5 Reasons Kayfabe is dead in pro wrestling, and 5 reasons it isn't

The suspension of disbelief was vital to the wrestling industry in its inception, but is it still a factor today?

When pro wrestling first came about in France during the nineteenth century, it was considered to be a carnival or sideshow attraction. Men with names like "Steel Eater Edward" and "Mountain Bull" would offer local townsfolk the chance to knock them off their feet and win 500 francs (roughly $100 US adjusted for inflation.)

But these seemingly cartoonish characters had a secret; They were all trained in the Greco Roman arts of grappling. The locals didn't stand a chance, even if they were larger than the performers.

Wrestling's carnival/sideshow status wasn't the only variety, however. In the United Kingdom strongman shows had been popular for years, and in the 1800s wrestling was added in to spice up the entertainment value. Catch wrestling was more popular than Greco Roman because many more grapples were allowed, including leg locks. These early professional wrestling matches were legit contests and could last for hours.

As modern life evolved, and there were more entertainment avenues competing for the public's interest, professional wrestling began to wane. In particular, George Hackenschmidt was so good but also so careful that his matches were considered one sided and boring. Promoters managed to convince Hackenschmidt, who by all accounts was unbeatable, into allowing more entertainment aspects to be introduced. For a time most matches were performances, with only the championship matches being legit contests.

By the 1930s, legit wrestling competition had moved to purely amateur venues, such as High Schools and the Olympics. Pro wrestling was almost universally a scripted performance, with the winner and loser known to the promoters ahead of time. This new breed of wrestling was more popular than the legit athletic contests, but in order to preserve an air of enigma and mystique the wrestling industry coined the idea of 'admitted but not stated fakery,' or kayfabe for short.

Kayfabe was a sort of agreement with the audience, that even though the matches were scripted they were presented as being 'real.' Even in the early days of wrestling, a majority of the audience were aware it was not a legitimate athletic contest, but thanks to kayfabe they were free to enjoy it anyway.

Over time kayfabe evolved into an almost mystical force; Wrestlers were expected to defend the sanctity of pro wrestling by force, if necessary. This led to incidents like the one involving Meng/King Haku, where he bit a man's nose off for calling him a 'fake' wrestler!

According to a popular critical opinion, kayfabe died when Vince McMahon admitted wrestling was a performance to avoid sanctions by various state athletic commissions, and it was eulogized with the dawn of the modern internet in the mid to late 1990s. Now fans were privy to insider secrets and information, which the world wide web's anonymity made flourish.

But is this really the case, or has kayfabe just evolved with the times? Here are five reasons kayfabe is dead, and five that it might not be.

Kayfabe is dead: Fans are rejecting stars like Roman Reigns.

When you buy a Superman comic book, you're not expected to root for Lex Luthor. Superman is the hero, and the story is written in such a way that it really doesn't work if you cheer for the bad guy.

That, of course, doesn't mean the comic fans still don't complain about every little thing from the shape of the S on his chest to the size of his spit curl.

Modern pro wrestling fans are aware that wrestling is entertainment, much like a comic book. Because they know that it's entertainment, they can sometimes reject the hero of a given wrestling storyline.

You can really see that phenomenon at work with Roman Reigns. The chorus of boos he received for winning the Royal Rumble perplexed even the Rock, his cousin. If fans thought wrestling were 'real,' they would cheer for Roman because of his scripted superhuman ability to always find a way to win. But because Kayfabe is dead, they greet him with boos instead.

Kayfabe is not dead: Wrestling promotions still try to work the fans.

Austin Aries no-sells an ENTIRE MATCH for Impact wrestling, sowing confusion among the fans.

While the average wrestling fan is possessed of the knowledge that pro wrestling is, in fact, a scripted dramatic entertainment performance and not a legitimate athletic contest, that doesn't stop the wrestling promotions from trying to work them.

A great, recent example is Austin Aries and Johnny Impact. Bound For Glory is Impact's answer to Wrestlemania, their biggest show of the year. Fans were thrilled by an epic encounter between Johnny Impact and Aries. Both men delivered very stiff strikes, and even simple wear down holds seemed to have a lot more emphasis put on them than is normal.

So imagine the fan's surprise when Austin Aries popped up off the mat and acted as if he'd just played a few rounds of golf. Not even limping a little, Austin flipped off Impact executive Don Callis and then the fans in attendance. For days, fans on social media were rabid, thinking Austin had just broken a sacred wrestling rule and was probably on bad terms with Impact.

It is now known that Aries is still under contract, and the whole affair was scripted to give him a 'loose cannon' gimmick. The fact that promoters are still trying to fool the fans means Kayfabe may have changed, but it hasn't gone anywhere.

Kayfabe is dead: You can Google vids on how to perform wrestling.

At one time, you couldn't turn on the television without seeing one sort of magician or another. Men like Doug Henning and David Copperfield became vastly popular and financially wealthy.

This led to a 'golden age' of magicians, in which massive stunts were pulled off. David Copperfield once made the entire Statue of Liberty disappear on a live broadcast to millions of viewers.

What does this have to do with wrestling? Well, magic isn't nearly as big as it used to be because the secrets have been spilled. Television shows, internet podcasts, and even straight up instructional videos ruined the mystique of magic.

The same thing happened to pro wrestling. You can find hundreds, if not thousands, of videos on the internet that will 'teach' you how to be a pro wrestler. The mystique is gone, the secrets have been told, and fans still tune in for the entertainment factor rather than the idea that what they are watching is somehow 'real.'

Kayfabe is not dead: Fans are in on the act now.

One of the reasons the WWE has pushed the concept of a "Universe" of fans is to stress that pro wrestling is an interactive sport.

Fans can cheer for their heroes, and boo the villains. They can implore the babyface to get up one more time to fight, clapping and stomping their feet in unison. The wrestlers get up and feed off the 'energy' the crowds is pumping out, finding that last reserve of strength to win the day.

The difference now is that fans are willingly participating in kayfabe. They know that the matches are scripted, but they usually play along with the act. Fans cheer heroic or noble acts and boo villainy and deceit.

There are times the fans refuse to play along, such as when they chant JOHN CENA SUCKS or relentlessly cheer for villainous heels like Adam Cole, but that doesn't mean kayfabe is dead. It just means the fans are in on the act.

Kayfabe is dead: The Montreal Screwjob killed it.

For those of you not familiar with the Montreal Screwjob, it was a moment in pro wrestling that literally changed everything.

The situation boiled down to this; The previous year, McMahon had offered the aging Bret Hart the deal of a lifetime; He would give Hart a twenty million dollar, twenty-year contract, wherein Hart would wrestle for 3-5 years and then make the transition to a trainer or backstage booking agent.

However, Ted Turner's WCW began gobbling up WWE's audience every Monday Night. Vince soon found himself running low on money and in danger of losing his company. He convinced Bret to willingly walk away from his lucrative contract and try to sign with rival WCW, who had previously offered Bret a million dollar contract of their own.

The only problem was Bret Hart still held the WWE Heavyweight title. On November the 10th of that year (1997) WCW would legally be able to mention Bret Hart had been signed to their promotion. McMahon didn't want the bad publicity of his World Champion being under contract to his biggest rival, and also feared a repeat of the Madusa/Alundra Blayze incident, wherein the WWE women's championship title belt was thrown in the trash on live TV.

Vince and Bret reached an agreement whereby the match would end in a no contest, and then Bret would drop the belt on Raw to either Steve Austin or Ken Shamrock. However, Vince tricked Bret and took matters into his own hands. As Bret moved to reverse a Sharpshooter applied by Michaels during their title match, McMahon stood up from the announce desk and rang the bell prematurely.

The referee quickly awarded the match to Michaels, who seemed as confused as Bret about his new title. HBK was given his belt and practically shoved out of the ring while Bret angrily complained on the house microphone. When his feed was cut, Bret would form the letters WCW with his fingers.

Hart would then confront McMahon in the backstage area, and end up punching him in the face. Thus ended one of the greatest wrestling relationships of all time, and brought the kayfabe era of wrestling to an end.

Kayfabe is not dead: The Montreal Screwjob may have been a work.

Despite the 'facts' in the case, there is a lot of evidence the Montreal Screwjob may have been a work.

One of the most glaring reasons the Screwjob may have been faked--and therefore, thoroughly entrenched in kayfabe--is Bret's actions after the match. He allegedly went backstage and punched Vince McMahon several times, giving him a black eye and a minor concussion.

