Pro Wrestling FAQ

Professional wrestling is a form of athletic entertainment where the outcomes are predetermined, but the physicality is very real. The moves, falls, and stunts require years of training and carry genuine risk of injury. Wrestlers are highly trained athletes who work together to tell stories in the ring. The term used in the industry is "worked" — matches are choreographed in broad strokes but improvised in the details, similar to stunt performers in action films.

Kayfabe is the practice of presenting the staged elements of professional wrestling as real — treating characters, rivalries, and storylines as genuine both on camera and publicly. Maintaining kayfabe means a villain (heel) wrestler wouldn't be seen being friendly with a hero (face) wrestler outside the ring. While the internet era has made strict kayfabe rare, promotions still use it to protect the entertainment experience. Breaking kayfabe means stepping outside the fictional world.

A face (short for babyface) is a heroic or fan-favorite character — someone the audience cheers for. A heel is a villain — someone the audience boos. These roles drive wrestling storylines. Wrestlers can switch roles — a "heel turn" is when a fan favorite suddenly becomes a villain, often one of the most dramatic moments in wrestling. Some wrestlers occupy a middle ground called tweeners. The crowd reaction often determines these roles as much as the booking.

A promo is a spoken segment where a wrestler addresses the audience, the camera, or another wrestler — in the ring, backstage, or in pre-recorded video. Promos advance storylines, establish characters, and build anticipation for matches. The ability to cut a compelling promo is considered one of the most important skills in wrestling, entirely separate from in-ring ability. Legendary promo cutters include The Rock, John Cena, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho.

A work is anything planned and scripted — a rehearsed match, a scripted promo, a staged confrontation. A shoot is something real and unscripted breaking through the fiction — a genuine argument, an off-script comment, or a real injury. A worked shoot is content deliberately designed to blur the line between real and scripted to create intrigue — like CM Punk's famous 2011 "pipe bomb" promo that felt authentically real but was at least partially planned.

To "go over" means to win a match or emerge from a segment looking stronger. "Putting someone over" means deliberately losing to make the other person look better — an act of generosity considered important for the long-term health of the product. "Getting buried" is the opposite — being made to look weak repeatedly in ways that damage your credibility. A wrestler being "pushed" is being positioned as a major star through booking decisions.

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is the largest and longest-running major promotion, founded in 1953. Its flagship shows are Raw (Monday, Netflix) and SmackDown (Friday, USA Network). WWE is known for large-scale production, mainstream celebrity crossovers, and global reach. AEW (All Elite Wrestling) was founded in 2019 and quickly became WWE's main competitor. AEW's flagship shows are Dynamite (Wednesday, TBS) and Collision (Saturday, TNT). AEW is known for a more in-ring focused product, longer matches, and appeal to hardcore wrestling fans. Both companies regularly feature world-class talent.

TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling is the third-largest wrestling promotion in the US, founded in 2002. Known for its high-flying X Division style and six-sided ring (in its early years), TNA airs Impact Wrestling on AXS TV every Thursday at 8PM ET. TNA has featured many former WWE and WCW stars alongside homegrown talent over its history. The promotion has undergone several ownership changes but remains a significant alternative to WWE and AEW.

WWE Raw on Netflix is the most accessible starting point in 2026 — it airs Monday nights and Netflix makes it easy to catch up. WWE SmackDown (Friday, USA Network) features a slightly different roster and is equally beginner-friendly. Both shows are designed to stand alone without needing deep historical knowledge. For a more wrestling-focused product with longer matches and a harder-working in-ring style, AEW Dynamite (Wednesday, TBS) is excellent. Use our Watch Guide to find where and when every show airs.

WWE's main titles include the WWE Championship (top SmackDown title), the World Heavyweight Championship (top Raw title), the WWE Intercontinental Championship, the WWE United States Championship, the Women's Championship (SmackDown), the Women's World Championship (Raw), the World Tag Team Championship (Raw), and the WWE Tag Team Championship (SmackDown). NXT has its own separate title hierarchy. See the current champions on our Champions page.

PPV stands for pay-per-view — historically, major events fans paid to watch beyond their cable subscription. WWE now calls these PLEs (Premium Live Events) since they air on streaming and cable rather than traditional pay-per-view. These are the biggest shows of the year with major championship matches and culminating storylines. WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank are WWE's biggest PLEs. AEW's flagship events include Double or Nothing, All In, and Dynasty. See the full 2026 PPV schedule.

WrestleMania is WWE's flagship annual event — often called "The Grandaddy of Them All" and considered the most prestigious show in professional wrestling. First held in 1985 at Madison Square Garden, WrestleMania typically takes place over two nights in a major stadium each spring. It features the biggest matches of the year, major title changes, celebrity appearances, and elaborate production. WrestleMania is to wrestling what the Super Bowl is to American football.

The Royal Rumble is WWE's most unique match format — 30 wrestlers enter the ring one at a time at 90-second intervals. Competitors are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor. The last person standing wins. Held annually in January, the Royal Rumble winner earns a world championship match at WrestleMania — making it one of the most coveted victories in wrestling. There are separate men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

Money in the Bank is a ladder match where competitors climb a ladder to retrieve a briefcase hanging above the ring. The briefcase contains a contract for a world championship match redeemable at any time — including immediately after a champion has just defended the title when they're tired and beaten. This "cash-in" creates dramatic, unpredictable moments that can change championship history in seconds. WWE holds an annual Money in the Bank event each summer. See the 2026 date and location.