Shoot (professional wrestling): Difference between revisions

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*{{short [[description|Professional wrestling slang]]term}}

In [[professional wrestling]], a '''shoot''' refers to any event that is unplanned and spontaneous: that is, it is real, not staged.

[[Category:{{Professional wrestling slang]]sidebar}}

{{for|Japanese sport|Shoot wrestling}}

A '''shoot''' in [[professional wrestling]] is any unplanned, unscripted, or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. It is a [[carny]] term shortened from "straight shooting", which originally referred to a gun in a [[Traveling carnival|carnival]] [[Carnival game|target shooting game]] that did ''not'' have its sights misaligned. Terminology such as this reflects the professional wrestling industry's roots in [[traveling carnival]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingperspective.com/UnrealVideo.html |title=Unreal Stories Review In Wrestling Perspective |publisher=[[Wrestling Perspective]]|access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

Initially, the term referred to practice or ability in [[catch wrestling]] as a legitimate sport. It has since come to mean any [[Legit (professional wrestling)|legit]] attack or fight in professional wrestling regardless of the combat system employed, and its meaning has broadened to include unscripted events in general. The opposite of a shoot is a [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#work|work]] or [[kayfabe]]. 'Shoot' may also refer to legitimate 'shooting' for a [[Takedown (grappling)|takedown]], as in interscholastic, amateur, and Olympic wrestling.

==Occurrences==

Professional wrestling is staged entertainment rather than a sports competition. As such, virtually everything in pro wrestlingit is [[workWork (professional wrestling)|worked]] (part of the show), and shoots occur rarely occur. Shoots in general are against the nature of the business, similar to an [[actor]] [[ad-lib|ad-libbing]]bing or dropping character during a performance. Performers who shoot during a wrestling event are often punished, or(often evenby outlower rightpay firedor sincerelegation itto isopening thoughtbouts) thator even fired, since they cannot be trustedrelied on to act according to the [[bookerBooking (professional wrestling)|bookers']]' wishes. Shoots can also occur when wrestlers stop cooperating in a match. This may occur to teach one of the wrestlers "a lesson" for whatever reason, or if a wrestler has an issue with the promoter and intentionally makes the match look bad.

===Fan interference===

While the term technically only applies to wrestling performers, crowds also cause shoots by interfering in events, usually by assaulting a wrestler. For example, if a wrestler was standing at ringside, some of the spectators will throw objects at him/her. A famous example of this involved a fan punching [[Vampiro]] during a crowd brawl at a [[World Championship Wrestling]] event causing both him and his opponent to attack the fan.

While the term technically applies only to wrestling performers, crowds also cause shoots by interfering in events, usually by assaulting or attempting to assault a wrestler. Fan interference and violence was prevalent in the [[Northeastern United States|northeastern]] and [[southern United States]] from the mid to late 20th century, where many wrestling territories became known for offering violent action to a rabid, fiercely loyal audience which largely believed in what it was seeing.

In 1988, during a steel cage match between [[Randy Savage|"Macho Man" Randy Savage]] and [[Ted DiBiase|"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase]] at New York City's [[Madison Square Garden]], a fan jumped the guardrail during a tense moment in the match. DiBiase, recalling the incident in his autobiography, yelled for [[Virgil (wrestler)|Virgil]] (DiBiase's bodyguard, who was attempting to interfere in the match) to knock the man down, which he did, before security led the suspect away as the match played out as intended (Savage knocking the heads of DiBiase and Virgil together before escaping the cage).<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/88.htm |title=WWF @ Pontiac, MI - Silverdome - January 1, 1988 |publisher=Thehistoryofwwe.com |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

Shoots can also occur when wrestlers stop co-operating in a match. This may occur to teach one of the wrestlers "a lesson" for whatever reason.

In 2002, during a [[ladder match]] between [[Eddie Guerrero]] and [[Rob Van Dam]], a fan jumped the guardrail, got into the ring, and knocked over the ladder while Guerrero was climbing it. Guerrero noticed what was going on, landed on his feet, and kicked the fan a few times before security took him away.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/020527.html |title=Online World of Wrestling |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |date=2002-05-27 |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

==Shoot Interview==

Some interviews or [[promo (professional wrestling)|promos]] during wrestling shows are described as being a "shoot", when a wrestler will refer to something "real world" (such as a wrestler's real name or unscripted real incidents) these are portrayed as being unscripted and genuine. In the case they aren't, this can be seen as an example of the writers breaking the [[fourth wall]] and attempting to court the certain cache of fans who are interested in shoots, and are more accurately described as [[#Examples of worked shoots|worked shoot]].

