WrestlePosium V

April 13, 2024

8:00 am – 4:00 pm PDT

Below are links to view recordings of the presentations given during this symposium. Presentation abstracts can be found here.

8:00-8:15: Board Introductions and Points of Order

8:15-9:30: Academic Presentations

• Lizzy Hogenson (University of California Santa Barbara – PhD candidate) – The Materiality of the Pro-Wrestling Stage and Sites of Tragedy
• Mitch Brown (University of Arkansas) – The Face of Getting Over: Facial Formidability Informs Expectations for the Performance of Male Professional Wrestlers
• Tyler Khalíl Henderson (Morehouse College – undergrad) – Gendered Fan Participation Levels in Women’s Matches
• Swapnaneel Basu Roy (Saint Xavier’s College) – Parallel in Storyline: Connection between Marvel Cinematic Universe and Bloodline Saga in WWE

9:30-10:00: Wrestling and Poetry

• Presenters:
  • Guillermo R. Gil
  • Jessica Fontaine (McGill University)
  • Jack Bedell
  • W. Todd Kaneko
  • Marion Wrenn (NYU Abu Dhabi)

10:00-11:15: Academic Presentations

• John Withers (Gaston College) – Player as a Willing-Mark: Wrestling Video Games Have Yet to Keep Up with the Times
• Milaun Murry (University of Texas – Arlington) – Preserving Wrestling Heritage: The Imperative of Academically Acceptable Resources in Professional Wrestling
• Ryan J. Lithgow (University of Glasgow) – The Montreal Screwjob: Professional Wrestling’s Own Greek Tragedy

11:15-12:15: Beyond the Ring: Exploring the Intersection of Cultural Wellness, Mental Wellness, and Gender Identity in Professional Wrestling

• Presenters:
  • Milaun Murry (University of Texas- Arlington)
  • Aaron Machbitz (You Are Loved Founder, VP of Experience Wrestling)
  • Hollie McMillan (University of Texas-Arlington, M.S. candidate)

12:15-1:00: Meal Break

1:00-1:30: From Gorgeous George to the Golden Lovers: Arguing for the Applicability of Queer Studies to Professional Wrestling

• Presenters:
  • CarrieLynn Reinhard (Dominican University)
  • Christopher J. Olson (Dominican University)
  • Hannah Steele (University of Delaware)

1:30-2:00: Professional Wrestling Studies Journal Working Discussion

• Presenters:
  • Christopher J. Olson
  • Aaron Horton (Alabama State University)
  • David Beard (University of Minnesota, Duluth)

2:00-2:30: Academic Presentations

• Jorie Hofstra (Princeton) – Wrestling’s Temporalities

2:30-3:15: Academic Keynote

• Lowery Woodall – What the Janel Grant Lawsuit Means For the WWE and the State of Professional Wrestling

3:15-4:00: Professional Keynote

• Brad Balukjian – The Six Pack: On the Road in Search of WrestleMania