A booker is a person who decides who will win a wrestling match, and thus has a lot of control over the storylines and the careers of individual wrestlers. Booking is done on a number of levels, according to a hierarchy. Typically, there is someone who controls the overall direction of the promotion (Vince McMahon in the case of the WWF and a rotating parade of underachievers in the case of WCW). Then there is a lower level of booking that decides the outcomes of the major matches in accordance with the wishes of the head booker, and the other bookers who control the outcomes of smaller matches. The goal for a wrestler is to get over, which means that he becomes popular. Wrestlers get over by:
- Drawing heat (that is, excitement about upcoming matches)
- Developing their characters
- Getting a "push" from a booker. A push simply refers to action(s) taken by the bookers to put a wrestler over.
A booker can give a wrestler a push in several ways:
- Giving him a series of wins
- Putting him in matches with quality opponents.
Anything that is calculated to make a wrestler more popular is a push. Of course, just because a wrestler is popular does not mean he has been pushed. Many wrestlers are chosen by the fans, and become popular despite not being pushed.
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