Long ago, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, before cable TV ever made its way to Newark, we had 7 VHF and a few UHF channels to choose from. Occasionally, while twisting the dial on the small black and white TV, on the rolling cart in the corner of my grandma’s kitchen, I would land on a wrestling match.

As a very young child, I remember initially thinking it was a stage show, sort of like a human cartoon. The wrestlers were larger than life, in both stature and in emotion. Every word they said, every move they made, was exaggerated and unbelievable. They were most certainly acting. I instinctively knew it was fake.

But the boys at school were completely convinced and invested. On the days after a match they would talk about it, quote it, and reenact the moves on the playground. They followed the story lines from week to week, and rooted for their favorite wrestlers. They were told which were the good guys, and which were the bad guys, and they bought into every bit of the drama.

When I was in college, there were still some young men who faithfully watched wrestling. I remember having a conversation with a friend who still believed 100% that the fights were real, in 1986. He refused to accept the fact that it could possibly be fake, even after some people in the industry began to blow their cover.

It’s hard for people to admit when they’ve been manipulated. It is not easy for anyone to admit when they have been conned.

But conned they were. It was indeed, all fake. Choreographed. Scripted. The wrestlers were in character on and off the mat. They lived the lie to sell the lie, 24/7. It was one huge money making grift.

The technique is called kayfabe. It means Be Fake. Keep it Fake. Live the gimmick.

It’s no coincidence that there is going to be a fight on the White House lawn. While UFC fights are actual sporting events, the industry is Kayfabe Light. The fights are unscripted but all of the drama leading up to them is carefully choreographed. There is just enough reality for them to be legitimate, and just enough kayfabe to reinforce the drama, to draw a big crowd, and to make money.

It’s no coincidence that many people in our current administration were TV personalities, newscasters, podcasters, actors. They are good at selling the drama, living the gimmick.

There are a bunch of people with money and influence writing scripts and pulling strings. They are splitting us in two; telling us who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. And they are making a fortune.

Trump, a reality TV personality, and wannabe actor, who was a part of WWE’s Battle of the Billionaires back in the day, currently holds financial interest in the UFC’s parent company. He stands to make money off of this event. It’s part of the grift.

He has been grifting since New York. We, here in New Jersey watched it all happening. His bad business deals, failed casinos, cover-ups, excuses and lies. We watched him try to litigate his way out of every unpaid bill and broken contract. We heard each of his repeated tall-tales and recycled false promises. We know that it’s all fake.

Eventually, most people woke up to the fact that Rowdy Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan were nothing more than athletic soap opera actors. It took some longer than others to admit they were conned. There may even be some people out there who still believe Jimmy Snuka was super fly.

I just hope that some day soon most people will wake up to the truth of our current political leadership, and realize that ‘to be the man, you gotta beat the man.’