Book Review: R Tyson Smith, 'Fighting for Recognition: Identity, Masculinity, and the Act of Violence in Professional Wrestling'

Bowness, J. (2016) Book Review: R Tyson Smith, 'Fighting for Recognition: Identity, Masculinity, and the Act of Violence in Professional Wrestling'. International Sociology, 31(2), pp. 208-211. (doi: 10.1177/0268580915627100a)[Book Review]

Abstract

The World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation (WWE) holds a hegemonic position in the world of professional wrestling. For those who lack the theatrical and corporeal talent required for the glamour of the WWE, independent wrestling offers a taste of the experience without the material rewards. The independent wrestling scene ‘consists of regional wrestling promotions with no central organization and little to no television exposure’ (p. 9). This ‘indie’ wrestling culture, and the lives of its participants, is the topic of this ethnography. Professional wrestling finds itself in a complex space between theatre and sport, often marginalized in the public domain for its fakery and apparent transgression of a dominant sport ethic that demands authenticity and meritocratic competition. Tyson Smith suggests that the reader should avoid understanding wrestling within the paradigm of sport and instead view it as a form of physical theatre with excessive physicality. The essential aim of this work is to uncover the ‘logic of practice’, fundamentally exploring why young men undertake a risky endeavour with little concern for financial remuneration and economic rationalization. A further remit of this work is to explore masculinity through a range of paradoxes inherent in the performance of professional wrestling. The elaboration of these paradoxes makes up the bulk of Tyson Smith’s book.

• Item Type: Book Reviews
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bowness, Dr James
• Authors: Bowness, J.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General); H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
• College/School: University Services > Learning and Teaching Services Division
• Journal Name: International Sociology
• Publisher: SAGE
• ISSN: 0268-5809
• ISSN (Online): 1461-7242