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Abstract/Syllabus:
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Ford, Sam, CMS.997 Topics in Comparative Media: American Pro Wrestling, Spring 2007. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 09 Jul, 2010). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
WWE Raw tonight! (Image courtesy of Dwyatt1.)
Course Highlights
This course includes a link to the class blog, which can be accessed from the assignments section.
Course Description
This class will explore the cultural history and media industry surrounding the masculine drama of professional wrestling. Beginning with wrestling's roots in sport and carnival, the class examines how new technologies and changes in the television industry led to evolution for pro wrestling style and promotion and how shifts in wrestling characters demonstrate changes in the depiction of American masculinity. The class will move chronologically in an examination of how wrestling characters and performances have changed, focusing particularly on the 1950s to the present. Students may have previous knowledge of wrestling but are not required to, nor are they required to be a fan (although it is certainly not discouraged, either).
Special thanks to the WWE for allowing us to use various materials and for their participation and help with the course.
Syllabus
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Class Description
This class will explore the cultural history and media industry surrounding the masculine drama of professional wrestling. Beginning with wrestling's roots in sport and carnival, the class examines how new technologies and changes in the television industry led to evolution for pro wrestling style and promotion and how shifts in wrestling characters demonstrate changes in the depiction of American masculinity. The class will move chronologically in an examination of how wrestling characters and performances have changed, focusing particularly on the 1950s to the present. Students may have previous knowledge of wrestling but are not required to, nor are they required to be a fan (although it is certainly not discouraged, either).
In addition to scholarship and journalistic accounts of wrestling events and personalities, the class will also feature documentaries and an examination of pro wrestling performances through the years. Scholars who have researched and written about pro wrestling, such as Henry Jenkins and Sharon Mazer, will join the class throughout the semester, in addition to guests from the wrestling industry, such as former WWE World champion Mick Foley, the voice of the WWE "J. R." Jim Ross, Harvard graduate Chris Nowinski, and others.
The hope of this course is to foster an understanding as to how new technologies and media formats have changed the course of pro wrestling through the years and also how pro wrestling's styles and methods of story telling have changed through the decades. This class is both about the athletic demonstrations of actual pro wrestling matches and the constructions of the characters and stories that surround those exhibitions.
Viewing Materials
Many viewing materials will be watched as a class throughout the semester. If a student misses a class session, they are recommended to borrow the viewing from the instructor. Also, students are expected to watch a current wrestling show a few times during the semester. WWE has three shows: WWE RAW, Monday 9 PM to 11 PM on USA; ECW, Tuesday, 10 PM to 11 PM on Sci-Fi; and Friday Night Smackdown, 8 PM to 10 PM on the CW Network.
One important point for in-class viewing: much of the semester will feature watching various wrestling performances. As is the case with fans of wrestling, whether live or televised, students are encouraged to talk during our in-class viewing of these products. There is a heavy amount of in-class viewing throughout the semester, but viewing and discussion is not meant to be mutually exclusive in this case.
Reading Materials
The required texts for this course are the following:
Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. New York, NY: Crown, 2002. ISBN: 9780609606902.
Foley, Mick. Foley is Good and the Real World is Faker than Wrestling. New York: Reagan Books, 2001. ISBN: 9780061032417.
Sammond, Nicholas, ed. Steel Chair to the Head. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780822334385.
Molinaro, John. The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time. Toronto, Canada: Winding Stair Press, 2002. ISBN: 9781553663058.
Anderson, Ole. Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780974554501.
Also, students are expected to read through the Wrestling Observer on a weekly basis through out the semester and must use relevant information from that journalistic account of current events in wrestling for the class blog assignment and also for relevant in-class discussion. The news letter is also intended to be a rich resource for the term paper as well. Students may purchase a semester subscription to the Observer, with subscription information to be e-mailed. The library also has copies of the weekly newsletter.
Attendance Policy
There will be none. Students must attend regularly to complete the assignments.
