Professional smasher
A professional gamer, commonly shortened to pro, is a person who plays a fighting game at a very high level of skill. In general, professionals regularly make money off of playing the game in tournaments and/or one who is recruited and sponsored by a notable organization, such as MLG. Due to MLG and other major gaming corporations not sponsoring Smash Bros. players anymore, a professional is also commonly considered the person at the top of the metagame of that said character, such as Hax for Captain Falcon or Axe for Pikachu.
Semi-professional
A semi-professional, or a semi-pro, is a player with above-average skill who can rank high in local tournaments but lacks the overall prowess to win regionals.
Top professional
A top professional is a player who is among the very best from his country and/or for their respective main character. Notable examples include Mew2King, Anti, and Ally for Brawl, Mango, Mew2King, and Armada for Melee, and Isai, SuperBoomFan, and Jousuke for Smash 64. These players consistently place high at national tournaments.
