12 Days That Completely Killed Kayfabe

5. November 1, 1998 - Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets Airs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znhP2tsrx-s Pro wrestling was red hot in 1998, and while mainstream media didn't seem to understand it, they wanted to benefit from it. That was the impetus behind creating Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets, an NBC special that purported to reveal all of the tricks of the wrestling business to an audience receptive to any grappling-related TV. The special featured wrestlers competing in masks - in order to protect their identities and avoid being blackballed by the industry - and revealing the truth about everything from audience plants (including the infamous "stunt granny") to bladejobs. Purportedly, the paycheck-desperate masked grapplers included ECW's Pitbulls, Michael Modest, and NWA legend Harley Race. The special was widely criticized as poorly-produced and insulting to the industry, with a WWE statement referring to the cast as "a bunch of bitter, masked wannabe 'pro wrestlers' that couldn't make the cut." Given its history, the company chose a rather arbitrary time to defend the integrity of wrestling.