kayfabe

n. the showbiz and stagecraft of professional wrestling, including the ring personas of professional wrestlers, especially when maintained in public; insider knowledge of professional wrestling. Also keyfabe. Subjects: English, Entertainment

Editorial Note: The historical information in the 1998 citation is unverified. Etymological Note: Probably from a Pig Latin form of fake.

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Citations: 1990 [Byron C. Howes] Usenet: rec.sport.pro-wrestling (Apr. 5) “Re: The future is now”: It would not be voted the #1 organization by any group of smart fans or any of the kayfabe sheets. This seems to bother you and I can’t figure out why. 1996 [The Chief] Usenet: rec.sport.pro-wrestling (June 19) “Re: [INFO] Hack Notes - 12 June 1996”: HHH lost his push, and was pulled out of all the WWF’s summer PPV’s because of the infamous event at the Garden, i.e. the breaking of keyfabe. 1997 John Kelso Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (May 12) “Cult songs, wrestling and deer, oh my” p. B1: Joe’s interview with you is called a kayfabe interview in the trade. Kayfabe is the wrestling pig-Latin term for fake. As in he kayfabed you about wrestling. 1998 Sharon Mazer Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle (Feb. 1) p. 22-23: All participants, including fans, present others with at least a bit of a “kayfabe,” a term which is taken from nineteenth-century carnival, medicine show, and sideshow practice and simply refers to a con or deception. Kayfabe can also, less pejoratively, refer to participants’ self-promotional, rhetorically inflated, and somewhat truth-obfuscating patter that resembles that of the talkers at the traditional sideshow. A kayfabian, then, is a con artist; most wrestlers are proud to be called kayfabians because it means they’re in on the (con) game. 2002 Bobby Heenan, Steve Anderson Bobby the Brain: Wrestling’s Bad Boy Tells All (Aug. 1) p. 33: The babyfaces hung around together and the heels stayed with each other as well. That’s the way it was in the those “kayfabe” days. ("Kayfabe” is wrestling slang that refers to protecting the business. To “kayfabe” basically means that the wrestler keeps the inner workings of the business to himself and doesn’t share them with the fans. Sort of like a magician doesn’t reveal his tricks.) 2005 Jimmy Van Pro Wrestling Insider (Apr. 20) “Former WWE Diva Amy Weber Discusses Why She Walked Away From WWE In Detail”: Did you hear any of the old schoolers throw around the word “kayfabe”? Amy said she did and she knows exactly what kayfabe is. JV mentions that kayfabe has sort of died off due to the Internet, but some performers like Ric Flair are still protective.

Posted 21 Apr 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

From the rec.sport.pro-wrestling FAQ (Oct 9, 1995):

15.7. What is Kay Fabe?

The term Kay Fabe comes from ancient carnival talk, appropriate as professional wrestling has it’s origins in the carnivals. Kay Fabe practices were old tricks, from three card monte to cure all elixers and, of course, magic acts. A kay fabe violator exposed the secrets behind these practices. In wrestling, the term has come to mean not exposing that the business is worked. In the 80s, Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, wrote a book entitled Kay Fabe, exposing many secrets of the business.

by Ben Zimmer 21 Apr 05, 0122 GMT

Yeah, I saw that, but didn’t feel it was necessary to cite it. However, it did put me on the lookout for Sayama’s book which I’ll cite if and when I find it.

by Grant Barrett 21 Apr 05, 0130 GMT

thank you for actually including the word Kayfabe in the dictionary. my own home dictionary didn’t have it and neither did other online dictionaries that i tried

by Lydia-Mae Ryder 19 Jun 06, 0316 GMT