Ultimate (sports entertainment)

Ultimate is a brand of sports entertainment. It is closely related to professional wrestling, and borrows much of its terminology, but also incorporates physical challenges as well as an element of genuine competition. Like in professional wrestling, participants are 'characters', with designed personalities and staged feuds and conflicts. The actual matches, though, are usually (but not always) genuinely competitive.

Premise and format
In Ultimate, competitors are staged against each other - either individually or in small teams - in matches. A match consists of several rounds and, in turn, a round is either a bout or a game. A championship might consist of several matches over several weeks or months, with participants competing against each other either in a round-robin league format or in an elimination tournament. In addition, rounds are interspersed with promotions (or promos) which, although not directly related to the competition, are an integral part of Ultimate.

Matches and championships are designed to maximise entertainment value, ensuring that popular competitors appear more often and that in-character feuds and rivalries are regularly revisited.

Bouts
A bout closely resembles a traditional wrestling match. Bouts take place (or at least start) in a ring which, like in professional wrestling, is an elevated platform topped with shock-absorbing foam padding and a canvas cover (the mat). The ring is surrounded by elasticated ropes, held in position and tension by flexible pillars at the four corners.

The aim of a bout is to cause the opponent to fall, which, in a normal bout, can be achieved in one of four ways. A free-roaming bout differs from a normal bout in that falls cannot be scored by throwing: pinning or submission make take place in any location, even outside the confines of the ring area.
 * Pinning both of the opponent's shoulders to the mat, typically for a count of three
 * Throwing the opponent clear of the ring
 * Forcing the opponent to submit
 * The opponent being disqualified

Most bouts last for a set number of falls, with the first side to cause the number being declared the winner. The standard for most modern rounds is one fall, though occasionally (especially in the final stages of a championship) a round might be wrestled to three or even five falls. Alternatively, a round might last a prescribed period of time (usually 10 minutes), with the side causing the most falls being declared the winner.

Ultimate bouts are based on traditional grappling holds, and therefore prohibit pinching, poking, striking, small joint manipulation and gouging. It is also forbidden to grasp any part of the opponent's costume.

Games
Ultimate's use of games is unique in sports entertainment. Each game has a specific objective, with a fall awarded against the unsuccessful participant or team. The games used vary from event to event.

Promotions
A promotion (or promo) is an in-character interview or monologue and, as in professional wrestling, serves the purpose of reinforcing the competitor's character, personality or reputation, and of establishing or advancing a particular storyline or feud. The theme and outcome of a promotion is scripted in advance, but are largely improvised by competitors and, in any case, are presented as 'real'.

Promotions usually take place on the arena floor or backstage (where they are relayed on giant screens) and fill the time while games are set up and dismantled. Occasionally, though, a promotion may be more elaborate and become the focus of an entire event, such as staged 'kidnapping' of Blade in the 2017 Halloween Special.

Participants
Main article: List of Ultimate competitors

Participants (referred to as competitors or opponents) are, like in professional wrestling, very much 'characters' with designed (and often exaggerated) personalities and scripted feuds, alliances and conflicts. The success and ultimate fate of an Ultimate competitor depends not just on their level of physical fitness, but also on their ability to create, maintain and develop an entertaining and coherent character.

The Ultimate roster usually contains around 35 competitors, though only around 15 of these are full-time professionals with regular appearances in matches. The remainder are employed on a part-time basis, called up only in the early stages of championships or when a 'lesser' opponent is desired for a particular storyline. Popular competitors who built rapport with audiences and present coherent, entertaining characters are likely to be promoted to more regular and high-profile appearances; those that prove unpopular are consigned to occasional roles.

Personalities
Competitors are usually played as faces (noble and heroic "good guys") or heels (villainous "bad guys"), with the two typically pitted against each other in matches. Faces are typically polite to referees and respectful to the crowed, while heels are egotistical and disrespectful, openly drawing boos and cheers.

A competitor's character and face/heel alignment often remains consistent over its lifetime, but may change with time. A character may 'turn', altering their personality, behaviour and alignment. Such a storyline may be an abrupt, surprising event, or may slowly build over time. Repeated, inconsistent or poorly-played out switches in a character's personality lessens its effect, and may result in apathy from the audience.

Attire
Each competitor wears a distinctive costume or attire, which is linked to and reinforces their character and its personality. Face competitors generally wear lycra or spandex costumes in light or metallic colours. Heel characters, on the other hand, tend to wear darker and heavier costumes, often including leather.

In addition to the match attire worn during bouts and games, most competitors also have a dress attire, which is worn during promotions and entrances, and at any other time the participant appears 'in character'. Most dress attires consist of robes, capes, jackets worn over the ring attire, or carried props.