10 Secrets Behind WWE Magic Tricks

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) isn’t just about wrestling. 

Paul Levesque recently said, when speaking to Pat McAfee, that WWE is not a sport; it’s a “movie about a sport”. Can’t recall a scene in ‘Chariots of Fire’ in which a group of murderous psychopaths massacre a bunch of people and all but a handful of sprinters simply go about their business like it never happened, but that’s Levesque’s take on things. 

Because WWE isn’t a sports-oriented wrestling promotion, the wrestling matches are simply a part of the presentation; often the result of the various soapy goings-on, not the explicit reason WWE “happens”. To build interest in the matches, or to otherwise convince sponsors that WWE isn’t that tawdry wrasslin’ to which they are allergic, WWE likes to orchestrate various stunts. 

WWE does this in order to portray its “Superstars” as larger-than-life. WWE isn’t into kick pad workhorses - unless they’re trying to throttle an emerging movement elsewhere - and prefers to promote toyetic caricatures to better sell merchandise, shift tickets, and generally broaden the appeal of pro wrestling as a spectacle. 

But how is the sausage made…?

At the 1998 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker successfully defended the WWF title in a Casket match against Shawn Michaels (which, infamously, was the match in which Shawn clipped the lid and destroyed his back, and after which was thought forever retired). 

In the post-match angle, Kane and Paul Bearer, after interfering and costing their storyline relative, dragged the casket back up the entrance ramp. Then, with ‘Taker ostensibly still inside it, Kane took an axe to the casket before setting it ablaze. 

Well, that’s yer Undertaker deid. 

Except, no. The Dead Man did not die; if you watch closely, the casket was positioned directly against the ring apron. Ironically, when Kane and Bearer locked down the casket, literally sealing ‘Taker’s fate, they were actually protecting him through misdirection. The time it “took” to make sure ‘Taker could not escape actually allowed him to escape through a gimmicked trapdoor. 

The Undertaker hid under the ring as the stunt was performed next to the set. 

In an additional spot of trivia, Kane didn’t just use an axe for the extra dramatic effect; he did this so that the fire could interact with more oxygen, which supports the chemical processes that occur during a blaze.