WWE quirks, linguistic and otherwise

[jdw]

I've worked in television news for 10 years now. I have never, ever heard anyone refer to themselves as a "broadcast journalist". I'd say that 99% of the times I've heard that term, it's been on WWF/E programming.

I think it's before your time:

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/broadcast+journalism

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_journalism

 

I don't think WWE fans wrote that second one.

 

Well, always a good way to check:

 

nytimes.com: broadcast journalist

 

Pretty commonly used. Ed Bradley's obit was the second on the list... don't know if clicking on the link will get the same results for others. A lot of hits are from the NYTimes' "on tis day" feature, but there are plenty of articles as well.

 

Old thing. Heard it all the time when growing up in the 70s. Probably could google Uncle Walter's obits and find many of them refer to him as a Broadcast Journalist.

 

Not it's possible that few people refer to *themselves* as one. But other do, and they get introduced as such all the time.

 

John

[Loss]

Heenan referred to himself as that to get heat for taking himself too seriously. Or at least that's what I always thought.

[Sean Liska]

Heenan referred to himself as that to get heat for taking himself too seriously. Or at least that's what I always thought.

Yeah, I think it's mostly used nowadays as a tribute.

[Ditch]

http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2011/2011_04_07.html

 

The jargon density is more than my cerebral cortex can handle. Literally, I can't read more than a couple sentences without having to stop.

[El-P]

Do you think when Vince dies this nonsense will stop and HHH will go back to "wrestling" ? It's hilarious the amount of effort put into not using the word "pro-wrestling" when it's all that WWE has ever and will ever be.

[flyonthewall2983]

I think so. And I imagine there are more and more guys on the roster who feel that it should go back to it's roots a bit. I applaud C.M. Punk for putting those little jabs in his promos about WWE's jargon, because it tells me maybe he feels about the product the way a lot of us do.

 

I know it sounds terrible, but I wish the economic troubles that plague most of the country catches up with them. Just any kind of hardship on the company to put their feet on the ground for once, because direct competition is out of the question. TNA is well...TNA, and ROH (from what little I've seen) doesn't work as well on television as it does on DVD or especially seeing it live.

[Sean Liska]

The note about HHH starting a new talent department is interesting.

 

I think people worry too much about the terminology that WWE uses. It's still booked like a pretty simple pro wrestling company. The UT-HHH build as as basic as it gets. RAW featured a 20-minute tag match with Rey Mysterio doing great stuff. They are as much of a "pro wrestling" company as they've been in 15 years.

[Bob Morris]

The only thing that bothers me with regards to their use of terminology is, given the item ran about Drew Carey's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, when someone refers to their product as "pro wrestling," they take it like it's an insult.

 

WWE should just go with the line of "pro wrestling = entertainment" and leave it at that, because that is the truth. Acting like it's a personal shot at them to call a pro wrestling card exactly what it is instead of an "entertainment" is ridiculous.

[Cox]

Does this mean that they're going to change Daniel Bryan's t-shirt so it says "Submission Entertainment"?

[sek69]

So is that WWE corporate link basically saying HHH was responsible for hiring Mistico? The thought of him watching CMLL tapes to discover new talent is amusing to me.

[kjh]

The note about HHH starting a new talent department is interesting.

I think it's a sign that Hunter will get more power on the wrestling side of things, so that Vince can concentrate on his entertainment aspirations.

[Ditch]

So is that WWE corporate link basically saying HHH was responsible for hiring Mistico? The thought of him watching CMLL tapes to discover new talent is amusing to me.

The odds of it being anything other than "hey who's this Mexican that (Meltzer / someone else) says is such a good draw" are low.

[rovert]

Bryan Alverez is printing WWE's Green and Red list of allowed and banned terms respectively in this week's F4W newsletter which should be fun.

 

For these who didnt listen to audio on the site last week apparently the word Catch is banned in the German TV commentary for WWE programming.

 

On yesterday's WOL Bryan said Superstars arent allowed to be called athletes as well.

[El-P]

Bryan Alverez is printing WWE's Green and Red list of allowed and banned terms respectively in this week's F4W newsletter which should be fun.

 

For these who didnt listen to audio on the site last week apparently the word Catch is banned in the German TV commentary for WWE programming.

