7 Times Pro Wresting broke the "Fourth Wall"

Pro Wrestling is scripted entertainment but pretends to be real. But sometimes, the lines between reality and programming are blurred.

When it comes to entertainment, the 'fourth wall' is the dividing line between the world presented on screen or stage, and the real world the audience inhabits.

The term originates in theater, where the imaginary 'wall' between the stage and the audience is considered impenetrable. Indeed, breaking the fourth wall is considered to be one of the biggest taboos in entertainment, and is rarely done outside of comedic presentations.

In the world of sports entertainment, the concept of kayfabe is meant to protect the fourth wall. Basically, kayfabe means that the wrestlers strive to pretend what they are doing is 'real' and not scripted entertainment. Times have changed, and breaking kayfabe no longer carries the same penalties it used to, but in the past wrestlers have gone to extremes to protect the fourth wall. For example, when wrestler Tonga Fifita -- better known as Meng or Haku -- was accosted by some drunken louts who called him a 'fake' wrestler, he bit one of their noses off!

Still, even today, pro wrestlers rarely break the fourth wall while performing in the ring or on televised events. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Here are seven times pro wrestling has broken the fourth wall.

---

#1 Kofi hates Country Music

The New Day--Xavier Woods, Big E Langston, and Kofi Kingston

These days, the New Day are huge babyface stars and one of the biggest merchandise sellers for WWE. However, when they first made their debut, they were very much a heel faction.

One of the ways heels will drum up heat from the audience is by insulting the town they are performing in. For example, Jeff Jarrett once wore a Tennessee Titans jersey in a town that had just lost a championship game to that team. The New Day was performing in Nashville, Tennessee, the country music capital of the world when they decided to take a stab at cheap heat.

The New Day went on a long diatribe about how much they hated country music. It was pretty standard fare, but then Kofi Kingston took things a step further and broke the fourth wall. When he asserted that he hated country music, he was certain to add, "This is me saying this, not my character."

By acknowledging that he was playing a character, Kofi broke the fourth wall, and probably got some heat backstage for doing so.

But Kofi has always been a likable individual both in person and gimmick wise. Fans backed Kofi, who went on to win the coveted WWE Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 35.

#2 Dustin Runnels hates his Seven Gimmick

Dustin Rhodes in his 'Seven' costume, which he wore exactly once.

Back during the Monday Night War, WCW was keen to gain the services of Mark Calloway, AKA the Undertaker. Since they knew they could not use the Undertaker name -- it was the intellectual property of WWE -- they came up with the 'Seven' gimmick. Unfortunately for WCW, the Undertaker chose to remain with WWE and turned down what was said to be a multi-million dollar offer.

But WCW still had the gimmick ready. When Goldust, AKA Dustin Runnels signed with the company, they foisted the gimmick off on him. Many vignettes were filmed featuring the Seven character, and he finally made his debut by floating to the ring on wires.

That's when Dustin Runnels ripped off his hat and loudly complained that he would NOT be playing the Seven character. "I look like Uncle Fester," he would gripe. The acknowledgement of the character change is quite unusual in the wrestling world and definitely broke the fourth wall.

Runnels has a history of playing such gimmicks in the industry. His 'Seven' character was dropped by the WCW due to incorrect conntations arising out of the gimmick. The promo was a shoot indeed.

#3 Triple H mocks Jeff Hardy's wellness code violations

Jeff Hardy and the Game Triple H

When Eddie Guerrero tragically passed away from heart failure in 2005, it came as a shock to the pro wrestling world. Eddie Guerrero had seemed to be in the best shape of his career, well muscled and possessed of great endurance.

In order to prevent future tragedies, the WWE instituted a wellness policy where superstars would be subjected to health screenings and drug tests to make sure they were practicing a healthy lifestyle and to detect hidden problems like the one that felled Latino Heat. Usually, when a wrestler fails the wellness test for whatever reason, they are given a storyline to explain their absence from television.

However, during a feud between Jeff Hardy and Triple H, the game taunted the charismatic Enigma by saying "Just one more, right Jeff?" This was a reference to the fact that Jeff Hardy had failed two previous wellness tests, and one more failure would mean his termination from the company. It was a bold move, and perhaps Triple H's backstage pull prevented him from suffering any career setbacks from breaking the fourth wall.

#4 Dean Malenko says the Revolution has Heat

The Revolution stable in WCW consisted of Shane Douglas, Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit (not pictured.)