During a match with [[Bray Wyatt]] at a WWE [[house show]] in [[Victoria, British Columbia]] in August 2015, [[Roman Reigns]] was struck in the head by a metal replica [[Money in the Bank ladder match|Money in the Bank]] briefcase thrown by a fan. Reigns was momentarily dazed by the incident, but was able to continue the match.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/08/09/roman-reigns-hit-in-the-head-with-briefcase-tossed-by-fan/|title=Roman Reigns hit in the head with briefcase tossed by fan|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2016-09-22}}</ref>

A "true" ''shoot interview'' is generally conducted and released by someone other than a wrestling promotion. They are conducted out of character with a wrestler generally being interviewed about their career and asked to give their opinion on other wrestlers and specific events in their past. While some wrestlers used these as an opportunity to insult people or promotions they dislike, many are more pleasant. These shoots are often released on [[DVD]].

==Other=Worked Shootsshoots===

'''Worked shoot''' is the term for any occurrence that is scripted by the creative team to come off as unscripted and therefore appear as though it were a real-life happening but is, in fact, still part of the show. This can be seen as an example of the writers breaking the [[fourth wall]] and attempting to court the fans who are interested in shoots (i.e., events outside the traditional in-ring wrestling matchups). Notable characteristics of a worked-shoot include the mentioning of terms and information generally known only to industry insiders and "smart" fans. This community of "smart" pro-wrestling fans are sometimes referred to as "[[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Smark|smarks]]".

Example of spontaneous events that are not shoots include mistakes by wrestlers (these are known as [[botch (professional wrestling)|botches]]), which [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] fans started responding to with ruthless chants of "You fucked up!", or matches where the wrestlers are good enough to not need to plan and rehearse beforehand, and make it up on the spot as time dictates.

The related term '''"shoot-fighting"''' is often used by wrestling fans to refer to [[mixed martial arts]] competitions, which, while superficially similar to wrestling matches, are actual athletic competition rather than [[Sports entertainment|scripted entertainment]].

A major example of a worked shoot occurred on the June 27, 2011 ''[[WWE Raw|Raw Roulette]]'', where [[CM Punk]] delivered a [[Glossary_of_professional_wrestling_terms#promo|promo]] popularly known as a "pipebomb" promo. In it, Punk aired his grievances with WWE at the time and announced he would leave the promotion [[Money in the Bank (2011)|three weeks]] after his promo with the [[WWE Championship]] (Punk would sign a new contract during the time period); the promo was not cut off until Punk attempted to mention bullying issues within the company. In order to provide an air of legitimacy, Punk received a [[kayfabe]] suspension from the company following the promo.<ref name="World Wrestling Entertainment">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2011-06-27/mcmahon-suspends-punk|title=WWE chairman Vince McMahon suspends CM Punk|date=June 28, 2011|access-date=June 28, 2011|publisher=[[WWE]]}}</ref>

Drawing from this related term, a '''shooter''' or '''shoot-fighter''' is not a wrestler with a reputation for being uncooperative but one who uses legitimate [[Catch Wrestling|hooking]] skills as a [[gimmick (professional wrestling)|gimmick]]; a prime example being [[Dean Malenko]], who used "The Shooter" as a [[nickname]] (see also [[legit (professional wrestling)|legit]]).

==ExamplesShoot of shootsinterview==

A "true" ''shoot interview''" is generally conducted and released by someone other than a wrestling promotion. They are conducted out of character with a wrestler, promoter, manager, or other insider generally being interviewed about their career and asked to give their opinion on other wrestlers, andpromotions, or specific events in their past. While some wrestlers used these as an opportunity to insult people or promotions they dislike, many are more pleasant. These shoots are often released on [[DVD]], end up on [[YouTube]] or other video sharing websites, or as a part of a wrestling [[podcast]].