Class Assignments
Grading criteria.
ACTIVITIES |
PERCENTAGES |
Class blog |
50% |
Term paper |
30% |
In-class participation |
20% |
Class Blog
One of the major undertakings of the class will be a class blog, which will be public through Blogger. Each member of the class is expected to write a minimum of two new posts each week (a few paragraphs in length) and make a minimum of four comments (of at least one paragraph) to the posts of colleagues each week. Graduate students will be required to write three blog post each week and make a minimum of five comments. These updates cannot all be done in one setting. This is not meant to be a burden but rather the most significant part of the class and is where I see the majority of the class' potential in lying. Think of this as a conversation, and please use the blog as such.
The intent of the class blog is to foster a continuous discussion about reading materials, in-class viewings, points made by guest lecturers, and information from the current wrestling product and Wrestling Observer. Because there is not substantial time for discussion of all materials in class, students are expected to show familiarity with readings and with out-of-class viewings and the Observer through this discussion. The blog will also serve as an outlet for further discussions of viewings, since class time will not always allow for full discussion of what we have seen. Also, students will write about characters they choose to profile on the blog for each wrestling era.
The current plan is to make this blog public. While our discussions may be some what insular in that it will be focused around the readings and viewings we are currently immersed in as a class, interested members from the general public may read students comments. If anyone is uncomfortable with this public aspect of the blogosphere, please let me know. Such a class blog about pro wrestling will not likely attract massive traffic but could generate some interest from interested individuals.
Term Paper
The class is intentionally most reading-heavy in the first half of the semester, to give students a background in the history and development of pro wrestling and to allow more time for working on the term paper through out the second half of the term. Reading materials, in-class viewings, and guests are all meant to provide potential sources and further avenues of research for the class.
Students are expected to have picked a topic by Ses #11, and to schedule a meeting time with me during the next two weeks. A proposal for the paper is due by Ses #17. An outline or equivalent writing sample is due by Ses #23. Students are expected to meet with me a second time before deadline. Students are more than welcome to turn in aversion of the paper early for feedback and may do so throughout the term if so motivated. However, the final version of the term paper is due by Ses #39. The term paper shall be approximately 11-15 pages for undergraduates and 15-20 pages for graduate students. Meeting the deadlines of the term paper is reflected in the overall grade.
The term paper may be on any topic as long as it is approved through discussion with the instructor. The intent is for students to be able to bring their own expertise and interests into the course and apply them to this study of pro wrestling. A wide variety of topics, analytical angles, and writing styles are acceptable if used effectively.
In-Class Participation
While there is a large amount of in-class viewing scheduled throughout the semester, the intent is for continuous discussion. The idea is that in-class discussion will both drive further debate in the blog and can also incorporate reaction to what classmates have written in the blog. Often, the intent of in-class discussions will be reactions to guest speakers, viewings, or readings, but can also include material from the current product or the Observer.
Official WWE Involvement
World Wrestling Entertainment has taken an active interest in this course and are sending a few guest speakers up throughout the course of the semester. The intent is for the class to provide a link with WWE, in that they are interested in the trajectory of our research throughout the semester, as well as our term paper projects. WWE is particularly interested in better understanding their fans and their fans' relationship with the WWE product and are interested in conversing with us on this account. Throughout the semester, there may be times for class discussion or debate through e-mail regarding questions posed by the WWE. All interaction with the WWE is voluntary on students' part and is not mandatory for graded coursework.
Writing and Communication Center
The Writing and Communication Center offers you free professional advice from published writers about oral presentations and about all types of academic, creative, and professional writing.
Note on Plagiarism
Plagiarism - use of another's intellectual work without acknowledgement - is a serious offense. It is the policy of the Literature Faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an F in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the Committee on Discipline. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted. All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else's work must be identified and properly footnoted. Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from the student's own work. For further guidance on the proper forms of attribution, consult the style guides available in the Writing and Communication Center, in the Stata Center, and the MIT Web site on Plagiarism located at: Citing and Using Sources.
