secret is out and wrestlers aren't required to kayfabe when outside the ring, many people inside the wrestling business think in terms of working an angle on others, whether those people are the fans or other wrestlers.

Wrestling contests at carnivals first showed up in the post-Civil War period, brought over by Irish and German immigrants. The carnivals would usually have a few wrestlers who would wrestle each other or issue open challenges for money. Generally, these matches had a 15 minute time limit, and the challenger could win either by pinning the star or by simply lasting the whole time limit. Avoiding the pinfall was generally an easy task for any accomplished wrestler, but there was a possibility of a particularly wily or tough local being able to survive for 15 minutes. Usually, the wrestler would have some unusual hold, illegal in competition, to neutralize the local, but the carnival workers were not above simpler kinds of treachery: sometimes the wrestler would maneuver the local near the curtain at the back of the ring and a carnival worker would whack him on the head with a 2 by 4 or a baseball bat.

Throughout the 1890's and into the 1900's, wrestling waxed in popularity, up to the point in 1908 when Frank Gotch, pioneer and expert at "catch-as-catch-can" wrestling, faced "The Russian Lion", George Hackenschmidt, to determine the world's champion. Hackenschmidt, with his incredible physique and powerful upper body, was strongly favored to win. Prior to that bout, he had been undefeated and won most of his matches in 10 minutes or less. Imagine his surprise, as well as that of the audience, when the match had lasted over 2 hours without a single fall. After 2 hours and 3 minutes, Hackenschmidt submitted to Gotch's famous toehold, and during the break between falls forfeited the match. Stories vary as to the hows and whys, with many people, including Hackenschmidt himself, claiming that Gotch was fighting dirty, oiling up his body to evade Hackenschmidt's grasp and using illegal tactics. Most sources conflict on this, with few of them having any more significant evidence than any others. If it was indeed a competition, and not a work, I think it most plausible that both competitors were a little rough with each other, but that neither of them violated the rules any more egregiously than the other.

Gotch and Hackenschmidt had a rematch on September 4, 1911, three years after their original bout. The match was heavily promoted, but as the date drew nearer, Hackenschmidt reported having troubles with his knee, which had bothered him previously in his career. According to reports that came out many years after the match took place, Hackenschmidt approached the event organizers about calling off the bout, but they feared the backlash if they cancelled the event. As a result, they got Gotch and Hackenschmidt to agree to work the match, with Gotch letting Hackenschmidt win one of the three falls to save face, but winning the match. During the actual match, however, Gotch supposedly doublecrossed Hackenschmidt, winning the match in two straight falls. Gotch held onto the title until the day he retired, two years later. Hackenschmidt never wrestled again.

Pro wrestling hit a dry spell in the 1910's, partially due to bad press over Gotch's wins. Things picked up once the 1920's came around, however, with the rise to power of Ed "Strangler" Lewis. Lewis used the devastating (at the time) headlock, and his mean look and his intensely contested feud with Joe Stecher helped enhance his popularity. Though his appearance and skills got him to the table, it was his alliance with Toots Mondt (future father of the WWF) and Billy Sandow that cemented his place in wrestling history. They were known as The Gold Dust Trio, and they controlled the two dominant organizations at the time. It was the Trio's work, booked primarily by Toots Mondt, that really began to see the potential of worked matches, focusing on the finish as an important part of the match. It's important to understand, though, that at this time wrestling was still seen as legitimate. Ed Lewis was viewed as the premier star of wrestling in the same way that Babe Ruth, Red Grange, and Jack Dempsey were perceived as the stars of baseball, football, and boxing.

While the 1920's were a very profitable time for the Gold Dust Trio and the wrestling business, the Great Depression hit wrestling hard, as entertainment was one of the first expenses families would cut out with their limited budgets. Professional wrestling's downturn continued up through World War II, not long after which the National Wrestling Alliance was formed.

For further history from that time up to more present days, consult the fine writeups at the WWF, NWA, WCW, and puroresu nodes. I also recommend consulting the URLs I list at the bottom of the page, as this really was an overview of wrestling's history, and by no means complete.

