Look, I know Kayfabe is dead....

[jmt225]

.... but come on, man.

http://alexablissphotos.com/albums/userpics/10003/005_WM35Press_03162018rf_0329--96d84548d720767b5e6bdde65fe2f343.jpg

http://alexablissphotos.com/albums/userpics/10003/032_WM35Press_03162018jg_1099--268cbbfc45a59994eaffaf9c7556df26.jpg

I think it was Norcal who brilliantly pointed out that Nia is the only person on the card who got her title shot over hurt feelings and not because she earned it.

But at least stick to the storyline. Good grief! We all know Nia and Bliss are best friends IRL, but can't they separate themselves for 2 freaking seconds and pretend they hate each other, ESPECIALLY at a PRESS CONFERENCE promoting the event?

Brock and Roman would never do this. If they want us to take women's wrestling seriously then they need to reevaluate their behavior off the show and on social media.

[#AbsoluteUnit]

Look at how much taller Nia is over Alexa. Wow.

[Jack-Hammer]

It's just not that big of a deal to me. :shrug: :shrug:

At meet and greets, autograph sessions, etc. you can get your pictures and all that taken with the wrestlers, including "mean girls" like Alexa Bliss. She'll give people hugs, smile and laugh in front of the camera, etc. instead of doing her schtick like we see on TV every Monday night. People don't seem to mind there, so I can't say I mind this.

I mean, I get where you're coming from but Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax are very close friends in real life, which means they associate with each other and spend time doing stuff together. I don't have a Twitter account or Instagram or any of that stuff, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if multiple pictures of them hanging out pop up on those platforms all the time. I wonder just how many pics of them have been posted on Twitter or Instagram by someone taking a picture of Alexa or Nia sitting together at a restaurant without their knowledge. I mean, they've got lives outside of wrestling but they're also celebrities, which means stuff like this is going to happen. The internet dirt sheets put kayfabe on life support but it's social media that pulled the plug.

Outside the ring and TV, there is no "competition" but what bothers me to a far greater degree than a few pics on social media, which I don't even follow, is that the wrestlers aren't portrayed as being in "competition" nearly enough while they're in character on our TVs every week. More often than not, Vince's creative decisions all but come right out and say, a good deal of the time, they're just playing a role on a TV show. Even though that's exactly what they're doing, Vince should at least try to create an atmosphere that makes it easier to forget that and suspend disbelief.

[Барбоса]

I think those photos were taken before the match was made.

They were taken after Nia saw Mickie and Alexa belitting her, but before Bliss then offered her the fake apology which led to Angle making the title match at Mania.

[smarkmouth]

jmt, I'm not looking to give you a hard time or grief you on your stance. In fact I think you've taken a far more diplomatic approach to this sort of conversation than I've seen the worst of wrestling fans take. But boiling your argument down to it's core, all I read is; "How dare these performers enjoy their real lives in these peripheral events, which I have no obligation to consume, as they do not inform the story." We see this kind of peeled-back kayfabe all the time in the Network era with shows like WWE 24. I find it hard to fault talent for enjoying their down time when the very company that they work is capitalizing on their off-hours.

Flip side of the coin, though, I do appreciate when talents go the extra mile to sell their feud. Gargano and Ciampa, for example, has been an outstanding feud within the confines of NXT programming on it's own, but they're selling it even more outside of NXT TV. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens doing the little things on their twitter account (Owens giving up his verified checkmark to rename himself Kevin Steen and a brief resurgance of El Generico) to sell their firing. The extra work that they've been doing to sell the feuds and angles on social media and the like is absolutely applauded, but far away from being the standard.

[jmt225]

I think those photos were taken before the match was made.

They were taken after Nia saw Mickie and Alexa belitting her, but before Bliss then offered her the fake apology which led to Angle making the title match at Mania.

Ahh... you're right. Saw them today, figured it was more recent.



It's just not that big of a deal to me. :shrug: :shrug:

At meet and greets, autograph sessions, etc. you can get your pictures and all that taken with the wrestlers, including "mean girls" like Alexa Bliss. She'll give people hugs, smile and laugh in front of the camera, etc. instead of doing her schtick like we see on TV every Monday night. People don't seem to mind there, so I can't say I mind this.


I understand this point of view. Heels being nice to fans when they're in public would never bother me.

I just don't think it's too much to ask that the wrestlers on TV who are feuding with one another don't act so friendly when cameras are around and on social media.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Alexa and Nia are basically best friends in real life. Are they really supposed to avoid each other the entire event just to continue the feud?

[Барбоса]

Alexa and Nia are basically best friends in real life. Are they really supposed to avoid each other the entire event just to continue the feud?

Yes.

[Spidey]

I disagree. They're actors playing a role on TV who aren't even going by their real names. To keep them from hanging out is not only holding them to a higher standard than Hollywood would but also ridiculous in the age of surveillance.

It's been a good thirty, forty years since kayfabe was important. There've been wizards and wish granting Santas since then. I'm of the mind of letting it go.

[A11]

I disagree. They're actors playing a role on TV who aren't even going by their real names. To keep them from hanging out is not only holding them to a higher standard than Hollywood would but also ridiculous in the age of surveillance.

It's been a good thirty, forty years since kayfabe was important. There've been wizards and wish granting Santas since then. I'm of the mind of letting it go. Didnt they try and market the last fast and furious by making it out that rock and vin diesel as having some beef and Vin diesel was a dick conveniently in the movie he became the bad guy (I could be wrong about the actual plot details).

As for the actual argument, kayfabe is long dead

[Барбоса]

I don't expect them to not talk to each other out of the public view, but at an event promoting Wrestlemania (admittedly next year's), I would have expected them to not sit side by side had their personal feud/match been set up. Plenty of others at that event were in character so why not the RAW Women's champion and her challenger?

[Y 2 Jake]

If Gargano and Ciampa can do it then I'm sure they can stay off each others Insta pictures.

[Sitonmyface]

I don't see a problem with it to be honest. A certain suspension of disbelief is required to properly enjoy WWE anyway. I see no issue with them enjoying their personal life. But that's just me! I totally get why it would bother others.

[Барбоса]

I don't see a problem with it to be honest. A certain suspension of disbelief is required to properly enjoy WWE anyway. I see no issue with them enjoying their personal life. But that's just me! I totally get why it would bother others.

But it wasn't their personal life...

It was a WWE event where others like the New Day were in character

[Sitonmyface]

Fair enough :eyeroll:

[Fallout]

Meh, I lean more towards the kayfabe side of the argument when it came to this specific press conference, and it would be good for WWE to acknowledge it, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it affects too much.