09/08/2026
Ask a young wrestler what the "story" of their match is, and you might get the deer-in-headlights look.
If you go into locker rooms across America and ask a young wrestler what their match will be about, you might get a list of spots—"She's going to hit this. I'm going to do that." Some of them will go further and tell you the shine, the cutoff, the comeback.
But if you ask, "What's the story that the audience will follow?" many struggle to say it plainly.
A story could be that you have a feared finishing move and you're trying to work toward it. The opponent is fighting like hell to avoid it.
A story might be that the heel is overconfident and learns during the shine that the babyface is quicker than they anticipated. The heel gets frustrated and starts cheating.
A story could be that you're going to work a body part and keep going back to it. The more damage you do to that arm, the more jeopardy the opponent is in.
A good story is legible to a fan. A fan would be able to say, "This guy kept doing X, and it caused the opponent to do Y."
A story is the "why." It's the motivation.
If the only story a fan can grab is, "They kept doing moves to each other until one of them won," then the match risks being forgotten.
If you've been in the business a while, or you're a booker, or you're an agent, remember to ask rookies, "What's the story you're telling?"
It's a way to correct and guide without being confrontational. If a person realizes they can't answer the question, it helps them consider whether they aren't doing enough to tell a story.