Why Professional Wrestling Matters

I must admit, this is extremely difficult to write. Being a professional wrestling fan can make one awfully defensive, particularly in a relatively intellectual forum. I've written and deleted about three or four different approaches in my scratchpad; all of them ended up being bitter rants, and I don't want you to think that the good in pro wrestling is defined by exclusion of the bad. There's something actively good here, the kind of fundamental goodness that you can look at, hold up, and say, "Dammit, this is what it is to be human." The kind of goodness that makes culture.

There's a lot of creativity and innovation to be had in wrestling, but the best professional wrestling is a reflection of the society in which it occurs, a representation of the moral compass of the local culture and a larger than life exposition of their world view. Sometimes that world view is one where the bad guy accosts the good guy, challenges him, and subsequently loses, such as in the WWF in the 1980's with Hulk Hogan. Other times, that world view is one where the good guy is someone who gets beaten down repeatedly by the bad guy and only gets a win in the end, such as in ECW with Tommy Dreamer or in Memphis with Jerry Lawler. Still other times (more interesting times, if you ask me), the fans are still working out for themselves how they feel.

Take, for example, the feud pitting Ric Flair against Ricky Steamboat in the NWA in 1989. Steamboat was a family man, the archetypical face. Ric Flair was, well, Ric Flair: kiss stealin', wheelin', dealin', jet-flyin', limousine ridin', stylin' and profilin' son of a gun. The story here was that Steamboat defeated Flair for the title at Chi-Town Rumble, and faced Flair in a two out of three falls rematch at Clash of the Champions VI. However, the real story and conflict here is not between the wrestlers, but is internal to the crowd. Each man sitting in that audience had the same dilemma: root for the staid, responsible, and ultimately good Ricky Steamboat, or the morally-questionable womanizer Ric Flair, whose talent was matched only by his willingness to cut a corner or bend a rule to win. Ricky Steamboat was the man the fans knew they should be: the family man who does right by his fellow man. But Ric Flair was the man they wanted to be, the glamourous playboy strutting down the aisle surrounded by beautiful women, restrained by no one. The women had no less difficult a decision. Ricky Steamboat was a good guy, a man who deeply loved his wife and took care of her and their children. But Ric Flair was the bad boy, the strong, handsome rebel who did what he pleased, the kind of man that these women had fantasized about ever since they first saw a Camaro. While Flair and Steamboat were putting on what is possibly the greatest professional wrestling match ever in that ring, an equally profound battle was taking place in the hearts and minds of all in attendance.

That match ended in a tie, and Flair and Steamboat went on to have yet another rematch at WrestleWar '89, which Flair won, which was what the fans really wanted. They wanted Flair, because he was their aspirations, their cliche'd hopes and dreams; he was their diary entry that hubby wasn't allowed to see; or he was their private fantasy that they thought about every time they readied that quarter on their scratch-off lottery ticket. Personally, I feel sorry for Ricky Steamboat. He didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he did everything right. But in a society where it's better to burn out than to fade away, and in a society where the most sought-after freedom is to be as free as a bird, responsibility and maturity always come in second.


Sources:
The Sandow Museum: George Hackenschmidt. http://www.sandowmuseum.com/page28.html
This Day in History: 9-4-11, Hackenschmidt vs Gotch II *detailed description of events*. http://www.neowrestling.com/posts/33.shtml
The History of Pro Wrestling. http://www.angelfire.com/hi/homeofwrestling/pwhistory.html
Neo Wrestling Presents: Ed Lewis. http://www.neowrestling.com/bios/edlewis.shtml
The WAWLI Papers. http://www.twc-online.com/wawli

Got a good grasp on what professional wrestling is? Good, you'll need it. What follows this paragraph is an extensive listing of various aspects of professional wrestling. The people, places, moves, and history that we all love, or hate. From America to Japan, several nations are represented in this, Version 3.1 of the Profession Wrestling Metanode (Now alphebetized for your protection!). If anything, and I do mean anything is missing from any of the categories below, do not hesitate to get in contact with me. Also, several links are blank, so please, fill them up with good nodes, this list contains something for everyone, even the kiddies.

