The Religion of Wrestling
Displays of Religion in the WWE & Associated Companies
PROJECT OUTLINE
The dramatic world of professional wrestling is chock-full of cultivated symbolism. Often this symbolism is religous in nature. The gimmicks or in-ring personas used by professional wrestlers often exhibit religious tones. Religion is used by professional wrestlers because it is something people know well, and therefore people can relate to their characters. Religious characters often play up on stereotypes associated with the religion they are portraying giving their dramatization a sense of comedy. Audiences love characters that make them laugh. Professional wrestlers make light of the problems associated with many religions, and destroy those problems in the ring. Under "THE GIMMICK" tab of this website, I will explore religious symbolism in the gimmicks of wrestlers in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), the biggest and most well-known professional wrestling company in the world.
Wrestlers will often use a religious gimmick to gain the approval of their audience. Often, this works in the opposite way as well. A wrestler who's gimmick is anything but religious will sometimes use the fame and air time they gain from their wrestling career to evangelize for their own personal beliefs. Under "THE WRESTLER" tab of this website, I will delve into the lives of several WWE superstars who made use of their fame in this way; Shawn Michaels, Jake Roberts and Ted Dibiase.
Under "THE CONTROVERSY" tab, I will weigh out the positive and negative impact this religious exploitation has had for the WWE.
The emphasis fans tend to put on professional wrestling creates a world in which the ring is a ritual in a religion itself, and the fans are the worshippers. This website will explore religion in all facets of pro-wrestling with a focus on superstars and themes in the WWE.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alvarez, Bryan and Meltzer, Dave. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <www.f4wonline.com>.
Meltzer and Alvarez's Wrestling Observer is a constantly revolving wrestling news site that is widely consulted by fans around the globe. Wrestling Observer provides insight into the successes and failures of countless gimmicks, as well as explanations on feuds and storylines. Wrestling Observer is creatd by two "scholars" of the wrestling world who are considered authorities on all things pro- wrestling.
Ball, Michael R. Professional Wrestling as Ritual Drama in American Popular Culture. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1990.
Michael R. Ball dicusses professional wrestling as a ritual in American popular culture. Ball explains the feuding between good and evil as a ritual re-enactment, illustrating pro-wrestling as a sort of religon in itself.
Barrett, Jo. "What's Love Got to do With it? A Qualitative Grounded Theory Content Analysis of Romance Narratives in the PG Era of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Programming." Sexuality and Culture 18, no. 3 (2014): 560-591.
"What's Love Got to do With it?" looks at the portrayal of romantic relationships in the WWE and the purpose of these relationships. Barrett talks about the in-ring recreation of weddings (sometimes between real husbands and wives) and the religious symbolism included in these kayfabe marriages.
Bonham, Chad. Wrestling With God. Tulsa: River Oak Publishing, 2001.
Wrestling With God contains short accounts of the religious beliefs and experiences of WWE superstars. Some of these superstars protray their religion through their in-ring personas, while others use their WWE fame as a platform for evangelism.
Brazier, Mike. "Straight Edge Failure: An Indepth Analysis of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society." Bleacher Report. 2 Sept 2010. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <bleacherreport.com/articles/449202-straight-edge- failure-an-indepth-analysis-of-cm-punks-straight-edge-society/>.
Mike Brazier explores the cult leader gimmick CM Punk used and the reasons why he, as a fan, views the gimmick as a failure. This article helps to illustrate why religious gimmicks are sometimes unsuccessful with fans. Brazier also provides ample information on the Christ-like character CM Punk became during his time leading the "Straight Edge Society."
Driver, Sam. "10 Most Evil Wrestlers of All Time." What Culture. 26 Jan 2015. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <whatculture.come/wwe/10-most-evil-wrestlers-of-all-time.php>.
An overview of gimmicks with evil or Satanic overtones.
Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor: Black Moss Press, 1988.
Jim Freedman explains the need for a feud in order for the pro-wrestling drama to be successful. Freedman touches on many gimmicks explaining why and how they generated hatred or "heat" from their audiences. Some of the gimmicks Freedman writes about include Muslim characters which typically portrayed as evil or un-American by the WWE. These Middle Eastern gimmicks create massive amounts of anger and hatred among American viewers, but this same negative passion obliges fans to tune in more and is therefore wildly successful for the WWE as a company.
Glasser, Perry. "Babyface." The North Amercian Review 284, no. 1 (1999): 44-46.
"Babyface" puts into words the battle between good and evil that is portrayed by babyfaces and heels in professional wrestling.
