Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE's Recent Transparency Adding to Its Appeal

1. Opening the Curtain Opens Doors

WWE is the puppet master who has decided to let the audience see the strings.

To satiate fans hungry with curiosity, WWE is offering them peeks behind the curtain that would have been unheard of in the past. The industry has only become more fascinating as a result. 

Adam Rose, the squared circle's resident party animal, is a low-card act on TV. He's a bit of comic relief, an oddity lost in the menagerie of the strange that is pro wrestling's top company. Raymond Leppan, the man who plays that flamboyant fighter, is twice as interesting as Rose.

On ESPN's recent E:60 special, WWE: Behind the Curtain, fans got to know Leppan in a way that wouldn't have been possible in years past.

We saw him feed his son yellow liquid through a tube in his stomach. We saw him fret over his future when WWE told him that his Leo Kruger character would have to be shelved and that Leppan would have to reinvent himself with another alter-ego entirely.

This kind of behind-the-scenes look is becoming increasingly common. 

It's light-years apart from where wrestling began. The industry once protected its scripted nature like a government holds on to precious bits of intelligence. Fans saw what promoters sold them between the ropes and nothing else.

Whenever the audience caught a glimpse through the cracks in kayfabe, it was a noteworthy event.

In 1987, police pulled over the Iron Sheik and Jim Duggan. The drugs they had in the car got them into as much trouble as the fact that supposedly mortal enemies were carpooling.

As PWTorch's Wade Keller writes, "The mainstream media seized the chance to mock pro wrestling because two wrestlers in a bitter on-air feud were caught driving together."

If you dared to question wrestling's validity, you were liable to get hurt.

David Schultz once clocked John Stossel for suggesting what he did for a living was fake. Haku once bit a man's nose off for throwing around the word "fake."

WWE decided to let fans in on its badly kept secret years ago. As noted by The New York Times in 1989, the World Wrestling Federation testified to the New Jersey senate that what they did was entertainment, not sport, in order to deregulate the industry.

Even after that, WWE maintained a distance from the audience. Kayfabe wasn't alive, but it wasn't as ignored as it is today.

Things have since become more transparent. The McMahons have sat down to live podcast interviews where they openly discuss why certain wrestlers lost or why others aren't being showcased.

The WWE Network features WWE 24 specials that show wrestlers getting prepped for their matches, offering looks at what happens before and after these larger-than-life grapplers step into the ring. In his one-man show, Cheap Pops, Mick Foley talks on the network about his career with candor. He tells stories of his meetings with producers and why Vince McMahon asked him to wear a mask.

This openness allows WWE to double its programming options.  

Verne Gagne wouldn't have been able to produce behind-the-scenes specials for the American Wrestling Association. Bill Watts couldn't talk booking decisions on a televised interview. WWE can, though.

That feeds into fans' desire to see how things work, to peel back layers and see what lies underneath. That's why shows about how candy bars are made exist. That's why moviegoers are so intrigued by what actors and directors have to say about how a film came to be.

WWE is wisely feeding on that, offering a variety of shows that offer looks at its Superstars from myriad angles. 

The magic doesn't go away when WWE shows us how it does its tricks. It only gives us more to watch, making it easier to become fully submerged in the mat world.

2. Payback to Payback

At Payback 2015, Dean Ambrose will be looking for just his second singles pay-per-view win since last year's event. John Cena, meanwhile, is likely to further establish himself as a star familiar with the taste of victory.

Of the top stars set for action on May 17, he has the best pay-per-view record going back to the previous edition of Payback:

• John Cena (9-3)
• Rusev (8-4)
• Seth Rollins (7-4)
• Roman Reigns (5-3)
• Dolph Ziggler (5-7)
• Sheamus (3-3)
• Randy Orton (2-6)
• Dean Ambrose (2-9)

After making Rusev so dominant early in his career, WWE is in danger of pushing him back to the middle of the field. Cena is the favorite in their I Quit match. Chances are, Rusev falls at a PPV event for the third time in a row.

That's not exactly what you would expect from a monster.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: The Fabulous Freebirds

WWE announcers have thrown around comparisons between The New Day and The Fabulous Freebirds thanks to both groups being three men deep. Beyond that, there's little similar about the two teams.

While Big E and company are still finding their voice, The Freebirds flourished as innovative, unforgettable heels. A clip of Terry Gordy losing his mind over Bill Mercer touching his van is a glimpse of that:

In addition, Michael Hayes' ability to irk via his arrogance is worth studying.

