Good versus Evil in the Squared Circle: Foreign and Minority Representations in Professional Wrestling

Abstract

Professional wrestling has remained a very popular form of entertainment through out the history of television. It hosts a unique world of characters that are used to play out scripted athletic contests that revolve around the concept of good versus evil. Previous research has suggested that minority and ethnic characters are predominantly represented as the evil side of the battle. This paper looks at the professional wrestling industry on a larger scale, analyzing the two largest professional wrestling companies in the world to determine if foreign and minority characters are more likely to represent evil, while White and American characters tend to represent the good. Results demonstrate that when looking at the industry as a whole minority characters are not predominantly featured as negative characters, as previous research would suggest. There is, however, a slight indication that foreign characters are still more likely to fall victim to negative representations in professional wrestling.