3 Reasons why Ronda Rousey breaking kayfabe is bad for wrestling, and 3 reasons it isn't.

Ronda Rousey recently made some controversial statements about pro wrestling and its fandom. Did the former UFC champ go too far, or was she doing what's best for business?

The concept of kayfabe has been around for almost as long as professional wrestling. In the days of George Hackenschmidt, wrestling was not a scripted entertainment but an actual athletic contest. There was no need for kayfabe then, as the matches were 'real.'

They were real, but they were also really boring! A wrestling match might go on for an hour or more, with both competitors spending a great deal of time just laying on the mat trying to get a slight advantage in position. This wasn't such a problem before the advent of television.

However, once television became one of the main mediums and fans got their fix of pro wrestling, the long matches became a problem. It was hard to break away for a commercial, for example, and if the match went on too long people would simply change the channel.

Over time, wrestling became a scripted entertainment form, with the winners and losers predetermined. Many of the old grapplers changed their styles to be more exciting, and spectacular but by and large ineffective moves like dropkicks and abdominal stretches became the norm.

But pro wrestling still tried to maintain the illusion that it was 'real,' and the wrestlers were legitimate competitors trying to beat each other. Thus the concept of kayfabe was born. Kayfabe means 'acknowledged fakery.' In the past, pro wrestlers were expected to do everything in their power not to break kayfabe--including, in the case of Meng, biting a man's nose off!

But times have changed, and wrestlers sometimes break kayfabe without consequence. But is this a good thing for sports entertainment? Or does breaking kayfabe damage the business?

Here are three reasons WWE allowing Ronda to break kayfabe are bad for business, and three reasons that it is not.

Bad for the Wrestling Business #1: Breaking kayfabe can damage storylines that are already in place.

Lana posted about her engagement to Rusev on social media, even though she was in a kayfabe relationship with Dolph Ziggler.

Perhaps one of the main reasons that pro wrestlers didn't used to break kayfabe was to maintain the continuity of storylines that were ongoing.

In the past, if a wrestler went to a restaurant where the man he was feuding with on screen was already present, he would leave. After all, if they hate each other so much wouldn't he just attack his foe like he does on television?

A recent example of breaking kayfabe ruining a good storyline was with Lana and Rusev. Lana had 'left' Rusev in the angle on television, but then turned around and posted about her engagement to the Bulgarian Brute. While this didn't bring heat on the couple--Vince McMahon decided to turn their real life story into an angle--it did disrupt the storyline plans involving Lana and Dolph Ziggler.

Ronda acknowledging that wrestling is scripted similarly spoils her angle with Becky Lynch and Charlotte.

Is NOT bad for Business #1: Kayfabe is mostly dead anyway.

The Elite take on the New Day in a contest of Street Fighter V on the Being the Elite podcast.

Ever since the advent of the internet and the birth of 'insider information,' the concept of kayfabe has been dying a slow death anyway.

It might drive Jim Cornette up the wall, but these days all but the very youngest fans are well aware that professional wrestling--or sports entertainment if you prefer--is a scripted entertainment form, with pre determined winners and losers.

Truly, the last time that kayfabe actually worked was during the NWO invasion angle. Many fans believed that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were legitimately coming to do the WWE's bidding and 'take over' WCW. But as more and more households began to be connected to the world wide web, the overall fan base became 'smart' to the business. There's not much point in maintaining kayfabe when it's already on life support at best.

Bad for Business #2: Acknowledging one match is 'fake' means acknowledging the rest are, as well.

Becky Lynch faces off with Ronda Rousey backstage at Raw.

A major problem breaking kayfabe causes is that it's not the best decision for every match, every time.

Back in WCW's dying days, there was an infamous angle where Goldberg refused to take a powerbomb from Kevin Nash. Even the announcers claimed that Goldberg was 'supposed' to take the Jackknife and be pinned.

Vince Russo came out and yelled at Goldberg, ostensibly for breaking script, but what about all of the other matches on the card? Was only the main event scripted? Russo basically flushed all of the hard work of the other wrestlers down the toilet so he could try and 'work the internet fans,' a tactic that rarely works and would be ludicrous to try today with so many people connected to the world wide web.

Is NOT bad for business #2: Casual fans don't necessarily read about wrestling on the internet.

One of the biggest divides in pro wrestling is between dedicated fans--sometimes referred to as the IWC, or Internet Wrestling Community--and casual fans, who watch wrestling but don't necessarily follow up with it on internet news and rumour sites.

Do you want a big, glaring example of this divide? Look no further than men like John Cena and Roman Reigns. These two athletes are much maligned by the IWC, but they sell truckloads of merchandise and have loyal fans cheering for them in the arenas around the world.

So breaking kayfabe might seem like a huge deal to the casual fans, who make up the majority of the typical WWE audience. Maintaining kayfabe for the sake of the Internet Wrestling Community makes little business sense at the end of the day.

Bad for Business #3: Admitting to fakery makes the wrestlers look weak.

If we analyze the exact words--profanity and all--that Ronda Rousey uttered, we can easily pinpoint the main reason why breaking kayfabe is bad for business:

“It wasn’t a promo they gave me other things to say I didn’t f***ing say it. It’s not a promo. It’s not an act. I’m not going out there and doing their f***ing act anymore, I’m going out there and doing whatever the hell I want. And they can explain it however they want, but f***em. Everybody. WWE Universe included. I meant that I’m going to disrespect the sport that they all love so much. ‘Ohhhh don’t break kayfabe Ronda!’ Wrestling is scripted. It’s made up. It’s not real. None of those b****** can f***ing touch me. The end.”

By stating that none of the women in the WWE can 'touch' her, Ronda Rousey is making them look like weak performers instead of tough competitors. While this may or may not be true--Becky Lynch grew up in Dublin's mean streets and could probably give Ronda a good fight at least--it does damage the reputation of the other wrestlers.

After all, you don't hear Robert Downey Jr. state that Josh Brolin is 'weak' and that Thanos cannot touch him!

Is NOT bad for Business: Ronda's kayfabe breaking diatribe garnered lots of attention.

Ronda Rousey easily hefts a man twice her size, Triple H.

At the end of the day, Ronda Rousey's kayfabe breaking performance was good for business.

There's an old adage in the entertainment industry; there's no such thing as bad press. Even though Ronda's statement may have ruffled the feathers of the Internet Wrestling Community, it achieved its goal; Many, many people are now keenly interested in this angle. In fact, according to rumours, the WWE is even considering making Lynch/Charlotte/Rousey the final match of the evening, a rare honour for a women's match.

If something creates a lot of buzz and gets more people interested in the event, then it's not bad for business, but good. There is no doubt that Ronda Rousey has achieved the goal of making a lot of people interested in her upcoming match.

There you have it; three reasons Ronda Rousey breaking kayfabe is bad for business, and three reasons it is not. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article and as always thanks for reading!

Edited by Mustafa Ismail