Juicing (professional wrestling)
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In professional wrestling, juicing or color is the slang term for bleeding. Contrary to popular perception, most blood in pro wrestling is real, not theatrical makeup. Juicing is accomplished by use of a blade and is generally self-inflicited in a subtle way which will allow the marks in the crowd to think that it was inflicted from a blow by the opponent. Throughout a match, a wrestler's face may become so covered with blood that it is often referred to by the nickname "proverbial crimson mask". "Juicing" which occurs outside the storyline is said to be juicing hardway, and may be the result of a shoot or a botch such as striking with too much force.
Wrestlers usually hide a blade in their wristband and sometime in the duration of the match they go offscreen. It is then that they deliberately cut themselves, typically across the forehead, to make the match seem more realistic or particularly violent. Many fans agree that one of the most memorable moments involving blading is the WrestleMania 13 match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin where Austin apparently passes out from blood loss. Blading is not as prevalent as certain times in history. However, there are wrestlers such as Triple H, Terry Funk, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and Chris Benoit that still blade on a regular basis. Scar tissue on the forehead is a sure sign of a regular juicer.
