MenacingMonk
War & Peace
Curtain call? Montreal? Pillman/WCW? Steroid scandal? Before those?
Been thinking about this for a while.
Been thinking about this for a while.
When did the biz become exposed?
- Thread starter MenacingMonk
- Start date
richaveli83
Veteran
I thought it was the 80's when Vince admitted that wrestling was pre determined.
JerseyBoy23
Veteran
It was actually exposed back in the 1930s by a disgruntled promoter named Jack Pfefer revealed to a New York Sports Editor named Dan Parker.
Who invented Professional wrestling? [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board
I also found this while searching on the topic just now. Basically it's been fake for a century but every generation of kids falls for it.
Dreamzeedream
Banned
apart of me believe's the business suffers because how exposed it is now a days.. It's hard to get invested emotional wise..
El Cocodrilo
Superstar
good question
people that complain about exposing the business now (ross, cornette) lost tho
Wwe just has to stop trying to be cool and embrace their story world like lucha underground does
then it wouldn't matter about exposure...
people that complain about exposing the business now (ross, cornette) lost tho
Wwe just has to stop trying to be cool and embrace their story world like lucha underground does
then it wouldn't matter about exposure...
JerseyBoy23
Veteran
I think that's because even if people knew it was fake in the past, there was still a bit of mystery about the wrestlers. Nowadays we know everything about the Paige/Del Rio saga and can see Sheamus training on Snapchat.
Scottie Drippin
Should Never Mention Me
As far as when it affected the business? Steroid scandal. Mainstream fans left in droves and didn't return until the product became edgy and based around blurring the lines between work and reality
IT happened in different layers. Where I remember really noticing it was the late 90s, 1998 and onward. That's where you started seeing the first wrestler books and all of those Off the Record interviews where they were pretty much out of character.
Berniewood Hogan
IT'S BERNIE SANDERS WITH A STEEL CHAIR!
Fights have been fixed for as long as humans have had the ability to whisper, brother.
Saysumthinfunnymike
VOTE!!!
They toyed around with it throughout the 90s. little comments and incidents where guys would break character or they'd refer to someone by their real name but by probably '96 or so with the Goldust shyt and all that kayfabe was pretty much dead. Steroid trial was a big deal but I'm talkin referencing on TV.
richaveli83
Veteran
Part of it is due to the social media era that we live in. Everyone tweets, takes pictures, or/and post everything they are doing. Of course we don't have to follow all that stuff it's kind of hard not to. I hate when the WWE blurs the lines between kayfabe and reality during a show. For example if you have the network you get to see the Legends show with JBL, the top countdown, Austin's podcast, etc. Obviously breaking kayfabe but they'll announce something on the network in the middle of Raw which kind of breaks kayfabe in the moment if that makes any sense.
I kind of envy children though because even though a lot know it's fake but they can still get caught in it emotionally whereas us older folks can't.
JerseyBoy23
Veteran
I think they assume anyone with the network is an adult or is invested enough to buy it. I'm not sure if parents who aren't fans want their kids to have access to so much wrestling when Little Jimmy should be doing his homework.
After he screwed Bret Hart, it brought a realism to the industry not yet seen before.
