Grace Notes

In music, a “Grace Note” is a little accent or short note added to embellish a song.  The intention is to create an emotional response in the listener.

The best pro wrestlers also use Grace Notes in their matches — subtle cues to the audience that convey their cockiness, their suffering, their sex appeal.  Wrestling’s Grace Notes can be little actions, gear choices, or even facial expressions that spice up the action in the ring.

For example, the Heel wrestler doesn’t really need to stand with his boot on his victim if he’s already clearly winning the match.  Standing on someone doesn’t help him win.  It’s just a Grace Note, an extra touch of spice — that dirty boot resting on a handsome face — to add to our understanding of his cockiness, his despicable cruelty.

The fact that the boot is not necessary is what makes it so alluring and exciting — we perceive that he did it just because he wanted to, the action was pleasurable to him, or it turned him on (and that feeling is mutual…)

A Baby-Face victim can add Grace Notes to a match as well, in the subtle ways he suffers.  The erotic twisting of his body, the searing pain in his eyes as he longs for escape, the humiliation he conveys when he covers his face with his hand.

He could just lay there stoically absorbing the pain (and would seem more manly and tough if he did so.)  But by using 1,000 little expressions and motions to convey his agony to us, he adds to our understanding of his pain, and therefore our enjoyment of his pain.  It’s the little things that transform a wrestling match into a work of performance art.

Many wrestling fans have shared with me the specific little scenarios and subtle actions that really get inside their heads.  Some fans have told me they love to hear a groan of agony, or the familiar shout of: “Ask Him, Ref!”  Or they may respond to sweat, or blood, or tall boots, or an untied drawstring, or the loud smack of a chop, or a quick hug between partners.

Some are very specific physical attributes (long hair, white trunks, a beard, a sweaty chest), and some are subtle or not-so-subtle actions (pulling hair, begging for mercy, grabbing the ropes.)  The best pro wrestlers seem to understand — and frequently use — the most common visual cues that are guaranteed to excite the crowd.

Each fan responds differently to a particular Grace Note, but most fans can rattle off specific little scenarios that, when acted out in the ring, really get them off.  What are your favorite Grace Notes when you watch a match?