For any wrestling fan, acknowledging the fact that professional wrestling is scripted is probably the most horrendous omission. The business of pro wrestling had long maintained a time honoured tradition of upholding this very secret, which in industry terms is called kayfabe. 

However, in this new era, WWE seems to be embracing the newer dimension of understanding of what professional wrestling truly is; this means not only acknowledging its scripted nature but also exposing the business’s inner workings. 

It has mainly been done through various podcasts of former wrestlers or mainstream interviews, but now, WWE itself, in association with Netflix, has released a documentary series titled WWE Unreal that gives a sneak peek into the wondrous world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment. 

A Netflix way of doing things

Creating a documentary to highlight a sport is not new for Netflix at all. Netflix’s exclusive model for bringing in new fans to its latest accrued programming had always been to publish a detailed series about the programme itself. The Drive to Survive series did so for Formula 1. It played a huge part in popularising the sport in North America and bringing in a new audience which directly correlated with F1 opening up two new race calendars in the USA’s Las Vegas and Miami. 

After acquiring the broadcasting rights for WWE for a record $9 billion, Netflix released Mr. McMahon and is now presenting WWE Unreal. The previous one focused more on the long-tenured CEO and head of WWE and the latter focused more on the talent and the recipe of the magic itself. 

Although streaming services are not required to share their viewership numbers, it is thought to be a proven way of engaging new fans by explaining the new programming through an entertaining and detailed medium like a documentary. Wrestling fans, however, were a little uncertain. Their cherished possession, their guilty pleasure, has always been subject to ridicule for those who seldom fail to understand the real appeal of wrestling in general.

Bursting the ‘fake’ bubble  

Yes, the characters, the matches, the outcomes—everything is predetermined. No sane human being believes that The Undertaker is actually dead and has supernatural powers; if he did, he would not fake his exhaustion from throwing fake punches and kicks. Rather, wrestling and the storyline it depicts are the reasons for all the intrigue. 

It is no different than a movie itself, no one truly believes Tom Cruise just blew up a fighter jet with a musical instrument playing in the background, but they are willing to enjoy the movie with the suspension of disbelief. WWE and wrestling in general do exactly that, but in a more lively and exuberant manner. Its performers are actual athletes, performing stunts 200 nights out of the year with constant storylines being upgraded with their characters. 

The injuries, the heartbreaks, and the actual disappointment of not winning a fake match are quite evident in the wrestlers themselves. Those who follow the sport deeply know all about the inner frustrations of certain wrestlers who often do not shy away from expressing their opinion about this so-called fake sport on social media and in interviews. 

This duality of real emotions mixed with pre-determined outcomes is precisely the reason why adults, even in their 40s, still enjoy WWE. It is not so much about the moves themselves, it’s more about the drama surrounding the outcomes and storylines. And good stories often blur the lines of reality and fiction intentionally to build the intrigue. 

The cautious acceptance 

This intentional blurring of the lines is precisely the magic through which the dollars are earned. Many old timers such as The Undertaker, aka Mark Callaway, John Cena and others had expressed their concerns about allowing a Netflix crew to follow them around backstage. Although they themselves discuss the business as a business and not a sport themselves, they think that performers do it in a cautious manner that does not expose too much. 

The higher-ups had other plans and went along with WWE Unreal. The five-part documentary covers the initial journey from the January to April timeline of 2025 when massive changes in the company took place. 

WWE’s flagship show RAW was livestreamed on Netflix for its 300 million users worldwide at the same time, which arguably was a record in itself. It then also acquired the rights to Smackdown as well. Leveraging this mass audience base, WWE had planned to highlight all the best talents, and this is the premise that the first episode starts with. 

The second and the third highlight some of the WWE superstars’ journeys and in it, the raw passion they possess for the business and the willingness they show to give it their all are very evident. 

Throughout the episodes, many insider terms, such as a babyface, a heel, work, or shoot are explained, and the production processes are also fully disclosed. However, the concerns of the old-timers seemed to be dialled down a bit. Because in exposing the backstage, in no capacity did Netflix truly show the internal meetings of the writers and producers. Yes, there was certain meeting room footage, but it was very rudimentary and it did not show the explicit process followed by the writers, which leads one to believe that the show itself is almost maintaining Kayfabe by not telling us everything. 

It did, however, fully explain the inner workings of the momentous decision of turning John Cena into a bad guy or a heel. For the non-WWE fans, John Cena had played a good character for almost 20 years, and many thought seeing him on the dark side was never a possibility. But in his retirement year, the veteran opted to try something bold and fresh. The fascinating process of coming up with the idea and then executing it is fully shared in episode 4 of the documentary. 

Final thoughts 

For some, it might be just another sports documentary purposely built for hyping up a particular programme, but there is much more to it than that. The show explicitly highlights the wrestlers’ emotions and personal demons. The preparations needed, the mindset of a high-pressure situation, and the raw passion they possess are bound to make you emotional. Episodes 2 and 3 are tearjerkers, not for anything overtly emotional, but because of the personal stories involved. 

The series starts off slow and might not be enjoyable for people who are already familiar with the jargon and methods of the ring and the stories, but the later episodes, especially 4 and 5, are a must-watch for any fan, no matter how jaded or new. The concern of destroying kayfabe in one’s point of view may be misplaced, as kayfabe according to many died a long time ago, rather it honours the presence of kayfabe by explaining how it is formed and how it is used to shape our emotions so that we, too, can dream to be as large as the characters played on television by men in their underwear.