On the one hand, it is vital for us to be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. We need to know that if we fall off of a cliff, we are likely to fall to our deaths, not to fly away like a bird. We need to know that the tiger is really there in front of us, and about to eat us.
Pro wrestling is not so much sports as it is theatre. Which means the fact that some pro wrestlers (e.g. Hulk Hogan, The Rock) have also had successful acting careers isn't that much of a surprise.
Well, there's the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster aka pastafarianism. Publicly, we maintain the illusion that we actually believe. Privately, we know that it's all a joke.
Let's see. I guess drag queen shows would also qualify. Never been to one, but everyone HAS to know that that's a dude up there on stage.
And I suppose that most city council budget meetings also qualify...
When I briefly worked in pro wrestling it was always so interesting to me when the “creative team” I was in would walk into a hotel or arena and a group of fans would be around. Stephanie McMahon would always yell out “kayfabe!” as a signal to just shut up. No one ever had an issue with it. It was an unspoken agreement even well after the revelation of “sports entertainment”.
As a kid I remember going over to my grandfather’s house where he would be watching professional wrestling. He and my father would get into big arguments when my father said it was “fake”. My takeaway was that anything that creates division in the human family is perhaps best avoided, regardless of its entertainment value.
I was never into wrestling growing up since it wasn't really a thing in Ukraine. But in some sense, every show or movie requires the same suspension of disbelief similar to kayfabe (even though the term is strictly for wrestling).
That's what allows us to experience the same actor as completely different people in every movie, etc. If we didn't have this ability, it'd be damn hard to enjoy any acting performance.
No sorry I really never followed any of it. Never heard that word either. I do have a buddy who fights in cages but I expect he's getting too old for that now
Pro wrestling is not so much sports as it is theatre. Which means the fact that some pro wrestlers (e.g. Hulk Hogan, The Rock) have also had successful acting careers isn't that much of a surprise.
Dave Bautista was awesome in Blade Runner 2049
Drax! I absolutely loved him in that role.
Yeah so good; also John Cena in train wreck for off character
Yes! Peacemaker: also very good.
Well, there's the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster aka pastafarianism. Publicly, we maintain the illusion that we actually believe. Privately, we know that it's all a joke.
Let's see. I guess drag queen shows would also qualify. Never been to one, but everyone HAS to know that that's a dude up there on stage.
And I suppose that most city council budget meetings also qualify...
When I briefly worked in pro wrestling it was always so interesting to me when the “creative team” I was in would walk into a hotel or arena and a group of fans would be around. Stephanie McMahon would always yell out “kayfabe!” as a signal to just shut up. No one ever had an issue with it. It was an unspoken agreement even well after the revelation of “sports entertainment”.
Gotta keep the illusion running! I think you've written a little bit about your time in rasslin', right?
Everyone is so polite here. This is politics, today and as always.
As a kid I remember going over to my grandfather’s house where he would be watching professional wrestling. He and my father would get into big arguments when my father said it was “fake”. My takeaway was that anything that creates division in the human family is perhaps best avoided, regardless of its entertainment value.
I was never into wrestling growing up since it wasn't really a thing in Ukraine. But in some sense, every show or movie requires the same suspension of disbelief similar to kayfabe (even though the term is strictly for wrestling).
That's what allows us to experience the same actor as completely different people in every movie, etc. If we didn't have this ability, it'd be damn hard to enjoy any acting performance.
Nacho Libre!
Mmmm.... nachos...
The masks in lucha libre are a good add. Also - what's cheese that's not yours? NACHO CHEESE
Ever hear of a fighter named Kazushi Sakuraba? He brought a lot of the kayfabe into early MMA and I loved it.
No sorry I really never followed any of it. Never heard that word either. I do have a buddy who fights in cages but I expect he's getting too old for that now
Ugh. I did a couple of watered down MMA fights, both with no striking to the head. That was enough.
dude, great piece. check out this doc on the Iron Sheik - the 24/7 caught up with him
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27196613/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Oh yes. The Iron Sheik is a sad story.