Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle

206 Pages·1998·11.446 MB·English

by  Sharon Mazer

PPRROOFFEESSSSIIOONNAALL WWRREESSTTLLIINNGG
PERFORMANCE STUDIES
Expressive Behavior in Culture
Sally Harrison-Pepper, General Editor
PROFESSIONAL
WRESTLING
Sport and Spectacle
Sharon Mazer
UNIVERSITY PRESS OF MISSISSIPPI
Jackson
Photographs by Sharon Mazer unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 1998 by University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
01 oo 99 43
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mazer, Sharon.
Professional wrestling : sport and spectacle / Sharon Mazer.
p. cm. — (Performance studies)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 1-57806-020-6 (cloth : alk. paper). — ISBN 1-57806-021-4
(pbk.: alk. paper)
i. Wrestling—Social aspects—United States. 2. Wrestling—United
States. I. Title. II. Series: Performance studies (Jackson,
Miss.)
GVH96.4.S63M39 1998
796.8i2;0973—dc2i 97-42266
CIP
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication data available
Contents
Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
1. "REAL" WRESTLING i
2. WHAT THE WORLD Is WATCHING 14
3. LEARNING THE GAME 50
4. REAL MEN DON'T WEAR SHIRTS 93
5. FROM BEEFCAKE TO CHEESECAKE 117
6. "REAL" LIFE 149
Postscript 172
Notes 175
Sources 179
Index 187
This page intentionally left blank
Illustrations
Macho Man Randy Savage at Madison Square Garden 29
Fan dressed as Macho Man Randy Savage 30
Macho Man Randy Savage entering the arena at the WWF's
Monday Night RAW 31
Referee preventing Bam Bam Bigelow from attacking Virgil 34
WWF card 38
Gleason's Arena card 39
The Captain leading Rhino Power #i and #2 into the ring at
Gleason's Arena 41
Little White Wolf greeting fans as he makes his entrance at
Gleason's Arena 42
The Blue Blazer drop-kicking Greg "the Hammer" Valentine
in Madison Square Garden 44
"You wanna wrestle, or you wanna fight?" Larry challenges
Tommy and Chris 51
Johnny Rodz watching a workout from ringside 54
Johnny demonstrating a hip toss with Mohammed 56, 57
Tommy stepping in to offer advice to new wrestlers with
Mohammed and Chris 60
Rubio pinning Frankie as they practice Lucha Libre 67
Rubio wearing mask 69
Tommy demonstrates falling backward for a new wrestler 72
Johnny teaching the hip toss to a new wrestler with
Mohammed's help 77, 78
Mohammed takes over the lesson 79-81
viii Illustrations
Larry with Tommy selling the move to the "audience" 86
Larry with Chris: "What should I do?" 87
Chris begging for help from the "audience" as Larry puts
on the pressure 88
Rubio and Frankie's workout showing the sensuality of
Lucha Libre 108
"ROCK HARD STRONG AND SEXY" (Advertisement from
Village Voice, 5 July 1994) 119
"Grab the Scoop!" (Advertisement from Wrestling World,
March 1990) 120
Sky Magic getting a lesson in Lucha Libre from Rubio and
Frankie 125,126
Linda Dallas choking Misty Blue in ropes 129
Misty Blue: publicity photo 130
Ring girl with placard at Monday Night RAW 132
Longtime fan with placard at Monday Night RAW 132
"FIGHTING FEMMES" (Advertisement from Wrestling Eye,
August 1991) 143
Deb and Sarah trying some wrestling moves while boxers watch 146
Deb choking Sarah while the boxers watch 147
Rubio and Frankie working out 150
Rubio and Frankie working together to create a new
sequence of moves 151
Larry hits Chris, or does he? 155
Chris attempting to regain his composure 156
Tommy stepping into
157
A new wrestler bodyslamming Mohammed 168
Mohammed being 169
Mohammed in pain, or is he? 170
Acknowledgments
More than seven years ago I took a much-needed break from my inten-
sive reading in Middle English drama and, as was my custom, climbed
on the exercycle in my kitchen, switched on the television, and began
pedaling furiously. What I saw on the screen made me stop short and
laugh. There was Ravishing Rick Rude entering to "The Stripper," in-
sulting the men in the audience, dropping his sequined robe to reveal
lycra trunks painted front and back with a cartoon image of the Ultimate
Warrior, and cheating his way to a victory, which he then rudely cele-
brated by swiveling his hips over the Warrior's prone body and kissing a
woman from the audience. The WWF broadcast that day immediately
and irrevocably brought my readings in Middle English drama to life.
Here was the play of vice and virtue, not as a historical remnant—a few
texts of cycle, moral and saint plays, some town records, and a couple of
illustrations—but as a part of my own theatrical and social present. In
that moment I decided that I would find a way to write about profes-
sional wrestling. And while writing about wrestling has made my initial
appreciation of its theatricality and values more complex and, I hope,
more profound, I am grateful most of all for the pleasures of watching
the sport and spectacle that is professional wrestling.
First I must thank the wrestlers themselves, especially Johnny Rodz,
who first welcomed me into Gleason's Arena in 1989. Not only did he
share his own stories and ideas about wrestling with me, he created an
atmosphere in which the other wrestlers felt free to work in front of and
talk with me. Of the many wrestlers who have spoken with me at length,
I want to thank by name Larry, Chris, Vito, Rubio, Frankie, Sky, and