Performance and Professional Wrestling

by Broderick Chow (Editor), Eero Laine (Editor), Claire Warden (Editor)

Performance and Professional Wrestling is the first edited volume to consider professional wrestling explicitly from the vantage point of theatre and performance studies. Moving beyond simply noting its performative qualities or reading it via other performance genres, this collection of essays offers a complete critical reassessment of the popular sport. Topics such as the suspension of disbelief, simulation, silence and speech, physical culture, and the performance of pain within the squared circle are explored in relation to professional wrestling, with work by both scholars and practitioners grouped into seven short A significant re-reading of wrestling as a performing art, Performance and Professional Wrestling makes essential reading for scholars and students intrigued by this uniquely theatrical sport.

226 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2016

Reviews

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are several pieces in here that are absolutely essential, including chow on george hackenschmidt & good gender-studies essays on golddust and adrian street, along with a lot of other quality work. this is only the second meaningful collection yet published about the sport, which is pretty odd...and once again, it's coming out of drama/performance studies rather than history. good for them.

well worth your time.

[Stuart Iversen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think a lot of the ideas being talked about are things that wrestling fans almost instinctively know, even if they've never approached it in this way. However, it's still nice to read wrestling being discussed and looked at through this lens.