Calendar
Course calendar.
SES # |
TOPICS |
VIEWINGS |
KEY DATES |
1 |
Introduction to course |
Ladder Match: London and Kendrick vs. Regal and Taylor vs. MNM vs. Hardys, 29 minutes.
Beginning: The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling, 39 minutes.
|
|
2 |
Pre-television wrestling |
Finish The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling, 57 minutes. |
Pick 1950s wrestler to profile |
3 |
1950s television |
Jim Londos vs. Primo Carnera, 16 minutes.
Gorgeous George vs. Jesse James, 24 minutes.
Killer Kowaksi vs. Edouard Carpentier, 16 minutes.
Antonino Rocca vs. Benito Gardini, 9 minutes.
Lou Thesz vs. Vic Christy, 8 minutes.
Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O'Conner, 32 minutes.
The Fabulous Moolah vs. Joyce Grable, 8 minutes.
Andre the Giant vs. "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, 19 minutes.
Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook vs. Little Louie and Sonny Boy Hayes, 29 minutes.
|
|
4 |
Women in wrestling |
Lipstick and Dynamite, 80 minutes. |
|
5 |
Introduction to the territories: The NWA |
Bruiser Brody vs. Dennis Brown, 2 minutes.
Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk Jr., 36 minutes.
Mark Lewin vs. Terry Funk, 10 minutes.
Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper, 21 minutes.
Dusty Rhodes interview, 5 minutes.
Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race, 16 minutes.
|
Pick two territorial wrestlers to profile |
6 |
The AWA, part I |
Verne Gagne vs. Butcher Boy Hennig, 9 minutes.
High Flyers vs. Bockwinkel and Stevens, 18 minutes.
AWA promos and clips from The Wrestler, 26 minutes.
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, 28 minutes.
|
|
7 |
The AWA, part II |
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, 83 minutes. |
|
8 |
World class championship wrestling |
World class intro / Bugsy McGraw promo, 4 min.
Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs, 160 minutes.
|
|
9 |
World wide wrestling federation |
WWE clips, 26 minutes.
Pedro Morales vs. Ivan Koloff, 15 min.
Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko, 13 min.
Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka, 15 minutes.
Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter, 18 minutes.
|
|
10 |
Detroit wrestling / Discussion of Drawing Heat |
The Sheik vs. Bobo Brazil, 6 min.
Detroit wrestling intro, 4 min.
Clips from I Like to Hurt People, 25 minutes.
|
|
11 |
Memphis wrestling / Andy Kaufman |
I'm From Hollywood, 60 minutes.
Excerpt from Man on the Moon, 24 minutes.
USWA intro and Jerry Lawler interview, 2 minutes.
Show My Breakfast with Blassie as time allows, Up to 57 minutes.
|
Special guest: Chris Nowinski
Pick a term paper topic by today
|
12 |
WWE in the 1980s |
WWE clips, 36 minutes.
Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage, 28 minutes.
|
Special guest: Lee Benaka
Pick 1980s wrestler to profile
|
13 |
WWE in the late 1980s through mid-1990s |
WWE clips late 1980s to mid-1990s, 87 minutes. |
Pick 1990s wrestler to profile |
14 |
NWA/WCW in the 1980s and early 1990s |
NWA/WCW clips, 58 minutes.
The Rock and Roll Express vs. The Andersons, 15 minutes.
The Midnight Express vs. The Road Warriors, 6 minutes.
Ric Flair vs. Rick Steamboat, 41 minutes.
Sting vs. Big Van Vader, 21 minutes.
|
Special guest: Josh Shea |
15 |
The Monday Night War, part I |
The Monday Night War, First 62 minutes.
Rey Misterio vs. Psicosis, 16 minutes.
Goldberg vs. Johnny Attitude, 5 minutes.
|
|
16 |
The Monday Night War, part II |
The Monday Night War, last 33 minutes.
