Aaron David Gresson III

ARIANE, MY DAUGHTER, was two years old when she saw
her first professional wrestling match on TV. We were traveling away
from home and had spent the night in a motel. Trying to find a suitable
children's show for her while her mother and I readied for the next leg of
our journey, we came upon Saturday-morning wrestling. Wanting to see
the latest cast of characters, I left the show on, and Ariane became im-
mediately mesmerized by the match of the moment: A huge black male,
Papa Shango, was working voodoo on his handsome, courageous, but
clearly overwhelmed white opponent. Dressed in native costume, com-
plete with his staff and human skull, this fearsome creature called forth
fire and smoke (stage effects), making his opponent spit forth some
greenish liquid reminiscent of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. The arena au-
dience screamed and jeered, my daughter's eyes bulged in their sockets,
and I only just managed to free myself to change the channel and break
the spell that held both her and me.

I cannot say with certainty what my daughter saw or understood by
this encounter with professional wrestling. I do know that when I
reached for her, after changing the television channel, she initially re-
coiled from me. Was I momentarily Papa Shango? Had she seen me
when she watched him inflicting great though faked pain upon his hap-
less opponent? It would be fruitless to speculate long on these ques-
tions. They are obviously unanswerable. Still, although we cannot know
what Ariane saw and felt, there are some related questions worth asking
that might allow conjecture. What place does professional wrestling

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