From the moment the Heel tag team of Danny Havoc and Devon Moore entered the ring at CZW Ascension back in January, the contrast with their opponents was evident. The Heels were wearing black clothing from head to toe just like bikers or attendees at a heavy metal concert. They continued to wear their black shirts during the match.
The Good Guys, on the other hand, were presented shirtless in traditional trunks and boots. They were dressed (or undressed I should say) to appear exposed and ripe for punishment. The fact that these trim-bodied wrestlers — Drew Gulak and Alexander James — are also not massive, beefy, or shredded like many pro wrestlers added to the impression of vulnerability. The story they will tell is not the story of the Powerful, Invincible Man, but the story of the Out-Matched, Imperfect Man.
The shirtless Drew Gulak receives a pre-match shoulder rub from his supportive partner. This draws the attention to his naked torso and motivates the viewers to consider touching his body just as his partner is touching his body.
The bell sounds and Gulak wrestles around boldly showing off his body in various poses in contrast to his clothed adversary, his bare flesh naturally drawing our eyes because the other man has rejected our gaze by covering his body in loose black clothing.
A group of goons wearing suits and neckties come down to ringside to look at Gulak’s exposed body as he wrestles. They appear to be old time gangsters or businessmen in power suits, clad in the iconic clothing of strength and authority.
They rest their eyes all over him, touching him and possessing him with the Male Gaze. The fact that they’re wearing professional attire while he is presented before them in just briefs further indicates their power over him. Their presence is threatening as they stand in a group looking tough and serious in their dark clothing — further emphasizing Gulak’s exposure and susceptibility to their gaze and their judgement of him.
The action heats up after the match is over. Once Havoc and Moore are declared the winners, the hot and horny gang falls upon Gulak and Alexander like a pack of wolves eager to tear into bare flesh. They team up to deliver a rough Group-on-Two beating, stomping and standing on the heroes with their shiny black street shoes. Still clad in dress shirts and ties, they violently choke the exhausted wrestlers, a level of aggression and physicality not often displayed by well-dressed men.
This assault by men in full business clothing on two shirtless wrestlers conjures up the old Clothed Male Naked Male (CMNM) dynamic that was discussed in a previous post on this blog. The two wrestlers may not be fully “naked” in their abbreviated trunks, but the same power dynamic is in play. Ironically, the very first photo in my old CMNM article from May 2012 featured Danny Havoc in a foot-on-the-chest victory pose — the same wrestler now working the CMNM gimmick against Gulak.
The image of a CMNM scene is arousing to observe because of the power imbalance between the Clothed Man (or group of men) and the naked (or at least shirtless) man. The power imbalance is even more pronounced (and therefore more exciting) when the Clothed Males are wearing suits and ties — the traditional uniform of the elite upper class.
CMNM pornography usually involves touching of the exposed body by the Clothed Male — the taking of control over the other man by grabbing him or placing a hand of possession on him. The Clothed Male will assume ownership of anything he sees, and if the Naked Male willingly presents his bare body to the other man’s gaze, he has apparently granted license to be touched. The Naked Male in the CMNM photos always seems non-resistant to the groping hand of the clothed men around him, resigning himself to his relative lack of power, accepting of their privilege to touch him all over his exposed body.
The same dynamic is at play in the Drew Gulak scene as he does not resist the attackers when they pull back his arms to expose him. He has entered the ring shirtless, so he has apparently signed away the right to touch him to everyone else in the ring.
Gulak’s arms are held as one of the Suits prepares to finish him off with a Chairshot. Our hero is totally vulnerable, on his knees, waiting obediently for his punishment.
The scene is shocking because society has taught males to never show vulnerability, to act in control and confident at all times.
But Drew Gulak presents an alternative model of masculinity: the male as imperfect, powerless, vulnerable, naked, and susceptible to pain. His helpless kneeling and near nudity in contrast to the males who are dominating him flies in the face of the masculine ideal.
The villains revel in their strength and domination, posing in victory in their power suits over the bare chested male. The heartless bastard stands with a foot on the beaten man’s chest and we loathe the him for what he has done, but we are also powerless to stop the Alpha Male.
The message to the viewers is that, if we dare to stand up against the powerful Men in Suits, to upset the hierarchy of dominance, we too will be beaten down, stripped of clothing, punished, and forced to grovel at their feet.
Gulak’s broken body is handled with care by a group of medics in yellow shirts. The CMNM imagery continues as he is grabbed and carried away by the four fully-clothed males. Their bright yellow uniform shirts declare their power as members of a unified group.
They too assume the right to grab and touch Gulak’s exposed flesh just as much as the men in suits had done earlier, and the two bikers in black t-shirts before that. However, the medics are using a gentle healing touch similar to the massage provided by his partner before the match. Including his two opponents, the four medics, five attackers, and presumably the ref, Gulak has now been touched by 12 different fully-clothed men. Maybe he should get a tattoo on his bare chest that reads “Touch Me…”