Shoot (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a shoot refers to any event during a show that is unplanned and spontaneous: that is, it is real, not staged.

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As virtually everything in pro wrestling is worked, shoots occur rarely. Shoots go against the nature of the business, similar to an actor ad-libbing or dropping character during a performance. Performers who shoot during a wrestling event are often fired, since they cannot be trusted to act according to the bookers' wishes. While the term technically only applies to wrestling performers, crowds also cause shoots by interfering in events, usually by assaulting a wrestler. For example, if a wrestler was standing at ringside, some of the spectators will throw objects at him/her. A famous example of this involved a fan running in on a ladder match involving Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam, knocking Guerrero off the ladder.

Related Topics:
Worked - Ad-libbing - Bookers' - Running in - Eddie Guerrero - Rob Van Dam

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Shoots also occur when wrestlers stop co-operating in a match. This may occur to teach the wrestler 'a lesson.'

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Some interviews or promos during wrestling shows are described as being shoot; these are portrayed as being unscripted and genuine, although they rarely are. This is an example of the writers breaking the fourth wall and attempting to court the certain cache of fans who are interested in shoot, and are more accurately described as worked shoot.

Related Topics:
Promos - Fourth wall - Worked shoot

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A "true" shoot interview is generally conducted and released by someone other than a wrestling promotion, conducted out of character.

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Example of spontaneous events that are not shoots include mistakes by wrestlers (these are known as botches, and are usually greeted by repeated chants of "You fucked up!" from the crowd) or matches where the wrestlers are good enough to not need to plan and rehearse beforehand, and make it up on the spot as time dictates.

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The related term "shoot-fighting" is often used by wrestling fans to refer to mixed martial arts competitions, which, while superficially similar to wrestling matches, are actual athletic competition rather than scripted entertainment.

Related Topics:
Mixed martial arts - Scripted entertainment

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Drawing from this related term, a shooter is not a wrestler with a reputation for being uncooperative but one who uses legitimate hooking skills as a gimmick; an example is Dean Malenko, who used "The Shooter" as a nickname (see also legit).

Related Topics:
Hooking - Gimmick - Dean Malenko - Nickname - Legit

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