4. Justin Bieber at SummerSlam?

WWE dodged a bullet that it almost fired upon itself. A former WWE writer revealed that plans for Justin Bieber to main event SummerSlam were in place.

On his blog, Kevin Eck writes, "The idea was that Bieber would team with John Cena and Big Show to face the Wyatt Family in a six-man tag match that would have headlined SummerSlam in Los Angeles."

As much as WWE makes fun of WCW for crowning David Arquette world champ, this is on that same level. It makes sense to utilize Bieber's star power, but not in the ring. It's far too unbelievable to have the diminutive pop star do any damage to any wrestler.

Francois Mori/Associated Press

If you think Cena hurt Bray Wyatt's moment, imagine what it would have done had Bieber had him reeling in the corner.

The fact that his didn't work out was a blessing. The match would have joined Jay Leno vs. Hulk Hogan as one of the most ill-advised bouts in wrestling history.

5. Finest Fatal 4-Ways 

Thanks to Dean Ambrose winning on Monday's Raw, the Payback main event is now a Fatal 4-Way match. To get geared up for that showdown, flip through the WWE Network archives to see some of the stipulation's best offerings.

• The Rock vs. Kane vs. Chris Benoit vs. Undertaker—Unforgiven 2000
• Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit vs. Edge—SmackDown, December 5, 2002
• Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena vs. Edge—Backlash 2007
• The Miz vs. John Morrison vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy—ECW, July 22, 2008
• Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze—NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way

The 2002 match features the cornerstones of SmackDown at the time. The chemistry between all four men is impressive.  

As for the bout featuring Matt Hardy, this is from the revamped, watered-down version of ECW. While that show often flopped, this was one of the better contests it produced. Fast-paced and some convincing near-falls aid it.

6. Emma in Limbo

It looked as if Emma was headed to NXT to recharge her career a la Tyson Kidd. She hasn't been doing anything of note down there, though.

She has wrestled on NXT just twice in 2015. WWE hasn't committed to having her develop at Full Sail University. She's been a little-used low midcarder at both NXT and the main roster. 

Emma has been on Raw a total of two times and SmackDown once this year. While not every Diva can be the centerpiece of the division, she's too talented to be such a low priority.

The smart move is to pick a spot for her and showcase her skills. As of now, she's dipping her toes into both pools and barely making a ripple in either.

7. Wrestlers in Movies

In honor of Tommy Dreamer and Mike Bennett appearing in the upcoming movie Almost Mercy, allow WatchMojo.com to count down the 10 best performances by wrestlers in films.

This is a good debate-starter. Batista's turn as Drax should definitely be higher. And one could certainly argue that The Rock's other roles should have made the cut instead. Gridiron Gang, anyone?

8. The U.S. Title in the Spotlight 

John Cena has been busy since becoming United States Championship. In just over a month, he has defended the belt six times. He's now headed for seven at Payback and is likely to issue another open challenge on the Raw before that.

Credit: WWE.com

That puts him on a pass to run circles around the last few champs in terms of defenses. In the first five weeks of their title run, the previous four champions had far fewer title bouts:

• Rusev (four)
• Sheamus (two)
• Dean Ambrose (four)  
• Kofi Kingston (two)

Kingston could have been in line for more challengers, but he lost the title on his second defense. Ambrose and Sheamus would later go on long droughts without putting up the strap. That doesn't seem to be on tap for Cena.

9. Keep an Eye on Cage

A powerhouse is blossoming. Count on Vince McMahon at least taking a look at Cage of Lucha Underground.

Cage was once part of WWE's developmental system, back when it was Florida Championship Wrestling. He has since developed into a more well-rounded, more charismatic star. 

The 6'0'', 230-pound beast is built like wrestling stars of the past, muscles quivering all over his body. In action against Prince Puma, Johnny Mundo and El Patron Alberto, he's shown himself to be someone WWE should keep tabs on going forward. 

10. McMahon on Steroids 

On ESPN's WWE: Behind the Curtain special, the topic of steroids came up. Jeremy Rapp asked McMahon whether his wrestlers were all clean.

McMahon said matter-of-factly, "We're way past that now."

Here's hoping that he's right. Those drugs have done irreparable damage to wrestling over the years and took far too many lives. A cleaner WWE is a sustainable WWE.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.