Neal Gabler

About the author: Neal Gabler is a cultural historian and film critic who hosts the Public Broadcasting System review series Sneak Previews and introduces programming on the cable television station American Movie Classics. Gabler is the author of Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality.

During 1999, more than 35 million Americans tuned in each week to watch professional wrestling on television. Pro wrestlers have become sought-after celebrities, and wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota. One explanation for wrestling's popularity is that it provides disempowered Americans a way to express their anger and frustration. In the past, wrestlers were divided into good guys and bad guys. Today, wrestlers are almost entirely bad guys battling for power, money, or vengeance in an amoral universe, often forming shifting alliances in...