A Night With The Narcissist and the Nasty Boys: Interpreting the World Wrestling Federation

Abstract

This article narrates the observations and analyses of a research team that conducted an ethnographic study of a city arena. The article describes observations, analyses, and reinterpretations of the most interesting event the team witnessed at the arena: a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) contest. Drawing on Bakhtin’s (1968) characterization of carnival, the team discusses multiple interpretations of WWF wrestling as a violent and grotesque spectacle that is coperformed by wrestlers and audience members. Inspired by Van Maanen’s Tales of the Field, the team tells this story incorporating elements of realist, confessional, impressionist, and critical tales.

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