Customer Reviews

Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle (Performance Studies)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In wrestling, the lariat or clothesline is a move in which a man is whipped from a standing position via a running straight arm to the throat, propelling him violently to the mat. It was both disappointing and strangely reassuring to find out, from Sharon Mazer's new book, that one of the very first skills a rookie wrestler is taught is the ability to "fall backwards, hitting the mat so it resonates loudly with his fall" precisely to effect this and related wrestling moves.

The violent illusion of the lariat is lllustrative of what I think is one of Mazer's major points -namely that wrestling exchanges rely not only on the active co-operation of the wrestling opponent - to forward roll when he is supplexed, to crumple when he is hit, to stay down when he is booked to lose - but on the active complicity of the audience in the illusion of the real. As such. Mazer argues, wrestling is ultimately transgressive and subversive. That is, the wrestling performance reveals, by inference and extension, that society itself and its established protocols are a 'work' ( a social construction) that rely for their power on our complicity. Mazer wonders, but does not completely answer, why a wrestling audience would wish to be reminded of its own complicity in subjection. Perhaps, her book suggests, our willing subscription to the illusion of the wrestling performance is, in a very small way, the tangible proof of our larger individual freedom - to believe in social constructions/'works' or not to believe.

I bought Mazer's book as part of my background research for a biography I'm writing of the pro-wrestler Tom Zenk. After some months I am still having considerable difficulty differentiating between Zenk the performer and Zenk the virtuous, masculine figure of his ring persona. I had been running the line of a high quality performer denied justice by the bookers but have now come to the realization, courtesy of Mazer's book, that in promoting this line I am possibly 'marking out' to an well -established wrestling storyline. Here is Mazer -

"What fans come to recognize and interact with as they come inside the game is the play outside the play- first the signs of a hero [in my case Tom Zenk] or villain, then the inevitable failure of the representatives of authority in the ring to assure a fair fight and a just end, and finally that the true power lies not in the ring at all - but rather in the hands of the promoters whose purchase of a wrestler includes the right to dictate his success or failure. What is certain is not a Justice which is at last intelligible but an Injustice which is visible both in the dramaturgy of the performance and in the structure of the game itself, in the ongoing failure of authority to assert itself for the hero in the ring and in the success of the authority outside the ring, the promoter, as he dictates an outcome that negates the possibility of any real contest between men. It is not a fair fight, neither for the wrestlers in the ring nor for the wrestlers and the fans in relation to those in power." (Mazer, 1998: 153)

But here's the dilemma that illustrates the point about wrestling that Mazer makes so articulately in her book- the probablity that what I had taken to be real in the Tom Zenk story - the complete submission of the heroic ring figure to the power of the promoter - is itself both a 'work' (a fabrication) and a 'shoot' (the real thing). The point appears to be that it is both and it is neither. Once again, it is too simple to see a wrestler such as Zenk - or indeed any worker, inside the ring or out - as the heroic 'victim' of the unscrupulous authority of other men.The reader like me who thus begins the journey from 'mark' to 'smart' is not engaged in a transition from credulous outsider to cynical or ironic disbeliever. The knowledgeable wrestling fan or 'smark' - as the name suggests is both 'smart' to wrestling's storylines, yet still more completely a consciously credulous participant (or willingly complicit 'mark') in the wrestling performance - as Mazer notes, actively seeking to be 'marked out' - to be fooled into believing that the 'wrestler was injured for real, that the fan rushed the ring for real, that the promoters grip over the wrestlers and the matches will slip, that the fight will be more than play'.

The wrestling arena is thus a highly ambiguous space - for the period of the play at least. As such, it is a place that has been sanctioned by society for the unpacking and repacking of the normalizing discourses of masculinity, class, hierarchy, race, morality, etc. Mazer's discussion of the sexual ambiguities of pro-wrestling is particularly good. The heterosexual male gazing at the muscled bodied of the ring performer, confounds the prohibitions which 'normally' limit such a display to women and thus actively violates the protocols of masculinity - only to reaffirm them minutes later with the cry of 'faggot'. The wrestlers themselves present near naked male bodies that, in performance, touch and embrace, make a show of domination and submission that "resemble nothing so much as cliches of sexual engagement". - yet the routine discourse of wrestling is firecely heterosexual and heterosexist. In a memorable phrase Maxer captures the ambiguity when she writes - "To some degree a professional wrestler is always in drag, always enacting a parody of masculinity at the same time that he epitomizes it" (1998; 100)

Overall, this book - like the story of the lariat - is both revealing and strangely re-affirming. Wrestling has often been dismissed as the lower end of "popular culture" but Mazer 's book contributes to its revaluation as something more complex and much more profound. If, ultimately, wrestling - as something visceral rather than rational - evades all attempts at a 'pin', nonetheless Mazer's effort - her 'work' so to speak- is both highly believable and really quite credible.