The Revolution stable in WCW was, at first, something of a new generation Four Horsemen. The idea was to bundle together four superstars who were stuck in the mid-card and try to make them more popular by teaming them up.

But when Vince Russo joined WCW the first thing he did was change the Revolution from a no-nonsense stable to an anti-American, pseudo-militia that garnered cheap heat from the crowd by being un-American. The popularity of the Montana Freemen, a militia group who claimed to have seceded from the USA--despite taking federal handouts like food stamps--probably led to Russo's decision to repackage the quartet.

But there was a catch: while most of the stable would deadpan put down the United States, Perry Saturn would often act ridiculously goofy in segments, somewhat spoiling the mood. Dean Malenko once broke the fourth wall by staring at Saturn and saying "What are you doing, man? We got heat!"

Heat referred to crowd fervour in the wrestling world, and Malenko was acknowledging the fact that the Revolution was getting hate from the audience. He quickly amended his statement to be "We've got Harlem Heat," the tag team they were to face in the following match, but it was a shaky dodge at best.

Malenko may not have been impressive on the mic, but he surely was a master in-ring technician.

#5 Matt Hardy and Edge's real-life drama

Edge with Lita and Matt Hardy

In the world of pro wrestling, relationships are measured in dog years. That's because of the strains that being a sports entertainer can put on any romantic entanglement.

That's why it was so surprising that Matt Hardy and Lita managed to stay together as long as they did. When they were bundled together as Team Extreme along with Jeff Hardy, fans noticed a certain chemistry seemed to be brewing between the duo. Eventually, it was acknowledged on-screen that they were, in fact, a couple, with a passionate kiss right in the middle of the ring.

But several years later, the couple's fairytale romance came to an end. Lita would sever ties with Hardy and wind up with Edge instead. WWE's response to the tension backstage was to fire Matt Hardy, but this led to an uproar among the WWE Universe, who were strong supporters of Hardy.

The WWE acknowledged the break-up and Edge's role in it on camera, and even allowed Matt Hardy airtime to voice his grievance. They were probably expecting him to break the fourth wall, but maybe not wishing that Edge would 'get cancer!'

Edge and Hardy faced off later on with Lita's affair as the feud's central theme.

#6 Goldberg refuses to 'job'

Goldberg and Kevin Nash have a somewhat tangled history.

In professional wrestling, the act of being scripted to lose to another talent is known as 'doing the job.'

While wrestlers might talk about refusing to 'job' to certain other talents, it is usually never actually spoken on screen. But during Vince Russo's run as creative director for World Championship Wrestling -- coincidentally the same era many fans stopped watching and switched to WWE--he would often try to work the 'smart' fans in the audience. A 'smart' fan is one who pays close attention to the backstage happenings, perhaps more so than the actual scripted drama in the ring.

So when Kevin Nash went to give his Jackknife Powerbomb finisher to Goldberg, the master of the Jackhammer suddenly pushed Nash away and walked out of the ring. He had a confrontation with Vince Russo, who at that point had become an on-air talent himself. It was an ugly mess and broke the fourth wall without really breaking the fourth wall since it was scripted to happen anyway. Not exactly a feather in the cap of WCW or Vince Russo.

#7 Jeff Jarrett lays down for Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach

Hogan can't believe what's happening at Bash at the Beach.

Vince Russo rears his ugly, conceited head one more time on our list as we recall the deplorable incident at WCW's Bash at the Beach in 2000.

Russo was famous for the fact that he really disliked the fact that many of the WCW's major talents had a creative control clause in their contracts. This meant that, for example, Hulk Hogan could decide when and if he was going to lose on any particular night. When Hulk Hogan asserted his creative control clause and refused to let Jeff Jarrett, the current WCW champion, beat him, Vince Russo made an extraordinary decision whose effects are still felt today.

Going against a scripted finish of Hogan winning the title after a grueling match, Russo ordered Jarrett to lay down for Hogan. The Hulkster was visibly confused and upset but eventually pinned Jarrett. Russo would then berate Hogan on the microphone and promised the audience they would never have to see him again.

The fourth wall-breaking moment led to Hogan's immediate departure from the company and made fans so angry WCW hastily put together another match featuring Jarrett vs. Booker T for the title, which Booker won.

There you have it; Seven times wrestling has broken the fourth wall. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article and as always thanks for reading.