I met Barry Hardy at John Arezzi’s 1991 “Weekend of Champions” convention. Hardy was wrestling as “Agony” of the Lords of Darkness at the time, a tag team that had been enjoying some success in independent promotions. He had an elaborately painted face, wore a long black robe, and carried a large axe.  Although Hardy ... Read more Before Shoot Interviews: Barry Hardy ..read more

Sitterson, Aubrey and Chris Moreno. The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling: A Hardcore, High-flying, No-holds-barred History of the One True Sport. Ten Speed Graphic, 2018. Review by Ben Abelson The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling (from here on referred to as CBSPW), written by Aubrey Sitterson, and illustrated by Chris Moreno, is a fun, ... Read more Review: The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling ..read more

Professional Wrestling Studies Journal Special Issue: Queer Studies and Professional Wrestling Anticipated Publication: Volume 5, April 2025 Guest Editors: CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, Christopher J. Olson, and Hannah Steele Purpose: Articles that explore the intersection of queer studies and professional wrestling studies to address a scholarship gap on the application of queer theory to explore professional ... Read more Professional Wrestling Studies Journal: Call for Papers ..read more

WrestlePosium V Conference – Call for Papers Professional Wrestling Studies Association When: April 13th 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST Where: Fully Online Through Zoom Costs: Free for all attendees The Professional Wrestling Studies Association is pleased to announce our fifth fully online conference. We invite scholars, researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts from all disciplines to ... Read more WrestlePoisum V: Call for Proposals ..read more

WrestleMania marks the culmination of a year’s worth of storytelling. As WWE’s most pivotal event, it showcases blockbuster matches and championship victories that pave the way for upcoming storylines. These matches engage audiences, offering a glimpse into the journeys of new champions, former champions, and megastars. Among WWE’s annual shows, the Raw episode following WrestleMania ... Read more Poor Motivation for Big Mega Stars! – A Critical Review ..read more

After I interviewed Windy City Wrestling co-founder Sam DeCero in 1991 in Chicago, Sam brought over a few of his trainees to talk to me.  Trevor Blanchard was introduced to me as a “bad guy,” and he sat down for this interview with some wariness.  I guess the bad guy attitude was inevitable if you ... Read more Before Shoot Interviews: Trevor Blanchard ..read more

Part 1 of this interview ended with Sam DeCero’s career-ending injury due to a mishap during his regular day job as a laborer.  Read on to learn about the next steps that DeCero took to remain a force in the Chicago pro wrestling scene…. DeCero:  So I figured, “How am I going to stay in ... Read more Before Shoot Interviews: Sam DeCero (part 2 ..read more

We at the PWSA strive to bridge professional wrestling and academia. In Japan, university students have been doing just that for decades. Since the late 1970s, several Japanese universities have been home to student-run professional wrestling promotions. The students, whose gimmicks sometimes parody actual wrestlers, train at the campus and perform regularly at individual shows ... Read more Wrestling in Universities: How Japanese Students are Breaking into the Pro Wrestling World ..read more

After badgering Larry Sharpe for an interview at a 1991 wrestling fan convention outside of New York City, the “Pretty Boy” allowed me to follow him to his hotel room.  As we got to the hotel room door, Sharpe, who had recently wrestled his retirement match, muttered, “If you want this damn interview, it’ll have ... Read more Before Shoot Interviews: “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe ..read more

It’s Time! It’s WrestlePosium Time! The President of the PWSA invites submissions for the association’s WrestlePosium IV. This virtual symposium will happen online on Saturday, April 8th, 2023. We are having the symposium after the WrestleMania festivities so that people who are interested can more easily attend all the events. For more on the WrestlePosium series, ... Read more Call for WrestlePosium IV Presentations, Papers, Panels ..read more