A $5 billion dollar deal to stream World Wrestling Entertainment on Netflix kicked off on January 6, 2025 with 4 matches sprinkled across three hours of pageantry.
But the headlines were stolen by Hulk Hogan. Boos and screams of “Nobody cares!” and “f***ing bullshit!” drowned out his pitch for a beer brand he launched as part of a right wing backlash against a Bud Light commercial that featured a transgender woman.
What does the Hulkster’s rude reception tell us about wrestling's past and America's future?
Wrestling’s preeminent scholar, Dr Sharon Mazer, joins us along with wrestling fan and media critic Sarah Kurchak to help us sort it out.
Age of the Fantasist: Wrestling Darkness 4
My guest in episode 4 of Wrestling Darkness is Professor Lawrence Lessig who explains in his essay, The Age of the Fantasist, how and why algorithmic media came to reward narratives that lie to us.
Episode 1: Woman Hating
This episode works just fine as a podcast. Yes, continue washing dishes! But some of this imagery needs to be seen to believed.
See all five episodes of Wrestling Darkness on Substack and YouTube, and hear them on all the usual podcast apps such as Apple Podcast and Spotify.
—Eric
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