People:

Wrestlers

2 Cold Scorpio
Ahmed Johnson
Al Snow
Amish Roadkill
Andre The Giant
Animal
Arn Anderson
A-Train
Balls Mahoney
Bam Bam Bigelow
Barry Horowitz
Barry Windham
Bart Gunn
Big Dick Dudley
Big John Studd
Big Show
Bill DeMott/Hugh Morris
Billy Gunn
Billy Kidman
Blitzkreig
Bob Backlund
Bobby Duncum Jr.
Booker T
Bradshaw
Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Brian Christopher
Brian Pillman
British Bulldog
Brock Lesnar
Brooklyn Brawler
Bruno Sammartino
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake/The Disciple
Bubba Ray Dudley
Buff Bagwell
Bull Buchanon
Charlie Haas
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chief Morley/Val Venis
Chris Benoit
Chris Chetti
Chris Jericho
Chris Nowinski
Christian
Chuck Palumbo
Classy Freddie Blassie
Crash Holly
Curt Hennig/Mr. Perfect
Danny Doring
Dan "The Beast" Severn
Dave Batista
David Flair
Dean Malenko
Disco Inferno
D'Lo Brown
Doink The Clown
Dr. Death Steve Williams
Dusty Rhodes
D-Von Dudley
Dynimite Kid
Earthquake
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Ed "Strangler" Lewis
Eric Angle
Ernest "The Cat" Miller
Essa Rios
Evan Karagious
Frank Gotch
Funaki
Gangrel
George Hackenschmidt
George "The Animal" Steele
Giant Baba
Gillberg/Duane Gill
Godfather/Papa Shango
Goldberg
Goldust
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Hardcore Holly/Sparky Plug
Hawk
Hillbilly Jim
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Horace Hogan
Iron Sheik
Irwin R. Scheister
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jamal
Jamie Noble
Jeff Hardy
Jeff Jerrett
Jerry Lynn
Jim Niedhart
Joe Stecher
John Cena
Jushin Thunder Liger
Justin Credible
Justin Credible
Juventud Guererra
Kamala
Kane
Ken Shamrock
Kevin Nash/Diesel
Kid Kash
King Kong Bundy
K-Krush
Konnan
Kronus
Kurt Angle
Lance Storm
La Parka
Marc Mero/Johnny B Badd
Mark Henry
Marty Janetty
Masato Tanaka
Matt Hardy
Maven
Max Mini
Meng
Mickey Whipwreck
Mick Foley/Cactus Jack/Mankind/Dude Love
Mideon
Mike Awesome
Mortis
Nathan Jones
New Jack
Nikolai Volkov
Norman Smiley
Nova
Nunzio/Little Guido
Ole Anderson
Owen Hart
Psychosis
Randy Orton
Randy Orton Jr.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Raven
Raven
Razor Ramon/Scott Hall
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Ric Flair
Rick Martel
Rick Rude
Rick Steiner
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Rico
Rikishi
Road Dogg Jesse James
Rob Van Dam
Rocky Johnson
Ron Simmons/Farooq
Rosey
Sabu
Sargent Slaughter
Saturn
Savio Vega
Scott Norton
Scott Steiner
Scotty 2 Hotty
Scotty Riggs
Shane Douglass
Shawn Michaels
Shawn Stasiak
Shelton Benjamin
Sid Vicious/Psycho Sid
Spike Dudley
Stanislaus Zybyzko
Steve Blackman
Steven Richards
Stevie Ray
Sting
Superfly Jimmy Snuka
Taka Michinoku
Tazz
Ted DiBiase
Terry Funk
Test
The Barbarian
The Great Sasuke
The Honky Tonk Man
The Hurricane
The Rock
The Sandman
The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimo Dragon
The Undertaker
Tiger Mask
Tommy Dreamer
Toots Mondt
Triple H
Typhoon
Vampiro
Van Hammer
Vincent
William Regal
X-Pac/Syxx/The 1-2-3 Kid
Yokozuna
Yoshihiro Tajiri

