Leg Lock Love

The increasing use of the Figure Four Leglock by The Miz described in yesterday’s article reminded me of how much I love seeing leglocks in pro wrestling. The more complex and convoluted the better!  Show me some strong male legs in tall boots all knotted together and impossibly entangled, and I’m a happy wrestling fan.  Why do leglocks get me every time?I think my Leglock love stems from the concept of the legs as the strongest part of the body, the center and source of  man’s power.  The legs support the body and bear the body’s weight, grounding a man into the earth.  Legs are therefore the “stairway to heaven,” leading up from the earth to the source of pleasure.  Everyone who has ever wrestled (which is hopefully everyone…) understands that legs are much more powerful than arms.  Many people sexualize and fetishize the legs for these reasons.

So the use of the legs in wrestling represents the ideal application of male strength — giving all he’s got.  The attacking fighter uses his most powerful body-part to inflict punishment on the victim’s same (but inferior) body part.

The flip-side of the dominant wrestler’s power is the relative weakness and helplessness of the victim.  His strongest body part has been bested, the source of his power negated, so he is emasculated.  In most Leglocks, the victim can show off his agony with contorted facial expressions and dramatic arm motions, exaggerating and “selling” his suffering.

Ken Patera was known as the “World’s Strongest Man” — an Olympic power-lifter who tossed most opponents around like ragdolls.  His Swinging Neckbreaker (aka Full Nelson) was nothing to be toyed with, as we were informed that he broke some necks with the deadly hold. His entire gimmick was the fearsome power and raw masculinity represented by his upper body strength.

But what about his lower body, where the real power is found?  In this image, Patera’s legs are trapped by “Pretty Boy” Pat Patterson (a rumored homosexual) in the dreaded Figure Four.  The World’s Strongest MAN is now forced to slap the mat in submission due to the leglock applied by the sissified “Pretty Boy”.  So the image represents a shift of power from the masculine ideal (Patera) to the effeminate opponent.  The fans are left with the understanding that even a powerful, hyper-masculine Alpha Male can be reduced to submissive bitch due to the power inherent in a man’s legs.

The shift in power between the wrestlers is also depicted when a wrestler co-opts his opponent’s signature leglock.  Flair was armed with one of the most painful holds, yet often found himself on the receiving end, defeated and destroyed by his own weapon.  And the wearing of pink by his opponent further highlights his emasculation.

So a Leglock can be used to weaken and therefore emasculate the victim.  The root of his strength, his strongest body parts (his legs) are trapped and injured.  The Leglock takes away his agency, his ability to move about and take action — the hallmark of masculinity.  There is also an element of bondage when his legs are “tied up” and he is forced to lay motionless at the mercy of the other man.

This shifting of power between the men in the ring, this depiction of the loss of masculinity, are what make pro wrestling matches exciting and keep us tuning in for more.

Leglocks demonstrate the relative power positions of the two men in very obvious, straight-forward manner — and THAT is why I love leglocks.  The dude applying the hold is the stronger man, the Alpha Male, the clearly dominant stud.  The victim of the hold is the bitch.

Also, in many leglocks, the attacker grinds on the pressure, gyrating his hips repeatedly and tossing back his head passionately.  The victim groans in response.  So the wrestlers play it off like they’re Doing It.

Many leglocks involve the presentation of the victim’s leg up between the attacker’s thighs, pressed against his crotch.  The attacker grips the foot in his hand, with his arm in the same position as if he were grabbing himself.  He holds the foot like it’s a cock, gripping it in his fist and pulling it, or running his hand up and down the boot.  It can be a very suggestive image, which is another reason to love leglocks.