Steve Austin vs. Dude Love, 42 minutes.
|
|
17 |
Masculine melodrama and getting' screwed |
Wrestling with Shadows, 93 minutes. |
Special guest: Henry Jenkins III
Term paper proposal due
|
18 |
Good Ol' J. R., part I |
|
Special guest: Jim Ross |
19 |
Good Ol' J. R., part II |
|
Special guest: Jim Ross |
20 |
McMahon, part I |
A Current Affair clips from steroid case, 5 minutes.
McMahon, 129 minutes.
|
|
21 |
McMahon, part II |
|
Special guest: Bryce McNeil |
22 |
WWE attitude era |
WWE clips, 40 minutes.
The Rock vs. Chris Jericho, 23 minutes.
|
Special guest: Dave Schwartz |
23 |
ECW |
The Rise and Fall of ECW, 165 minutes. |
A term paper outline or equivalent writing sample due |
24 |
Mick Foley, part I |
|
Special guest: Mick Foley and teleconference with Walter Gantz |
25 |
Mick Foley, part II |
|
Special guest: Mick Foley |
26 |
WWE as transmedia empire |
|
Special guest: Tom Barreca |
27 |
The death of Owen Hart |
Clips re: Owen Hart's death, 43 minutes. |
|
28 |
Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part I |
Beyond the Mat, 108 minutes.
The Mania of Wrestlemania, 43 minutes.
|
|
29 |
Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part II |
|
Special guests: Sharon Mazer and Larry DeGaris |
30 |
Contemporary pro wrestling |
|
Special guests: Gregory Spicer and Fiona McQuarrie |
31 |
Wrestling and masculinity |
Jesse Ventura biography clips, 23 minutes.
Wrestling with Manhood, 60 minutes.
|
Special guests: Henry Jenkins III and Bruce Hardy |
32 |
Wrestling as performance |
Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog, 31 minutes. |
Special guest: David Everard |
33 |
Contemporary WWE, part I |
Right to censor clips, 11 minutes.
JBL clips, 16 minutes.
|
Special guest: Mark Volzer |
34 |
Contemporary WWE, part II |
Trish Stratus vs. Jazz vs. Victoria, 11 minutes.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle, 31 minutes.
Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. HHH, 37 minutes.
|
|
35 |
Contemporary WWE, part III |
|
Special guest: Chris Nowinski |
36 |
Female westling fandom |
|
Special guest: Sue Clerc |
37 |
The independents |
UCW: C. M. Sigmon (w/Mike Wimsatt) vs. Ryan Dookie (w/Sam Ford), 26 minutes.
OVW: The disciples of Synn/Leviathan vs. The Prototype/Rico Constantino/Mr. Black, 11 minutes.
ROH: Xavier vs. Scoot Andrews vs. James Maritato, 8 minutes.
TNA: Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles, 30 minutes.
|
Special guest: Sheldon Goldberg |
38 |
Wrapping up |
Presentation of final research projects
Final discussion
|
|
39 |
Wrapping up (cont.) |
Final discussion |
Final term paper due |
|
|
|
Further Reading:
|
Readings
Help support MIT OpenCourseWare by shopping at Amazon.com! MIT OpenCourseWare offers direct links to Amazon.com to purchase the books cited in this course. Click on the Amazon logo to the left of any citation and purchase the book from Amazon.com, and MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of all purchases you make. Your support will enable MIT to continue offering open access to MIT courses. |
The required texts for this course are the following:
Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. New York, NY: Crown, 2002. ISBN: 9780609606902.
Foley, Mick. Foley is Good and the Real World is Faker than Wrestling. New York: Reagan Books, 2001. ISBN: 9780061032417.
Sammond, Nicholas, ed. Steel Chair to the Head. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780822334385.
Molinaro, John. The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time. Toronto, Canada: Winding Stair Press, 2002. ISBN: 9781553663058.
Anderson, Ole. Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780974554501.
Course readings.
