10 Examples of Pro Wrestling Jargon

John Cena reads Roman Reigns the riot act
John Cena reads Roman Reigns the riot act

#4 Carry or Carrying

AJ Styles devastates the Miz
AJ Styles devastates the Miz

What it means: When a wrestler is far more skilled and/or experienced than their opponent but takes pains to make the match good regardless.

Also known as: building, ie building up the other guy.

Likely origin of the term: Carrying might refer to shouldering some of the other athlete's burden, ie carrying the weight for them.

Carrying isn't necessarily a bad thing. Ric Flair essentially made a career of carrying his opponents; Flair often got in little offense but spent most of the match running away from or taking punishment from his foes only to finish them off in the last minute.

Another example of a wrestler able to carry others is Dolph Ziggler, who is sometimes put against less experienced athletes to allow them for a smoother match. Sometimes the term is used in kayfabe, such as when a tag team splits up.

Carrying is an extremely important part of wrestling. It makes or breaks the initial impressions that a young superstar or rookie gets from the crowd.

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