Undertaker Claims The Tonight Show as his Yard
The Undertaker recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where he delivered the Tombstone to Brad Maddox dressed in a turkey suit. Feel free to read that again, if you'd like. I'll wait.
Anyone that knows me can tell you I'm somewhat of a stickler for kayfabe. Remember kayfabe, the fictional reality of pro wrestling, the ongoing story of good versus evil and right versus wrong? Like the Force in Star Wars, kayfabe is the thing that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together.
That may be a bit big in scope but nonetheless, it's entirely true.
Any time a pro wrestling company deviates from kayfabe, any time it strays from the reality that fans buy into and believe in, bad things can happen. To destroy that suspension of disbelief is to destroy the one thing that allows fans to have fun and be entertained. When kayfabe dies, the promotion in question has lost control.
Kayfabe is dead in WWE by the way, just so you know.
Stephanie McMahon cries when she hugs terminally ill kids, then does all she can do to heel out, shrieking at the top of her lungs as she does it. Meanwhile, her Twitter bio describes her as "playing a bad guy on TV."
The Divas hate each other in the ring yet on Total Divas, they're hanging out and friendly with each other behind the scenes. Paige turns heel on Charlotte, yet ran to the closest interview to explain that she got Vince McMahon's blessing to cut that initial promo.
The Miz and Dolph Ziggler are not exactly bros on Raw but then they both Tweet pics of themeselves together at Cavaliers games. Lana and Rusev are split, with Rusev playing the part of the bully ex-boyfriend when inexplicably, they post a pic online together with the announcement that they're engaged.
There are a thousand examples. How much time do you have?
The latest example is this Undertaker sighting on Jimmy Fallon. Was he in character? Yes. Did the crowd pop for him? Of course, though I wonder how many of them actually knew who he was. Was it entertaining?
It was The Undertaker Tombstoning the Thanksgiving turkey, what do you think?
Since the spot happened, I've read one opinion after another and each one is a little bit different than the other. Some say it was silly, some say it was well done, others are suggesting that it was a sign of Taker's impending retirement.
But again, it was The Undertaker Tombstoning the Thanksgiving turkey. How anyone on the planet could be upset about it or over analyze it to the point of ridiculousness is well, ridiculous.
Of all the Superstars in WWE, The Deadman is the one least likely to appear out of kayfabe. His character doesn't exactly lend itself to the outside world, as the harsh lights of "reality" do not feature pro wrestling theatricality very well.
So yes, kayfabe was broken by WWE yet again and yes I shook my head at the idea of it. However at the end of the day, the business is supposed to be fun. Watching Undertaker cross over into a world that he really doesn't belong in, to deliver a Tombstone while in character? That's fun.
It was a lighthearted moment and I for one enjoyed it. Kayfabe is indeed dead in WWE but in this instance, it's okay with me.
