Professional wrestlers are referred to in the industry as either “babyfaces” or “heels” – goodies or badies respectively. “Faces” and “heels” are rarely seen together in public, and why is that? Even today, it’s all about the preservation of kayfabe.
“Kayfabe” is a term used in professional wrestling to describe the portrayal of events as real or genuine, even though the outcomes and storylines are scripted and predetermined. It refers to the illusion that wrestlers maintain in public appearances and performances, where they stay in character and maintain the fiction of their roles.
The primary purpose of kayfabe is to maintain the suspension of disbelief for the audience, enhancing their enjoyment and engagement with the storylines and matches. By presenting wrestling as real competition and the characters as genuine personalities, kayfabe helps create drama, excitement and emotional investment among fans.
Historically, maintaining kayfabe was crucial for protecting the business and its secrets, as well as ensuring that wrestlers’ characters remained credible and consistent.
With the advent of the internet wrestling community and the “sports entertainment” movement in pro wrestling, these backstage secrets are more difficult to keep than they were in earlier decades.
And where does the word come from? One theory suggests that it was derived from a manipulation of the pig latin term for “be fake” (e-bay ake-fay). Another theory claims that there actually was a wrestler called “Kay Fabian” who was mute. Yet another theory, suggested by former mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen, claims the term came from carnival employees using the alias as a coded signal to the call recipient and saving money on collect calls.
The first public acknowledgement by a major insider of the staged nature of professional wrestling came in 1989 when World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey State Senate that wrestling was not a competitive sport. The admission on McMahon’s part was to avoid interference from state athletic commissions and the various costs associated with legitimate contact sports involving substantial possibility of injury.
Kayfabe, while not referred to as such, has existed in other areas of show business, especially in feuds. For instance, the feuds between comedians Jack Benny and Fred Allen, and comedian/actor Bob Hope and singer/actor Bing Crosby were totally fake. A more recent example is the “feud” between talk show host Jimmy Kimmel [Ed: very much in the news right now] and actor Matt Damon which has been a running joke on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for many years and was even mentioned when Kimmel hosted the 89th Academy Awards. In reality, the two are good friends.
In these “neo-kayfabe” days kayfabe is somewhat of an open secret. Indeed, in the 2008 film The Wrestler, actor Mickey Rourke plays an ageing wrestler with failing health and waning fame planning a re-match with his historic heel. Throughout the film, the fictional nature of the bouts is depicted openly, including a scene where a wrestler intentionally cuts his forehead with a razor to make the hit seem worse than what it was.
Story Idea: Alan Jones
PS: Claudia and I chatted about a bunch of things including kayfabe in this episode of the REMORANDOM video podcast:
Episode 22: Mosquito Coils, Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins, Kayfabe, Serendipity
Who invented the mosquito coil, and what is it actually made of? 📍 There is a fantasy coffin tradition in Ghana. Don’t know what we’re talking about? We’ll explain. 📍 These days it’s an open secret that professional wrestlers are just faking it. There’s actually a special word for that. We’ll let you know what it is. 📍 And finally in this episode, we…
REMORANDOM Book Chapter
