Men's Domain note: This is the first part of our "Breaking &
Entering 101" series done by our resident wrestling expert
Casey Carnage from
The Carnage Crew. Catch their podcast on
Tuesdays at 9pm EST USA
or you can e-mail Casey at
casey@carnagecrew.net
Kayfabe – a) The portrayal of events within the
pro wrestling industry as "real".
b) An award winning movie that displays humor in its most honest
form.
A
lot of times in the world of Pro Wrestling, or “sports
entertainment”, there
are terms and phrases which are used by the “workers” and
“insiders” to hide from the general public what may actually
happen in and around the square circle, and the term “Kayfabe”
is the mask used to veil the inner workings of this industry.
Everything in “the business” is magnified due to its nature
being viewed microscopically by fans and the people behind the
scenes as well. The movie “Kayfabe”, takes off the mask to show
us what can and does happen in smaller, independent local
promotions (for that matter, larger, worldwide promotions as
well), like the fictional one in the movie, Tri-City
International Championship Wrestling Federation (T.C.I.C.W.F.)
This movie is a comedy,
especially for those on the outside looking in, and many times
while watching, I was caught laughing aloud at certain events,
but there is a contrast, which makes this movie very honest and
educational for those who watch wrestling, as it is a portrayal
of amplified facts taken from actual events.
In interviewing Pro Wrestling
personalities, I hear stories on-air and off-air about some of
the events that happen backstage. The personalities may be
written as “fake”, but they exist. There has been and always
been wrestlers and personalities around wrestling who have hit
the “big time” (and can not wait to get back) and there are many
more who hope to have their chance to have a glimmer in the
limelight. “Kayfabe” does not hide these characters in the least
bit. I will highlight a few of these:
“The Rocket” Randy Tyler
(Pete Smith)
T.C.I.C.W.F.’s top bad guy, or “heel”, is one of the
characters who cares about T.C.I.W.F., and Pro Wrestling in
general, who is the most level-headed of the crew, and as a
veteran, knows what is “best for business”.
Steve
Justice
(Michael Roselli)
The top good guy, or “babyface” wrestler for T.C.I.C.W.F. who
had a brief “cup of coffee” in the big time, albeit anonymously,
and wants to make it back sooner rather than later.
Al
Thompson
(Travis Waters) A
legend in T.C.I.C.W.F., who, behind the scenes, is a foul
mouthed, “over-the-top” promoter and has a penchant for creating
bad characters, sometimes impossibly, for the wrestlers to try
and reenact.
These characters, along
with Casa “Super” Nova, Tomahawk Jacques, Marco Pain, and many
others, give a very positive portrayal to a business that does
not offer itself to optimism (note to the “Powers That Be”
T.N.A.: this movie shows how characters should be created to
catch the casual fan; you might want to study it). In a
“fake real movie about a fake real sport”, it is as real as it
gets. Go to your local gym, wrestling show, or wrestling/boxing/
mixed martial arts club for evidence of the honesty these
characters they portray (although somewhat amplified).
The movie is shot in as a
“mockumentary”-style comedy (think “Spinal Tap” meets “The
Office” meets “Arrested Development”) and seems so real that my
viewing partner, who is a casual fan of Pro Wrestling (and will
be known in future writings as “United States of Tara”), asked
at one point if this was real documentary. It is a real-life
parody of Professional Wrestling in its most outlandish
grandiosity.
Pro Wrestling is a
caricature of chaos. From carnivals to coliseums, and a few
gymnasiums along the way, it is a distortion of the truth. While
encompassed in its bubble, however, the people behind their
characters sometimes become their own biggest fans, or “marks”,
and “Kayfabe” is “no-holds-barred” in showing this side in a
humorous view. It is an absurdity of realism in its purest form.
To understand
where a lot of wrestlers/personalities come from, you go to
where it all started. “Kayfabe” should be your first step into
understanding what happens “behind the mask”. It should also be
noted that “Kayfabe” is simply an all-around genuinely good
movie for those who aren’t avid fans of Pro Wrestling. The movie
of the Bush Leagues of Pro Wrestling is a Major League triple,
stealing home to score.
