Catchphrases in Professional Wrestling
Created | Updated Dec 23, 2003
Catchphrases. Those sound bites that a wrestler, or other performer, uses to get a reaction from the crowd. Some are simple, some nonsensical, others are annoying. But all of them are effective. So what are they for?
What?
There are several ways a catchphrase can be used. The first, and most obvious, it to get a reaction from the crowd. Ideally, the wrestler wants to get the phrase well known so that the crowd will associate the wrestler with the phrase and vice versa. The phrase itself then becomes a signiture and, if the phrase is well received, the crowd will chant the phrase even if the wrestler is not around. An excellent example of this is the phrase "What?", used by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Possibly the simplest catchphrase in the history of catchphrases, Austin would interrupt himself (and others) constantly. For example:
Austin: Your name is Hugh Morrus?
What?
Hugh....Morrus?
What?
Is that supposed to be funny?
What?
Is that supposed to be humerous?
This phrase is now so "over" that despite Austin having left the WWE under something of a cloud the phrase itself has taken on a life of it's own. The crowd now chants it at the will, something that the WWE apparently finds both annoying and inconvienient.
Catchphrases as Punctuation
Professional Wrestling is an exercise in mass communication. It seeks to tell a story to as many people as possible in as short a time as possible. In this sense, it's rather like a web page and the catchphrases are rather like HTML tags. Wrestlers can use specific catchphrases to signal specific things.
Openers
A catchphrase used to indicate that the wrestler is about to say something important. Examples include:
- "Well The Rock says this:" - The Rock.
"Ay Yo. Survey Time" - Scott Hall.
"Welcome to...RAW is Jericho!" - Chris Jericho.
Closers
A phrase used to indicate that the wrestler has finished speaking. Examples:
- "And that's the bottom line cuz Stone Cold Said So!" - Steve Austin.
"If you smell what The Rock is cooking" - The Rock.
"You will never...EEEEEEEEEEEEEver...be the same again...jerky" - Chris Jericho.
"Can you dig it, SUCKA!" - Booker T.
Aggressors
Used to initiate a fight, these phrases are meant to incite an opponent to take (usually ill advised) action, or to warn the crowd that something violent is about to happen. Examples:
- "D-Von! Get the table!" (also "Bubba! Get the table!") - Bubba-Ray Dudley.
"Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?" - Hulk Hogan
"It's my yard!" - The Undertaker
Promoters
These are phrases that a wrestler will use to build up there own image and put themselves over to the crowd. Examples:
- "The most electrifying man in Sports and Entertainment!" - The Rock.
"I am...That Damn Good" - Triple H.
"I am...The Game!" - Triple H.
"I'm the King of the World!" - Chris Jericho.
Ruthless Aggression
Another use for a catchphrase is to employ it as a signpost. One of the better proponents of this is WWE Owner Vince McMahon. Vince, in his role as the scheming and evil Mister McMahon, uses key phrases to tell the crowd the likely outcome of situations. Here are some of the telltale phrases and their meanings:
- In the interests of fairness: this usually means that Vince has set up a mismatch. He's picking on a wrestler, putting him up against unfair odds with the expectation that he will lose.
No chance in Hell: When used against a belegured fan favourite, it usually means that the match will be a payoff; an end to a long running feud or a match in which the person who has "no chance" will overcome terrible odds and win.
