Double Meanings, 2 of 2

As described in the article last week, the fans voted that if Punk won his match against Curtis Axel, his former manager Paul Heyman must get in the ring.  Of course Heyman tried to run away after Punk won the match, but security guards hauled him back to take his spanking like a man.  Lets continue the story from there…

As soon as Punk begins to get physical with Paul Heyman, his rival Curtis Axel sneaks up behind him and neuters him with a stiff uppercut to the ball sack.  Punk is utterly busted, curled up and clutching his shattered manhood as his lungs struggle to learn how to breathe again.  His pleasure at being in control over Paul Heyman has quickly turned into the pain and humiliation of being emasculated and vulnerable.  His rival has bested him again and proven that he is Daddy’s Favorite.

The scene gets a bit creepy as Punk is held by Axel so the Daddy — Paul Heyman — can scream at Punk and threaten to punish him.  Then Axel slaps a pair of handcuffs on the helpless Punk!  MMM — I sure love it when wrestling gets kinky.   The viewer may can interpret this scene as either an act of violence and cruelty, or sado-masochistic playtime.  I wonder if CM Punk has a Safe Word?

Before this match began, Punk gave an interview describing how he felt about finally getting Heyman in the ring.  He said:

“What I want is to get my hands on Paul Heyman.  If I have to go through Curtis Axel, I will… Paul Heyman deserves more, he deserves worse.  I want to give it to him tonight. I want Paul Heyman.”

As is often the case, the wrestler’s words may have two possible meanings — one physically aggressive and one sexually aggressive.

Saying one “wants” another person is commonly interpreted as sexual longing.  The term “give it to him tonight” could mean giving physical punishment, or it could also imply bumping uglies.  Even the comment “go through Curtis Axel” connotes a penetration.  Pro wrestlers often talk dirty like this when threatening an enemy.

Axel then brings out a Kendo Stick from under the ring, one of those long, stiff rods that wrestlers occasionally use as a weapon.  He holds the big stick at crotch level to establish a phallic reference, then he begins to prod and poke at the helpless man’s neck.  The implication of this scene is that Axel is either torturing Punk to hurt him, or using his Big Swinging Dick to poke Punk.

Meanwhile, the helpless Punk (who I swear has a Doctoral Degree in Ring Psychology) gives a command performance as the helpless victim, looking all vulnerable and enslaved on his knees.  Punk is so sexy and fun to watch as the Face in Peril, presenting his back as Axel hands off the Kendo Stick (the big Alpha Male phallus) to Heyman.

Heyman screams at Punk, between strikes with his big rod: “I fathered you!  I cared about you!  YOU WERE EVERYTHING TO ME!  …  I gave you my heart!  You broke my heart.  I LOVED YOU!”

One one level, the scene depicts a father-son relationship gone wrong — the loss of trust between young wrestler and older manager.  But Heyman’s  words as he beats Punk’s meat could also have a romantic connotation — the lament of a wounded lover.

The break-up of a male-male partnership in pro wrestling often parallels a romantic break-up:  the hurt feelings, violent outbursts, seeking of revenge, flaunting a new relationship to stir up feelings of jealousy and regret, etc.  Punk and Heyman have taken the trope to a new, more explicit, level by actually screaming “I gave you my heart!” which is something lovers, not co-workers, would say.  Has your former boss ever screamed “I gave you my heart!” when you transferred to a different department??

Next Curtis Axel (the fucken bully) drags our poor whipping boy over to the ropes and holds him by the throat.  This exposes his flesh for more abuse by the creepy Mr. Heyman.  Restrained and vulnerable, Punk just keeps selling and selling — the Energizer Bunny of helpless Baby-Faces.  CM, if you’re reading this, great work — keep on suffering!

Wrestling fans have commented in social media on the sexual undertones as Heyman whips Punk with his big stick while screaming “I loved you!”  They wonder if Heyman is outing himself as a homo-sexual.

But online comments from other fans reject any gay interpretation of this scene.  They claim this is just a failed father-son, or manager-client relationship.  Pro wrestling always supplies an escape from Gay Panic, a second possible (non-gay) interpretation alongside the obvious homo-erotic content.  If the gay kink becomes too explicit, the panicked viewer can assume the wrestlers are merely trying to hurt each other.

Punk is tossed outside the ring like last night’s pizza box and the glorious whipping continues out on the floor.  Axel holds Punk’s face while opening his mouth wide — either to kiss him or scream in his face.

Next, Heyman begins rapidly flogging Punk (much as the fans at home are doing at this point.)  Soon his big stiff rod is bent and splintered and he begins to blubber as he exits the ringside area.

We  then see that Punk’s back has been bloodied by Heyman’s relentless stick.  What has he done to deserve this level of torture and injury?  Certainly the break-up of a professional relationship is seldom this passionate, which lends support to the theory that this may be a lover’s spat after all.  But the wrestlers leave it up to our own interpretation, an ambiguous scene that can be interpreted as sexually as we want it to be.