My sincerest apologies for not explaining myself. My name is V, The Inquisitive. I am one who desires to entertain while being entertained, particularly in the form of professional wrestling. It is not the moves in the ring nor the politics in the back that concern me, but who the wrestlers are and why they are performing in that ring.
As to why I keep my identity secret, in times past when I made my assessments, the wrestlers themselves or their managers have shared their... distaste on pointing out their weaknesses in such detail. Knowing full well what can happen to people even outside the industry, I have chosen to wear this mask over my writings. I desire to spark a revolution, thus, I chose to mimmick my persona of the infamous "V".
Today, I'd like to go into some of my terminology as well as how I define certain people in wrestling. As I stated before, I don't believe in the original terminology used anymore because of the recent shifts in the evolution of wrestling.
I define style and personality, not how popular or not popular they are. Many of your may recognize some of the terms from gaming, but I realize that there are many similarities in the general fighting styles thereof.
High Flier- A wrestler whose signature moves involve getting off the ground. I find there are two types of flying; High and Low Altitude. High Altitude has moves which are either on or over the top rope. Low Altitude has moves which get them off the ground, but do not use the top rope (such as the 619, or even the Stinger Splash). (Example: The Hardy Boys)
Bruiser- A wrestler who deals more damage to an opponent than he can take himself, often using intricate slams, any weapon he can get his hands on, and sometimes even martial arts. (Example: Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Tank- A wrestler who can take insane amounts of damage and uses few simplistic but brutal moves to take down opponents, often times much larger than most of his opponents. (Example: Viscera)
Technician- A rare sight anymore, but a man who uses by-the-book techniques and primarily submission holds to get the job done. (Example: Kurt Angle)
Psychological- With various degrees of talent, these men use scare tactics during and before matches in order to strike fear into opponents hearts, or use outside influence in order to turn the tide of a match. This can range from something as simple as taunting an opponent with a signature insult, or as intricate as performing demonic rites on the daughter of the owner of the company. This is often dual-classed with another style and fits well with just about any situation. (Example: Boogieman)
I usually denote a "Super" in front of the style if the wrestler particularly excels in a certain area. I usually put wrestlers over seven feet tall with the title of tank as "Super Tank", or a master of both low and high altitude (such as Ultimo Dragon or Rey Mysterio) as "Super Fliers".
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Personalities-
Some may call it a gimmick... I call it artistic expression of one's inner self. The samurai were considered warrior poets and the gladiators of old were willing to kill one another to please the crowd for their survival. Often their popularity meant life or death. When it comes to one's career, not much as changed in this respect. Putting ethics of a wrestler aside, this is based on personality type and not whether or not they are popular.
The Freak: There must be a special release program in mental institutions for ultra-violent inmates which allows them to put their dangerous tendencies to a profitable but legal use. Though psychotic or just plain weird in taste, these people are almost always unpredictable in nature, or so far out of social stereotypes that they are the trend setters. (Example: Daffney, Luna Vachon, Raven, Abyss)
The Otherworldly: Whether they reside in hell, are a vampire, or claim to have supernatural powers from another source, they have a psychological edge which few can maintain. While they tie in nicely with the Freak personality, some of them are not insane at all, but cold and calculating or zealous for their beliefs. (Example: Gangrel, The Undertaker *all eras but American Bad Ass*, Papa Shongo)
The True Heart: The staple personality of jobbers, very very few can pull this off correctly. Men who place all who they truly are in a world of masks can seem vulnerable,.but those who can amplify their true selves rather than losing themselves in surnames to protect their hearts can be the most dangerous ones of all. (Example: Mick Foley, The Undertaker *American Bad Ass Era*)
The Suits: Those who are more comfortable in the business world will even wear suits either before a match or sometimes during a match. Though beyond that arrives something more cunning, as they tend to be men of the law. Whether it is obeying it, bending it... or downright raping it, the rulebook at least appears to be their Bible. These are the politicians, the rich champions, and the people most likely to bring in outside interference to do their dirty work. (Example: I.R.S., Right To Censor, Main Event Mafia)
The Narcissist: From the cocky new rookie that everyone loves, to the greedy veteran trying to get all the stroke in the company, it's all about one thing; themselves. Though this mentality is required in general to survive the wrestling industry, these people make a commitment to not even respecting those around them in order to make their mark in the world. They are the prettiest, strongest, kiss-stealing, wheeling and dealing types. (Example: Shawn Michaels, Rick Flair)
The Prankster: They're here to have fun and get a charge out of ruining someone's day. Though they get serious, it's more about having some serious fun at the expense of someone they think deserves it. Though not a common gimmick anymore, this was the bread and butter of Degeneration X.
The Challenger: This personality takes a lot of forms and is what I consider the most common. They are here to test themselves and their beliefs in order to claw their way to the top. Sometimes they have a strong sense of what they consider justice and challenge those who oppose their ways, others just pick and choose their enemies carefully in order to get ahead of the game. Whether the man scraping through all foes to get a championship, or the underdog jobber trying to win his first match, it is the core heart of wrestling and a reason in and of itself to be a contender. (Example: Barry Horrowitz, HHH, Batista)
