Job (professional wrestling)

As professional wrestling is staged, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent. Whilst this technically does not matter, it may mark the end of a push, or damage a wrestler's self-esteem; also it may be a slip down the slippery pole. So when a wrestler is forced to lose, this is described as doing the job.

To job to a wrestler is also to put him or her over.

The act of losing is called jobbing, and a frequent loser is referred to as a jobber. It is a mark of disrespect to refer to a wrestler as a 'jobber', as it implies they are a failure in their career. The term has entered into popular culture, to mean a loser or someone who is worthless, as well as its Spanish equivalent, jabroni, a phrase that was made popular by The Rock.

A slightly higher position is jobber to the stars, which is a wrestler who still defeats pure jobbers but who consistently loses to top-level or up-and-coming stars. This often happens to faces towards the end of their careers; two WWF examples are Tony Garea and Tito Santana.

To lose in a uninfluenced fight is to job cleanly. To lose through outside interference is called a screwjob.

Whilst in ECW, Al Snow began referring to jobbing on-screen as part of his gimmick. He subsequently formed a stable called the J.O.B. Squad. Other notable Jobbers are Shannon Moore, and more recently, Val Venis.