While shoot interviews generally occur outside a show, one rare example of a shoot interview ''during'' a televised show occurred on October 23, 1999, when [[Doug Gilbert]], then with the [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] independent promotion [[Power Pro Wrestling]], turned a televised interview intended to further a feud with [[Brian Christopher]] into a shoot that soon led to the demise of the promotion. Gilbert publicly exposed the fact that [[Jerry Lawler]], previously the owner of [[United States Wrestling Association|the USWA, another significant Memphis-based promotion]], was Brian's father—a blatant violation of [[kayfabe]], the portrayal of events within professional wrestling as not being staged (in this case, Brian "not" being Jerry's son). He also made disparaging remarks about both Lawlers, as well as the promotion's booker Randy Hales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/64774/wrestlings-greatest-shoots-volume-2-doug-gilbert-vs-jerry-lawler |title=Wrestling's Greatest Shoots, Volume 2: Doug Gilbert vs. Jerry Lawler |author=The Masked Man (David Shoemaker) |publisher=[[Grantland|Grantland.com]] |date=June 7, 2013 |access-date=June 9, 2013}}</ref>

* [[Stanislaus Zbyszko]] defeated champion [[Wayne Munn]] on [[April 15]], [[1925]] for the World Title, when Munn was scripted to retain. A similar situation occurred on [[March 2]], [[1936]] when [[Dick Shikat]] defeated champion [[Danno O'Mahoney]]. Apparently the winners felt they deserved the title, and genuinely out-wrestled their opponents.

* The MSG Incident (see [[Clique (professional wrestling)|The Clique]]).

* The [[Montreal Screwjob]] is generally acknowledged to be a shoot, in that an agreed-upon plan was secretly changed in order to take the [[WWE Championship|WWF Title]] off [[Bret Hart]].

* In a match between [[Satoru Sayama|Tiger Mask]] and [[Akira Maeda]] on [[September 2]], [[1985]] the referee stopped the match because the two were actually beating each other up.

* On ''[[WCW Monday Nitro]]'', [[Ric Flair]] attacked [[Eric Bischoff]] with vulgar and obscene words. He revealed it in his book that this was a "100% shoot".

* While Extreme Championship Wrestling was on [[Spike TV|The Nashville Network]], owner Paul Heyman repeatedly ''shot'' on TNN for their dislike of the program, lack of promotion, and open negotiations with ECW rival, the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]

*[[Mick Foley]] has produced many comical shoots during his career, once causing 3 different wrestlers and the referee to lose all composure and burst out with laughter.

* On June 12, 2005, at the ''ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV'', during a large scale brawl at the end of the PPV, due to personal heat between the wrestlers from former run-ins in different promotions, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) started to actually strike The Blue Meanie, and was recorded to end up with 12 stiches in his head. In a rare occurrence, due to large discussion on the internet, the WWE actually addressed the issue on their regular programming and attempted to work it in to a storyline, as to avoid the awkward topic being discussed too much. It is rumored but not confirmed by anyone in the business that Matt Hardy did the same thing to Adam "Edge" Copeland at the same event.

*At a SmackDown! houseshow in Syracuse, New York, [[Rene Dupree]] was attacked by [[Hardcore Holly]] in the middle of a tag match they were involved in. The attack was a shoot (not staged) on Holly's part, in retaliation for a ticket Dupree had incurred while driving Holly's rented automobile. Holly forcefully pitched a chair at Dupree and battered him with several stiff kicks and punches to the head.

==Shoot Interviewfighting==

===Examples of Worked Shoots===

Drawing from this related term, a '''shooter''' or '''shoot-fighter''' is not a wrestler with a reputation for being uncooperative but one who has [[Legit (professional wrestling)|legit]] [[Catch Wrestling|hooking]] skills in their repertoire. These wrestlers often gain their skills from [[martial art]]s ([[Ken Shamrock]] or [[Josh Barnett]]), [[catch wrestling]] ([[Lou Thesz]] or [[Billy Robinson]]) or [[Sport wrestling|amateur wrestling]] ([[Kurt Angle]] or [[Brock Lesnar]]). These kinds of shooters are sometimes referred to as ''stretchers'' (from their ability to use legitimate holds on their opponents to ''stretch'' them).

These examples may not be confirmed "worked shoots", but are generally regarded as such, especially by the [[smark]] community.

* When [[Bob Backlund]] lost the WWF Title to the [[Khosrow Vaziri|Iron Sheik]] in [[1983]], his [[manager (professional wrestling)|manager]], [[Arnold Skaaland]], threw in the towel without Backlund's knowledge.

