10 Wrestling Secrets Everyone Knows Except You

Wrestling's all about big stories, and even bigger secrets.

Sasha Banks Io Shirai
WWE

Everything in wrestling's a work, isn't it?

Not a rhetorical question. Isn't everything in wrestling a work?

"Work" has long been the catch-all term that simultaneously protects the integrity of the industry from harsher terminology and reminds everybody about the hard graft paid professionals have to endure to be the best in such a strange business.

Everything - from going down hurt in the middle of a pay-per-view match to calling your gaffer a "f*cking mark" live on television - should be considered a work if we the fans can see it. That was wrestler rationale fo the Montreal Screwjob being a work, anyway. Well, that and it made a working worker out of Vince McMahon and converted the cruelest shoot into the most profitable work in wrestling history. So even if it starts real, it becomes a work in the end. Injuries are definitely real, but companies are then foolish not to fold it into the work when wounds are healed. One can assume the wrestler that expresses how devoted wrestlers are to their fans isn't working, but the sentiment is questioned by more than a few people as attempting to protect the work at all costs. Including ex-workers, who have moved into trying to work people with p*ss-poor commentary on podcasts they don't even mean.

These aren't trade secrets, anymore. They're just "works", brother. And if you didn't know that, it's no wonder you missed these...

10. The One Big Myth About The Shield Everybody Believes

Sasha Banks Io Shirai
WWE.com

Confirming the truth behind a rumour that has lasted since CM Punk first told the story on a now-infamous Art Of Wrestling podcast, Chris Hero broke some hearts and smashed some falsehoods during an interview with Inside The Ropes when he said;

“A little thing that annoys me about this is that people heard the podcast with [CM] Punk, and then they put that information out there, and it just kind of took a life of its own. When Punk pitched the trio of myself, [Dean] Ambrose and [Seth] Rollins, there was no ‘Shield’ concept. It was just, ‘Hey, let’s pair these three guys with me.’ Right? So, technically, I was never supposed to be a member of The Shield because The Shield didn’t exist when this was pitched. That’s a thing that I see on Twitter pretty much every other day. It gets a little annoying because it’s deviated so far from the original source of it. I found out just when everybody else found out – by listening to CM Punk on The Art of Wrestling podcast. I’d never had a conversation with him about this.”

So there that is. The prospect of Hero Vs Roman Reigns might be endlessly intriguing, but the latter taking the former's spot in The Shield couldn't be a reason for the conflict.

 
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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett