The Death of Kayfabe

[Lineker10]

Just wondering what peoples views are on Kayfaybe and how its seems to have been rolled back to the bare bones. When i first watched wrestling in the early 1990's kayfabye was the MAN! Nobody ever broke it, wrestling was a real sport - no questions asked, 110%. Between 1996 and the present day it seems this has been destroyed to the point that wrestlers break kayfabye all the time, the WWE/TNA break it all the time aswell. Anyways, point is, apart from more intresting DVD's, do you think kayfabes death has benefitted or detracted from pro-wrestling?

[Hammy]

It benefited it initially with the Attitude boom, it was needed because people were starting to realise anyway, it gave the chances for shooting and plenty of "in" jokes, but since then the novelty has worn off.  It was always going to happen though with technology moving the way it has, it would have been impossible to hide forever.  There are times when they embrace it too much (i.e. talking about scripts etc.) but for the most part the only problem with todays product is poor writing, it's another easy target for the decline.

[Izzy]

I think TNA does a reasonably good job of maintaining it

I think Hammy's right though - when the 10 year olds are on forums the world over, things are going to change

I lay the blame with WWE and its fuckin magic camera which now seems to be in TNA too...

[Lineker10]

I agree its way easier than ever before to find out kayfabye breaking info, but back in the 79s/80s/90s, the vast majority still knew it was fake - yet kayfabe was still in full force. So im not so sure its purley the fact that info is easily avaliable.

[James Lofton]

People have always known it was fake. Kids the exception until they reach a certain age, yet they continued to watch it. Wrestling requires the suspension of disbelief to truly enjoy it. Kayfabe played a huge role in keeping the illusion intact for the audience. In the mid 90s when it morphed into the Attitude/Nitro era, it stopped being wrestling. It was simply a soap opera, and not a very good one I might add.

I don't know how people enjoy it with spoilers, knowing wrestlers are friends in real life, crowd let in on the joke,etc. Everything that made wrestling wrestling has been stripped away. Now you're left with a bunch of garbage that even some current **** fans are sick of.

Back in the 80s, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik(who were feuding at the time) were arrested together in a car and charged with **** possession. The wrestling magazines kept the illusion intact by simply wondering why the two were together. End of story.

Today, the two would issue an apology to fans, admit they're friends, and you'd see a few skits in the ring where they're winking to the crowd and the skit would revolve around drug references while the crowd laughs.

That's NOT wrestling....

[Hammy]

A few videos that's always come to mind when this topic comes up



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ&feature=related

[Lineker10]

I think James is right - the more the fact its all a show is exposed to us the more the veil of belivability starts to slip away. The fact  that in the past you didnt know exactly how it all went - you knew it was a work but that was about it - made it easier to except it as real when you were watching it.

[scotta75]

As pro wrestler I can tell you this much Kayfabe is still alive and she is doing well.....LOL

Seriously, I do believe it was Jerry The King Lawler that once said that there was a certain mystery to wrestling. However, I am afraid with the internet and dirt sheets all the mystery has been suck out of wrestling for good.

Too me and I know this going to sound funny I like to believe there is a certain realness to wrestling. Yeah everyone knows that it is fake to certain point but there is a lot of things that are still keep secret and that how it should be because if everything got out then wrestling would be screwed.....LOL.

Finally I would like to say is wrestling is real ask anyone who has gotten inside that ring and hit that canvas.