Kayfabe

Kayfabe is a term from the geschauspielerten wrestling and stands for a kind of agreement between the wrestlers and promoters that all events that are shown in front of the camera, be represented as not played. If an event in wrestling known as " kayfabe ", this means that this event is merely part of a storyline. "Breaking kayfabe " is the fall from the role comparable to that of actors.

Until the mid- 1990s, kayfabe was still very strictly followed in wrestling to convey to the audience the illusion that everything in wrestling is real and not played. Since the Internet has established itself as a source of information, but it is become more and more difficult to continue to guard the secrets that lie behind the wrestling. Often today is just breaking kayfabe as a means to further develop storylines or to explain violations of wrestlers.

However, there are also examples in the recent past, albeit very few, where wrestlers have unexpectedly broken kayfabe. The so-called MSG Incident of 1996 was named as one of the best known examples. After a match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon Diesel and Triple H came to the ring. It should be one of the last matches in the WWE for Ramon and Diesel, and the four wrestlers - in front of the camera bitter adversaries, in real life, however, very good friends - hugged goodbye.

Word origin

It is believed that the term " kayfabe " from the Pig Latin, a language English common game comes, the terms fake (false, invented ) or be fake served as the origin.

Already in the early days of wrestling, the term was used as a synonym for the " protect the business secrets".

Perhaps the term also stems from a common under showmen trick here: the showman troops had reached a new place, so we called on the information at home and left after a " Kay Fabian " ask. This of course was never there, so you had to pay nothing for the call; the family at home knew the trick, however, and knew that their relatives had arrived safely at the next fair.

Types of Kayfabe

Relations

Love relationships

In many storylines Kayfabe relationships between a wrestler and a valet are presented. Often both have in real life, another partner and the relationship before the camera is only played. Such a kayfabe relationship sometimes led to a real relationship, as in the case of Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon today; Also, a former real relationship be the starting point for a kayfabe relationship, such as with Lita and Edge, the longest went their separate ways in real life, but for a long time appeared as a couple in front of the camera.

Sizes and weights

Often wrestlers will be announced by the leagues larger or heavier than they really are. Examples include the Undertaker (announced: 2,10 m; Real: 2.03 m) and The Great Khali (announced: 2.21 m; Real: 2.16 m), their weights are exaggerated. Often comes in going to this giant ring of the camera man slightly bent of each wrestler, so this appears bigger on TV than it actually is.

Family relationships

Wrestlers are often displayed in front of the camera as relatives, although no relationship exists. Examples would be:

• Hardcore Holly and Crash Holly
• Edge and Christian
• Doug Basham and Danny Basham
• Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff
• The Undertaker and Kane
• The families of Anderson and Graham
• Waldo and Lance by Erich as part of the real family of Erich.

Injuries

An injury is often taken as an explanation for a more or less long absence of a wrestler, usually due to an actual injury or a private affair. As examples of kayfabe injuries are:

• Kurt Angle interrupts Randy Orton's ankle - in fact Orton was because of bad behavior towards other Workers and general bad behavior for 60 days were suspended.
• Mark Henry injured several wrestlers heavy ( Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Paul Burchill, Batista, Undertaker ) - in all these cases, the wrestlers a break due to a number of health problems was actually received, or explains the removal from the program in the event of Burchill.
• Shawn Michaels' laryngeal injury after an attack by Kane in 2004 - in fact, Michaels received some time parental leave.
• Bob Backlund break in 1994 at the Survivor Series Bret Hart's arm - actually took hard some time to take care of the co-founded by his Calgary Hitmen Hockey Team.
• Chavo Guerrero Rey Mysterio's knee smashed with a chair. Rey injured it severely. In reality, a knee surgery for Mysterio, however, was long overdue and could now be completed in this interval.

Injuries are also written into the storyline, such as when a wrestler is making a film, which is recovering from an illness, family responsibilities or fulfill must be brought to justice.

In most cases where a doctor or a team of paramedics after a match to the ring comes to taking care of one apparently injured wrestler, it is also about kayfabe injuries. True injuries can also occur naturally, one recognizes the fact that the referee makes with his arms an 'X'; He holds a hand straight up, he is to realize that the intended victorious wrestler is injured and the match can not finish it. Both gestures were but now already used as Kayfabe to an injured wrestler to treat some rest ( for example, when Wrestlemania 22 Money in the Bank Ladder Match, in which the ailing Ric Flair returned to the match after a short pause, or No Mercy 2007 " seriously injured " as Finlay was and jumped in a moment of carelessness of his opponent Rey Mysterio from the stretcher and attacked him from behind ).