Jobbers v heels

Commandertc! I highly recommend him.

Color of purity or innocence. Like a white dress in a wedding.

food for thought, white is the color of surrender.

For me, white is the jobber color because it symbolizes the virtuous competitor—fair, disciplined, and honorable, often the handsome hero. The narrative becomes even stronger when he faces a Heel clad in black, the visual embodiment of corruption and dirty tactics. That contrast is pure semiotics, creating a powerful dramatic aura.

I love baby blue for a jobber!

Great comments! Lot of things I hadn't thought of before. I want there to be no doubt when locking up with an opponent that he will be completely dominant regardless of anything I try to do.

Amen! From the moment I emerge from the dressing room and start making my way towards the ring, I want my opponent(s) and everybody else who is on hand to know that I'm going to be totally annihilated. I try to accomplish that through a mixture of body language and wrestling wardrobe.

Here's what ChatGPT says about this fascinating topic:

In pro wrestling, the tendency for jobbers (enhancement talent) to wear white gear comes from a mix of visual psychology, tradition, and practical TV logic rather than any formal rule. Here are the main reasons:

1. White shows damage clearly

White clothing makes scuffs, sweat, blood, and dirt stand out instantly. On black-and-white TV (especially pre-1970s), this was crucial—fans could immediately see that the jobber was taking punishment. Even in color TV, it still emphasizes impact: a clean white boot or trunk quickly looks “beat up.”

2. Instant visual contrast

Promotions wanted the star to stand out. If the featured wrestler wore darker, flashier, or custom-colored gear, putting the jobber in plain white created an immediate hero-vs-background contrast. The jobber visually reads as “generic,” letting the star pop.

3. Tradition from boxing and amateur wrestling

Early pro wrestling borrowed heavily from:

Boxing (white trunks, boots)

Amateur / collegiate wrestling (plain singlets)

White signaled neutrality and non-character. Jobbers were often booked as “local athletes,” so white fit that understated, sport-like look.

4. Psychology: white = vulnerable

White subconsciously reads as:

Clean

Plain

Exposed

That made jobbers look more fragile or defenseless, especially compared to stars in dark, aggressive colors. Promoters understood this visually long before fans ever articulated it.

5. Cost and reuse

Enhancement talent were often:

Poorly paid

Traveling territory to territory

White gear was cheap, easy to replace, and reusable without worrying about clashing with a promotion’s color schemes. Some jobbers literally carried one standard white set everywhere.

6. Television direction

TV producers preferred white on jobbers because:

It reflected studio lighting well

It avoided visual noise

It kept focus on the star’s movements

In squash matches, clarity mattered more than personality.

7. It became a visual shorthand

By the 1970s–80s, white gear had become a code:

White trunks + white boots = “This guy is probably losing.”

Fans learned to read it instantly—sometimes before the bell even rang.

Not universal—but very real

Plenty of jobbers wore other colors, and some stars famously wore white (e.g., Ricky Steamboat at times). But plain white gear became the default visual language of enhancement talent, especially on TV.

I asked Grok this question. Here's what it said:

Jobbers (also called enhancement talent) were the guys brought in to lose quickly and make the stars look dominant in squash matches. Their gear needed to be:

Cheap and generic — Many jobbers were local or low-paid wrestlers who couldn't afford (or weren't given) fancy custom outfits.
Instantly recognizable as "the job guy" — Plain white stood out on TV and made them look like generic, expendable "good guys" (or at least neutral) who were about to get squashed.

White also had a very practical visual benefit in the ring: it highlighted every slam, suplex, and bump dramatically. Sweat, mat burns, and the contrast against the darker ring canvas made the beating look more intense.

Some fans (especially in niche communities) have pointed out that white trunks also had a certain... revealing quality when stretched during moves, which added to the "humiliation factor" of getting dominated — but that's more of a retro side note than the main production reason.

Mmm, sexy.

As a jobber I wear white in most of my matches because it contrasts with the heels I usually take on. Are there other reasons a lot of Jobbers like to wear white?

Speaking for myself, I nearly always wear white gear and boots for the following reasons:

1) Vulnerability. White makes me look like a wimpy wannabe who is in way over his head and also emphasizes my statistical shortcomings (5'8", 160 pounds).

2. Visuals. I completely agree with your comment about the stark contrast my white gear cuts with the dark colors usually worn by heels (I prefer heels who wear all-black gear and footwear). I also like the contrast between my tanned legs and the boots, socks and kneepads I'm wearing.

3. Anonymity. I endorse the view that white reinforces the expendable, generic "good guy" look that tells both the heel opponent(s) and the audience that I am a no-name journeyman who is going to be demolished and humiliated from the get-go. But I consciously made an exception to this general rule when I ordered a white denim fringe jacket with my name appearing on the back to promote the self-delusion that I might one day make a name for myself – even though everyone knows I am just kidding myself from the opening bell onwards.

4. Highlighting a bloodbath. I am hoping to juice for a ruthless heel thug in the hopefully not too distant future, and in that case I'll be sure to don my pristine white pro style leotard/singlet to show off the crimson droplets cascading from my nose and/or forehead onto my chest.

5. Pretty in Pink. The one exception to all this is a pair of pink high-waisted trunks I specially ordered for a squash match featuring a heel opponent who has publicly acknowledged having a "thing" for small jobbers in white boots and pink trunks. I was delighted to humor him, and in a pathetic bid to avoid complete anonymity I had my name in white letters stitched onto the backside of the trunks.

I like to think that any heel worthy of the name would want to totally destroy me from the moment I climb through the ropes in my all-white gear and boots. Please log in to view gallery photos.

WOW who is the hot heel destroying you in this pic? I need him to do that to me. :-)