Wikipedia:WikiProject Professional wrestling/Style guide: Difference between revisions
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The '''background''' section covers any aspect that pertained to the development and production behind the event. This includes the venue, location, ticket prices, broadcast information, [[theme music]], commentators, etc. |
The '''background''' section covers any aspect that pertained to the development and production behind the event. This includes the venue, location, ticket prices, broadcast information, [[theme music]], commentators, etc. |
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The '''storylines''' section should contain details on at least three [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalries]] and contain no more than 1,000 words. When expanding this section, avoid using [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms|wrestling]] [[Wikipedia:Explain jargon|jargon]]. Generally, the first paragraph |
The '''storylines''' section should contain details on at least three [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalries]] and contain no more than 1,000 words. When expanding this section, avoid using [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms|wrestling]] [[Wikipedia:Explain jargon|jargon]]. Generally, the first paragraph explains that the promotion holding the event was responsible for [[Screenplay|scripting]] the related [[Narrative thread|storylines]].{{Efn|For the [[WP:RfC|RfC]] regarding how much detail is needed in the overview of professional wrestling, see {{Section link|Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Professional wrestling/Archive 98#Requests for comment}}.}} Optionally, it can be stated that the scripted events took place on certain television programs of the promotion. If the event article is about a promotion that features a [[brand extension]], the prose should state that is a storyline division of the company in which employees are assigned to a specific program, called a brand. |
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When beginning a sentence to describe a rivalry, the word ''feud'' should be avoided, unless an explanation of the term is given, which is ''staged (or scripted) rivalry''. Alternately, words such as ''narrative'' and ''plot'' can be used to provide variance in the writing. The background should only summarize important events that enhanced the rivalry, such as key segments or matches that took place on television shows or pay-per-view events. Since professional wresting is a work of recorded media, Wikipedia's [[WP:PLOT|plot guideline]] should be adhered to; do not write in-depth or weekly results when describing a rivalry. In general, professional wrestling moves should not be described in the background section because this information would only be present if the editor is inserting week-by-week, play-by-play information into prose. The exception is if the move was performed outside an official match, in which case the format guidelines in the event section below should be followed. |
When beginning a sentence to describe a rivalry, the word ''feud'' should be avoided, unless an explanation of the term is given, which is ''staged (or scripted) rivalry''. Alternately, words such as ''narrative'' and ''plot'' can be used to provide variance in the writing. The background should only summarize important events that enhanced the rivalry, such as key segments or matches that took place on television shows or pay-per-view events. Since professional wresting is a work of recorded media, Wikipedia's [[WP:PLOT|plot guideline]] should be adhered to; do not write in-depth or weekly results when describing a rivalry. In general, professional wrestling moves should not be described in the background section because this information would only be present if the editor is inserting week-by-week, play-by-play information into prose. The exception is if the move was performed outside an official match, in which case the format guidelines in the event section below should be followed. |
Revision as of 01:55, 8 October 2023
WP:PW | Talk • Article alerts • Assessment • Members list • New articles • Notability • Recognized content • Sanctions • Sources • Style guide • Templates • Top priority articles |
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PW Style Guide
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Below is a style guide to creating professional wrestling articles established by consensus among participants of WikiProject Professional wrestling. Please discuss this guide on the WikiProject talk page if you have any ideas about how to fine tune these guidelines.
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GeneralProfessional wrestling articles should be written so that everyone can understand its content, not just professional wrestling fans. They should not be written in-universe, which is outlined in the Manual of Style on written fiction. All articles should be written in past tense, excluding future events. The following guidelines should be followed in order for an article to be classified as a B-Class article, in order to be nominated and passed as a Good Article nomination, and/or as a Featured article candidate. Show namesThe first instance of a show's name should be written in full, with later usage trimmed to its common name. For example, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live should simply be referred to as Raw and SmackDown after their first mention. If the show name is changed, such as SmackDown Live to Friday Night SmackDown, there is no need to list the new name.