Tag Teams

2 Insane
3 Minute Warning/The Island Boys
Ace Men
Akbar's Army
Allied Powers
Amazing French Canadians
American Eagles
American Force
American Males
Arabian Butchers
Atomic Blondes
Atomic Pair
Awesome Twosome
Bad Attitude
Bad Boys
Bad Breed
Badd Company
Bad Men
Bad News Brawlers
Barrio Brothers
Batten Twins
Beach Boys
Beauty and the Beast
Beverly Brothers
Big Bad and Dangerous
Black and Bold
Blackjacks
Blade Runners
Bolin Services
Boogie Nights
Booker T and Goldust
British Bulldogs
Brothers In Paint
Brothers of Destruction
Bruise Brothers
Calgary Hurricanes
Canadian Country
Canadian Power House
Can-Am Express
Colossal Connection
Colossal Kongs
Compadres
Continental Warriors
Convertible Blondes
Cowboy Connection
Creative Control/Disciples of Apocolypse
Cuban Commandos
Cyberpunks/Pg-13
Dangerous Alliance
Dangerous Mindes
Dare Devils
Dark Carnival
Death Rifers
Demolition
Destruction Crew
Destructores
Devastation Inc.
Devil's Duo
Diamond Exchange
Ding Dongs
Dirty White Boys
Disciples of Synn
Disciples of the New Church
Disorderly Conduct
Doom
Dos Hombres
Double A Team
Down and Dirty
Dynamic Dudes
Dynamic Duo
Dynamic Flyers
East-West Connection
Fabulous Blondes
Fabulous Freebirds
Fabulous Kangaroos
Fabulous Rougeau Brothers
Faces of Fear
Fantastic Express
Fantastic Ones
Fantastics
Far Two Wild
Fire and Ice
First Family
Freak Foundation
Gangsta-Nators
Gangstas
G-EGGS
Glamour Order of Discipline
Hardcore Legends
Hard Knox
Hardliners
Harlem Heat 2000
Harlem Heat
Head Cheese
Heavenly Bodies
Hell Bent and Whiskey Bound
Hell's Angels
High Energy
High Flyers
High Impact
High Voltage
Hollywood Blondes
Hot Commodity
Hot Stuff International
Ice Palace
Interns
Islanders
Japanese High Flyers
Japanese Jollyjackers
Jive Tones
Judge and Jury
Jumping Bomb Angels
Jung Dragons
Jurassic Powers
Kaientai
Kansas Jayhawks
Kelly Twins
Kentuckians
Killer Bees
Kiwis
Kiwi Sheepherders
Knoble and Karagias
Knock Out
Kronik
Latin Connection
Leaders Inc.
Legends
Legion of Doom/The Road Warriors
Lethal Weapons
Lightning Explress
Long Riders
Lords of the Air
Los Conquestadores/Low Especialistos
Los Diabolicos
Los Gringos Locos
Los Guerreros
Mad Men
Madris
Manchurians
Masked Hoods
Masked Superstars
Master Blasters
Masters of the Powerbomb
Megamaniacs
Megapowers
Men At Work
Men on a Mission
Miami Vice Defenders
Midnight Express
Midnight Rockers
Mighty Yankees
Minnesota stretching Crew
Minnesota Wrecking Crew
Miracle Violence Connection
MOD Squad
Money Inc.
Mongols
Montana Cowboys
Moondogs
Motor City Hitmen
Murder Inc.
Nasty Boys
Natural Born Attitudes
Natural Disasters
Natural Dragons
Natural Gang
Naturally Marvelous
Natural Powers
Nature Boys
New Age Outlaws
New Breed
New Dangerous Alliance
New Fantastics
New Infernales
New Wave
Nightmares
No Gimmicks Needed
North-South Connection
Old Glory
Old School
Olympians
Orient Express
Original Inshingun
Payasos
Phantoms
Polish Powers
Power and Glory
Powers of Pain
Powers that Be
Pretty Wonderful
Pretty Young Things
Public Enemy
Punishers
Quebecers
Red Demons
Renegade Wariors
Rhythm and Blues
Rising Suns
Rock and Roll Express
Rock and Sock Connection
Rough and Ready
Royal Kangaroos
Royal Treatment
RPMs
Russian Assassins
Samoan Connection
Samoan Swat Team
S and S Express
Sheepherders
Sheiks
Shoot Club
Sicilians
Sinister
Skyscrapers
Smoikin' Gunns
Soul Patrol
Southern Boys
Southern Justice
Southern Rockers
South Pacific Connection
Speed Demons
Sper Assassins
Spiders
Spiritual
Spoilers
Stars and Stripes
Strike Force
Sudden Impact
Suicide Blondes
Super Destroyers
Super Infernos
Sweerwater Texans
T & A
Team 2000
Team Madness
Team No Fear
Team Package
Tekno Team 2000
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas Bone Crushers
Texas Broncos
Texas Outlaws
The Acolytes/Acolyte Protection Agency/APA
The Alaskans
The Andersons
The Assassins
The Australians
The Blackbirds
The Blackhearts
The Body Donnas
The Bolsheviks
The Bounty Hunters
The Brainbusters
The Burning
The Bushwackers
The C and B Connection
The Clones
The Creatures
The Dudley Boyz
The Eliminators
The Enforcers
The Executioners
The Extremists
The Glamour Girls
The Godwinns/Southern Comfort
The Grapplers
The HAas Brothers
The HEadbangers
The Headshrinkers
The Holly Cousins
The Hurri-Kanes
The Impact Players
The Infernos
The Insiders
The Kamalas
The Kingdom of Madness
The Koloffs
The Mamalukes
The Matrix
The Medics
The New Church
The Outlaws
The Outsiders
The Perfect Event
The Perfect Team
The Pitbulls
The Redneck Messiahs
The Revolution
The Royal Family
The Russians
The Shooters
The Steiner Brothers
Three Count
Thrillseekers
Thugs
Thugs for Hire
Thugz and Guts
Thunderfoots
Too Cool/Too Much
Top Guns
Totally Buffed
Triangle of Power
Tribal Nation
Triple xXx
Twin Towers
Two Dudes With Attitudes
Two Man Power Trip
Ultimate Maniacs
United Forces
United Powers
Untouchables
Uptown Boys
U.S. Express
U.S. Males
Utter Turmoil Vegas Connection
Vicious and Delicious
Viet Cong Express
Villanos
WAVE
WCW Patriots
Wild Bunch
Wild Samoans
Wildside
Wings
Wizards In The Air
Wrecking Crew
Wrestling Machine
Young Guns
Young Pistols
Young Stallions
Zambuie Express

