How Are WWE Matches Rehearsed? What You Didn’t Know

WWE matches are scripted, and there’s no doubt about that. Just like a Shakesperian play in the theater needs rehearsals, so do WWE matches. So, how are WWE matches rehearsed?

How Are WWE Matches Rehearsed?

In general, WWE matches are rehearsed a few days before the event. The wrestlers will meet up and go over the script. Typically, they’ll practice special moves and improvise the rest. However, some WWE matches aren’t rehearsed. Instead, the wrestlers just talk about the match.

Keep reading to learn more about WWE rehearsals. I’ll explain how long the rehearsals last or if the wrestlers know who will win, and everything else that happens behind the scenes.

How Long Before a Match Do WWE Rehearsals Happen?

In general, WWE matches happen a few days before a match. Depending on the match, there can be one or more rehearsals. Otherwise, the practice may happen the night before or a few hours before the match. Sometimes, the WWE wrestlers won’t rehearse at all; they’ll improvise the whole match instead.

For example, the match between Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura was very authentic because they didn’t practice beforehand.

They hardly even talked before the match. This was Shinsuke Nakamura’s idea, but he admitted that it’s a dangerous habit.

However, It’s common practice for professional WWE wrestlers like John Cena and Roman Reigns to skip rehearsals. Instead, they’ll just talk about it the day before and continue communication in the ring.

This is the most likely scenario because rehearsals can take a lot of time. If they want to execute a difficult move, they’ll practice it repeatedly until they get it right and feel confident.

Virtually all WWE wrestlers are professionals who don’t need a lot of input to entertain the crowd.

Also, Vince McMahon can instruct the wrestlers through the referee should the need arise.

But we also have wrestlers like DDP. He goes over everything in great detail before the match.

This can get annoying for wrestlers who prefer more improvisation. Also, the crowd can tell that the duel is scripted and looks fake.

It’s probably better to go over everything than skipping rehearsals entirely, as Nakamura did. After all, wrestling is one of the most dangerous sports.

WWE wrestlers are busy people, so they often land the evening before a match. If that happens, they have rehearsals that same evening or in the morning on match day.

How Long Do WWE Practices Last?

On average, WWE practices last a few hours. The wrestlers go over the script with the producers and have a conversation about the match. If there’s a new or complex move, they’ll rehearse it multiple times to get it right.

Most WWE matches are only 10-30 minutes long, so it’s not that difficult to go through the whole thing. But then again, there’s no need for The Undertaker to do the chokeslam for the millionth time.

Most professional wrestlers prefer not to waste their time on practice matches. Most of the time, they have nothing to do anyway.

It’s enough for them to go over the script on their own if there isn’t anything new planned. But then again, the majority of the moves are called on the spot.

Wrestlers whisper to each other during chokeholds to tell each other the next move. You can see this from time to time when the camera angle is just right. Or you might even hear them call spots.

Here is a video by Pllana Productions showcasing 10 times when WWE wrestlers called spots:

It’s not surprising to hear that they call crucial moves. Both wrestlers have to prepare for it.

Also, they often arrive late and don’t have the time to learn the script by heart.

But if the match is of enormous importance, some fighters will go through it from start to finish.

Do WWE Wrestlers Know Who Is Going To Win Before a Match?

As a general rule, WWE wrestlers know who is going to win before a match. If the match is essential for the storyline, the wrestlers must know the outcome and prepare accordingly. It’s uncommon for them to learn who is going to win a moment before the match.

A WWE super-fan, Wilmer Diaz, explained three common scenarios:

Storyline: The fighters know the outcome if the match is essential to the story.
Unpredictable outcome: Some wrestlers don’t want to look like losers and disagree with the outcome. This happens from time to time, and the outcome becomes unpredictable.
No storyline: If the match is only for show and money, who wins doesn’t matter much. It’s only necessary that the crowd is satisfied. The crew tells the wrestlers who should win on the same day or the day before.

It makes sense that they know who’s going to win. It would be very awkward if the wrestler who’s supposed to win got destroyed.

But how does WWE decide who the winner should be? Well, they decide the winner based on the development of a story and its characters.

For example, WWE may want a big wrestler like Big Show to fight a fan-favorite wrestler. They may let Big Show show dominance by winning multiple times and ‘destroy’ all other strong wrestlers.

However, WWE may then make other wrestlers beat Big Show to offer their audience an unpredictable outcome.

WWE wouldn’t sell many tickets for the following few shows if nobody knocked out the fan-favorite. That’s why the producers predetermine who’s moving to the finals or gets qualified for Wrestlemania.

But what if the crowd doesn’t react as expected? In that case, the staff changes the winner. As I said, the public determines who wins in most instances.

And sometimes WWE wants to justify a wrestler’s nickname. For example, André the Giant had an undefeated streak for 13 years. The crowd loves to see “monsters” like him smash everyone.

WWE matches are scripted shows made for entertainment, but they don’t require a lot of rehearsal.

Most practice matches don’t last very long, and the wrestlers only practice new or complicated moves. In most cases, a conversation the day before is enough.

But the fighters must follow the script. They know who’s the winner beforehand and fight accordingly. They do a lot of improvisation to make the show look more authentic and fun to watch.

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