I’ve noticed that several of the villains on WWE NXT have taken to wearing tank tops, or “Wife Beaters” as they’re called, during their matches. One such bad boy is Leo Kruger, who sports a black “beater” for his match against fellow South African, Justin Gabriel.
Wearing a black muscle shirt emphasizes not only his macho kick-your-ass attitude, but also his evil nature.
(Disclaimer: My use of the term “Wife Beater” is NOT meant to condone domestic violence or abuse in any way.)
Justin Gabriel plays the Baby-Face in peril, looking vulnerable and naked wrestling bare chested — a sharp contrast to the pants-and-undershirt wearing Leo Kruger. Keeping his shirt on for the entire match evokes the Clothed Male vs. Naked Male dynamic, the imbalance of power and authority that occurs when one man gets to wear clothes and one does not.
Aw man, nobody suffers quite like Justin Gabriel. He is so angelically beautiful and fragile looking to begin with, so when he’s knocked down to the mat in pain, it’s like somebody tore the wings off an angel and stomped it into submission.
Leo Kruger’s Wife Beater shirt evokes images of the strong, arrogant, undaunted male. This type of shirt is the uniform of the cocky guidos on the Jersey Shore. Brando wore a Wife Beater in “Streetcar Named Desire” to portray his character’s raw, unapologetic brutality, raging with an insatiable sexual appetite. This is how a working man may dress on Saturday to wrench on cars, cut down a tree, or relax in his underwear watching sports all day.
Dudes who wear Wife Beaters are trying to show off their power, loudly flaunting their masculinity which can be a turn-on. Just wearing this type of shirt with your shoulders and biceps exposed, the fabric tight against your chest and stomach, makes one feel like a bad-ass, like a Boss who has every right to dominate. This begs the chicken-or-egg question: Do men who are wife beaters gravitate toward wearing wifebeaters, or does the wearing of a wifebeater inspire the wife beater to get all violent and abusive??
Like any accomplished Heel, Kruger focuses on one body part — Justin’s left arm. He repeatedly twists and torques the joint until it’s ready to tear off. Check out Kruger’s big fully-flexed bicep, on display thanks to the exposure of his Wifebeater. The power of his huge dominating arm is contrasted with the weakness and fragility of Justin Gabriel’s arm — trapped and about to be snapped.
Poor little Justin — his cute, beard-stubble face twisted in agony as he clutches at his injured wing. The camera zooms right in there to reward the viewers with a gratuitous image of Justin squirming around in pain, his flesh on display.
In general, I prefer my wrestlers to appear in the traditional uniform: just trunks and boots. They should offer their fans as much bare flesh as possible. However, in the case of Leo Kruger, that tight black Wifebeater is working. It evokes his macho nature. It implies that Gabriel (his fellow South African who is obviously the less masculine of the two) is the “wife” taking the “beating.”
I don’t complain when ONE wrestler (usually the Heel) is wearing more clothing than necessary, so long as the OTHER wrestler is shirtless, exposed, and attractive to stare at. In fact, when the Heel wears clothing, I am less distracted and able to focus on the exposed body of the Baby-Face even more…
As soon as Justin gets out of that sick looking Elbow Breaker, the cruel Heel locks it on again. Soon the pretty-boy is slapping the mat in an act of surrender. Kruger maintains his devastating hold longer than necessary, even after the bell rings repeatedly. The ref has to step in and stop this cruelty, much like the police officers on “Cops” stepping in to break up domestic violence.