KAYFABE? STILL ALIVE OR DEAD

By: Katherine Reed at The MidPodcast

MJF

Many wrestling fans are up in arms after an interview done by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on the Pat McAfee show this past Tuesday. So, let's try and answer the question about kayfabe and The Rock's comments.

First, let's discuss The Rock, who went on national television and said something that threw wrestling fans for a wild ride. The IWC went off on The Rock, saying he should stay away from the WWE if he had no intentions of fulfilling this storyline with him and Cena. According to The Rock, he was called in because ticket sales for Elimination Chamber were not moving. Ok, he is a big name, and if fans know he is going to be on the show, then yeah, they might buy tickets. You could have had him just make an appearance, not get involved in a storyline that you had no intention of following up on.

After the IWC rants on social media, one Dave LaGreca from Busted Open did his famous rant, and The Rock replied with the following (I am only using this portion of his comment):

Hi Dave, the business is a complete work. Always has been, always will be. Every aspect of it. Every match. Every interview.

So with that, was The Rock's comments on Pat's show a work? Maybe, or was he trying to throw someone under the bus??

KAYFABE

Let's start by defining what kayfabe is...kayfabe is the presentation of wrestling as "real" - that the storylines, rivalries, and characters are genuine and not some scripted entertainment. This had been protected by wrestling promotions for decades.

So What Changed?

Social media and the internet. These two things, along with behind-the-scenes content, led fans to become wiser to the inner workings of the wrestling business. Fans now see wrestlers as a hybrid of their real-life and in-character personas, especially on social media. The shift that WWE made in the late 90s, going from being a wrestling company to "sports entertainment," led figures to openly breaking character. This marked a big cultural shift.

Is Kayfabe Gone?

Not quite. Promotions still maintain kayfabe within their shows and storylines. Today, kayfabe has switched more to a "selective kayfabe" status. There are still some current wrestlers (like MJF, from AEW) who commit to their character 24/7. It's kind of an unspoken agreement with wrestling fans, who play along. Kayfabe is not dead, it has just evolved. Sort of like a magician letting you see how the trick is done...but still making you believe, even for a second.

Do you think the changes have helped or hurt wrestling overall? Let us know what you think.