Stables

bWo/Blue World Order
Camp Cornette
Degneration X
Disciples of Apocalypse
Dungeon Of Doom
Evolution
Full Blooded Itialians
JOB Squad
Los Boricuas
Million Dollar Corporation
Natural Born Thrillers
nWo/New World Order
nWo Wolfpac
Pretty Mean Sisters
Right To Censorship/The RTC
Team Angle
Team Extreme
The Alliance
The Blue Bloods
The Brood
The Clique
The Corporate Ministry
The Corporation
The Filthy Animals
The Four Horsemen
The Hart Foundation
The Ministry of Darkness
The Nation of Domination
The Oddities
The Radicalz
The Un-Americans\Team Canada
Truth Commission
West Texas Rednecks
X-Factor

Managers

Bill Alfonso
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Brother Love
Diamond Dallas Page
Jimmy Hart
Michael Hayes/Dok Hendrix
Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle
Paul Ellering
Paul Heyman

Divas

April Hunter
BB
Beulah
Chastity
Daffney
Dawn Marie
Elektra
Francine
Gorgeous George
Jackie Gayda
Jacqueline
Jasmin St. Clair
Jazz
Kiberly Page
Linda Miles
Lita
Luna Vachon
Midajah
Miss Elizabeth
Missy Hyatt
Molly Holly
Muffy
Nicole Bass
Nidia
Sable
Sara Calloway
Sharmell Sullivan
Stacy Kiebler/Mrs. Hancock
Tammy Lynn Sytch/Sunny
Terri Runnels
The Kat/Miss Kitty
The Nitro Girls
Tori
Torrie Wilson
Trish Stratus
Tylene Buck/Major Gunns
Victoria
Woman

Business People/Owners

Ted Turner
Paul Heyman
Vince McMahon
Linda McMahon
Shane McMahon
Stephanie McMahon

