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CFP: Special PWSJ Issue Queer Pro Wrestling

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Call for Papers Professional Wrestling Studies Journal Special Issue: Queer Studies and Professional Wrestling Anticipated Publication: Volume 5, November 2025 Guest Editors: CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, Christopher J. Olson, and Hannah Steele Purpose: Articles that explore the intersection of queer studies and professional wrestling studies to address a scholarship gap on the application of queer theory … Read more CFP: Special PWSJ Issue Queer Pro Wrestling

“There was a pagan delight in display of muscle, in the strongman stunts, the braggadocio, and even scanty costumes of wrestlers that offended the nice people”

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As Morton and O’Brien explain, about the Victorian era, Burly sports did not fit into the selectivity of the gentleman’s athletic club, early YMCA exercise programs or fledgling collegiate sports. There was a pagan delight in display of muscle, in the strongman stunts, the braggadocio, and even scanty costumes of wrestlers that offended the nice … Read more “There was a pagan delight in display of muscle, in the strongman stunts, the braggadocio, and even scanty costumes of wrestlers that offended the nice people”

Nylons and Midriffs: Women of the Hour (October 23, 2019)

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My oh my, friends. In a matter of two weeks, the landscape of the wrestling world (or rather, WWE & AEW) is rapidly changing before our very eyes. We just witnessed a draft on RAW and Smackdown, and new challengers for the NXT women’s championship have announced themselves. Also, we’ve seen a couple of new … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: Women of the Hour (October 23, 2019)

When the Rebel Heart Met the Blackheart: Slash in Professional Wrestling

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I’ve been working on this project for awhile now, and this presentation from MPCA/ACA 2019 contains my preliminary results on slash fanfic that feature NXT wrestlers Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. This work began with noticing that other fans were as interested in this pairing as I was: https://prowrestlingstudies.org/2018/11/21/pro-wrestling-slash. When I started looking into the … Read more When the Rebel Heart Met the Blackheart: Slash in Professional Wrestling

Nylons and Midriffs: All You Can Eat (October 9, 2019)

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A whole new woooorld….a whole new place I never knew….. It is certainly a whole new world for you and me, and watching the two sides of the Wednesday Night War last week got me excited for this world’s potential. Because WWE did just have a pay-per-view, though, we’re obligated to discuss what went down. … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: All You Can Eat (October 9, 2019)

Six important messages about manhood

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Below, some notes about gender in wrestling, from “Wrestling with Masculinity: Messages about Manhood in the WWE” by Danielle M. Soulliere Six important messages about manhood were revealed by the WWE programs: (1) Real men are aggressive and violent, (2) men settle things physically, (3) a man confronts his adversaries and problems, (4) real men take … Read more Six important messages about manhood

Paradigm Shifts: A Brief History of the Life, Death and Rebirth of Pro Wrestling on TNT in the US from WCW’s Demise to AEW’s First Show on Television

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Wednesday, October 2, 2019, marks the first time in 6764 days professional wrestling has aired on the TNT network; it’s also been that long since the Monday Night Wars officially ended even though the meaningful battles ceased well before. Over eighteen and a half years have passed since the name on the contract read McMahon, … Read more Paradigm Shifts: A Brief History of the Life, Death and Rebirth of Pro Wrestling on TNT in the US from WCW’s Demise to AEW’s First Show on Television

Excerpt from “Wrestling with Masculinity” Message 6: Men are winners

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Below, some notes about gender in wrestling, from “Wrestling with Masculinity: Messages about Manhood in the WWE” by Danielle M. Soulliere Message 6: Men are winners Winning and achievement are part of being a man. This was very apparent even in the contrived world of professional wrestling. Male performers who held the championship title were described … Read more Excerpt from “Wrestling with Masculinity” Message 6: Men are winners

International Association for Communication and Sport

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Earlier this week, Karen Hartman, Executive Director of the International Association for Communication and Sport, contacted us regarding their upcoming 2020 conference. They will host this conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, this April, during WrestleMania weekend. They are even hoping to have someone from WWE speak at their conference. Now, we are planning our first … Read more International Association for Communication and Sport