With the “release” of Kevin Nash, The Miz, and R-Truth, WWE.com has published typical news outlet statements on their releases, wishing them the best in their future endeavors, the typical statement always used prior when releasing them. Obviously, the fact that they announced them specifically after ignoring Chris Masters’ and Vladimir Kozlov’s releases, are sure signs that they are all storyline related. However, the very fact that they are treating it like news, with reaction videos, and articles about the distraught parents of The Miz, show how serious the WWE has gotten about their web presence. Another highlight is the recent article about the Divas of Doom, that ignited a wave of tweets from the various divas, with the Bellas twitter feed even going so far as to mention Sara del Rey.

K. Sawyer Paul has touched on it briefly, but I think it merits deeper discussion. With Twitter and their official website, the WWE has begun the expansion of kayfabe. For a long time, the internet was home to smarks only, with their official website being useful only for pictures and buying merch. However, they have begun to blur the lines on the web as well, the next logical progression. I’ve found myself reading the recent reports about Lawler’s injury on the non-gimmicked table, and reports on Vince’s anger backstage during Raw, and I can’t help myself but to question the elements of truth in the report. Are they real, or are they an even deeper level of storytelling? Probably not, but the mere fact that it has become a question says something about the progress that the WWE has made online.

Will that be the future, with “leaks” of backstage news and injuries becoming part of storylines? I wouldn’t doubt it. There will always be the “dirtsheets” of course, trying to provide spoilers and secret backstage info, but if the WWE continues this development, the effect of these might even be nullified to a certain extent. A lot of people have dubbed this the Reality Era, after CM Punk mentioned that in an interview, but I really think a better name would be the Meta era. The WWE has finally begun to realize that they can play around more with their own conventions and tropes, and use them to their own advantage. A lot of people are already criticizing this as another NWO/Outsider angle, but I think there is a chance for something new, and the inclusion of another level of exposition only adds to this possibility.

What it all adds up to is better and deeper storytelling. There are still some inconsistencies, and some moments of weak execution, but that is to be expected when expanding their fiction into new forms of media. I imagine the visible seams will slowly turn less and less visible as they become more experienced. It is a new wave of storytelling in wrestling, and I’m quite excited.