Big Men, Small Venue

I found this YouTube video recently showing a Tag Team match that I enjoyed.  The venue is a wrestling school in southern California called Santino Brothers Wrestling Academy.  The space is very small with probably under a dozen fans in attendance.  That doesn’t deter these wrestlers from telling a good story and doing what they can to entertain their fans.   (I love that a small, humble wrestling school is now able to film their matches in high definition and post them for the world to enjoy!)

The cocky man in pink is Rico Dynamite.  Before I even talk about the quality of the wrestling and the psychology of the match, let me start by saying: check out those tight pink trunks!  Spandex just works for this man.  And I don’t think he is letting anything come between him and his gear!

Knowing that all eyes are drawn to his backside — Rico points to his buns of steel and clenches several times to demonstrate the power in his glutes.  He also yanks, pulls and stretches his trunks numerous times, just to keep our eyes on his prize.

Rico’s partner is Tito Escandido, the big man in stretchy green.

If you’re self-conscious about your body, if you don’t like people staring at you, do NOT become a wrestler.  If, however, you are manly and confident in your own skin like Tito, if you’re willing to put your flesh out there to be gawked at, by all means sign up for a wrestling school near you.

Their opponents are a pair of black guys called “Fresh to Death” or F2D.  They wear shades to the ring and all black gear.

The ring is in a small space, so the camera man is just a few feet away from the action.  Every shot is a close-up.  We feel like we’re right inside the ring (where we really want to be).  This sense of intimacy and proximity to the wrestling action is what first interested me in this video.

So we don’t have fancy pyrotechnics and a capacity crowd.  There is only one camera.  The men aren’t exactly buff. But what we have here are the basics that matter most in pro wrestling: a good story in the ring with the wrestlers selling their hearts out, a desire to entertain the audience (no matter how small), and some hot gear.

The small venue reminds me of the style of wrestling show that some of us grew up on called “Studio Wrestling.”  They’d set up a ring in the local television studio, bring in maybe 50 fans for some ambiance, and film the matches to be broadcast on the local station.

There was an intimacy between the wrestlers and the folks in studio that you just don’t find in a huge arena.  The fans loved their heroes (and loved to hate the Baddies) and you could hear every word of heartfelt support, every insult and wolf whistle.  With the cheap cameras now available and the Internet, I believe we will witness a re-birth of the humble Studio Style wrestling show at training schools and small venues all over.

Tito is caught in a rear chinlock, his legs spread-eagle.  Check out the smile of delight on the face of the young woman in the front row.  She whispers something to her man, and a big grin forms on his face.  Now his attention is drawn to the nearly naked man and his eyes light up.  I’d love to know what they said to each other — they clearly enjoy what they are seeing in the ring.

So for a few bucks, the folks in attendance are entertained.  Tito uses his body to give them a good show, something to get excited about and to smile about.  This is what counts in pro wrestling — did the fans enjoy the match? (I know I did.)

Eventually Tito makes the hot tag and his dominant partner defeats Leo Blaze of Fresh 2 Death.  The cocky Bandidos pose in victory and exhibit their confidence while the fans try to take them down a notch with insults and jeers (while secretly worshiping and appreciating the confident Alpha Males).  Tito grabs his bulge and shakes it in response to a fan’s flirtation —  a final tribute to the power of masculinity and confidence.  The wrestlers can get away with inappropriate demonstrations like that in a small, intimate venue.