SES # |
TOPICS |
READINGS |
1 |
Introduction to course |
|
2 |
Pre-television wrestling |
Morton, Gerald W., and George M. O'Brien. "Demise and Rebirth: The Cyclic History of Wrestling." In Wrestling to Rasslin': Ancient Sport to American Spectacle. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1985, pp. 3-45. ISBN: 9780879723231.
Molinaro, John. "George Hackenschmidt" p. 114, "Frank Gotch" pp. 62-63, and "Ed 'Strangler' Lewis" pp. 66-67.
Kerrick, George E. "Miscellany: The Jargon of Professional Wrestling." American Speech 55, no. 2 (Summer 1980): 142-145.
|
3 |
1950s television |
Griffin, Marcus. Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce. Chicago, IL: Reilly and Lee, 1937, pp. 39-58.
Molinaro, John. "Jim Londos" pp. 64-65, "Gorgeous George" pp. 74-75, and "Antonino Rocca" p. 153.
Boeck, Brian J. "Book Reviews: Hooker." Journal of American Culture 21, no. 4 (Winter 1998): 89.
Meltzer, Dave. Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004. "Lou Thesz" pp. 220-239 and "Andre the Giant" pp. 66-81. ISBN: 9781582618173.
———. "Buddy Rogers." In Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers. Toronto, Canada: Winding Star Press, 2001, pp. 114-119. ISBN: 9781553660859.
Thesz, Lou, and Kit Bauman. Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling. 2nd ed. Norfolk, VA: Lou Thesz, 1995, pp. 87-99 and 112-124.
Jares, Joe. "Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George?" In Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George? Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1974, pp. 11-23. ISBN: 9780139518300.
|
4 |
Women in wrestling |
Beverly, Forest Steven. "A History of Professional Wrestling as Television Programming." Master's Thesis. Auburn, AL: Auburn University, 1989, pp. 24-30, 33-37, 54-56, and 66-86.
Dell, Chad. "Wrestling with the Mainstream Press." In The Revenge of Hatpin Mary: Women, Professional Wrestling and Fan Culture in the 1950s. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2006, pp. 31-46. ISBN: 9780820472706.
|
5 |
Introduction to the territories: The NWA |
Molinaro, John. "Terry Funk" pp. 86-87, "Dory Funk Jr" p. 96, "Dusty Rhodes" pp. 106-107, "Jack Brisco" pp. 122-123, and "Harley Race" pp. 124-125.
Anderson, Ole. "The Psychology of Booking." pp. 171-180.
———. "Be-eee There!" pp. 210-214.
Matysik, Larry. "Sam and Me, Part II." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 53-69. ISBN: 9781550226843.
———. "Ring the Bell For Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk, Jr." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 92-94. ISBN: 9781550226843.
Martin, William C. "Friday Night at the Coliseum." Atlantic Monthly 229 (March 1972): 83-87.
|
6 |
The AWA, part I |
Barthes, Roland. "The World of Wrestling." In Steel Chair to the Head. Translated by Annette Lavers. pp. 23-32.
Molinaro, John. "Verne Gagne" pp. 82-83, and "Nick Bockwinkel" pp. 104-105.
Stone, Gregory P., and Ramon A. Oldenburg. "Wrestling." In Motivations in Play, Games and Sports. Edited by Ralph Slovenko and James A. Knight. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1967, pp. 503-532. ISBN: 9780398017774.
|
7 |
The AWA, part II |
Freedman, Jim. "Will the Sheik Use His Blinding Fireball? The Ideology of Professional Wrestling." In The Celebration of Society: Perspectives on Contemporary Cultural Performance. Edited by Frank E. Manning. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1983, pp. 67-79. ISBN: 9780879722463.
Gutowski, John A. "The Art of Professional Wrestling: Folk Expression in Mass Culture." Keystone Folklore Quarterly 7, no. 2 (Summer 1972): 41-50.
