How to Job Properly

These topics are awesome for a newbie. Thanks

I'd like to add my own thoughts to this thread :)

I believe that a jobber's role is to make your opponent look good and strong and, especially in the case of a match that may have a more intimate setting, feel good and strong. Emphasis on the word... feel. I can definitely make you... feel... good and strong :)

I personally don't feel a jobber is supposed to win a match, but yes, we can definitely challenge our partners, through our resistance and struggling, to be at their best :)

Looking forward to hearing from some of you :)

Jobbers are definitely not the all encompassing term some seem to throw at them. Some of the best true jobbers I’ve met and had the honor of squaring up with are dynamic, communicative, skilled, and at very best: sells the house down!

No jobber worth their trunks just lays down and becomes a a sack of potatoes style punching bag. Those, like others have said on this thread are squashes.

While can be fun on occasion, can be very one note and frustrating when either that was not what was communicated prior to a match start or, in most cases, the squash just doesn’t meet expectations due to both opponents putting zero effort to make it fun either by apathy, loss of flow, any type of exciting reaction from selling, or a combination of things.

I salute great jobbers, and try to educate the squash guys who may not know the difference. This community is built on connection, vibe, dynamics, and theatrics between some very talented cyber guys and gals. Happy hunting y’all!

Good points Nora and Pec.....The match seeker should identify the request as a Squash match...not a jobber match!!!

Yeah big Daddy Scotty - we do some lessons in our match!!

I think most people ignore the difference between a squash match (completely one-sided beat down) and a fight with a jobber where you know what the ending is going to be. Many people who self-ID as jobbers in fact want to get squashed, whereas as many people looking for a jobber just want to win after a more-or-less titanic struggle that makes them look good.

As someone who is fairly new at this, thanks so much for the thread. I feel jobbing isn’t purely just getting squashed. It also depends on the dynamic of your character. Your opponent. The match. Basically ring psychology. Jessie “Mr. Pectacular” Godderz is a cocky muscular jobber. Doesn’t make sense for me to get beat easily.

Easily or not, beaten you will be if you come out of the locker room and get in the ring with me, Pec-boy.

As someone who is just beginning to get started cyber wrestling after a long absence its great to listen to these pros! I am amazed at the stories I have been reading. The quality is like nothing i have seen on the older cyber sites.... Maybe its the format of chatfighters....but some of these stories can easily be published and sold on amazon kindle. They are so good that I am somewhat intimidated to seek a match with these pros. But everyone I have chatted with are supportive and encouraging. On one site they had a great "rules of cyber wrestling" ...I am sure it is here but i cant find it. The stories I read are great for learning...holds, escapes, counters....no superman moves...give and take. I also agree with the jobber/heel discussion....just watch any pro match...the jobber and heel always go back on forth in dominating the match....and yes the heel sometime loses. Its great to be back!!!

Welcum back Scotty! I think you may have been looking for this. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mw700Quuds4ENuYcnMQkt0vSt_V9gz9S0ty7OumXSlc/edit?usp=sharing

Happy browsing!

Thats the one I was looking for...thanks!!!

I completely agree with what you're saying here DRP. As someone who's also been doing this for <inaudible> years I can't tell you how completely boring (and frankly irritating) it is to see folks who self-ID as jobbers just roll over and die in match after match after match. You're absolutely right man. There's no story. There's no selling and there's ultimately not much interest in their matches. I mean why bother reading a match with someone who you know always loses? As someone who ID's as a jobber, because i do tend to lose more than I win, those folks who just roll over and die every time give us a bad name. I mean at least LOOK like you're trying to win. I promise you a good heel will be far more motivated to kick your ass if you're perceived as a legitimate threat to beat them if they don't. No self-respecting heel wants to get upset by a skilled and talented jobber. The audience will also be more invested in that jobber and their career if they do get to see them occasionally pull off an upset against someone who under estimated them. It gives each match a "they could win this" kind of aura and that ultimately keeps the audience coming back for more, even if you lose 90 times out of a hundred your audience should be hoping to see a match in that 10%.

While we're dunking on my brothers (and sisters) in the jobber ranks, i think it's also important to mention the heels. I know it's off topic here but indulge me a minute since i think sometimes it's bad heel-ing that leads to bad jobbing. I said earlier that jobbers who roll over and die are irritating and boring. Well, so are guys who self-ID as "heels" and think that means they can never lose. A "heel" is just someone who is comfortable (perhaps even eager) to jettison the "rule book" when it suits their purposes. Heels are not invincible. They can and do lose. Sometimes they lose because they got arrogant and underestimated their opponent or they simply ran into one who was just better than they were perhaps even in spite of their rule breaking. The "heel" is the character the audience is supposed to hate. It might be that a heel even has a losing record! If the audience LOVES seeing them get their comeuppance when they break the rules of the match then that "heel" character just might end up with more Ls than Ws. Just because you're a "heel" doesn't mean you dont feel pain or that every jobber you come across is doomed to lose to you. Guys who lose all the time are boring. So are guys who win all the time. Even if you win 90% of your matches if you're a good heel the audience should be tuning in to see you get your ass kicked. Even if you're facing a jobber who loses 90% of their fights, if both characters are doing their jobs then the crowds should be hoping to see a 10% match every time. Otherwise why waste time reading or watching it?

