Over the Ropes: Boundary Play in Professional Wrestling

Abstract

Angela Glaros, also on this committee, has been a constant champion of my work as a scholar, and has always pushed me towards success when I didn't think I could go any further. She has always believed in me, especially when I couldn't believe in myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without her wisdom and compassion. I am honored to call you my mentor and my friend, and can never thank you enough for all you've done for me. I must also mention Don Holly, who taught my first anthropology class at Eastern Illinois University and is thus responsible for sparking the passion that I hold for this field. His example as an instructor, researcher, and mentor sets the model for what I aspire to be. The Anthropology department at EIU-literally just Don and Angela-are two of the hardest working and most passionate people I know. They have had an immeasurable impact on their students, and I am glad to say that I am one of them. Finally, you don't really get to choose your friends in graduate school; they've been preselected by the admissions committee. Thankfully, I could not have asked for a better cohort of students, graduate and undergraduate, to suffer and celebrate alongside. I have been helped immensely by their general and-in the case of the wrestling fans among them-theoretical inspiration. And so, I would like to thank