Finally, A Legal Definition For Being A Pro Wrestling ‘Jobber’

Full disclosure: This is a pro-Heath Slater space, we’re just teaching the controversy.

Not everyone on the WWE roster can carry main-event status. It’s a weird, complex food chain that’s always in flux, and at the bottom, you’ll find some poor schlubs whose lot in life is to lose to the big guys in convincing fashion. Once upon a time, these were the “enhancement talents,” but we’ve sort of ceased to be so kind with our nomenclature. We know them today as jobbers, and as overlooked as they can sometimes be, they’re pretty integral in the early stages of setting up a push for a new talent. Sometimes jobbers even ascend and grab the elusive brass ring, even though the existence of Cesaro tells us that said ring is probably in a bunker somewhere, guarded by a password that you only know if you’re related to The Rock.

But for those unfamiliar with the world of pro wrestling, there’s finally a clear-cut legal definition for jobbers. Straight from WWE legal filings, the final sentence on this page makes things crystal clear.

“In wrestling parlance, a ‘jobber’ is a temporary wrestler used on an as-needed basis essentially as a prop to lose to more prominent wrestlers.”

The “Mr. LoGrasso” mentioned here is Vito LoGrasso, who you might remember either as a Full-Blooded Italian or the guy on Smackdown who would occasionally wrestle while wearing a dress. The full legal filing (which can be found here) is a lot to process, but it’s basically a greatest hits compilation of jobbers suing the WWE for damages. Remember the lawsuit filed by Luther Reigns, Ryan Sakoda, and Russ McCullough? That one’s in here, too. It’s kind of cruel to think that someone who’s worked for years to excel at their craft can end up classified as a living prop, but I suppose that’s the nature of the beast. The least you can do is try and emulate the dignity of The Brooklyn Brawler, the rightful and eternal king of jobbers.

(h/t to Chris Harrington and wurmspiralmaschine via Reddit)