The Grappling Arts: A Handbook of Professional Wrestling, From the Perspective of a Mark

Abstract

This paper will be divided into twenty-six parts- one entry for each letter of the alphabet a la Benjamin's Arcades Project. This was done as I don't think a conventional essay would've effectively conveyed the range of topics, in the variety of perspectives, that I wanted to cover with this work. While I look at wrestling through the lens of academia, there's a dimension where what I discuss comes from the view of a lifelong fan who has watched wrestling since childhood. I didn't feel comfortable sticking to one viewpoint, as I think it would rob this piece of sticking out in the sea of Anthropology and Media Studies-based dissections of the world of wrestling. I'm aware that I stand on the shoulders of giants, as I take a lot of theory from scholars who've dedicated the time exploring this complex topic, while mixing in bits of what I know about professional wrestling as a fan. With this aspect of fandom though, don't take any claims I make about the innards of the wrestling world as gospel- as I've never once stepped foot in a ring I can't claim to be privy to the true nature of the various stories and scandals that have emerged from the locker room. I hold no authority in the wrestling world in any way, so take any hot take with a grain of salt. I can only discuss what is regarded as a common truth, what the public knows based on years of watching documentaries, reading books, and such which leaves plenty of room for bias and mistruths. Still though, I believe my perspective is still worth considering as the closed-off nature of the wrestling world creates a unique aura, full of mystique and narrative which creates a mythology surrounding it. This suckering of silly marks like me to spend money on shows is what wrestling strives upon, to create a world where reality meets fiction and truth is lost in smoke in mirrors (see: Kayfabe). Consider this piece as something that peeks through the looking glass of wrestling even if said looking glass is stained and distorted. While you can read the upcoming text from A - to - Z, you gain nothing from reading each entry in order. I wanted to make this as approachable to a reader as possible, which meant assembling a series of shorter, more freeform essays covering a range of subjects rather than one big monolith of text. In general, don't stress about the order and feel free to check out the sections of topics that pique your interest.