5 times top WWE Superstars broke kayfabe in the middle of a match - Ronda Rousey chats to a fan, WWE veteran no-sells Champion's finisher
WWE Superstars are on-screen characters, the stars who portray the roles are forced to remain in character throughout every show. However, as with any live program, there are often things that go wrong.
Performers often find it hard to remain in character if they are approached by the WWE Universe or if there is a moment where they are overcome with emotion and are forced to express the way they feel.
There have been a number of times when this has happened in the middle of a match on live TV, here are just five examples.
#5. Randy Orton thinks Kofi Kingston is "stupid"
#stupid.
#SDLive #SummerSlam @RandyOrton @TrueKofi https://t.co/3BCxzyQzeb
One of the most talked about moments of Randy Orton's career was when the former 14-time World Champion lost his cool with Kofi Kingston. This happened when the former Intercontinental Champion forgot a spot in their match back in 2009.
Orton was supposed to deliver a punt kick to Kingston to end their match but the star was out of position, so he had to deliver an RKO instead. This led to Orton losing his cool and shouting "stupid" several times. This error cost Kingston his push at the time and meant that he was forced to wait almost a decade to make it back to the main event level in the company.
#4. Natalya refuses to stay down following Liv Morgan's finisher
Inaceptable departe de Natalya. No se porque la siguen utilizando teniendo tanto roster femenino en proceso de construcciĂłn. #wwe #LivMorgan https://t.co/aiiiIrQlQ3
Liv Morgan has been pushed to the moon on WWE TV over the past few months and is the current SmackDown Women's Champion. Morgan has feuded with several stars this year, with Natalya being one of the women she has faced off against many times at live events.
Back in July, the two women faced off and Morgan picked up the win following Oblivion. However, a video of the match later went viral when Natalya broke character, got up after the finisher, and walked out of the ring. It's unclear why she acted this way, but it led to several rumors about the former Champion, who hasn't feuded with Morgan on TV since.
#3. Chris Jericho breaks kayfabe following Neville's injury on WWE RAW
Before Chris Jericho and Neville were seen as stand-out talents in AEW, the two men collided in a match whilst working for WWE. The stars went one-on-one on Monday Night RAW in 2016 where Neville suffered a fractured ankle mid-match.
It's clear that Neville was supposed to win the match following a Red Arrow but he was unable to climb the ropes. The referee was clearly given the directive that Neville was supposed to win the match, which is why he refused to call the pin when Jericho shouted at him to end the match because the star was hurt. Jericho was then forced to break character and shove the referee which led to a DQ.
Jericho then argued with the referee after the match where he can clearly be seen in the video above telling the official that Neville was injured and he should have called the pin.
#2. Randy Orton breaks character to console Shane McMahon's children at WWE Survivor Series 2016
Shane McMahon was part of the traditional Survivor Series match back in 2016 and the former Commissioner of SmackDown was seemingly injured following a spear from Roman Reigns. At the time McMahon was attempting a Coast to Coast and was caught in mid-air, which made the move look much worse than it was.
Shane McMahon's family were at ringside and for the show and were visibly upset about the move. This led to Randy Orton who was a heel at the time, breaking character and heading over to them and ensuring McMahon's family that he was ok.
Orton later revealed to CBS Sports what he told McMahon's family during the match.
“I told them their dad was a champ and he was a tough dude, and he’s fine, and it’s just part of what we’re doing right now, kids. Don’t worry about it. And they smiled and the wife was happy, and everything was cool.” via Sportskeeda.
#1. Ronda Rousey breaks kayfabe to speak to a fan on WWE SmackDown
Ronda Rousey on SmackDown 9/9/22
Credits: valentinokhan via Tiktok https://t.co/PAmIqTOZ8B
Ronda Rousey returned to in-ring action this week on WWE SmackDown and was able to come out on top after forcing Sonya Deville to tap to the Ankle Lock. Mid-match, the two women were brawling on the outside when Rousey was able to stop to take some advice from a fan.
As seen in the video above, the fan told Rousey to go and attack Deville and Rousey responded that she was waiting for the right time. The Baddest Woman on the Planet then went on to assault Deville and made it clear that this was what she was waiting for. Despite now being seen as a heel, Rousey was able to interact with the fan whilst fully in character, which is rare for the former UFC Champion.