Wrestling LINGO: Call - Dusty Finish

Continuing our education of the Wrestling World this is Part Two of a Multi-Part Series about Wrestling Lingo and Termanology. Don't forget to check out Part One of this Series "Wrestling LINGO: Abortion - Busted Open"


C

Call, When one wrestler instructs the other of what is going to happen in the match.

Canned heat, when cheers or boos are pumped into an arena via the sound system or added to a television show in post-production. It is also known as "sweetening the crowd".

Card, the lineup of the matches that will be staged at a given venue for a given performance.

Carry, the act of one wrestler doing most of the work (selling moves, calling spots) to make a match watchable.

Catchphrase, a phrase or expression that is repeated in promos and interviews to encourage crowd interaction.

Championship, in kayfabe, a recognition of a wrestler being the best in his or her promotion or division in the form of a championship belt (also "title" or "strap"). Outside of kayfabe, championships are won/held by a wrestler whom the bookers believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership.

Cheap heat, when a wrestler (often a heel) incites a negative crowd reaction by insulting the crowd (for example, by insulting the city, or a local sports team) or by using a news event as part of his promo.

Cheap pop, when a wrestler (often a face) incites a positive crowd reaction by "kissing up" to the crowd (for example, mentioning the name of the city, or complimenting a local sports team).

Cheap shot, when a wrestler uses a low blow or a foreign object to get an advantage over his opponent.

Chemistry, when two wrestlers work well together by pulling off each others moves well and telling the story well to the audience.

Circus, derogatory reference to a promotion's extensive use of cartoon-type gimmicks. Often used in reference to the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s and early 1990s, due to gimmicks such as clowns, animal mascots and wrestlers adopting animal-like characteristics.

Clean finish, when a match ends without cheating or outside interference, usually in the center of the ring. (compare "screwjob")

Clean house, when a wrestler eliminates everyone in the ring, either in a battle royal or during a save.

Closet champion, a current titleholder (usually a heel) who ducks top-flight competition, cheats to win (often by managerial interference), and – when forced to wrestle good opponents – deliberately causes himself to be disqualified (since titles often do not change hands by disqualification) to retain his title.

Clubberin', a rain of heavy blows from TWO WRESTLERS, usually during a tag team match, in one teams corner; the brawling style of wrestling. Coined by "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

Cluster or Clusterfuck, a large fight in the middle of the ring with a huge number of wrestlers which is used to end a match or show.

Color, a term used by wrestlers and promoters to discuss the amount of bloodshed in a match, i.e. "getting good color" would end up looking like a Crimson Mask.

Color commentator, the commentator who adds interest and excitement to matches. Often biased towards the heel. Typically a former pro-wrestler.

Crash TV, a style of booking characterized by short matches and promos. So named because of the sheer amount of TV slammed into a show. Popularized by Vince Russo.

Crimson mask, a face covered in blood (see also "Muta scale").

Curtain jerker, the first match on the card, or a wrestler who wrestles in the first match of the card, especially on a regular basis.

D

Dark match, a non-televised match at a televised show used to warm up the crowd (compare "house show"). A dark match before the show begins is usually used to test out new talent (often local to the event). A dark match after the show typically features main-event level wrestlers either to sell more tickets, or send the crowd home happy.

Daydreaming, A term used to refer to someone laying down for the pin.

Dead weight , when a wrestler goes limp in the middle of a move. This could be done intentionally, either to make his opponent look weak or just rib him, or unintentionally because the "dead weight" wrestler is unfamiliar with the cooperation needed to pull off a particular wrestling hold (or just not paying attention). An example of unintentional dead weight would be Hulk Hogan's body slam on Zeus during the 1989 Survivor Series where Hogan had to rely entirely on his own strength to lift the relatively untrained Zeus. See also Sandbag.

The Deal, another term for title belt.

Dirtsheet, a newsletter, magazine, or website that portrays wrestling as scripted entertainment, rather than portraying it as a sport. Dirtsheets often offer backstage information and gossip about wrestlers and others involved in wrestling.

Diva, generally synonymous with valet, but can refer to any woman involved in wrestling, either as "eye candy" or as a wrestler. This term originated from WWE. See also Superstar.

Do business, when two wrestlers work together to get a match or an angle over. Also when a wrestler does a job or angle when asked regardless of whether it helps him/her.

Dogging, to put in minimal effort.

Doing business on the way out, to job before leaving a particular promotion.

Double-clutch, to hesitate and bounce before jumping off the top rope, resulting in limited airtime and height.

Double juice, when two wrestlers blade during a given match. Can be expanded to "triple juice", "quadruple juice", etc.

Double turn, the rare occurrence when both the heel and the face switch roles during an angle or a match. The best example of this is the Bret Hart/Steve Austin match at WrestleMania 13.

Down South: a term used to refer to World Championship Wrestling or any other Southern-based promotion (including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling). (Compare: Up North)

Draw, to be able to attract the attention of the audience.

Drawing Power, Having recognition with the fans as a star, someone fans pay to see.

Dropping the strap, when a titleholder agrees to be booked to lose the title to a contender

Dusty finish, an ambiguous finish to a match where either wrestler can be claimed the winner. The term refers to Dusty Rhodes, who booked many such finishes in NWA and later in WCW.



More to come in the weeks ahead so stay tuned!!

-- BoneDaddy