*The [[Brian Pillman#Pillman's got a gun|"Pillman's got a gun"]] storyline in [[1996]], in which [[Brian Pillman]] pulled a gun on [["Stone Cold" Steve Austin|Stone Cold Steve Austin]] on-camera when Austin "invaded Pillman's home."

*[[Ken Shamrock]] calling out [[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]] using his real name, Mark (Calaway), on an episode of ''[[WWE RAW|Monday Night RAW]]''.

*[[Stephanie McMahon-Levesque|Stephanie McMahon]] referring to [[Andrew Martin|Test]] by his real name, Andrew, throughout [[1999]].

*Also on ''RAW'', a mid-[[2005]] storyline in which [[Amy Dumas|Lita]] left her storyline husband [[Glen Jacobs|Kane]] for [[Adam Copeland|Edge]]. Subsequently, the previously-fired [[Matt Hardy]] began appearing at WWE events, attacking Edge and berating Edge, Lita, and the WWE for the situation. Throughout the attacks Hardy would refer to Edge by his real name, Adam. This is generally thought to be an attempt to cash in on a real-life affair between Hardy's former girlfriend Amy Dumas (Lita) and Adam Copeland (Edge). Later, on the [[August 1]], 2005 ''RAW'', WWE owner [[Vince McMahon]] came to the ring and officially acknowledged Hardy's new contract and return, inviting him to the ring and giving him the microphone. Hardy proceeded to cut a ''worked shoot'' promo in which he recounted the details of the affair and referred to Lita and Edge by their real names, recalling them as "Amy Dumas, better known as Lita" and "Adam Copeland, better known as Edge".

*At World Championship Wrestling's ''[[New Blood Rising]]'' ([[August 13]], [[2000]]), Goldberg [[Professional wrestling slang#S|sandbagged]] a powerbomb attempt by [[Kevin Nash]] during a three-way match also involving [[Scott Steiner]], and pushed him away. The commentators acted like the incident was a shoot, and acted like they were completely unprepared for the match afterwards, while the wrestlers also acted like they were improvising. This led to a storyline in which Nash and Goldberg traded "shoot" promos at each other to build to a later one-on-one match.

*On [[June 12]], [[2005]], at the ''ECW One Night Stand 2005'' PPV, [[Rob Van Dam]] cut an interview about his dissatisfaction with the direction of his character in WWE. Later in the same show, Paul Heyman cut a shoot interview where he scolded Edge for having an affair with female wrestler Lita, who was at the time the girlfriend of Matt Hardy. In the same interview, Heyman told JBL, "The only reason you were WWE Champion for almost a year was because [[Triple H]] didn't want to work Tuesdays!" (''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!|SmackDown!]]'', the show JBL is a part of, is taped on Tuesdays.) The berated wrestlers took these remarks with amusement.

Despite the worked nature of the spectacle, shooters have been around since the beginning. Originally, the [[National Wrestling Alliance]]'s [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|World Champion]] was typically a shooter or "hooker" in an effort to keep regional champions and other contenders from attempting to shoot on them and win the title when they were not scheduled to do so.

* On the [[July 25]], 2005 edition of ''RAW'', [[Shawn Michaels]] cut an in-ring promo for his upcoming match with Hulk Hogan at ''[[SummerSlam#2005|SummerSlam]]''. Notably, he finished the promo by telling Hogan "Whatcha gonna do when the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels, won't lay down for you?" This is not only a play on Hogan's normal "Whatcha gonna do..." [[catchphrase]], but is also a thinly veiled reference to the infamous [[Fingerpoke of Doom]], a [[1999]] incident in which Michaels' old friend Kevin Nash blatantly laid down for Hogan in a [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship|WCW Championship]] match. He also made other such comments during the feud.

* At the ''[[Royal Rumble (1995)|1995 Royal Rumble]]'', [[Scott Bigelow|Bam Bam Bigelow]], after losing a tag team match due to his partner's bumbling, noticed retired football player [[Lawrence Taylor]] laughing at ringside. Bigelow approached Taylor, to which Taylor stood and offered a handshake. An insulted Bigelow then shoved Taylor to the floor and walked off, prompting a surprised reaction from the crowd, and the respective anger of Taylor, who was restrained by his colleagues, and [[Vince McMahon]], who, according to co-commentator [[Jerry Lawler]], had left the table in pursuit of Bigelow (explaining the sudden silence during the broadcast). A formal apology was made by McMahon to Taylor the following night on ''RAW'', along with the announcement that Bigelow had received a 30-day suspension. The confrontation was used to propel a storyline in which Taylor agreed to a match with Bigelow at ''[[WrestleMania XI]]''.

