Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional sport, where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff, and is also considered an athletic performing art, containing strong elements of catch wrestling, mock combat and theatre. It has origins in carnival sideshows.

There are many different styles and approaches in presenting professional wrestling, varying from country to country and region to region, and often promotions specialize in a particular genre or style. In order to score by pitfall, a wrestler must pin both his shoulders against the mat while the referee slaps the mat three times.

This is the most common form of defeat. If a wrestler's shoulders are it is completely legal for the three counts to be made. Illegal pinning methods include using the ropes for leverage and hooking the opponent's clothing, which are therefore unless certain stipulations make such an advantage legal.

Occasionally, there are instances where a pinfall is made where both wrestlers' shoulders were on the mat for the three count. This situation will most likely lead to a draw, and in some cases a continuation of the match or a future match to determine the winner.