Putting Over

When a wrestler “puts his opponent over”, it means he willingly allows the other wrestler to dominate and win the match, selling the agony caused by his moves and permitting an easy pin, in order to make the other wrestler seem stronger and more vicious by comparison.  When the promoters want to “push” a new talent — to make him seem to be a legitimate, highly skilled super-star in the minds of the fans — all his opponents would be instructed to put him over, and soon he’d be feared and respected, ready for the big title match.  Also, if a wrestler like lanky blond Barry Windhan began his career as a fan-favorite pretty-boy (which is how most cute young rookies enter the biz), and then switches to a rough, angry Heel persona, it is customary to put him over for a while to kill off any residual feelings of sympathy in the minds of the viewers.

The men responsible for “putting over” the rising star are known as “jobbers” — those wrestlers who never seem to win a match, or who occasionally may beat up weaker jobbers.  The viewers compare the skill and strength of the jobber (his musculature, masculinity, speed, knowledge of wrestling holds, etc.) in order to gauge just how rough and tough the dominant wrestler really is.  Beating up a chubby Hostess Cupcake like Rusty Brooks or powder-puffs like the Mulkey Brothers was one thing, but being able to over-power a muscular Paul Roma or Jimmy Powers made the wrestler being “put over” seem even stronger.  Perhaps the most valuable jobber of all time for putting someone over was the Z-Man, Tom Zenk.  He had the physique of a body-builder, the in-ring skills of a Champion, and the looks of a movie star (as far as we can tell, a porn star.) When they threw him in the ring to get squashed, you knew they REALLY wanted to put his opponent over.  Here is a look at Z-Man, sporting a rather revealing pair of peachy trunks, putting over the Man in Black — Barry Windham who is playing the brutal buckaroo in need of a big fat Push.

In a Put-Over match, it is wise to allow the jobber to gain an early advantage — to establish the fact that he has some degree of talent.  He isn’t just a worthless pussy.  Again, putting someone over depends on a favorable comparison — you have to set the bar high in the first place in order for the pushed wrestler to later raise the bar.

Soon enough, the pushed wrestler will gain the upper hand, then open a big can of Whoop-Ass in order to etch into the minds of the viewers that he isn’t to be messed with — he is to be feared and respected.  At this point, the jobber may as well be a mannequin (a really buff mannequin) with a look of agony painted permanently on its face.  He will spend the rest of the match down on the mat, unable to rise due to the superior strength of the opponent, except for when he’s dragged to his feet by the hair for more abuse.  The more exhausted and dazed he acts, again, the stronger the Push he gives to the victor.  Nobody did this any better nor with any more gusto than Zenk.