Baron Von Raschke Went Above & Beyond To Keep Kayfabe Safe During AEW Full Gear Appearance

Baron von Raschke is a wrestling legend of a bygone era. He was a fixture as a maniacal German powerhouse character in the NWA and AWA. He even wrestled Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden for the precursor to today’s WWE Championship.

Keeping kayfabe was a critical part of the wrestling business during that era. The belief was that if the fans knew how the magic was created, they wouldn’t buy any more tickets. That old-school mentality has stayed with Baron von Raschke to this day.

Von Raschke made a special appearance at AEW’s Full Gear PPV as a special tribute to the AWA and the territory days. He sat at ringside during the Minneapolis Street Fight between the Inner Circle and Dan Lambert’s American Top Team and even got involved in the match. Jake Hager told AEW Unrestricted that the legend still tried to keep kayfabe, even in 2021.

“It was cool backstage when we were setting it up and we first got to meet Baron and he’s there with his daughter and Chris was like, ‘Hey, do you think it’s okay, if the situation provides itself, you do the claw.’

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He kind of looked back at his daughter and whispered into Ethan’s ear how to do the claw. I thought it was so awesome that he was still keeping it a secret from his daughter after all these years. Pro wrestling is that magic.”

There is still a sentiment among old-school wrestlers, bookers, and promoters that there needs to be some level of kayfabe in modern wrestling to keep fans interested. Baron von Raschke wants the magic to remain for his daughter and the fans. He’s still protecting his finisher after all these decades.

Do you think there is still a place for kayfabe in pro wrestling? Let us know in the comments!

H/T Fightful