Workman, Mark. E. "The Differential Perception of Popular Dramatic Events." Keystone Folklore Quarterly 23 (Summer 1979): 1-10.
|
8 |
World class championship wrestling |
Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 7-80 and pictures. ISBN: 9780887531699.
Meltzer, Dave. "Fritz Von Erich." In Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers. Toronto, Canada: Winding Star Press, 2001, pp. 62-69. ISBN: 9781553660859.
|
9 |
World wide wrestling federation |
Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 94-149. ISBN: 9780887531699.
Molinaro, John. "Bruno Sammartino" pp. 70-71.
|
10 |
Detroit wrestling / Discussion of Drawing Heat |
Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 150-190. ISBN: 9780887531699.
Meltzer, Dave. "The Sheik." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 82-93. ISBN: 9781582618173.
|
11 |
Memphis wrestling / Andy Kaufman |
Craven, Gerald, and Richard Moseley. "Actors on a Canvas Stage: The Dramatic Conventions of Professional Wrestling." Journal of Popular Culture 6, no. 2 (Fall 1972): 326-336.
Mazer, Sharon. "Watching Wrestling/Writing Performance." In Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. Edited by Henry Jenkins, Tara McPherson, and Jane Shattuc. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2002, pp. 270-286. ISBN: 9780822327370.
Williams, Randall. "Tonight the Hulk vs. Ox Baker." Southern Exposure 7, no. 3 (1979): 30-35.
Meltzer, Dave. "Freddie Blassie." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 14-27. ISBN: 9781582618173.
Molinaro, John. "Jerry Lawler" p. 161.
|
12 |
WWE in the 1980s |
Ford, Sam. "Role-Playing in the Stands: A Symbolic Interactionist Ethnography of Professional Wrestling Fans." (PDF)
Benaka, Lee. Interviews with Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Dave Meltzer.
Molinaro, John. "Hulk Hogan" pp. 26-32, "Randy Savage" pp. 144-145, and "Roddy Piper" pp. 162-163.
|
13 |
WWE in the late 1980s through mid-1990s |
Campbell, John W. "Professional Wrestling: Why the Bad Guy Wins." Journal of American Culture 19, no. 2 (Summer 1996): 127-132.
Grubisic, Brett Josef. "Testing Mettle: Goldust and the Spectacle of Masculinity in the World of Wrestling." Popular Culture Review 10, no. 1 (1999): 139-156.
Molinaro, John. "Bret Hart" pp. 90-91, "The Undertaker" p. 157, "Shawn Michaels" pp. 138-139, "Mick Foley" pp. 147-148, "Steve Austin" pp. 50-55, "Rock" pp. 72-73, "Kurt Angle" and "Chris Benoit" pp. 202-204, "Triple H" pp. 204-205, and "Chris Jericho" p. 205.
|
14 |
NWA/WCW in the 1980s and early 1990s |
Molinaro, John. "Ric Flair" pp. 1-7.
Anderson, Ole. "Skyrocketing Expenses." pp. 265-269.
———. "Corporate Duh-Merica." In Inside Out. pp. 279-293.
Matysik, Larry. "The War." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 175-193. ISBN: 9781550226843.
Trujillo, Nick, et al. "A Night with the Narcissist and The Nasty Boys: Interpreting the World Wrestling Federation." Qualitative Inquiry 6, no. 4 (December 2000): 526-545.
|
15 |
The Monday Night War, part I |
Anderson, Ole. "Spending Ted's Money." pp. 315-323.
Bischoff, Eric with Jeremy Roberts. "Running the Show." In Controversy Creates Cash. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2006, pp. 81-113.
Bischoff, Eric. Excerpt from "Prime Time." In Controversy Creates Cash. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. pp. 145-166. ISBN: 9781416527299.
|
16 |
The Monday Night War, part II |
Reynolds, R. D., and Bryan Alvarez. "1998: Momentum is Money." In The Death of WCW. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2004, pp. 117-165. ISBN: 9781550226614. |
17 |
Masculine melodrama and getting' screwed |
Jenkins, Henry III. "Never Trust a Snake: WWF Wrestling as Masculine Melodrama." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 33-66.