Preach foxy! 👏

Very well said, especially for a fox.

100% agree...good words.

“I mean why bother reading a match with someone who you know always loses?”

‘I don’t like it therefore no one else does either’

Lol, thank you for this. That's been my feeling this entire thread.

I really like this and would like to just make a simple comment. I (as a jobber) will take this on to better myself. But as those who want to be the heel or hero or villain even please read this and understand a jobber who fights back isn’t lying and trying to win now we are trying to make the fight fun and interesting.

In my twenty years of cyber wrestling, I've dealt with hundreds of newbies. Like any art it takes time to develop your skills. Naturally, some one doing their first match is going to have a lot of hurdles versus someone who's got a lot of years on the books. One of my pet peeves and I think a lot of wrestlers is ineffective jobbers.

Jobbing is something that doesn't get taken as seriously as it should.

A lot of people associate jobbers with losers and punching bags but jobbers are more than that. They're called "Enhancement Talent" for a reason.

A good jobber knows how to build their opponent up. A good wrestling match has a strong dynamic between the opponents. New vs Experienced, Old vs. Young, Big vs. Small, Male vs. Female, etc. Sometimes, it's about emotions. Cocky vs. Insecure, Experienced Vs. Nervous, etc. A jobber should be trying to fit the narrative. Do they think they're the main event when they should really be in the lower leagues? Have they won a few matches? Have they taken more Ls than they thought they would and now they want some payback?

A good jobber is a story teller. Should the crowd be annoyed that they think they can stand up to their favorite hero? Are they really in over their head and should the audience feel sympathetic?

A good jobber is not just a punching bag.

A good jobber should try to take the lead early in the match only to be overwhelmed by their opponent's skills later on. There needs to be a sense of stakes and threats. If the jobber is just going to lose, there's no fun in it. A jobber needs to be about the journey not just the destination. If the jobber's opponent leaves themselves open, they should try to claim the W. A lot of jobbers start out strong but towards the middle of the fight, they have nothing in the tank. It's boring. It's annoying.

Squashing is not the name as Jobbing.

A lot of people seem to think a squash and a job are the same. A squash is a short match where one opponent completely decimates their opponent in as few moves as possible. A squash match should go short and fast. If you want to be squashed, you can't expect an hour or more of a beatdown. Realistically, a squash match should last less than hour. A half hour for real punch. This is one opponent taking someone on they should have never challenged.

A jobber sells!

When you get attacked, you need to be selling your opponent's moves. What are they doing to you? How does it feel? What's getting hurt? What's your emotional state? What's your confidence level? You should slowly be making your opponent feel like they're gaining physical and emotional control over you. You're the victim. Make them feel like they're becoming more powerful.

A jobber should clarify how they want to use before the match starts.

Is there a certain way you want to lose your match? Do you want to be knocked out? Do you want to be forced to tap out? How do you want to get there? There's nothing worse than a match going on longer than it should because the jobber didn't specify how they want to go down. Now, the other opponent is going through their moveset trying to achieve the desired outcome of the jobber. Artifically lengthening a match does not make a match better. The four hour cut of Justice League is not better than the two hour cut because it's four hours long.

In short, a good jobber communicates and stays engaged in the fight. If you want to be squashed, expect the match to be over sooner rather than later. If you want a more prolonged match, stay involved in the fight. Don't just keep kicking out or refusing to submit, fight back a little bit. Your offense doesn't have to be overwhelming but it should be enough to keep the fight interesting. Don't be a piece of dry wall. Make your opponent feel something. Keep them interested, make them want to earn that win.

If you can do that as a jobber, you'll find thousands of people willing to finish you in your preferred way.

This… this right here! Cannot say it better.

Well said, DRP. Thanks for taking the time to post.

I would like to endorse everything DRP said. As some one who has been both a heel and a jobber I really feel you cannot be a good jobber without knowing the psyche of a heel. Here are some of my lessons (or tips)

1. Please be honest on what you seek from the match and do not keep your opponent in the dark about what you expect. Want to lose, want to get squashed, want to dominate etc.
2. Read and see the moves of your opponnet or partner. For me being a switch unless prearranged, I always start my matches wanting to win and each match has an ebb and flow and depending on the flow you may decide to either submit and (sell) your opponents moves or counter but its not fun to see people either completely ignore counters or moves or brush them off.
3. Keep moves more or less open ended while being clear on what it is you want to likley happen. This way it gives rooms for others to counter or sell. On that note, would be good to not do more than 1 move per post in general.
4. Describe, express, and emote--we are all writing here so its important to describe how the move worked, why, why not, how did it feel, were their other elements like feeling scared, humiliated, triumphant, sly etc.
5. Communicate about IRL issues upfront so you can conclude or pause the match ona mutually agreed point.
6. Jobbing is not playing dead you have to really work at it. Most of the best jobber posts tend to be longer than the actual moves leading to it.
7. Make sure you communicate your kinks if you want to lose the best way to do it is subtly but if that doesnt work be direct it can work wonders when you sell and want the match to end in a certain way.

Completely agree. I do think, however, that 2-3 moves that fit together in a logical sequence is okay in a single post and can help the flow of the match.