Terminology
Headings
Text formatting
OrganizationBelow are examples of how individual articles can be organized. These are merely suggestions; you do not have to conform to this format.
BiographiesLeadInclude {{Infobox professional wrestler}} and fill it out accordingly. In the case of multiple ring names, billed from locations, etc., the use of {{Plainlist}} is recommended. The actively used ring name(s) and billed location (if more than one) should be in bold. The lead should typically open with the wrestler's real name that is supported by a reliable source, and if they are known by a ring name, it should be noted in one of the proceeding sentences. In the case of a reliable source not being present for their real name, the lead should open with the wrestler's common name instead. Summarize the most significant events in the wrestler's career for which they are known, including their stints in promotions, and any championships, accomplishments, and awards that they have won. Tallies of the overall championships or world championships won should be avoided.[b] Professional wrestling careerSummarize the major events and key points of the wrestler's career. Avoid writing in proseline ("week-by-week" format) and adding excessive details. Professional wrestling personaFor characters with notable qualities that cannot be fully covered in the career section. This includes background information, personality traits, inspirations, finishing moves, taunts, gestures, chants, outfits, etc. Commentary or reception from reputable sources is also recommended but must adhere to a neutral point of view. Championships and accomplishmentsThe championships won by a wrestler and their accomplishments are compiled in a bulleted list format. Additionally, awards from notable publications (such as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated) are included. In the case of a non-wrestling personality, this section can be renamed Awards and accomplishments.
Luchas de Apuestas recordA record of the wrestler's Luchas de Apuestas ("betting matches"), prominent in lucha libre, is compiled in a table format. It spans the match winner (with their wager), the loser (with their wager), the location, the event, the date and a column for additional notes. Matches should only be included in this list if at least one of the competitors is risking their mask or hair.
In wrestling / Professional wrestling highlightsUntil June 2018, this section was a standard part of professional wrestling biographies and team articles, but a policy-based consensus was reached to omit this section by default.[d] If any of the content is significant to the subject of the article, it can be converted into prose; see the "Professional wrestling persona" section in the CM Punk article as an example. In rare cases where it may be beneficial for a specific article to use the format, a discussion on the article's talk page can be started to try and establish local consensus for its inclusion.
Championship articlesLeadInclude {{Infobox professional wrestling championship}} and fill it out accordingly. The lead should cover the promotion where the championship was present, when it was established, the number of reigns and individual champions, etc. If the championship is active, note the current champion. HistoryA summary of notable information throughout the championship's history, such as how it was introduced and when, the inaugural title holder, name changes, championship belt designs, and so on. ReignsThe championship's reign history is compiled in a table format using a combination of {{Professional wrestling title history top}} and {{Professional wrestling title history middle}}. The chronological list spans each overall reign number, the champion, the date, location and event of which it was won, the champion's individual reign number, the number of days held, and additional notes. When a championship reaches ten or more reigns, the list of reign history can be split off into its own article, e.g. WWE Championship → List of WWE Champions.
Combined reignsWhen there are multiple reigns by at least a single wrestler, an additional table section should be included that combines the number of reigns, days held, and successful defenses of each individual champion.
