Unwritten Rules Of Pro Wrestling

[Joe the Destroyer]

Main eventer in Japan =  jobber in US  (maybe not true about all of them, but a lot)

If a female wrestler or valet goes on vacation, they sometimes come back with bigger boobs or a different face.

The best place to find dangerous weapons is under the ring.

[BTM]

Even though it's supposed to be a surprise, the audio guys somehow know to play a person's theme song when they race into the ring unexpectedly to save someone in a beat down.

Unless he's a Luchador, the foreign guy will inevitably get stuck with a "I'm a jerk who hates Americans" angle. 

Interrupting a match between two low teer wrestlers and beating them both up, will somehow convince the announcers that you're "unstoppable".

Never hit Hulk Hogan three times in a row when he starts to shake like an epileptic. 

Any celebrity who just happens to be getting interviewed will get beaten up and/or someone involved in an inexplicable feud with someone. 

[AndyC]

A minor personal slight must eventually turn the best of friends into mortal enemies. One of them must also turn heel.

The only official rules that matter are those that determine who wins (ie. the three count, submission, time outside the ring and under what circumstances you can win a title). All other rules are enforced only if the storyline specifically requires it.

All referees must have some degree of adult ADHD. Nothing improper or illegal that happens while the referee is distracted will be recognized by anyone other than the audience and the commentators.

[Mr. DS]

Post 1980s, refs have forgotten how to count to 20 when a wrestler is out of the ring. 

Pro-athletes and "memorable match" will never be used in correlation in one sentence by wrestling fans.

[BTM]

Oh, another one... if top teer wrestlers fight in a main event match that airs on regular or cable TV, the match will most likely end in a screw job (doubly so if the match is on the night before the Pay Per View event).

[JaseSF]

Until Bret Hart finally returned to WWE this year it seemed mandatory for WWE to repeat some version of the 1997 Montreal Screwjob almost every year and now that Bret has returned, TNA did it this year.

[Leah]

thou shalt be a villain get a weapon though it will backfire on them.

[Mr. DS]

If a person comes out of the crowd and doesn't get his @ss beat, he's a real wrestler.  

Facepaint isn't meant to last longer than 10 minutes.  

Any and all knee pain will disappear when a wrestler is thrown into the ropes at running speed.  

[JaseSF]

Despite it being basically the same fall, missing a dropkick can be devastating and leave you prone to pin while connecting with a dropkick and then falling has no ill effect...

[Joe the Destroyer]

Even though Wrestler B is not in anyway related to you, he's your brother.

If something enclosed comes to ringside, there will be someone inside of it.

Never mind that the face has dominated the entire match.  All it takes is one low blow and one finisher for the heel to win.

A finisher is more devestating than any other move, even if it's logically less powerful than a lot of the moves in a wrestler's arsenal. 

Normal moves become finishers when something special like "...from Hell" has been added to the name.

[Mr. DS]

When preparing to perform a finisher, it is proper etiquette to let the crowd know with a random gesture right before it. 

If you are over 300 lbs and are performing a rope maneuver, it is mandatory to bounce on the ropes for a few seconds before going through with it. 

Turnbuckles are edible.

When fighting an opponent, there is nothing wrong with using a move that could more than likely cripple yourself.

Headbutts only hurt those on the receiving end.

[JaseSF]

Some that predate our more politically correct world (from the old school era) although some of these still get used occasionally,

If you're a black or Samoan wrestler, hitting you in the head or ramming your head in the turnbuckle has no ill effect.

If you're Russian, German, Middle Eastern or Japanese, you're automatically a villain. (Pretty much a given up until the late 1980s when suddenly Russians started becoming faces)

Normally if you're a cowboy, you're a villain but if you're an Indian, you're usually an hero.

Puerto Ricans and Italians are heroes.

All Samoans are savages (until the arrival or Rikishi, the Rock & the Usos). Umaga was kind of a throwback.

Sometimes if families need another member for a replacement for tag team matches, they just add a kayfabe phony brother to the mix (the Funks - Jimmy Jack Funk - actually Jesse Barr, Von Erichs - Lance Von Erich)

[AndyC]

Sometimes if families need another member for a replacement for tag team matches, they just add a kayfabe phony brother to the mix (the Funks - Jimmy Jack Funk - actually Jesse Barr, Von Erichs - Lance Von Erich)

Actually, Waldo Von Erich, kayfabe brother of Fritz Von Erich, lived in my hometown after he retired. Not a Von Erich at all. His name was Walter Sieber. I always remember seeing that "W VON E" licence plate around town.

[Joe the Destroyer]

No one ever comes right out and says, "So, yeah, I'm a heel now."  No, instead they beat up an ally.

If an underdog wins a title, he will lose it within a week, and usually back to the same guy he got it from

[Mr. DS]

Punching an opponent repeatedly will only wobble him, however if you wind your arm up before a punch you'll floor him easily.  

People like counting the amount of times a person gets their head slammed into a turnbuckle.

The above rule shall hardly ever exceed "10".  

"Celebrity" appearances will hardly ever exceed B-level.  

There are a lot of aspiring wrestlers in the farming community.