Commentators/Announcers

Howard Finkel
Jerry "The King" Lawler
Jim Ross/Good Ole J.R.
Joel Gertner
Joey Styles
Jonathan Coachman
Kris Kloss
Larry Riveria
Larry Zybysko
Lillian Garcia
Mean Gene Okerlund
Michael Cole
Mike Tenay
Scott Hudson
Tazz
Tony Schiavone

Celebrities

Aretha Franklin
Ashanti
David Arquette
Drew Carey
Insane Clown Posse
Limp Bizkit
Master P
Mike Tyson
Mr. T
Pete Rose
Ray Charles

Moves:

Common moves

Armdrag Takedown
Backslide
Baseball Slide
Belly to Belly Suplex
Body Slam
Brainbuster
Bulldog
Clothesline
DDT
Dragon Screw
Dragon Suplex
Dropkick
Drop Toe Hold
Enziguri
European Uppercut
Fallaway Slam
Fisherman Suplex
German Suplex
Inside Cradle
Irish Whip
Knife-Edged Chop
Northern Lights Suplex
Piledriver
Powerbomb
Powerslam
Pump-Handle Slam
Samoan Drop
School Boy
Side Russian Leg Sweep
Snapmare/Hairmare
Standing Switch
Suplex
Tiger Bomb
Tiger driver

Off The Top Rope

450 Splash
Double Axe Handle
Flying Elbow Drop
Flying Headbutt
Frog Splash
Hurrincanrana
Missle Dropkick
Moonsault
Splash/Plancha
Superplex

Wrestler Specific

619
Chokeslam
Lionsault/Asai Moonsault
Lou Thesz Press
Oldschool rope walk and punch
Rolling German Suplexes
Rolling Thunder
Side Effect
Step Over Heel Kick
Van Daminator
Van Terminator
Whisper In The Wind

Submission moves

Abdominal Stretch
Ankle Lock
armbar
Boston Crab
Camel Clutch/Steiner Recliner
Crippler Crossface
Crossface Chickenwing
Figure Four Leg Lock
Haas Of Pain
Million Dollar Dream
Regal Stretch
Rings of Saturn
Sleeper
STF
Surfboard Stretch
Tarantula
Tequila Sunrise
The Sharpshooter/Scorpion Deathlock
The Trailorhitch
Torture Rack
Triangle Choke
Walls Of Jericho/The Liontamer

Finishers

5 star Frog Splash
Acid Drop/Dudley Dog
Alabama Slam
Amityville Horror
Angle Slam/Olympic Slam
Baldo Bomb
Buff Blockbuster
Clothesline From Hell
Diamond Cutter
Downward spiral
Edge-o-cution
Eye Of The Hurricane
F5
Green Mist
Greetings From Asbury Park
Jackhammer
Jacknife Powerbomb
Leg drop of DOOM
Ligerbomb
Low Down
Miracle Ecstacy
No Laughing Matter
Pedigree
Perfect-Plex
Razor's Edge/Outsider's Edge
Rock Bottom/The Bookend
Roll The Dice
Shattered Dreams
Shining Wizard
Shooting Star Press
Sky High
spear/Gore
Stone Cold Stunner
Swanton Bomb
Sweet Chin Music
Tazplex
The Big Boot
The Hollycaust
The Last Ride
The Meltdown
The People's Elbow
The Snow Plow
The Stroke
The Whippersnapper
Tombstone Piledriver
Twist Of Fate
Unprettier
Vertebreaker
West Coast Pop

Double Teams

3-D/Dudley Death Drop
Conchairto
Poetry In Motion
The Doomsday Device

History

Federations

National

All Japan Pro-Wrestling
ECW
Gaiju Big Battel
Michinoku Pro
National Wrestling Alliance
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
NWA-TNA
Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Toryumon
WCW
WWE/WWF/WWWF
XPW