Imagine what would happen if you assaulted your boss physically. Would you just be allowed to report for your new job the next day, or would you be much more likely to end up in a jail cell on assault charges?

There are numerous other signs the Screwjob may have been the biggest kayfabe moment of all time. Bret Hart and McMahon were quite close for many years, with Bret even referring to Vince as his 'second father.' Then there was the fact that the whole thing was caught on camera. If Vince had really wanted to get the belt off of Bret, he could have done it at a house show with no live feed or even a recording. But the whole thing happened in front of a live audience of millions.

Finally, Vince McMahon easily became the top heel of the Attitude Era because of this very moment. He'd been wanting to transition from the announce desk to a more performative role for some time, and had even engaged in a rigorous training regime to get into ring shape. If the Screwjob was a work, then that means not only is kayfabe not dead, it's thriving.

Kayfabe is dead: The Rock is seen as an actor first and athlete second.

Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson will end 2018 as the highest paid male actor in the world today. His bonafide movie star status carries summer blockbusters and family comedies alike on his broad shoulders.

According to most people who have worked with him, The Rock is a real pleasure to act with--unless you're Vin Diesel, of course. His laid back attitude and goofy persona help to endear him to his co-stars.

One thing the Rock's co-stars are NOT worried about is him snapping, hitting them with a Rock Bottom and then putting them through a folding table. This is because they are fully aware of wrestling's performative status.

At this point, there are a lot of fans of Dwayne Johnson who have never seen a wrestling match in their lives. The Rock is seen as an actor first because people already know he was just acting during his wrestling days.

Kayfabe is not dead: The Rock's ex-wrestler status adds to his tough guy mystique.

Despite the fact that most people are aware that pro wrestling is a scripted performance, they also realize that it is a physically demanding activity performed by highly skilled professional athletes who much coordinate and choreograph a dangerous ballet of drama and physicality.

Wrestlers are almost unbelievably tough due to the severe pounding they take in the ring. Even smaller men like James Ellsworth are likely able to beat the average layperson in a fair fight.

The Rock's ex-wrestler status makes him more than just another Tom Cruise. It makes him a former world champion, a bonafide real alpha male who can throw down with five hundred pound men like Big Show and walk away to brag about it later.

Rock's wrestling career is the ONLY reason he has a movie career. No one would pay to see a movie starring a failed pro football player named Dwayne, but everyone wants to buy a movie ticket and see the Rock save the world once again.

Kayfabe is dead: Fans rejected Vince McMahon's 'death.'

In 2007, the WWE was feeling the pinch from the rapidly growing TNA (now called Impact) promotion. TNA was emphasizing in-ring action during this era, and many fans were abandoning WWE for their rival's product.

Rather than try and compete on the same terms with TNA, McMahon decided to use more 'extreme' storylines and angles. He had faux priest Mordecai ' ex-communicate' an entire live audience, essentially condemning them to Hell. Boogeyman was spitting up worm guts and biting off tumors from women's faces.

And Vince McMahon, well, he 'died.' Sort of.

McMahon's limo was seen to explode at the end of an episode of RAW. The following week the WWE presented the events as if McMahon had actually died, including a twenty-one bell salute and superstars sharing their 'memories' of the deceased man.

The fans, however, weren't having any of it. They joyously sang Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye as McMahon's memorial services went on. The announce team even broke character to chastise the fans for their 'disrespect' to a 'fallen' man.

We'll never know if the WWE would have kept pushing the ill-received angle or not, because of the regrettable Benoit tragedy. McMahon dropped the ruse immediately after Benoit's tabloid fodder death, but there is no doubt that the fans refused to play along with the kayfabe on this occasion.

10. Kayfabe is not dead: The fans love the silly moments just as much as the serious ones.

We've already established that fans are still willingly playing along with kayfabe, at least most of the time.

This is evident in the embrace of the anime-inspired New Day, and the fact that the Fashion Police have enjoyed popularity in spite of their terrible win/loss record.

Clearly, fans are willing to go along with kayfabe even if doing so means embracing ideas and angles that are hard to swallow or are just downright silly.

So, is kayfabe completely dead, or has it just changed it form? Has the 'admitted fakery' gone the way of the Dodo, or is it alive and well today? Please comment and let us know what you think about kayfabe in modern wrestling, and as always thanks for reading!