5 interesting old school traditions in the WWE

The pro wrestling industry is not like any other. Take the fan base, for example. We might be the most passionate of any sport ever and also one of the most loyal. We complain about the booking, vociferously let the company know who we like and who we don't, sometimes even doing a complete u-turn about some wrestler (think Jason Jordan).

In the same way, even with respect to traditions, the wrestling industry has many of its own. Some interesting, some fun and some outright weird.

Let's have a look at five such traditions in the business of pro wrestling, especially in WWE.

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#5 Everyone wipes their feet before entering the ring

An unofficial rule followed till today

You might or might not have noticed this, but, every single person entering the ring makes sure to wipe their feet on the apron in a very deliberate manner before stepping inside. A very obvious reason for this is to keep their feet clean, after walking throughout the arena, the washrooms, the ramp and stepping in all kinds of dirt, but it is not the only reason.

This question has been asked a lot of times on online forums and Stone Cold chose to answer the question. According to him, the reason is to show respect. Respect towards the ring where you are about to wrestle, and where many more athletes will wrestle in the future. Other than that, it is also a good practice that makes sure the wrestlers do not bring in any dirt or other unwanted waste into the ring, lest it hamper any of their moves while they are moving around in the ring.

William Regal is said to have meticulously followed this rule every single time he stepped into the ring.

#4 Wrestlers go out on their backs when they retire

Michaels vs Flair at WrestleMania 24

This is more of an old-school tradition in the wrestling business, though not necessarily followed by everybody. When they are about to retire, any wrestler who has accomplished a level of name value, will make sure to lose their last match in the business, so as to put another active wrestler over.

Ric Flair did it with Shawn Micheals, Micheals did it with the Undertaker and Kurt Angle did it over in TNA with Ethan Carter III. The reason these wrestlers do this is to give back to the industry that gave them so much. It is their final show of gratitude and selflessness towards the business.

We all saw what it did to Brock Lesner's career when The Undertaker sacrificed his WrestleMania streak to put him over. He was a dominant wrestler even before but post his win, Brock became an almost invincible beast.

Personally, however, I feel this can be done more effectively to put over younger talent than using it on already well-established wrestlers.

#3 Heels and babyfaces travel separately

On the road

This one actually is a pretty old-school tradition and might no longer be relevant. However, back in the golden days when kayfabe was not as well known amongst the audience, wrestlers made sure to pretty much stick to their characters even outside the ring.

This meant that babyfaces travelled only with babyfaces, and heels with other heels, at least when they were travelling on any commercial transportation. This shows the dedication of old school wrestlers to honour kayfabe.

The best example of this is probably Nikita Koloff. Though a U.S. citizen, Nelson Scott Simpson immersed himself completely into his character of a monstrous Russian heel, by learning to speak Russian and even legally changing his name!

However, in this age of the internet, kayfabe is almost dead. The instance of Braun Strowman posting a photo standing beside Roman Reigns in the middle of their feud comes to mind. However, some old school wrestlers like The Undertaker and Kevin Owens still make sure to stay in character as much as possible. I mean, Owens made an 8-year-old kid cry for wearing a Roman Reigns t-shirt! Talk about staying in character!

#2 Only veterans and top stars get to travel first class

Travel is a big part in the life of a WWE star

The most difficult thing about being a wrestler, especially in the WWE, is the gruelling schedule. WWE stars often have to stay on the road for 300+ days a year, which is why some ageing wrestlers prefer staying on in the indie scene, working a more flexible schedule.

A lot of this travelling includes air travel. A bizarre and somewhat elitist unofficial rule followed in the WWE is that only the top executives, like Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and a few veterans like The Undertaker and John Cena are allowed to travel first class. Some wrestlers like Brock Lesner have first class travel arrangements included in their contract. The rest of the wrestlers only get to travel coach.

There is a lesser-heard, unconfirmed story about Bill DeMott getting annoyed with Christian for trying to book a first class ticket before other senior wrestlers could. With Bill DeMott parting ways with the company after allegations of bullying and abuse, there might be an ounce of truth to this rumour.

#1 Wrestler's court

The Undertaker was the leader of the locker room for many years

This is probably the most well-known backstage tradition in this list. The legend of the Wrestler's Court is known to some ardent fans today thanks to the internet, but it still remains shrouded in some mystery.

When there is a locker room full of hungry, alpha males fighting to get to top, issues are bound to come up amongst them. Any dispute between wrestlers backstage was usually settled in the Wrestler's Court. Here, The Undertaker acted as the judge (with Triple H sometimes filling in, in The Undertaker's absence) and JBL as the prosecution. Stories from both the parties were heard and the verdict handed out. The usual punishment was that the guilty party had to buy a round of food and drinks for the entire locker room. Only issues that couldn't be resolved here would reach Vince McMahon.

However, there have not been any stories from the Wrestler's Court in a while now. This is either because the guys nowadays are doing a better job of keeping it a secret, or perhaps it is discontinued. We can only guess!