Op-Ed: Wrestling - The Actual Meaning of the Term 'Psychology'

What the word 'psychology' in wrestling actually means, and well-defined examples of how to properly use it in a wrestling match.

This word gets thrown around all the time in wrestling conversations, but find out what the actual word really means. The Actual Definition of the Word "Psychology":

Psychology is the most important reason a match succeeds or fails. Psychology’s main requirement to be successful is if the match is believable. A good example of believable wrestling is when a giant is facing a cruiserweight, and they tell a David vs. Goliath story.A good example of poor psychology would be a cruiserweight beating up the big man for most of the match. Another example of good psychology would be a small wrestler trying to wrestle a smart match by attempting to escape the big moves that will slow the small wrestlers’ momentum down. A wrestler who was the flawless master at psychology was Bret Hart. Bret Hart could work a different style of a match with anyone no matter their size, height or whatever, and make it convincing. The Other Crucial Factor in Good Wrestling Psychology:

An additional factor that goes with psychology is selling. The word selling simply means making yourself look hurt in a logical manner. A wrestler who was a compelling seller was Mistuhara Misawa. Misawa simply knew how to sell everything because he had unbelievable wrestling instincts. Misawa distinguished how everything ought to look when pretending to be hurt. His golden rule was always—when he was in doubt in a match— take a big bump on his head to make it look good. Misawa was a phenomenal selling. The last great seller that will be used as an example was Mick Foley. Foley had a great mind for the business, and he knew how make everything look real when he was selling something. Foley made things look real as possible because he had great facial expressions and body language, which would make you really think he was injured.He knew how to make everything look real, and made it seem as if he was in extreme pain. A great example of his beautiful selling was his match with HBK @ Mindgames 1996. In the match, he was selling both his finger and knee. Foley was a legend at making things look as realistic as possible. Summary: Psychology is adapting to the style or size of a wrestler, telling a believable story with them, and selling their moves properly with rational judgment.