Shooters, Hookers, and Rippers

Lets start this off by putting the obvious to bed, Wrestling is scripted and fake and this will not change. But now ask yourself what would you have if it wasn't? You would have what is called a "shoot fight". Shooters, Hookers and Rippers are all from the same style of fighting and the people who do this can legitimately make you scream for your mommy. So just what is a "hooker" or a "shooter"? Hookers and shooters are wrestlers or fighters who have mastered the art of mat wrestling or what they call in the business "ground and pound". Submission holds are a staple diet for hookers and shooters as well as the ability to work well in close quarters keeping their opponent grounded so that their offense is limited to what they allow them to do. They were generally all in great shape and were known to simply "wear out" most opponents while they had not even broke a sweat "Rippers", on the other hand, are there to do this plus knock you out with palm, elbow, and knee strikes. A good example of a hooker from todays wrestling is someone like Tazz. He can tie you up, toss you around, and then knock you out. His mat skills plus his back ground in judo would make shoot fighting an easy transition for him. Shooters and hookers were often employed as trainers and and could keep the younger talent in line when asked. Most companies had several on their roster and would be asked to teach a cocky youngster a lesson if their ego got to big. It's hard to talk about yourself when you are tied up like a pretzel with a snot bubble coming out of your nose screaming, "I want my mommy!!!" Here is an example of a true shoot fight like you might see in a UFC match. Wouldn't want to meet these guys in a dark alley.