Sharon did a great job subjecting herself to the cruelty of the life and times of the professional wrestlers. I would like to see her come out with a newer book, and maybe look back at the wrestler's that she met when she was at Gleason's Gym. I think all the skeptics of professional wrestling should do exactly what Ms. Mazer did and learn the real facts about professional wrestling, or at least read her book. I am glad to see Sharon learned a lot from doing this book and it could teach a lot of skeptics out there about the real truth of professional wrestling.

One thing professional wrestling has going for it is the fans. People either love; rant and cheer or they simply hate it. One thing is for sure, the entertainment that wrestling provides is a multi-million dollar industry with no end in sight.

Sharon Mazer has put together a book that shows what wrestler goes through in order to prepare for the "sport" they love. Mazer makes solid arguments about why wrestling is so popular. This easy to read book is a sure fire winner with the pure wrestling fan.

Follow the 180 page book as Mazer take you on a journey through the WCW, WWF and talks with wrestlers about how they train, what rigors they face and what it takes to make it in the squared circle. The overall read of this book will give you a new insight into pro-wrestling and the entertainment industry.

The price of $18.00 is a little steep, but for the "real" wrestling fan this shouldn't be an obstacle. I have read over 10 books on the sport and this one certainly ranks among the best.

"Is it fake?" is the question we all ask about wrestling but Sharon Mazer, in her book, "Professional Wrestling Sport and Spectacle," saves the big one for last.

What she covers first are what I would not have supposed to be your typical wrestling questions.

Comparing the sport to the universal mytheme of good versus evil, Mazer looks at wrestling from many different angles and in a style that is stunningly articulate.

She plumbs with great clarity the deeper, often hidden , meanings of the sport, and yes, it is amazingly deep and machiavellian with power plays, machismo, homosexuality, homophobia and much much more.

The book gives enjoyable insights into one training gym, but arguably could have profited from more (like the WCW school in Atlanta) to round out her research. Nevertheless the time spent with Johnny Rodz and his talent provides inside information on how the guys, and girls, are trained to make their athletics appear r! eal, and the knowledge and execution these wannabes require to make the grade in pro-wrestling is very substantial indeed!

At times the book gets wordy but still provided plenty of mat action including plenty of black and white photos to keep the interest up! Yes, the sport of wrestling is a morality play that has been acted out since men have battled each other. And it will continue to be so, even if the players aren't quite as identifiable, and Mazer's work helped me at least understand its universal appeal and why its completely completely beside the point that it's staged!

Don't buy this book if you're looking for big names...It's basically an analysis of psychology behind fan and wrestler interaction, and an examination of how wrestling relates to our subculture...