* On the [[May 1]], [[2006]] edition of ''RAW'', commentator [[Joey Styles]] came out and "quit" his job as commentator. But Styles than began giving a speech on how he thought the WWE's style of "sports-entertainment" was a big joke and that he wasn't allowed to refer to anything as professional wrestling, nor was he allowed to call anybody a wrestler. He also had sharp criticism for WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Although Styles quitting was clearly scripted due to events prior to the incident, most, if not all of his speech is considered to be a worked shoot, since this reflected many actual views within the internet wrestling community, and the exact content was reportedly written by Styles himself.

The use of the term "shoot" to describe a single or double-leg takedown attempt (in legit fighting situations such as [[mixed martial arts]]) is inspired by early professional wrestling shooters, who would often utilize these basic wrestling moves when shooting on an opponent (as opposed to the flashier takedowns used in worked matches, such as [[suplex]]es).

==See also==

* [[Professional wrestling slang]]

An example of shoot fighting happened on the November 4, 2004, episode of ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]]'', taped in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. During an unscripted segment of ''[[WWE Tough Enough|Tough Enough]]'', [[Kurt Angle]], a former American [[amateur wrestling|amateur wrestler]] and [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympic]] [[gold medal]]ist, challenged the finalists to a [[squat thrust]] competition.<ref name="smackdownnovember42004results">{{cite web|title=SmackDown – November 4, 2004 Results|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/041104.html|publisher=Online World of Wrestling}}</ref><ref name="2004theyearinreview">{{cite web|title=2004: The Year in Review|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=7407&p=11|author=The PWInsider.com Staff|date=January 3, 2005|access-date=August 15, 2011|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref> Chris Nawrocki won the competition, and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle.<ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle">{{cite web|title=Reality show contestant schools Angle|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/DonCallis/2004/11/14/714531.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715102945/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/DonCallis/2004/11/14/714531.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 15, 2012}}</ref> Angle quickly took Nawrocki down with a [[guillotine choke]], but Nawrocki managed to make it to the ropes, forcing Angle to break the hold. Angle then took Nawrocki down with a [[Takedown (grappling)#Double leg takedown|double leg takedown]], breaking his ribs.<ref name=realityshowcontestantschoolsangle/> Angle locked another guillotine choke on Nawrocki, pinning him in the process. After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists.<ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /> [[Daniel Puder]], an American professional [[mixed martial arts|mixed martial artist]], accepted Angle's challenge.<ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /> Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down; however, in the process, Puder locked Angle in a ''[[kimura lock]]''.<ref name="2004theyearinreview" /><ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /><ref name="shortcolumnsbyobsessedfans">{{cite web|title=Online World of Wrestling – Wrestling Columns – Online World of Wrestling Fan Jam 11/2004 – Short Columns by Obsessed Fans|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/columns/fanjam/112004.html}}</ref> With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the ''kimura'', Angle pushed Puder's shoulders down, pinning him. One of the two referees in the ring, [[Jim Korderas]], quickly counted three to end the bout,<ref name="2004theyearinreview" /><ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /><ref name="shortcolumnsbyobsessedfans" /> despite the fact that Puder's shoulders were not fully down on the mat, bridging up at two.<ref name=2004theyearinreview/><ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /> Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle's arm on national television if Korderas had not ended the match.<ref name="realityshowcontestantschoolsangle" /> [[Dave Meltzer]] and [[Dave Scherer]] gave these following comments:

[[Category:Professional wrestling slang]]

{{blockquote|It was real. If you don't follow fighting, Puder had Angle locked in the Kimura, or keylock as Tazz called it, although Tazz didn't let on the move was fully executed. Not only was Angle not getting out of the move, but most MMA fighters would have tapped already. Angle couldn't tap for obvious reasons. The ref counted a three even though Puder's shoulders weren't fully down, trying to end the thing, because the reality was Angle would have been in surgery had it gone a few seconds longer or had Puder not given up the hold.| Dave Meltzer<ref name= 2004theyearinreview/>}}

[[ja:ガチンコ]]

{{blockquote|As you would expect, Kurt Angle was less than happy backstage at Smackdown after almost being forced to tap out to Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder. Downright ticked off would probably be the best way to describe his mood. The unscripted nature of the contest was the main reason that Angle was made to look so bad since Puder just reacted to the situation and could have forced Angle to submit had the referees not thought quickly and counted a pin that wasn’t there on Puder.| Dave Scherer<ref name= 2004theyearinreview/>}}

The related term '''"shoot-fighting"'''is isalso often used by wrestling fans, in another definition (in this case, also known as [[shoot wrestling]]) to refer to [[mixed martial arts]] competitions, which, while superficially similar to wrestling matches, are actual athletic competition rather than [[Sports entertainment|scriptedsports entertainment]].