 

On yesterday's WOL Bryan said Superstars arent allowed to be called athletes as well.

That's amazing. And retarded. And sad, really.

[rovert]

Bryan Alverez is printing WWE's Green and Red list of allowed and banned terms respectively in this week's F4W newsletter which should be fun.

 

For these who didnt listen to audio on the site last week apparently the word Catch is banned in the German TV commentary for WWE programming.

 

On yesterday's WOL Bryan said Superstars arent allowed to be called athletes as well.

That's amazing. And retarded. And sad, really.

 

Bryan wondered aloud if Lucha Libre was banned on Mexican TV too when that about Catch was mentioned. Kind of sad given Catch is/was a part of German culture.

[El-P]

Bryan Alverez is printing WWE's Green and Red list of allowed and banned terms respectively in this week's F4W newsletter which should be fun.

 

For these who didnt listen to audio on the site last week apparently the word Catch is banned in the German TV commentary for WWE programming.

 

On yesterday's WOL Bryan said Superstars arent allowed to be called athletes as well.

That's amazing. And retarded. And sad, really.

 

Bryan wondered aloud if Lucha Libre was banned on Mexican TV too when that about Catch was mentioned. Kind of sad given Catch is/was a part of German culture.

 

Catch is the term used in France also. Quite frankly, I do think it wasn't used as early as the mid 90's when Ray Rougeau was doing the announcing, he was only using the word "superstar". He would throw the word "lutteur", which in French means "wrestlers", but really is the french-canadian word for "pro-wrestler", as in France we say "catcheur". Anyway, WWE is simply trying to erase wrestling because Vince is in denial of what he does. It's just insane. Quite frankly, it's embarrassing because everyone else in the world refers as WWF as "pro-wrestling". They as dumb as fuck if they think one day they'll be seen as an "entertainment company".

[Death From Above]

This reminds me of something once written by online movie reviewer Scott "Foywonder" Foy, referencing the attempt to make Hulk Hogan a mainstream film star:

 

What Hulk fails to realize is that he's a cartoon. You can dress Elmer Fudd all in black, put on dark shades, and have him carry a gun in each hand, but he will never be confused for Chow Yun Fat-style hitman because he is and always will be nothing more than a cartoon character.

Essentially that sums up my thoughts on WWE investing time and money into this sort of thing. I can see why they'd want to (and in the big picture it's all a bit meaningless to me) but anyone that thinks it's going to mean anything is crazy.

 

I assume this is one of those "only Vince thinks this is worth doing" things. At least I hope so.

 

Won't make any actual difference in any way to either their own fans or their haters though.

[Ditch]

The vast majority of the US still thinks the company is called WWF. If after a decade they can't get the public to acknowledge the new name, how on earth are they going to make the public forget "rasslin"?

[El-P]

The vast majority of the US still thinks the company is called WWF. If after a decade they can't get the public to acknowledge the new name, how on earth are they going to make the public forget "rasslin"?

Next year, don't miss The Rock and John Cena having a... confrontation... at the biggest.... entertainment extravaganza, EntertainmentMania 27... And don't miss the WWE Hal of Fame with old... entertainers... not athletes... nor wrestlers... just, old entertainers who... did some stuff in rings before...

[flyonthewall2983]

Tonight Cena used the term "Sports Entertainment" twice I believe. Who ever thought that would be a step up?

[Death From Above]

The vast majority of the US still thinks the company is called WWF. If after a decade they can't get the public to acknowledge the new name, how on earth are they going to make the public forget "rasslin"?

Seriously. I have never seen a non-wrestling fan refer to the company as WWE. Maybe different among kids these days, but among people my own age and older? Not once.

[Marty]

http://www.wrestlingnewssource.com/feed_ne...nd_Correct_.php

 

The Official List of Banned WWE Terms and Correct Terminology

Posted by: Stuart Brodie of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Apr 13 2011

Source: F4Wonline.com

 

 

WWE has sent out an information sheet to the people who do their international voice-overs in other countries called "The Language of WWE", the sheet contains a list of "Incorrect Terminology" and a list of "Correct Terminology"

 

Here is the "The Language of WWE" Document:

 

"World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a publicly traded entertainment company (NYSE: WWE) that creates and delivers a weekly action soap opera to its passionate fans.