The book "Professional Wrestling Sport and Spectacle" bySharon Mazer outright ... She not only takes the fun out of professional wrestling but put the reader to sleep. Mazer tries to bring in to many philosophical views on professional wrestling. She also never drops the point of her being a "scholar or academic". She also mentions that wrestling is homoerotic. She only visits one school of wrestling and expects to get everything out of the one school. She should have taken at look at some of the big businesses at the time like WWF or WCW. She never talks about what actually captures the audiences into watching this sport. The only good part of the book is the inside look of a newcomers training into the sport and the look on women in wrestling. The best part of the book was the insides look at a newcomers training. How they learn to fall before they do much of anything else. Then they go to basic moves and including falling backward and rolling forward, holds and reversals, and takedowns. While the newcomers are doing their basic drills, wrestlers with more experience play out scenarios and roles. They take turns winning and losing, acting as faces and heels. What a lot of people don't know about wrestling is that newcomers get initiated into the group. As it says in the book it is a process of assimilation via discipline and submission into the wrestlers' fraternity. They are initiated by different means by different people some are just face planted into the mat while others are sent to the hospital due to broken bones. If these people come back next time they are thought of as one of the group. I also like the look on women what sky magic does other than training. Such as apartment wrestling and phone wrestling. Which are two things that I did not know existed. The two best chapters in the book I guess would have to be chapter three and five. Chapter three is the one that talks about the newcomers learning the ropes. It also talks about how the newcomers get initiated to get assimilated into the group. There are only a couple times in this chapter when Mazer starts to analyze too much, and she starts to bore the reader. Chapter five talks about women in professional wrestling. As I said earlier this book outright sucks the title basically would sways you into buying the book. Even the information on the back of the book doesn't say it will philosophically look at and analyze professional wrestling. If you want a good book to read before bed when you can't sleep this book is a winner. Sharon Mazer will bore you right to sleep in about three pages. I also don't like how she says wrestling is homoerotic. Mazer says wrestling is nothing but clichés of sexual engagement. She points out that wrestling relies on the display on male bodies in extravagant costumes and almost naked. She also says that the male bodies in performance are seen to touch and embrace. Of course they are going to touch each other it is a physical sport. They don't say football players are homoerotic. The quarterback puts his hands through the centers legs to get the ball every down. They are also always lying down on each other when the get tackled. Mazer also never drops the point that she is a "scholar or academic" thinking this is going to make her readers think she is smart. She is completely mistaken by this fact if that is what she is thinking. Mazer saying this just makes me think she is not sure of herself and she has to prove to herself that she is smart. She says she does not belong in a gym she belongs in library, at a computer or at a coffee bar. Well if she thinks that then why doesn't she. She questions herself on being at the gym since she has never been inclined to do athletics. And the readers need to know this because? This is useless information that the reader does not need to know. Mazer only visits one school of wrestling why is that she should at least have visited a couple. Granted she did spend months there but a broader view would have been nice. She doesn't even get into professional wrestling very much. Such as the big businesses at the time like the WWF or WCW which both were making money and headway at the time. This is a limited literary work and should not be sold to readers. Mazer does not even go into what makes this business a business. Why do these young men and women want to train and go to Rodz's school for, what motivates these people. She does not look into what makes this sport tick and thrive through the decades. What makes this sport go are the fans, if not for the fans professional wrestling would be nothing. These people are going to the gym to train and learn to become superstars. And at the time of the book was being written that would be Hulk Hogan. This book I guess is not as bad as I am saying it is but it is not my kind of writing. And not what I thought the book would be like. Mazer is too philosophical for this kind of book. I don't think she is anticipating her readers as wrestling fanatics and them getting upset when she say wrestling is homoerotic. If I would have a choice of reading this book or not I would not have read this book.

i had to read this book because i take pro wrestling class in university. Not only is it not very interesting or informative, it also oozes with discreet feminism, which makes for uncompelling reading. The book was published in 1996, which makes many of the assertions about wreslting and pro wrestling culture moot and pointless by the year 2006. It also almost never mentions anything about the WCW, as much of the research material is lifted from angles during the glory years of the 1980's in WWF. Overall, i would not recommend this book for any wrestling fan unless you are a hardcore feminist or a senile old person.

This book is written from a scholarly standpoint. I have a doctorate degree and LOVE wrestling. I figured this would be an insightful book but it was not. This author wrote this book as a thesis for her doctorate and that is where it should have stayed and out of print. Larry Nelson's book was better than this and that is saying a lot. If you are the type of person who has to read everything on wrestling then get it otherwise find your kayfabe fix elsewhere.

Like Dian Fossey living among the apes, Sharon Mazer sought to live among pro wrestlers and learn their ways. In the process, she takes what could be an interesting subject and makes it boring.

She observes training at a small wrestling school. But alas, there is little information about how the training is done or who these people are who are involved. To Ms. Mazer, everything is an outworking of some kind of gender or ethnic dominance.

Worse yet, this book was reseached at a time when pro wrestling was turning out a lot of poor characters and story lines. It was painful to read Ms. Mazer's attempts to uncover the deep meanings of matches involving Tatanka, Sensational Sherry, Brutus Beefcake, and other very forgettable characters.

I will not say that the book is completely worthless. Almost by accident, Ms. Mazer occasionally gives a tidbit of information about the life of an aspiring pro wrestler. One has to feel a bit sympathetic for the men and women who are pouring their time and money into training, yet obviously have no chance of getting to the top of the business.

There is nothing in the book about the big-time wrestlers, except what she picked up from watching tapes.

Instead of this book, read Mick Foley's books and watch _Beyond the Mat_. Those will give you a much better "inside" look at pro wrestling.

This rather odd attempt at an analysis in peeformance studies is very weak. It is a pity that such a popular sport has not been given a through academic evaluation. Hopefully a more capable author will write on the subject.