Ford, Sam. "Excellence of Execution: Vince McMahon's Incorporation of Expose into Fiction." (PDF)
Plagens, Peter. "Pinning Reality to the Mat." Chronicle of Higher Education 24 September, 1999, B9.
|
18 |
Good Ol' J. R., part I |
Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 1-5. |
19 |
Good Ol' J. R., part II |
Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 6-9. |
20 |
McMahon, part I |
Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 10-17, and "Our Story Since Then."
Anderson, Ole. "Mis-Management." pp. 360-370.
———. "Nothing New Under the Sun." pp. 371-378.
McNeil, Bryce. Foot on the Rope: Corporate Apologia and the Discourse of Vince McMahon. Masters thesis, University of Maine, 2002, pp. 61-104.
|
21 |
McMahon, part II |
Foley, Mick. Introduction and chapters 1-8. |
22 |
WWE attitude era |
Foley, Mick. Chapters 9-17. |
23 |
ECW |
Foley, Mick. Chapters 18-34. |
24 |
Mick Foley, part I |
Foley, Mick. Epilogue.
Gantz, Walter. "WWF RAW Study." Indiana University and Inside Edition.
|
25 |
Mick Foley, part II |
Ford, Sam. "Mick Foley: Pro Wrestling and the Contradictions of the Contemporary American Hero." (PDF) |
26 |
WWE as transmedia empire |
Ford, Sam. "The McMahons: Creating a Synergistic Pro Wrestling Media Empire." (PDF) |
27 |
The death of Owen Hart |
Meltzer, Dave. "Owen Hart." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 2-13. ISBN: 9781582618173.
Wright, Benjamin P. Wrestling with Reality: Hyperreality Examined in the World Wrestling Federation. Masters Thesis, Wake Forest University, 2001, pp. 48-73.
|
28 |
Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part I |
Mazer, Sharon. "Real Life." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 91-112. |
29 |
Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part II |
De Garis, Lawrence. "The Logic of Professional Wrestling." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 219-243. |
30 |
Contemporary pro wrestling |
Battema, Douglas, and Philip Sewell. "Trading in Masculinity: Muscles, Money, and Market Discourse in the WWF." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 260-294. |
31 |
Wrestling and masculinity |
Katz, Jackson, and Sut Jhally. "Manhood on the Mat." The Boston Globe 13 February, 2000: E1.
Jenkins, Henry, III. "Wrestling with Theory, Grappling with Politics" In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 295-316.
Jenkins, Henry, IV. "Growing Up and Growing More Risque." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 317-342.
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32 |
Wrestling as performance |
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33 |
Contemporary WWE, part I |
Lowney, Kathleen S. "Wrestling with Criticism: The World Wrestling Federation's Ironic Campaign Against the Parents Television Council." Symbolic Interaction 26, no. 3 (2003): 427-446. |
34 |
Contemporary WWE, part II |
Serrato, Phillip. "Not Quite Heroes: Race, Masculinity, and Latino Professional Wrestlers." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 232-259.
Seiter, Ellen. "Wrestling with the Web: Latino Fans and Symbolic Violence." The Internet Playground. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005. pp. 63-82.
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Contemporary WWE, part III |
Ford, Sam. "World Wrestling Entertainment in Japanese Culture in the 21st Century." (PDF) |
36 |
Female wrestling fandom |
Salmon, Catherine, and Susan Clerc. "Ladies Love Wrestling, Too: Female Wrestling Fans Online." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 167-191. |
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The independents |
Sammond, Nicholas. "Squaring the Family Circle: WWF Smackdown Assaults the Social Body." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 155-188.
Rahilly, Lucia. "Is RAW War? Professional Wrestling as Popular S/M Narrative." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 213-231.
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Wrapping up |
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39 |
Wrapping up (cont.) |
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