Introduction

The introduction offers a brief historical overview of professional wrestling and defines key terms used by producers and fans, including kayfabe, face, heel, job, smarks, etc. The authors also define the concept of convergence as it has been used in communication, media, and cultural studies. The definitions are provided in this introduction to allow the authors of each subsequent chapter to focus on their analyses without needing to include a lengthy literature review. Following these definitions, the authors introduce the idea that professional wrestling functions as an example of convergence and convergence culture, particularly when looked at as a text and a practice.