“In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as “real” or “true,” specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalry and relationships between participants as being genuine and not of a staged or pre-determined nature. Kayfabe has also evolved to become a code word of sorts for maintaining this “reality” within the realm of the general public“
For me personally I think kayfabe well and truly died a death after the events of the now infamous ‘Curtain Call’ incident that took place on Raw May 19th 1996 at the as famous Madison Square Garden. That evening Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & Triple H all broke character and embraced in the ring much to the annoyance of Vince McMahon and many industry insiders, it was an event in history that forever shaped the way fans and critics view the wrestling business.
The ‘Curtain Call’ incident completely demolished the line between real life and WWE storylines when heels HBK & HHH hugged it out with Nash & Hall the faces on their last night in the company. Smart fans erupted with applause as innocent fans looked on with disbelief as events unfolded inside the ring, meanwhile behind the curtain officials, superstars and management were going crazy as the talent had gone into business for themselves and broken the unsaid rules of the grappling game. Although all four men were at fault that evening it was Triple H who took the heat as Nash & Hall were heading to WCW and Shawn was the current WWF champion.
In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s the wrestling industry was protected by kayfabe, during those glory years faces and heels never travelled together or mixed socially outside of the squared circle. Feuds were treated as if it were real life and even the fans believed it or shall II say they suspended their belief and invested their time into the show, much like people do now with Game of Thrones and True Detective.
The art of protecting the business was taken very seriously back in the original boom period of wrestling, every wrestler, commentator, booker and promoter didn’t play a character they were the character in front of and behind the camera. You could say this attitude legitimized the business which therefore gave it the feel of being a real sport or even a sport the fans could take seriously.
As stated previously those years especially late 70’s & 80’s were fondly remembered because of the pride taken in ones act and how they performed. Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Road Warriors, Von Erichs and many more participated during this time, without those stars you wouldn’t have the business you have today. The way they performed once the bell rang and the performances they gave allowed every fan a sense of pride, it allowed wrestling to finally flourish and grow out of the small, smoky school halls and town community venues. When the heel spoke you despised him, when the face retaliated you loved him…..and this was how it was supposed to be, these were the rules that wrestling kept to, it was simple and easy to follow.
Championships were also given prestige during this period as unlike today titles would not change hands at the drop of a hat or because someone was flavour of the month, back then a title reign or opportunity was earned not given. Champions stuck around and they truly deserved the honour of being champion, they walked, talked and behaved like a champion should.
They also backed everything up in the ring, after the promos and hype when the bell rang they gave you a show that you wouldn’t forget, which in turn gave the title meaning and built it’s legacy. If the promotion and wrestlers treat the title with respect then so do the fans, it’s a win, win situation that benefits all. Again in a time when rules applied and talent acted as such the legitimacy of the business only raised in the eyes of the industry and fans.
So from the Champion down everyone on the roster did their job and didn’t step out of line, those who did were moved on to another territory or were quietly released. Therefore if a wrestler did move because of bad behaviour or not towing the line then the reasons for their move were kept behind closed doors as the business was protected and it was nine times out of ten not something the casual fan needed to know.
It seems strange how now in 2015 the rules have changed so much, personally the rules of yesteryear I feel gave the business the legitimacy it needs, wrestling is a predetermined sport yes and it’s seen as ‘Sports Entertainment’ yet WWE and wrestling in general needs to keep that serious side going. Fans need to believe although deep down they know it’s not real that wrestling is legit, and that wins and losses do count. Kayfabe is what kept that fan interest going or even it allowed the fan to believe what they were watching was real.
In the late 80’s early 90’s the business really started to change as the then WWF was becoming the juggernaut it is today, Wrestlemania had debut and taken the wrestling and entertainment industry by storm, however WCW was the wrestling fans choice at this time. If you liked the old school attitude then that was the company for you.
The WWF was targeting a more family friendly audience and with it the seriousness or legitimacy was being watered down, meanwhile WCW was still focused on keeping wrestling real with hard hitting matches and great technical wrestlers. Once more Kayfabe was what kept WCW real at that time, feuds were still dealt with very seriously and talent knew the rules, meanwhile WWF was getting away from what it considered ‘old time wrestling’
You could say that before the infamous ‘Curtain Call’ incident WWF were the first to promote a feud built on real life tension which then spilled onto screen between 1988 and 1990, that was the conflict of the Mega Powers featuring Miss Elizabeth. Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage were two of the WWF’s biggest stars in the late 80’s, early 90’s but their alliance and then split was built on real life animosity over Savage’s jealousy over real life wife Miss Elizabeth, he was convinced Hogan and Elizabeth were involved and WWF used it to full advantage. In turn the real life story gave the onscreen one the tension and reality he needed and therefore it promoted the feud and made it the massive success it was.
