#encoding-decoding-recoding model

CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, Dickinson State University Professional wrestling, as an area of popular culture, is comprised of interesting tensions ripe for academic analysis. On the one hand, professional wrestling can be criticized for glorifying violence and having a problematic history. On the other hand, existing as a “masculine melodrama” suggests it provides a safe space for men and more…

Professional Wrestling Fanfiction from an EDR Perspective

I have been working on this project for a couple years now (as seen here, here, and here). I’m not sure if it will ever get to the point to be truly publishable, and I don’t really need it “published” in the traditional academic sense. So, I’m just going to continue sharing my thoughts on this project here. This post contains the presentation I gave at the 2021 PCA/ACA conference. When I write…

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

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. When I started looking into the stories being told, I noticed how the fans were reacting to the NXT…