Regional

OVW

Title Belts

HWA Heavyweight Title
HWA Cruiserweight Title
HWA Tag-Team Titles
NWA World Heavyweight Title
NWA World Tag-Team Titles
NWA-TNA X Division Title
OVW Heavyweight Title
OVW Southern Tag-Team Titles
OVW Light Heavyweight Title
OVW Hardcore Title
WCW World Heavyweight Title
WCW United States Heavyweight Title
WCW World Tag-Team Titles
WCW Cruiserweight Tag-Team Titles
WCW Hardcore Title
WCW Television Title
WWE World Title
WWE World Heavyweight Title
WWF Light Heavyweight Title
WWE World Tag-Team Titles
WWE Smackdown Tag-Team Titles
WWE Women's Title
WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWF European Heavyweight Title
WWF Hardcore Title
WWE Cruiserweight Title
XPW World Heavyweight Title
XPW King Of The Death Match Title
XPW World Tag-Team Titles
XPW Television Title
J-Crown

Events:

Matches

Boilerroom Brawl
Brawl For All
Cage Match
Casket Match
Elimination Chamber
Hair vs. Hair Match
Handicap Match
Hardcore Rules Match
Hell in a cell
Ironman Match
Japanese Death Match
Kennel From Hell Match
Ladder Match
Mask vs. Mask Match
Paddle on a Pole Match
Scaffold Match
Strap Match
Street Fight
Table Match
Tag Team Match
The Royal Rumble
Tornado Tag Team Match
Triple Threat Match

Pay Per Views

Armegeddon
Backlash
Fully Loaded
King Of The Ring
No Mercy
No Way Out
Starrcade
SummerSlam
Superbrawl
Survivor Series
The Royal Rumble
Wrestlemania

TV Shows

WCW Monday Night Nitro
WCW Thunder
WWE Confidential
WWE Jakked
WWE Monday Night Raw
WWE Smackdown
WWE Sunday Night Heat
WWE Velocity

Terminology:

Babyfrace Embrace
Backyard Wrestling
Blow Up
Bump
Cheap Pop/Cheap Heat
Dark Match
Face/Babyface
Heel
House Show
Hulkamania
Jobber/Jobber To The Stars
Kayfabe
Lucha Libre
Pop/Heat
Puroresu
Ring Apron
Ring Psychology
Ringside
Run In
run-in
Shoot
Smark
Sports Entertainment
Spot
squash
Stable
Stiff
Stretcher Job
Swerve
Tap Out
The Squared Circle
Turnbuckle

Video Games

Def Jam Vendetta
ECW: Anarchy Rulez
ECW: Hardcore Revolution
Fire Pro Wreslting
Legends of Wrestling 2
Legends of Wrestling
nWo/WCW Revenge
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Smackdown 2: Know Your Role
Smackdown 3: Just Bring It
Smackdown 4: Shut Your Mouth
Tecmo World Wrestling
WCW Backstage Assault
WCW Mayhem
WCW Nitro
WCW: Superbrawl
WCW vs. nWo World Tour
WCW vs. The World
WCW World Championship Wrestling
WWE: WrestleMania 2000
WWE: WrestleManiaX8
WWF: Attitude
WWF: King of the Ring
WWF: Raw
WWF: Royal Rumble
WWF: Smackdown
WWF: Steel Cage Challenge
WWF: Super Wrestlemania
WWF: Warzone
WWF: With Authority
WWF: Wrestlemania Challenge
WWF: Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game

Other:

A Night With The WWE
Austin 3:16
Billionaire Ted's Wrasslin' Warroom
Bonehead Wrestling Maneuvers
Cactus Jack gets amnesia
"Garbage" Style Professional Wrestling
InsurreXtion Plane Ride Home
Is Wrestling Fixed?
I Want to be a Hulkamaniac
Jobber's Entrance
Mick Foley winning his first WWF Championship
Ode to Folding Chairs
Real American
Signs In The Crowd At Wrestling Events
Spanish Announce Table
The all-time best moments of professional wrestling
The all-time worst moments of professional wrestling
The Future Stars: my intro to backyard wrestling
The Montreal Incident
Undertaker Nortel sells better than you do
Vince McMahon's Gulp Of Fear
WWE Brand Extension

sources:
The thing that rattles around in my head
The Jobbers at the Everything Professional Wrestling Noding Coalition of DOOM
and more websites than I could possibly shake a stick at (let alone several sticks)

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