10 Times You Forgot Pro Wrestlers Broke Kayfabe On The Air
2. Announcers Call Goldberg Out For Refusing To Do Business
Toward the end of its run, WCW couldn't go ten minutes without swerving or shooting or just outright uppercutting kayfabe in the beanbags. Most of these instances are well-documented. But for some reason, not many folks talk about this most egregious example of how not to blur the lines.
New Blood Rising was supposed to be a turning point for WCW. It was supposed to be the event that WCW proved it could run without Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, both of whom had left the month before. Instead, it showed the world why Vince Russo shouldn't be allowed to run a company without a babysitter.
During a Triple Threat match between Goldberg, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner, Goldberg, for some reason, doesn't show up until five minutes into the match. He then walks out five minutes later after refusing to take a Jackknife Powerbomb from Nash.
It was...awkward. Rather than try to make it look like it was part of a work, the three commentators spent the rest of the match blathering on about how Goldberg had just refused to do business, with the ever-incompetent Tony Schiavone offering this:
"Let's see what's gonna happen now. If in fact the Jackknife Powerbomb was part of the design, what are they gonna do now? Improvise?"
But they also made constant references to the storylines surrounding the match, treating them as if they were real. So...which is it guys? Do you want to be edgy and kayfabe-less, or do you want to call the match as if it all actually matters?
You can't have it both ways. And you certainly can't expect your viewers to care about the outcome of the match after that.