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Tom Dean is a PhD candidate researching the world of pro-wrestling. His creative/critical project examines pro-wrestling as an art form, a mode of embodied performance in which performers confess the story of their lives through a blend of reality and fiction – the ‘work, shoot confessional’.

Further exploring these narrative dynamics, the creative side of his project is a fictitious biography of a female pro-wrestler, drawing inspiration from the 2005 Edge/Lita/Matt Hardy love triangle storyline.

This blog records his thoughts on creative writing practice, shares his creative work and research, and his frustrations with it, and offers pro-wrestling analysis through an academic lens.

  • Jul 2026

    Hard-boiled film noir: Week 14 – WWE Characterisation project

    | More |: Hard-boiled film noir: Week 14 – WWE Characterisation project
    Hard-boiled film noir: Week 14 – WWE Characterisation project
  • Jul 2026

    Diary of a week as a part-time PhD researcher/novelist

    | More |: Diary of a week as a part-time PhD researcher/novelist
    Diary of a week as a part-time PhD researcher/novelist
  • Jul 2026

    Exploring the history of modern kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1.1)

    | More |: Exploring the history of modern kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1.1)
    Exploring the history of modern kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1.1)
  • Jul 2026

    “I know who I am”: Week 13 – WWE Characterisation project

    | More |: “I know who I am”: Week 13 – WWE Characterisation project
    “I know who I am”: Week 13 – WWE Characterisation project
  • Jul 2026

    Escalation and babyface tropes: Week 12 – WWE Characterisation project

    | More |: Escalation and babyface tropes: Week 12 – WWE Characterisation project
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deany15td

© Tom Dean — 2026
deany15.td@gmail.com
Substack: @workshootconfessional

    • About

Tom Dean is a writer and PhD candidate currently based in York, UK. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and has studied under the tutelage of MJ Hyland, Jeanette Winterson, George Saunders and Mary Karr.

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