Professional Wrestling Studies Association
Studying the Past, Present, and Future of Professional Wrestling
The Wrestling Observer newsletter, one of the first, and likely the most influential, professional wrestling newsletters is written and edited by California-based Dave Meltzer. When I was an intern at Marvel Comics in 1990, the editor with whom I worked was a professional wrestling fan and told me about this newsletter, and I have been … Read more Before Shoot Interviews: Dave Meltzer
What is your area of study/research? I am Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and I am interested in how people make sense of themselves, each other, and the world around them. That means I largely draw on audience studies, reception studies, and fan studies. I also focus … Read more PWSA Meet and Greet: CarrieLynn D. Reinhard
Eddie Sharkey turns his attention to his Pro Wrestling America (PWA) promotion in the second part of this 1991 interview. In addition to describing the dynamics of trying to be an independent promoter at a time when the World Wrestling Federation had driven many other regional wrestling promotions out of business, Mr. Sharkey provides some … Read more Before Shoot Interviews: Eddie Sharkey–Part 2
What is your area of study/research? I’m Associate Professor in the Religious Studies Department at the University of Alabama. My research has focused on religion in America, and I’ve been particularly interested in the ways religion functions a category for the construction and performance of individual and group identity. What led to your interest in … Read more PWSA Meet and Greet: Michael J. Altman