kay-fabe

Noun

kayfabe (uncountable)

1. The act, situation, or code of portraying staged events, performances, rivalries, etc as authentic or spontaneous.
   • "Jack, Gordon and I were talking about how we heard Ric Flair do an interview where he said there was no such thing as kay-fabe any more," said Blair, referring to the fact most wrestler secrets were exposed in the 1990s.2001 April 27, Alex Marvez, "Grappling for the Right Words?", South Florida Sun-Sentinel, p. 44
2. (figuratively) Similar fakery or suspension of disbelief in other contexts.
   • Business historian Fiona A. E. McQuarrie has noted that the concept of kayfabe is not uncommon outside the realm of professional wrestling, as many corporations "formally require their members to maintain public silence on company issues or not to express any explicit criticism of the company...2013, Eero Laine, “Professional Wrestling”, in American History through American Sports, Vol. I, →ISBN, page 226

   Synonyms:

   work, theatrics

See all 4 meanings of kayfabe