A feminist takedown of WWE masculinity

This week, we wrestle with what WWE and UFC tell us about the current moment in gender, heterosexuality, and American politics. We talk about some truly terrible men—Vince McMahon, Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Tate, and, of course, Donald Trump.

Turns out, pro-wrestling is a perfect lens for understanding our wannabe dictator of a president, from his political rhetoric to his cultish following. We look at how a particular brand of chest-thumping, s**t-talking, and reality-challenged masculinity found its way from the WWE wrestling ring and the UFC Octagon into the White House (literally).

Don’t worry, this episode isn’t all authoritarian bummer town, because we’re living that bummer every day and also need some pop culture fun. Tracy also baffles Amanda by talking about her fraught love for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, her internet friendship with the former WWE star, and the fact that he’s baaaasically¹ confessed to thinking about her on “date nights” and every time he works out.

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Show highlights…

0:01 Welcome to the ring: Aaaamaaaaaanda “Mad Woman” Monteiiiiiiiii and her tag-team partner Tracy “Patriarchy’s Nightmare” Clark-Flory!!!!

03:58 Trump’s turn in the WWE ring involved… hair clippers.

05:36 UFC President Dana White is bros with Trump—and has been for a long time.

06:56 Tracy calls WWE “aggressive ballet.”

07:27 A Trump rally is WWE.

11:11 A wrestling term that helps explain Trump: “kayfabe” (pronounced “hey babe”).

12:07 Tracy asks us to consider The Rock.

13:03 Amanda is confused by Tracy’s love of The Rock. Is it real or is it kayfabe???

13:31 It’s real. And it isn’t. That’s the kayfabe, babe.

13:58 Introducing: “neo-kayfabe” (a.k.a. America today).

16:58 Tracy finds a way to connect this to “casting couch” porn.

20:33 Amanda finds a way to connect this to Judith Butler.

22:04 Another wrestling term that helps explain Trump: “the heel.”

23:15 Also: “the babyface.”

23:29 Tracy asks us to consider The Rock, again.

25:08 Tracy begs The Rock to please not run for president.

27:45 Trump is one big smack-talking wrestling promo.

30:26 Are Trump’s WWE stylings strategic… or something else?

33:02 Tracy brings it back to The Rock, again.

34:07 The villain becomes a fan favorite by fighting the powers that be and breaking the rules—and Trump seems to have taken note.

36:15 Edward Said meets “The People’s Champion.”

37:58 Oh god, I guess we have to revisit Hulk Hogan’s RNC speech (it is worse than we remembered).

39:01 About that giant ear bandage…

40:07 The heteropolitics of WWE storylines: Vince McMahon has an affair with Trish Stratus to humiliate his wife…

43:54 Then he humiliates Trish Stratus by having his daughter “mop her up” with poop water.

44:56 Amanda points out: it’s all about taking pleasure in degrading women.

44:57 Tracy declares this the “Two Girls, One Cup” presidency. We’re all eating s**t now, aren’t we?

48:42 The homoeroticism, and homophobia, of WWE.

52:46 The UFC bros helped Trump win the election.

54:56 Remember Mark Zuckberg’s love of MMA?

01:01:14 Now we have to talk about shitty-human Andrew Tate.

01:03:46 Yep, UFC is coming to the White House.

01:05:40 Why is the military partnering with UFC?

01:06:58 Is Trump trying to build a rogue white nationalist army?

01:11:38 “Trace,” The Rock, and his “dick towel.” You can see the tweets we talk about here.

1 This interpretation may involve a few logical leaps.

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