Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, Kayfabe (pronounced kuh-fay-bee) refers to the portrayal that events within the industry are real, that is, that professional wrestling is not staged.
In recent years kayfabe has referred more to the suspension of disbelief required to mark out to the entertainment aspect of the industry, in a similar manner with other forms of entertainment such as soap operas and movies.
Examples of Kayfabe
- Wrestlers having 'stage names' like Justin Credible or The Undertaker, often with exaggerated personality traits like being 'evil' or having a gimmick
- Feuds between wrestlers which are highly implausible and would never happen in real life
- Commentators being surprised by or understating obvious events. An example is Molly Holly having her head shaved and appearing in several subsequent shows with a full head of hair. On each show, one of the commentators, Jerry Lawler, expressed doubt that she had been shaved even though it happened right in front of him; while his commentary partner, Jim Ross, constantly pointed out she was wearing a wig. Lawler never made the obvious (and factual) conclusion that she was wearing a wig, until her opponent (as scripted) pulled the wig off during the match.
- Suppression of 'internal events', such as when a wrestler is hired or gets fired; he simply appears or disappears without explanation
- Many extended absences of wrestlers are explained in storyline terms by nonexistent injuries, or by injuries to parts of the body not known to be injured. Some recent examples:
- Just before Scotty 2 Hotty underwent cervical fusion surgery that put him out for over a year, he was written out of WWE storylines by having his ankle "broken" by Kurt Angle during a match; his ankle was even portrayed as broken by means of a prosthesis.
- In the summer of 2004, Shawn Michaels took time off to be with his pregnant wife with WWE approval. He was written out of storylines as a victim of an attack by Kane that left him with a "crushed voicebox".
See also
