Many wrestlers — especially the arrogant, hyper-sexual Heels — incorporate dancing into their wrestling performances. They will pause before a match, or right in the middle of a fight, and start bumping and grinding, forcing us to watch and wait as they swivel their hips, usually in a very sexually suggestive manner.
Obviously the purpose of this display is to send a message about the character and personality of the Heel wrestler — that he is self-absorbed and cocky, that he is an attention whore. The fans, eager to watch some wrestling, can easily figure out which wrestler is the despicable villain when they see a man wasting everybody’s time by dancing in the ring instead of getting down to the business of rassling.
A Baby-Face wrestler may also use dancing to demonstrate that he is fun-loving and free-spirited (and that he’d be good in bed and therefore desirable.) The classic example of the Dancing Face was Alex Wright, an attractive young Good Boy type wrestler who shook his money maker frequently to the delight of the audience.
In addition to revealing the character’s arrogant personality, the dancing itself has entertainment value. Sex sells after all, and dancing has often been described as “vertical fucking.” (Click the photo to watch this man dance for us…)
Sometimes two Tag Team partners will dance together — no female in sight as they shake their dicks in synch. The purpose of this display is to imply that their homo-social bond is very strong, so strong that they’re willing to dance with each other. This causes the audience to “ship” them — to suspect they’re more than just business associates, which adds to their sex appeal.
In addition to the implied homo-sexual bond between the dancing partners is the implied homo-erotic gaze of the competition.
The opponents stop and watch the dancing wrestlers, turning their attention to the other team’s dance moves (which are meant as a demonstration of moves performed during sex), and the sexual tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Whenever a Watching Wrestler turns his male gaze onto the Dancing Wrestler, a homo-erotic interest is implied. As a presumably hetero-sexual male, the Watching Wrestler should avert his gaze from another male performing suggestive body motions. But the story being told is that the Dancing Wrestler is too alluring, too stimulating to ignore.
So why is the Dancing Wrestler not afraid to perform in front of the Watching Wrestler? Is he aware of the other man’s interest in him? Is he not experiencing Gay Panic when he sees his wrestling opponent leering at him?
I suppose you could argue this is a strategic advantage, getting the other man off his game by arousing him before the fight…
The third homo-sexual bond being formed when a wrestler dances (in addition to the bonds with his partner and with his opponent) is with the males in the audience. The Dancing Wrestler attracts the gaze of the men who paid to watch him perform. Sure they may be some females in attendance, but most wrestling audiences are male, so when the Dancing Wrestler shakes his hips, he is doing it to entertain the majority of fans in attendance.
It is difficult enough for a straight man to explain to his friends why he attends pro wrestling to watch shirtless men fight. It is even more problematic to explain why he attends shows where the shirtless men dance sexually together. Yet the men come in droves, and the sexier the performance, the more the attendance rises. The sexiness of the spectacle is actually what the wrestling fans crave — not what they’re trying to avoid.
Let’s add Fandango (aka Johnny Curtis) and El Elegido to the list of dancing wrestlers.