 

WWE has been a recognized leader in entertainment for more than 25 years and has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today.

As a global entertainment brand, the language that we use when communicating on WWE is critical.

 

Please ensure that you are familiar and employing the below, effective immediately. "

Here's a look at some of the terms:

 

* "Wrestling" or "catch" is banned. Some European countries still use the term "catch" to describe pro wrestling and "catchers" to describe wrestlers. "The Language of WWE" states that the following phrases are incorrect: "Wrestling is broadcast in 145 countries," or "Catch is broadcast in 145 countries." The correct terminology is: "WWE is broadcast in 145 countries."

* "Sports" is incorrect. "Entertainment or Action Soap Opera" is allowed. For example, "WWE is exciting entertainment" or "WWE is an exciting action soap opera" is allowed. In the last example, "action soap opera" is printed in bold, presumably to make sure there's no confusion.

 

* "Catchers" or "wrestlers" are not allowed. Incorrect examples are "Catchers are unique characters" or "Wrestlers are unique characters." The term "WWE Superstars" is allowed.

* "Athletes" or "Sportsmen" are now allowed either. WWE gives the following example to use: "WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess."

 

* The term "fight" is not allowed. Matches must be referred to as "match" or "bout."

* "Fighting" is also not allowed but the term "action" is.

 

"The Language of WWE" printout concludes with the following "Key Soundbytes":

* WWE is pure entertainment

 

* WWE is an action soap opera

* WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess

[Dooley]

Action soap opera? Yeah I can see that catching on with the typical lower-middle class male rasslin fan. "Hey Jimbo, did you watch the action soap opera last night? That Undertaker is the best entertainment superstar since the days of Andre the Giant, I tells ya!"

 

More likely is that same segment of fan feeling somewhat...."effeminate" for watching something that refers to itself as a soap opera of any variety and tuning out entirely.

[El-P]

http://www.wrestlingnewssource.com/feed_ne...nd_Correct_.php

 

The Official List of Banned WWE Terms and Correct Terminology

Posted by: Stuart Brodie of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Apr 13 2011

Source: F4Wonline.com

 

 

WWE has sent out an information sheet to the people who do their international voice-overs in other countries called "The Language of WWE", the sheet contains a list of "Incorrect Terminology" and a list of "Correct Terminology"

 

Here is the "The Language of WWE" Document:

 

"World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a publicly traded entertainment company (NYSE: WWE) that creates and delivers a weekly action soap opera to its passionate fans.

 

WWE has been a recognized leader in entertainment for more than 25 years and has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today.

As a global entertainment brand, the language that we use when communicating on WWE is critical.

 

Please ensure that you are familiar and employing the below, effective immediately. "

Here's a look at some of the terms:

 

* "Wrestling" or "catch" is banned. Some European countries still use the term "catch" to describe pro wrestling and "catchers" to describe wrestlers. "The Language of WWE" states that the following phrases are incorrect: "Wrestling is broadcast in 145 countries," or "Catch is broadcast in 145 countries." The correct terminology is: "WWE is broadcast in 145 countries."

* "Sports" is incorrect. "Entertainment or Action Soap Opera" is allowed. For example, "WWE is exciting entertainment" or "WWE is an exciting action soap opera" is allowed. In the last example, "action soap opera" is printed in bold, presumably to make sure there's no confusion.

 

* "Catchers" or "wrestlers" are not allowed. Incorrect examples are "Catchers are unique characters" or "Wrestlers are unique characters." The term "WWE Superstars" is allowed.

* "Athletes" or "Sportsmen" are now allowed either. WWE gives the following example to use: "WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess."

 

* The term "fight" is not allowed. Matches must be referred to as "match" or "bout."

* "Fighting" is also not allowed but the term "action" is.

 

"The Language of WWE" printout concludes with the following "Key Soundbytes":

* WWE is pure entertainment

 

* WWE is an action soap opera

* WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess

*"Retardation" should not be used. Instead, use "WWE"

[Bix]

I was pretty surprised not to see a bunch of terms a lot of us figured or heard were officially banned, like belt, violent/violence, hospital, police, etc.