Pro wrestling is an unusual performance art that incorporates athleticism, narrative, and showmanship. Unlike most sports, wrestling match results are predetermined, and the performers, or wrestlers, are actors playing roles in ongoing stories that develop both in and out of the ring.
Underlying pro wrestling's popularity is the idea of kayfabe, the longstanding custom of pretending that scripted matches are real. Kayfabe is what enables wrestlers to play heroes (babyfaces) and bad guys (heels), feud, and create emotional narratives that resonate with spectators. For most of the history of wrestling, keeping kayfabe required staying in character even when away from the ring in order to sustain the illusion.
While today's fans are more savvy to the fact that wrestling is scripted, kayfabe is still significant. Contemporary wrestling walks that line between fact and fiction, sometimes mixing real-world elements into storylines in an effort to add depth to the drama. Kayfabe has become more malleable in this process, but no less significant—it's what keeps the show together and gets people invested.
Ultimately, pro wrestling relies on the desire of the audience to suspend their disbelief in what they know is staged. Kayfabe is not about lying—it's about involvement.