Is WWE Fake? What’s Scripted & What’s Real?

WWE’s official label is “sports entertainment” because it blends fiction with reality, with pro wrestlers enduring intense training, real injuries, and high-risk stunts.

So, just how fake is WWE? Let’s explore the truth behind professional wrestling and what really happens behind the scenes.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Is WWE Scripted? The Art of Pro Wrestling's Illusion
2. What's Real in WWE? The Reality Behind Fake Wrestling
3. The Dark Side of Pro Wrestling: Is WWE's Scripted Lifestyle Too Dangerous?
4. The Bottom Line: Is WWE Real or Fake?
5. FAQs
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Is WWE Scripted? The Art of Pro Wrestling's Illusion
2. What's Real in WWE? The Reality Behind Fake Wrestling
3. The Dark Side of Pro Wrestling: Is WWE's Scripted Lifestyle Too Dangerous?
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line: Is WWE Real or Fake?
5. FAQs
6. References

Is WWE Scripted? The Art of Pro Wrestling’s Illusion

But for decades, the industry tried to keep that fact a secret through a tradition called kayfabe – an unwritten rule that wrestlers had to stay in character at all times, both in and out of the ring, to make the rivalries and storylines feel as authentic as possible.

What Is Kayfabe?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, kayfabe is “the tacit agreement between professional wrestlers and their fans to pretend that overtly staged wrestling events, stories, characters, etc., are genuine.”

Kayfabe Before the Internet

Prior to the internet and social media, kayfabe was believed to be paramount to the success of the wrestling industry. The secrets of professional wrestling were kept under wraps and misguided much of the public, especially the young viewers, to believe that the feuds, the rivalries, and the drama were all real.

It went so far that wrestlers were told to not break character in public and not be seen out with their rivals, even when simply eating or traveling together.

Breaking Kayfabe: A Scandal in 1987

On occasion, kayfabe was accidentally broken and was headline news around the wrestling community. Arguably, the biggest example was back in 1987, when The Iron Sheik and Hacksaw Jim Duggan were set to take part in an important match at Madison Square Garden.

At the time, Hacksaw was involved in a long-standing patriotic storyline with the Sheik and tag-team partner Nikolai Volkoff, pitting the USA against Iran and Russia. However, they were arrested on the Garden State Parkway riding together in possession of marijuana and open alcohol containers, with the Iron Sheik in possession of three grams of cocaine.

Hacksaw was let go for three months, and the Iron Sheik was released by the company for a year, only to be eventually hired back.

McMahon Ends Kayfabe in 1989

Kayfabe was such a critical component that the wrestling industry did not acknowledge that it was simply providing entertainment until 1989, when Vince McMahon, the Chairman and CEO of WWE at the time, was forced to testify before the New Jersey State Senate that wrestling was not a competitive sport.

McMahon was doing so in order to essentially dodge taxes that some states placed on income from athletic competitions held in that state. It was also done to avoid meeting state minimum requirements on hiring medical personnel for athletic events.

What’s Real in WWE? The Reality Behind Fake Wrestling

It’s not all about wrestling either: you have to become a showman in order to rise to the top. Without having a strong personality and the ability to craft together lines on the fly in front of a packed house and millions watching at home, even the best wrestlers won’t reach the heights of the WWE.

Are Injuries in WWE Real? The Risks of Scripted Wrestling

Even though WWE is scripted, the risks that pro wrestlers face in the ring are real, with many ending up seriously injured thanks to the stunts they perform.

Examples of Real Injuries in WWE

Is WWE’s Blood Fake? The Truth About Blading

In the past, wrestlers often cut themselves with hidden razorblades (blading), which sometimes developed into more serious injuries and even infections over time.

However, in 2008, WWE introduced a no-blading rule as part of its move to a TV-PG rating. This ban resulted in WWE relying on accidental injuries or fake blood. Pro wrestlers caught breaking this rule faced heavy fines or other backstage penalties.

In 2024, WWE decided to allow blading again in important matches but is expected to limit its use, keeping it for special occasions rather than making it a regular part of its shows.

The Dark Side of Pro Wrestling: Is WWE’s Scripted Lifestyle Too Dangerous?

Professional wrestling might be scripted, but the risks are real. Behind the fame, high-flying stunts, and dramatic storylines, many wrestlers face intense physical strain, mental exhaustion, and financial struggles.

Substance Abuse

Drug and steroid abuse has long been a problem in the wrestling industry. Many wrestlers, past and present, have turned to performance enhancers or painkillers to keep up with the grueling demands of the sport, often with tragic consequences.

Trying to cut corners to make the WWE is almost normalized due to the extremely poor wages in amateur wrestling and lower levels of professional wrestling. On top of that, the physical and mental toll on the body has driven many wrestlers to develop nasty alcohol and drug habits that have, in many instances, become fatal.

Some of the more popular WWE wrestlers who died from drug, alcohol, and/or steroid abuse include:

and countless others.

Suicides

Given the rough conditions and extreme physical and financial pressure to become a success, many aspiring wrestlers found it all too much to handle.

Here’s a non-definitive list of WWE wrestlers who took their own lives:

Ring Deaths

While it’s extremely rare that wrestlers die in the ring, it does happen occasionally. The most famous occurrence is undoubtedly Owen Hart’s death at the 1999 Over the Edge pay-per-view event in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hart, 34, who was known for dramatic entrances and wild stunts, fell to his death from the rafters 78 feet onto the top rope.

Hart had planned to be lowered slowly and would fake being tangled and fall flat on his face (from a safe height) for comedic effect using a release mechanism. Unfortunately, it’s believed that Hart accidentally triggered the release mechanism while adjusting himself for the stunt. The Hart family sued the WWE over how dangerous and poorly planned the stunt was and were awarded $18 million.

The incident was not shown on TV, and Vince McMahon made a very controversial decision to continue the event after it was put on hold.

With the crowd completely unaware of the aftermath, before the era of Twitter and social media, announcer Jim Ross famously delivered the news of Hart’s death on live TV with the audience cheering and screaming in the background. It’s a sound byte that still delivers chills to WWE fans to this day.

Another shocking in-ring death occurred in 2015 when Perro Aguayo Jr. suffered a fatal cervical spine injury during a tag team match in Tijuana, Mexico. The bout featured Rey Mysterio, Manik (TJP), and Xtreme Tiger, and everything seemed routine until Mysterio hit Aguayo with a dropkick to set him up for his signature 619 move.

Aguayo remained motionless on the ropes, and at first, it seemed as though he was simply selling the move. However, concern quickly grew when he showed no response. Despite attempts to revive him, Aguayo was later pronounced dead due to spinal trauma.

The Bottom Line: Is WWE Real or Fake?

While the question of whether WWE is fake has certainly been answered, the knowledge that the product is purely entertainment has certainly not stopped wrestling fans from investing.

In WWE’s 2024 annual report, the company reported nearly $1.4 billion in annual revenue.

While the matches and the feuds are predetermined and the storylines are outrageous, there are too many very real elements that may warrant a much closer look.

Should wrestling be the way it is, given that it’s led so many athletes to early deaths? Or should the wrestlers be accountable for making the decision to get into the industry fully knowing the risks?

That’s for you to decide.

FAQs