The Beauty of a Piledriver: The Art of Professional Wrestling

Presenter: Ryan Darling

Faculty Sponsor: Kelly C. Morgan

School: Fitchburg State University

Research Area: Theater

Session: Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM, Concourse, B11

ABSTRACT

Professional Wrestling is an art form that has a unique place in our culture. Throughout its history, pro wrestling has not often been regarded as art because of its significant connection to making money, and it is not treated as a sport because of its scripted nature. With this project, I intend to go to bat for professional wrestling because I believe that wrestling is something that anyone can find some interest in, as it has connections to every medium of storytelling, so it can resonate with everyone. For my research, I will go through pro wrestling history in America from its carnival days to the present. I will go through the techniques used by the people who create wrestling and explain what those choices do to get across characters and stories. I also want to show the varied styles within different cultures around the world and how styles can even differ from wrestler to wrestler based on where they were trained. Lastly, I would like to address some aspects of wrestling that are controversial even within the wrestling community, the main ones being Deathmatch and Comedy wrestling, because these styles are not given as much respect. I hope to open people's eyes to pro wrestling because it has brought so much joy to me and millions throughout the world.