To 'Fabe Or Not To 'Fabe ... (Pt. II)

The Long-Overdue Conclusion To Our Previous Defense Of Contemporary Kayfabe

Roman Reigns grabs the hair of challenger Sami Zayn during their main event world title bout, February 18, 2023. (PHOTO BY STEVE ARGINTARU)

TEXT BY KEVIN McELVANEY

FIRST OF ALL, please let allow me to extend a quick apology to those of you who have been patiently waiting for this edition. Your support is appreciated and has not gone unnoticed. If you’re a new subscriber or simply haven’t read it yet, please make sure to check out part one of this article before continuing on here. I’ll wait!

Okay … Welcome back! As I wrote about in part one, the continued influence of kayfabe is far more pervasive than even the industry’s “smartest” fans often admit. There is a reason, for instance, that longtime fans still debate questions such as “Who is the greatest wrestler to never win a world championship?” or “Would [insert wrestler] have been a success in [insert era]?” Those fans aren’t talking about raw skill, by and large, but about the way those wrestlers are/were/could’ve been positioned.

Indeed, the very idea of star power is rooted not only in the reaction a crowd gives or the dollars those same fans spend, but in kayfabe success. If a wrestler never has the proverbial rocket strapped to their back, are they really succeeding at the highest level? Or are they underachieving despite amazing promise and potential?