Professional Wrestling Studies Association
Studying the Past, Present, and Future of Professional Wrestling
It has been an interesting two weeks since WrestleMania for the women’s division. I know the drama surrounding a certain female wrestler has filled the dirt sheets for the better part of that time (and don’t worry, we’ll get to that), but in the midst of that controversy, there was also a Superstar Shakeup. Title … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: Boss of Who? (April 22, 2019)
by David Beard, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, University of Minnesota Duluth, and John Heppen, Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin River Falls [unpublished notes from a recent project] We’ve been puzzling through the relationship between rhetoric and politics. Everyone is. Works like “How Professional Wrestling Explains American Politics (Especially Donald Trump)” by Oliver Willis make broad … Read more Trump and Wrestling Rhetoric
Some of the first presentations that led to the formation of the Professional Wrestling Studies Association.
By Claire Warden In 1957 Roland Barthes famously said, “The virtue of all-in wrestling is that it is the spectacle of excess. Here we find a grandiloquence which must have been that of ancient theatres”. In fact the histories of professional wrestling and theatre are deeply intertwined, from the music hall where wrestling pioneers such … Read more “Our Uncle Vanya”: Red Ladder’s production of ‘Glory” (April 2019)
WrestleMania “weekend” has finally come to an end and whew! I am just about burnt out on wrestling content! As I discussed a little before WrestleMania, there were only two women’s matches on the main card. And although they both were given decent time (certainly compared to the last few Manias), I still found myself … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: WrestleMania Review (April 11, 2019)
by David Beard, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, University of Minnesota Duluth and John Heppen, Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin River Falls [unpublished notes excised from a recent project] The wrestling industry is both a national media phenomenon (visible nationally on cable and soon, again, broadcast TV) and a periodic market (as national promotions appear … Read more Wrestling Is Both a National Media Phenomenon and a Local Periodic Market
I thought this year would be the year. The year when finally, I thought to myself, WWE would give us what we want. For the first time to my knowledge, we were going to have three women’s matches on the WrestleMania card, and we were going to see women of color competing for or defending … Read more Who Really Loses When “Winner Takes All”?
We are just about out of gas on the road to WrestleMania, folks, and how did we do on mileage? Well….well…… We’re rolling on two flats, friends. While things certainly looked promising after Elimination Chamber, proceedings have gotten more than messy since then. So much so that, although I intended to write a shiny new … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: The End of the Road (April 5, 2019)