Popular Culture Review Vol. 11, No. 1, February 2000 | Page 51

Chyna, Team Corporate
and the New World Order: The Politics of
White Hypermasculinity and AntiCorporatism in Professional Wrestling
The election of Jesse “The Body” Ventura as governor of Minnesota and the
subsequent announcement by Hollywood Hogan to run for President exemplifies
a growing (and perhaps) troubling link between professional wrestling and poli
tics. Some would argue these isolated events are peripheral to the discourse of
American politics. However, sports have long been recognized as a vehicle by
which some sport images become emblazoned in the political landscape (Semino
& Masci 1996; Vinokur 1988; Wagg 1995). For instance, right wing extremist
groups find their most virulent exponents in European soccer fan clubs.
In the United States, the sociological link between sports and politics remains
virtually unexplored. Some work has been done to link sports metaphors to politi
cal events, but not on how sports themselves promote specific political messages.
This essay attempts to explore some of the recurrent themes of professional wres
tling as it relates to anti-corporatism and gender relations. I have selected profes
sional wrestling due to its wild popularity among disaffected, lower middle class
white male youths. This audience is identical to the prototypical European soccer
hooligan. In the essay I will then show that although professional wrestling ad
vances specific political messages it is not likely to be a vehicle for political vio
lence.

Babyfaces and Heels
The world of professional wrestling largely encompasses two competing leagues,
the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling
(WCW). Each league showcases its talents on Monday nights. WWF’s “Raw is
War” (USA Network, 9 P.M./ ET) and WCW’s Monday Nitro (TNT, 8 P.M./ET)
have successfully upstaged the other testosterone-filled ritual, Monday Night Foot
ball. On an average Monday night, over 10 million viewers will tune in to either
professional wrestling spectacle. The combined audience for all weekly wrestling
events (including WCW’s Thunder and WCW’s Saturday Night) is estimated at
over 35 million viewers.
The WWF is the more established of the two wrestling leagues. However, the
WCW is its close competitor and currently has a wider audience. There are also