Then, Now, Forever: Television Wrestling, Seriality, and the Rise of the Cinematic Match during COVID-19

Abstract

In April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Florida classified professional wrestling (pro wrestling) alongside hospitals, law enforcement, and grocery stores as an essential service. The state’s decision made global headlines and was generally met with a mix of confusion and surprise. This article investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on contemporary television wrestling. After tracing the influence that the television medium and media convergence have had on pro wrestling, the article argues that the pandemic circumstances, coupled with the demands of television wrestling’s serialized storytelling, led to an evolution of a specific wrestling-match type: the cinematic match. Through a close textual analysis of wrestling programs that were produced without a live crowd during the COVID-19 crisis (e.g., WWE Friday Night Smackdown, Wrestlemania 36), this article examines how television wrestling—in an effort to appeal to its audience—produced a number of cinematic matches that combine distinct elements (e.g., editing, cinematography, sound) of genre filmmaking (e.g., horror, action) with the spectacular athleticism of pro wrestling.