Laderman, Gary and Leon, Luis; eds. Religion and American Culture: An Encyclopedia of Traditions, Diversity and Popular Expressions Volume 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Inc., 2003.
Religion and American Culture explores the religious symbolism found in many different areas of American culture, including sports culture as a whole. Here, sports and wrestling are described in ritual terms, as watching or attending a sporting event at a certain time of year, dressed a certain way, etc., becomes an integral part of what it means to be American.
MacFarlane, Kit. "A Sport, A Tradition, A Religion, A Joke: The Need for a Poetics of In-Ring Storytelling and a Reclamation of Professional Wrestling as a Global Art." Asiatic 6, no. 2 (2012): 136-155.
An article illustrating wrestling as an art form and its similarties to poetry; a literary art form used qutie often in prayers, hymns and other religious rituals.
Madison, Marc. "9 WWE Wrestlers Who Exploited Religion." The News Hub. 8 Feb 2015. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <https://www.the-newshub.com/other-sport/9-wwe-wrestlers-who-exploited-religion/>.
This short article covers a handful of WWE superstars who have made it big by using religious gimmicks or religious tones in their gimmicks.
Mathewson, Dan. "Sacred Spinebusters, Transcendant Toe Holds, Part Two: The Confluence of Religion and Professional Wrestling." Sacred Matters: Religious Currents in Culture. Accessed 10 Sept 2015. <https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/sacredmatters/2014/05/23/sacred-spinebusters-transcendant-toe- holds-part-two-the-confluence-of-religion-and-professional-wrestling/>.
An indepth analysis of many instances where professional wrestling and religion have melded together in the ring.
Michaels, Shawn. Wrestling for my Life: The Legend, The Reality and the Faith of a WWE Superstar. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Autobiography of WWE superstar, Shawn Michaels. Michaels spent the beginning of this career as a heavy abuser of drugs and alcohol, but found Christianity and cleaned himself up. In his autobiography, Shawn talks about his faith and how he exhibits it in the ring and remains true to his faith and beliefs even when it was not in-tune with his gimmick.
Peacock, Jess. "Wrestling and Religion: We Know its Fake and We Don't Care." Religion Dispatches. 2015. Accessed 16 Sept 2015. <religiondispatches.org/wrestling-and-religion-we-know-its-fake-and-we-dont- care/>.
An interesting comparison of blind religious belief of the unknown to the entertainment wrestling fans get out of a "sport" they know is completely staged.
Pritchard, Bill. "Xavier Woods Talks The New Day Success, Changing the Gimmick, Why He Wants to be a PhD Instead of WWE Champion." Wrestle Zone. 8 May 2015. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <www.wrestlezone.com/news/577575-xavier-woods-talks-the-new-day-success-changing-the-gimmick- why-he-wants-to-be-a-phd-instead-of-wwe-champion/>.
An interview with Xavier Woods, a member of The New Day. The New Day is a faction in the WWE composed of three black men portraying enthusiastic preachers of positivity. Woods explains the origin of their gimmick and its roots in Southern Baptist traditions.
Rahmani, Sina. "Wrestling with the Revolution: The Iron Shiek and the American Cultural Response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution." Iranian Studies 40, no. 1 (2007): 87-108.
Rahmani explains the success of the Iron Shiek as he portrays a bloodthirsty Iranian character post- 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Iron Shiek's success stems from his evil character, and America's constant desire to see themselves come out on top as "the good guys."
"Squared Circle." Reddit. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/>.
An online community of wrestling fans worldwide. "Squared Circle" gives insight into the opinions and interpretations of wrestling fans from all backgrounds.
Tambourini, Ron; et al. "The Raw Nature of Televised Professional Wrestling: Is the Violence a Cause for Concern?" Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 2, no. 49 (2005): 202-220.
A study into the impact of violence portrayed in the media on viewers.
"WWE Character Debate: Sgt. Slaughter Iraqi Sympathizer vs. Muhammad Hassan." Bleacher Report. 8 April 2011. Accessed 23 Sept 2015. <bleacherreport.com/articles/65728-wwe-character-debate-sgt- slaughter-iraqi-sympathizer-vs-muhammad-hassan/>.
An analytical look at enormous hateful response that erupted from America when Sgt. Slaughter- a character in the WWE portraying a US Marine- joined forces with Muslim characters General Adnand and Colonel Mustafa.
Workman, Mark Elliot. The Differential Perception of a Dramatic Event: Interpretations of the Meaning
of Professional Wrestling. University of Pennsylvania, 1977.
Workman interprets the underlying meanings which lace feuds in professional wrestling, including
the moral battle between good and evil.