So therefore the argument could be made that Kayfabe can actually be used to promote and enhance a feud for the succession of the competitors and promotion. As the wrestling industry moved into the 90’s it changed dramatically due to declines in business and multiple scandals, times were changing and so were the attitudes. The incidents at MSG in 1996 planted the seeds for when Hall & Nash finally debut in WCW as the NWO was born and the line of reality and storyline really got blurred by the actions of the rebel group. Inside references were made and reality entered a wrestling storyline, Nash & Hall by definition were heels yet due to the business changing and kayfabe dying they were the faces or ‘cool guys’.
The new plan of attack by WCW forced WWE’s hand in the Monday night Wars as the business was rapidly changing day to day. The rise of the internet has been depending what side you stand on a positive or negative development for the wrestling industry, as they internet spread then so did industry rumours. Real life issues on and off the screen were debated online by fans and critics alike, opinions and ideas were given and once more the line between real life and story were blurred.
As the direction of the business changed fans became more switched on to what was going on behind the scenes which therefore enhanced the interest of the fans in the business. A large section of the audience had grown tired of the cartoon characters and silly storylines, they wanted real life characters and sort of real life problems interwoven with the soap opera that wrestling had become.
As previously stated the WCW’s newest gimmick the NWO introduced a different type of character in1996 which dramatically changed the way characters were viewed on TV, this also then forced the WWF(E) to invest into and create new stars. 18 months after the ‘Curtain Call’ incident the WWF was staging the 1997 Survivor Series PPV, headlines by Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart for the WWF title, this is the night when Vince McMahon completely broke the wall between fiction and non fiction and Kayfabe became an afterthought.
In the closing moments of the Survivor Series PPV HBK had Bret locked in his own Sharpshooter submission in the middle of the ring, seconds later Earl Hebner called for the bell and then chaos reigned down. As the events of the main event unfolded many backstage officials were scattered around ringside including WWF CEO Vince McMahon who prior to this event would have bee at the commentary table calling the action.
Events after the PPV went off the air only confirmed what many were already saying, Vince had rewritten the playbook and allowed a real life scenario to become part of a wresting storyline. The ‘Montreal Screw Job’ has been discussed many times therefore I’ll leave my opinion out, but yet again the art of keeping the industry secrets….secret was losing meaning. Everyone knew what had gone on that night, fan resentment grew which only added to the WWF juggernaut and Vince McMahon benefitted greatly from it.
By becoming the tyranical boss Vince became the target and within that the fans had their anti-hero Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was another of the new breed who acted like a heel yet was the ‘cool guy’. From 1998 onwards the fortunes of both WCW and the WWF changed for ever and the industry was changing at a rapid rate. However if fans and critics in 1998/99 thought the lines in wrestling had blurred too much they wouldn’t believe 2015.
The WWE in 2015 is an entertainment beast, with the developing trends in internet and social activity WWE bought in a huge way. From Twitter, facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Vine etc…..WWE is everywhere and so is the talent plus with the introduction of the WWE Network there isn’t any platform on which the WWE isn’t present.
Now more than ever, WWE opens it’s doors to its fanbase as it wants them its talent to be as open, from Total Divas, the JBL & Renee show and so much more from bad guys, good guys, divas, referees and everyone in between can be seen mingling and having fun, like right now on TV Lana is feuding with Rusev yet in real life they are a couple who flaunt there relationship in the real world. Times certainly do change and change in a business is required to survive and flourish…..however has the WWE or wrestling in general gone to far? Have the developments of social media/internet damaged the once heavily guarded sport? Do we as fans actually garner for those times to return?
Whatever the future of the wrestling and or sports entertainment industry is I don’t think we can return to an industry where storylines are kept secret or tension between employee and employer is hushed up for the greater good, which in some ways is a travesty for the business we all love. So my opinion is that in 2015 Kayfabe is dead and buried and is never coming back.
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