==Other shoots==

Example of spontaneous events that are not shoots include mistakes by wrestlers (these are known as [[Botch (professional wrestling)|botches]]) or matches where the wrestlers are good enough to not need to plan and rehearse beforehand. In such matches the wrestlers go into the match with only the length of the match and what the result should be, and work with each other off instinct and experience, often by "calling spots" in a voice low enough the crowd cannot hear until they reach the finish. The job of the referee will usually involve reminding them of time limits and often calling for the match to "go home" to the intended ending. Another way a referee may be involved is if there is an injury, or one of the wrestlers fails to respond to a 10 count or a pin. In some promotions referees are instructed to adjudicate regardless of the intended finish, resulting in a shoot ending with an "incorrect" winner, or one where the match finish is different.

Shoots may also involve those outside the wrestling business. In 1984, while filming a [[20/20 (U.S. TV series)|''20/20'']] segment on professional wrestling, reporter [[John Stossel]] remarked to wrestler [[David Schultz (professional wrestler)|David "Dr. D" Schultz]] that wrestling was fake. Yelling "You think this is fake?", Schultz slapped him and knocked him to the ground twice.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ |title=WRESTLING IS FAKE (Watch before commenting) |website=www.youtube.com |access-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref> Stossel claimed that he still suffered from pain and buzzing in his ears eight weeks after the assault.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9803E4D71239F930A15751C0A963948260&n=Top%2fNews%2fHealth%2fDiseases%2c%20Conditions%2c%20and%20Health%20Topics%2fEars%20and%20Hearing |title=TV NOTES;ABC REPORTER MAY SUE WRESTLER WHO HIT HIM| last=Kaplan| first=Peter W.| work=The New York Times| date=1985-02-23| access-date=2007-09-28}}</ref> Schultz maintains that he attacked Stossel because WWF owner [[Vince McMahon]] wanted him to.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2006/10/08/1978747.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018000222/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2006/10/08/1978747.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 18, 2015 |title=Dr. D dominates PWHF dinner |publisher=[[SLAM! Wrestling]] |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref><ref>[http://www.break.com/index/pro_wrestler_punches_reporter.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202010742/http://www.break.com/index/pro_wrestler_punches_reporter.html|date=February 2, 2007}}</ref>

TNA [[Victory Road (2011)]] ended with a shoot incident. [[Jeff Hardy]] was scheduled to challenge [[Sting_(wrestler)|Sting]] for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but a heavily intoxicated Hardy had been in hiding for the duration of the event, arriving late and in doing so he evaded management before making his entrance into the arena and ring. Referee [[Brian Hebner]] quickly realised that Hardy was not in proper condition to wrestle and threw up the [[Referee_(professional_wrestling)#The_"X"_sign|X sign]] prior to the match starting. This caused an on-screen intervention from "general manager" [[Eric Bischoff]] and an instruction from Bischoff to [[Sting_(wrestler)|Sting]] to immediately and legitimately pin Hardy. After a tie-up and a handful of punches, Sting performed his finisher on Hardy. Hardy did not understand what was happening and attempted but failed to kick-out with Sting holding down the pin, with Hardy losing the match in only a few minutes.

==See also==

*[[Shoot wrestling]]

*[[Catch wrestling]]

*[[Glossary of professional wrestling terms]]

*[[Breaking the fourth wall]]

*[[Breaking character]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

*{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/MatMatters/2017/08/31/22749394.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903002639/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/MatMatters/2017/08/31/22749394.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2017|title=Mat Matters: Sexy Star has lost my respect|author=Laprade, Patric|publisher=SLAM Wrestling|access-date=October 27, 2017|date=August 31, 2017}}

{{Professional wrestling terms}}

[[Category:Professional wrestling slang]]

[[Category:Professional wrestling controversies]]