Synthetic kayfabe: Generative AI, provenance, and authenticity work in wrestling fandom

Authors

  • Andrew Firr University of Chester

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2026.3233

Keywords:

Deepfakes, Fandom governance, Online communities, Persona, Voice cloning

Abstract

Professional wrestling relies on negotiated authenticity, in which communities manage the boundaries between performance, documentation, and real encounters. Generative AI destabilizes these boundaries by making persona-consistent and archive-consistent media cheap to produce, increasing provenance uncertainty, and prompting visible authenticity work in wrestling fan spaces.

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Published

2026-09-14

Issue

Vol. 49 (2026): General

Section

Symposium

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Andrew Firr

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