In 1957 the French philosopher Roland Barthes called professional wrestling a “spectacle of excess.” That may be the most beautifully succinct description of sports entertainment ever written. For decades professional wrestling has existed as an athletic form of melodramatic theatre rather than an honest athletic competition. But has that always been the case? When and how did wrestling transform from a typical sport into a “spectacle of excess?” Tune-in and find out how weird carnival slang, a fake hanging, and a man with a pet 2×4 all play a role in the story.

Works Cited

Barthes, Roland. “World of Wrestling.” Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling, edited by Nicholas Sammond, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2005. Pp. 23-32.

Beekman, Scott. Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America. Praeger Publishing, Westport, Connecticut, 2006.

Hackett, Thomas. Slaphappy: Pride, Prejudice, and Professional Wrestling. HarperCollins, New York, 2006. 

Hornbaker, Tim. Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever. ECW Press, New York, 2018.

Sammond, Nicholas. “Introduction: A Brief and Unnecessary Defense of Professional Wrestling.” Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling, edited by Nicholas Sammond, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2005. Pp. 1-21.