Pin (professional wrestling) Pin (professional wrestling) A pinfall is a victory condition in various forms of professional wrestling that is met by holding (pinning) an opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat, usually until the referee counts to three. In professional wrestling, a pinfall is a common method of winning a match. The count is broken (a near-fall) if the opponent manages to raise one or both of his shoulders off of the mat, commonly by "kicking out" (throwing their legs up to cause their shoulders to rise from the mat). In some positions, a wrestler may "bridge" (arching their back so that only
Referee (professional wrestling) Referee (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's on-stage (kayfabe) purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rules and the person charged with rendering decisions. In reality, the referee is, like the wrestlers, a participant in executing a match in accordance with its script including its pre-determined outcome, and is responsible for controlling the flow of the match and for relaying information or instructions from backstage officials to the