5 WWE Superstars who blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality
The fraternity of professional wrestling is made up of some of the most interesting characters. At times, there is a blurred line between character and reality.
In the 1970s and early 1980s when wrestlers protected the business and Kayfabe still formed a shroud of secrecy on everything that happened backstage, both men and women became the characters they portrayed. It wasn’t odd to see Ox Baker scaring the daylights out of fans outside the arenas or Sgt. Slaughter wearing his military fatigues in local venues.
Oh, how times have changed.
Ric Flair once said in his book, “To Be the Man”, champions would sleep with their title belts – proving once again how important a championship was to their legacy. The mainstream of this business was one hellacious party – with everyone on promotional rosters hoping to get an invitation to stay a while.
Today, with the advent of the internet and the belief in transparency, those walls have come down, making it difficult for us old-timers to accept some of the ways of the squared circle. Seeing John Cena and Triple H in an airport having a laugh or two is commonplace. There are some who still try to protect the business – believing there is still a place for the rituals of yesterday while trying to survive in this “quick-to-get-away” business,
The Undertaker is still one of the few performers who remains in character every single moment he is in an arena. Alberto Del Rio is another. Now, the lines aren’t blurred, those two are the exception to the norm. Here is a look at five wrestlers who blurred those lines over their careers and even live the persona today.
#1 Bob Backlund
The former WWF World Champion isn’t the prim and proper technical superstar he once was. Now, he is a bit off kilter and potentially a certifiable nut job. Backlund holds the record for the second longest WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign, behind Bruno Sammartino's first. He was loved and revered as one of the best technical wrestlers of his era, but his heel turn and now his cagy, harsh personality is a definite flip from how he used to perform in the ring.
Backlund’s ties to politics and the current political climate is the reason for his “Making Darren Young Great Again” program, which may take a nosedive once the Presidential election is over.