Event articlesLeadInclude {{Infobox professional wrestling event}} and fill it out accordingly. For the poster caption, only individually list wrestler names if there are six or below wrestlers; for seven and above, use "various wrestlers". The lead should contain brief details of the event in typically three paragraphs. The first paragraph notes the promotion that produced the event, the date of the event, and the location and venue of the event. The second paragraph explains how many matches were scheduled on the event's card. It should also contain an overview of the event, elaborating the main event(s) and most hyped matches on the undercard. Do not list the process of scoring in this paragraph, only state the outcome of the match and the type of match it was contested in. Generally, the lead can be written in an in-universe perspective since many of the statements are explained in an out-of-universe perspective in the main body prose. The final paragraph covers the reception to the event, such as attendance and pay-per-view buys, and critic reviews of both the event and home video release. If a promotion's attendance figures are in dispute (for e.g. if the promotion has inflated them) then the infobox must present what independent sources say the real figure is, not the promotion's own claims.[e] ProductionThe production section comprises two sub-sections, background and storylines. If one of the sub-sections is not present, then the name of the present sub-section will take precedence as the section name over production. The background section covers any aspect that pertained to the development and production behind the event. This includes the venue, location, ticket prices, broadcast information, theme music, commentators, etc. The storylines section should contain details on at least three rivalries and contain no more than 1,000 words. When expanding this section, avoid using wrestling jargon. Generally, the first paragraph explains that the promotion holding the event was responsible for scripting the related storylines.[f] Optionally, it can be stated that the scripted events took place on certain television programs of the promotion. If the event article is about a promotion that features a brand extension, the prose should state that is a storyline division of the company in which employees are assigned to a specific program, called a brand. When beginning a sentence to describe a rivalry, the word feud should be avoided, unless an explanation of the term is given, which is staged (or scripted) rivalry. Alternately, words such as narrative and plot can be used to provide variance in the writing. The background should only summarize important events that enhanced the rivalry, such as key segments or matches that took place on television shows or pay-per-view events. Since professional wresting is a work of recorded media, Wikipedia's plot guideline should be adhered to; do not write in-depth or weekly results when describing a rivalry. In general, professional wrestling moves should not be described in the background section because this information would only be present if the editor is inserting week-by-week, play-by-play information into prose. The exception is if the move was performed outside an official match, in which case the format guidelines in the event section below should be followed. EventThe event section generally focuses on the matches from the show itself. Relatively, backstage segments should not be covered unless they are considered notable. An example is from December to Dismember, where Sabu was found injured backstage, leaving him unable to compete in his scheduled match. This section should be split into two subsections, one labeled preliminary matches and the other labeled main event (or main event matches). In the case of pre-show matches (including dark matches and taped matches), they should either be covered in the main heading above these two subsections or given their own subsection, labelled pre-show. The preliminary matches are those that received low promotion by the company. The main event is the final match, but sometimes can include more than one match if other bouts were heavily advertised. When writing this section, transitions should be used from paragraph to paragraph, such as:
Give the name of the match type in which the wrestlers will compete in, along with a brief explanation as to details surrounding the match type and its objective. If the match is a singles match, the jargon term can be used as long as its later explained that it is a "standard wrestling match", which implies that it is a bout contested under regular wrestling standards. If the match is a tag team match, no explanation is necessary as it is a common term that does not require an explanation. However, if the term "ladder match" is used, its explanation should be written in a format that first introduces the transition to the match, the match type, and a brief explanation of the match type:
If the match is in an enclosure based match, such as an Elimination Chamber, it should be written in the same format as above but giving a brief explanation of how the ring has been altered for the match:
For events that have yet to happen, managers and others who accompany the wrestler to ringside should only be included if they're part of the promotional material or have been confirmed to be at ringside. Speculating that someone might be there (because they usually are, for example) violates WP:CRYSTAL. Only the most important moments during a match that affected the outcome of it should be covered; play-by-play detailing should be avoided, which includes detailing back and forth wrestling. If during a match, a controversial event takes place, such as an interference or a wrestler knocking down a referee, it needs to be noted that as a part of the storyline (or it was scripted) that the said wrestler or referee interfered or was knocked down, respectively. To avoid jargon, professional wrestling moves should be wikilinked and explained in a brief and neutral point of view the first time they appear in the article. For example:
