Professional Wrestling Studies Association
Studying the Past, Present, and Future of Professional Wrestling
by David Beard and John Heppen Fans of pro wrestling are typically divided into two groups, “marks” and “smarks.” The fiction is that a fan is either a smark or a mark. It’s a little like “Santa Claus” — either you believe or you don’t. We propose a third path. We propose that there are marks, … Read more Deconstructing the Distinction between Marks and Smarks
Well, the “biggest event of the summer” has arrived, and WWE has taken over Brooklyn for the fourth consecutive year. WWE’s SummerSlam is one of the WWE’s “Big Four” (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Survivor Series) pay-per-views, and each year it’s being hyped as bigger and bigger, which is made evident as the show gets longer and … Read more Summer Slam 2018: Coronations and Contracts
by David Beard with John Heppen Wrestling is an athletic performing art where the winners of the matches are prearranged. Wrestlers require athletic skill and physical training: be very careful in telling a pro wrestler that what he or she does is “fake.” It would be like telling Sir Ian McKellan that what he does … Read more Differentiating Regional Professional Wrestling from National Pro Wrestling: Some Observations
Hello good wrestling fans. I”m back after a significant move to a new city with some somewhat fresh thoughts about WWE’s women’s division. While I’m sure many of you are hoping for some predictions or speculation from me heading into SummerSlam, I have some general thoughts that have been swirling in my head since my … Read more Nylons and Midriffs: What’s Happening in Women’s Wrestling (August 16, 2018)
by David Beard, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, University of Minnesota Duluth There was one women’s match at FortuneBaynia, a regional professional wrestling show held in Tower, Minnesota, July 29, 2018, about three hours north of Minneapolis. That match demonstrated some of the limitations of women’s professional wrestling when it settles down into the regional circuits. … Read more Reflections on Regional Professional Wrestling: Gender at FortuneBaynia
by David Beard, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, University of Minnesota Duluth Nostalgia is a powerful dimension of brand management, and FortuneBaynia, a regional professional wrestling show held in Tower, Minnesota, July 29, 2018, about three hours north of Minneapolis and most of the way to the Canadian border, demonstrates this power. On the surface, the … Read more Reflections on Regional Professional Wrestling: Nostalgia Marketing at FortuneBaynia