2 July 2019
The chapter appears in Convergent Wrestling: Participatory Culture, Transmedia Storytelling, and Intertextuality in the Squared Circle. (Ed. Carrie Lynn, D. Reinhard and Christopher J. Olson. Routledge, 2019: 136-149), and ties in with the fact that since the mid-2000s, user-generated content (or 'fan-generated narrative') has thrived using convergent media such as mobile phone applications, online voting, and meme generators. It examines the notion of the 'imagined community' in professional wrestling through the lens of convergent user-generated content.
The authors' analysis of several different discourses endeavors to shed light on how various activities and events promoted in pro wrestling and supported on several different platforms reinforce imagined communities. The piece likewise highlights the ways in which World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) specifically encourages and supports user-generated content, fan-generated narrative, and content shaping through convergent media.