If the name of a move is a nickname for the actual term, such as the "Batista Bomb" for the sitout powerbomb, the nickname should be in quotation marks. For moves that are more technical than others, like the sitout powerbomb, a brief overview of the move should be explained to avoid a sentence of great length and grammatical errors. For example:
Submission holds, and how they are performed, do not have to be described such as throws and attacks because holds require steps that are explained in great length, as a result, it is best to simply wikilink them. Both submissions and pinfalls should be described as scoring conditions in a match, depending whether the match is a variant. Pinning variations, such as the roll-up, should be briefly outlined as to how they are performed. When elaborating the ending of a match, a description of the process of how it ended and the scoring condition as to how a wrestler won the match, should be given, while adhering to the move description guideline outlined above. For example:
ReceptionInclude attendance for the event, revenue from ticket sales, and the number of pay-per-view buys, if the information is available from reliable sources. If a promotion's attendance figures are in dispute (for e.g. if the promotion has inflated them) then the section must make clear, with reliable independent sources, what the actual figure is. The promoted figure should still be included, however. Aside from economy, reviews from critics should be included (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Professional wrestling/Sources) and adhere to a neutral point of view. Not all critics need to be from generally reliable sources, but they should be from websites that have a reputation for their reviews, such as 411mania.com or WrestleZone.com, which are only reliable for criticism. Additionally, reception to the home video release of the event may be included. Note if the media is ranked by a major sales chart such as Billboard or if it is covered by review aggregators such as Rotten Tomatoes. AftermathRelevant happenings that followed the event. When covering the aftermath of a rivalry, the key points that affected the feud should be explained in the briefest way possible. Generally, each rivalry should be contained to its own paragraph. ResultsMatches are compiled in a table format using {{Professional wrestling results table}}. If the article is about a future event, this section is renamed Matches and includes planned matches and their stipulations in order of which they were announced. For an event that has taken place, the results are listed with their stipulations and their duration, in order of which they occurred. Other details should be established in the event section.
Elimination matchesFor elimination matches, a subsection is added under the results table, listing each elimination in a table with the following columns:
Year in professional wrestlingLeadThe lead section should be brief. It only needs to include a one sentence introduction of what the article contains, such as "YYYY in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the word of professional wrestling." Along side this there should be the relevant info box for {{Year nav topic5}} (e.g. SectionsThe sections the article may contain, should appear in the following order:
Any section which would be empty, such as births in the 2015 in professional wrestling article is better to not include rather than to include an empty section. Notability for inclusionAll events which contain their own page and meet Wikipedia's notability WP:GNG may be included in the events section. For example, the Brian Pillman Memorial Show was not produced by one of the below companies, however, it contains its own page and therefore can be included on in all four years it was presented. Supercards and pay-per-view events may also be included for the promotions listed in the next section, regardless of their own page existing or not. Events should be listed in the year they occurred, not the year they aired, (e.g. events included on Impact One Night Only (2017) which occurred in 2015, should be included on the 2015 page). Currently, the only two awards that qualify for the awards are Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. Incidents for inclusion in the notable incidents section should contain their own page, or at least their own section within the article for inclusion. For example, events such as Death of Owen Hart and WWE Performance Center shooting do not contain their own page but contain their own subjection, therefore they can be included. Other events such as Black Saturday and the Montreal Screwjob which contain their own page are also notable for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion of births, deaths, and retirements fall within the criteria laid out in WP:LISTBIO. No red links or unlinked names should be included in this section. Any birth, death or retirement from someone involved in professional wrestling, with their own Wikipedia page, may be included in this section, as long as the proper WP:RS is included. Additional sectionsSee alsoInclude relevant articles in a bulleted list format where useful. For example, in the WWE United Kingdom Championship article, a link to the WWE European Championship would be beneficial to the reader. ReferencesArticles must meet the requirement for verifiability and include reliable sources with inline citations. Any contentious material or personal information regarding a living person must strictly abide by this guideline. Be mindful of overciting and balancing redundant citations in lead sections or infoboxes. For a list of both reliable sources and sources to be avoided in professional wrestling articles, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Professional wrestling/Sources. External linksThe final section, which is not mandatory, contains relevant external links in a bulleted list format. For biographies: External links in wrestling biographies should typically contain their official website ({{Official website}}), wrestling profiles, and IMDb profile ({{IMDb name}}).
For other articles:
Below external links, include relevant navboxes from Category:Professional wrestling navigational boxes. CategoriesCategories should be present at the end of each article and sorted alphabetically. Categories should not include sports specific categories.
Notes
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