For much of its history, professional wrestling has been based on a willing suspension of disbelief. While today and for much of its history, many know professional wrestling as a scripted form of sports entertainment, in 1996 many in the wrestling industry preferred the illusion that scripted content be preserved and presented as reality. Those that wanted to keep this illusion of reality, known as kayfabe, believed that if wrestlers and performers maintained kayfabe, it would provide a better experience for the fans. Unlike actors who only portray their characters when on set or a stage, professional wrestlers often stayed in character outside shows, especially when interacting with fans. This act of preserving the illusion of reality meant that those wrestlers that portrayed "bad guys" would act villainous while they were in public, and those that were known as "good guys" would be model citizens and role models in public.
However, at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 19, 1996, at the end of the World Wrestling Federation event, two "bad guys" and two "good guys" embraced and celebrated in the middle of the ring in front of shocked fans. The interaction between the group of four professional wrestlers, known initially behind the scenes as the Kliq, acted as a tribute to their friendship since two of the individuals were leaving the company. This incident is referred to as the "Curtain Call" and involved the departing Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), and the two wrestlers remaining with the World Wrestling Federation, Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The "Curtain Call" upset a lot people in the professional wrestling business as it openly deviated from the wrestling company's set storyline and revealed that there was a friendship between "bad guy" characters and "good guy" characters. This incident has since been credited as a major shift in the professional wrestling industry and set a precedent in blurring the lines between reality and scripted sports entertainment.
In many recent instances, real life events and relationships are now written into pro wrestling storylines, causing a blurring or what is real and what is scripted. This storytelling device is used to enhance the storylines, and bring back some of the illusion that what a fan of professional wrestling is seeing has a hint of reality.
Shawn Michaels Promo - May, 18, 1996
"Curtain Call" - May 19, 1996
DX showing "Curtain Call" Footage on Raw - October 6, 1997
Diesel (Kevin Nash) talks about the "Curtain Call"
"Curtain Call" Recap by WrestleLamia on YouTube
Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) discusses the "Curtain Call"
Shawn Michaels discusses the "Curtain Call"
On July 25, 1999, Triple H while in character discusses the "Curtain Call"
Jim Cornette is disgusted with the "Curtain Call"
