WWE Raw general manager Adam Pearce has revealed what the job of professional wrestlers entails in recently re-emerged footage.

Alongside being the on-screen general manager of WWE Raw, Pearce is a producer, trainer and Director of Live Events

Over on Instagram, Pearce recently shared footage from a past seminar, along with the message “PRO Wrestlers: remember what you’re really selling”

The post gave an insight into what is of paramount importance in any match:

Emotion not motion

According to Pearce, professional wrestlers are selling emotion, over anything else, with the WWE star stating:

“It’s the emotion, right? We are not selling motion; we are selling emotion.

“That is the only way people connect with us. It’s here; it’s your eyes. Once we’re in this 18 x 18, 20 x 20, it’s feeling it. It’s conveying and feeling the emotion, taking it in, giving it out to my opponent, to the people, to the referees, to f**kin’ everybody, to the cameras; they gotta feel it.

“And they’re not going to feel it if you don’t. (Gesturing to Grayson Waller) So, what he’s saying, it’s paramount.

“Once you roll in, man, you’re in it. Have fun, then that’s where you get lost in it. It’s f**kin’ awesome.

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Emotion wins out

There is little denying the quality of any professional wrestler when it comes to actual wrestling, wherever they are signed, is important, but there are stars who have seen success despite not arguably being the most gifted competitors. For some stars, personality is their selling point, making them a fundamental component in matches.

Pearce isn’t specifically selling the idea of personality over performance, but emotion over motion, noting how the way some react or present themselves is seemingly of more value than whatever moves they may be doing in that same moment.

For some stars, the connection through emotions will always be their core strength. Michael Hayes may have been suggesting as much when he considered Chelsea Green during WWE Unreal season 2, indicating her role was to elevate others. Green has been consistently entertaining, engaging the audience that Pearce references and has seen her position rise to WWE Women’s Champion without losing anything that made her valuable in the first place.

Make or break the moment

Much was made of the expression on John Cena’s face as he tapped out to GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in the veteran star’s retirement match. Some have even suggested that Dominik Mysterio has checked out of his main roster run in Judgment Day based on specially curated screengrabs showing his face in the middle of any number of expressions.

When it comes to intent, it can be argued that Cena, in particular, was simply embracing his fate, knowing that it was the last time he was to compete. As for Mysterio, his face wasn’t stuck in a rictus grin and was going through the muscle motions that everyone experiences as they change their expression.

As for prime examples of emotion over motion, perhaps this week’s WWE Raw was a prime example, with Roman Reigns looking at his weakest at the hands of Cruz Montana, being forced to witness the carnage that The 946 brought to him. When it comes to drama, it would have been easy for Reigns to pump the brakes to make The 946 seem less than they were, but he is a master at “selling the emotion”.

Not the whole picture

Of course, emotion isn’t the whole picture and, whether it be WWE, AEW, TNA Wrestling or any other major company, fans expect their favorites to be able to deliver in the ring, too. Occasionally, the “you can’t wrestle” chant grows legs, with stars working against that to demonstrate everything they have to offer.

As much as there’s an audience for “pure wrestling”, that same fanbase is likely to concede that story and emotion play more of a part than just technical mastery.