SLT: Wrist Tape

When I asked you to tell me about the “Subtle Little Things” in pro wrestling that add that ooomph factor to a wrestling match and enhance your excitement, several of you mentioned wrist tape — the few inches of athletic tape that pro wrestlers often wrap around their wrists.  Someone mentioned loving to see white tape and another confessed to an obsession for black tape, so let’s talk about wrist tape in general.

It’s not like wrestling fans have a tape fetish per se, like they would pay a prostitute just to tape up, but seeing a man shirtless in wrist tape sends a visual cue that he is a wrestler — and therefore a legit Bad Ass who loves to grapple and hurt people.  So we glimpse that strip of wrist tape as we look a wrestler up and down and subconsciously check off a little box in our head: Yup, he’s a stud.   Wrapping the wrists definitely completes the look and ensures we identify the man as a wrestler.

People say pro wrestlers wear the tape to protect their fragile wrist area from injury.  I always suspected it also offers the opponent a non-slippery place to grab onto during hot, sweaty matches, so his hand doesn’t slip off during those aggressive Irish Whips into the corner.

But in the minds of obsessed pro wrestling fans, the tape is seen in proximity to their bare chests, their sublime expressions of agony, and the tape itself becomes fetishized.  In my “Imprinting” article, I describe how these visual stimuli are burned into our brains, especially at a young age, and hold significance and sexual energy for the rest of our lives.  Wrist tape, because of it’s constant presence in the ring, is one of those unforgettable visual cues.

Some wrestlers — especially the fussy, image obsessed Pretty-Boys — don’t stick to just black or white tape either.  They will coordinate the wrist tape with the color of their outfit.  This proves my suspicion that wrist tape is not just worn for utility (to prevent injury) but can also become a fashion accessory like a fancy watch or bracelet.

Wrist tape has become part of the wrestler’s overall look, part of his effort to catch our attention and interest us in his body and costume.  The wrist tape reveals a desire to attract the Male Gaze.  The message being sent to the viewer is: “Not only did I work out, visit the tanning booth, and strip down to just trunks to entertain you — but I also picked out this specific wrist tape to look better for you.  Does this tape make me look hot? ”

The wrist tape is really a small, subtle element in the overall imagery of a wrestling match in comparison to the bodies, the holds, the facial expressions, and 10,000 other things to notice and obsess about.  But that little two inch strip of tape holds significant importance in defining the scene as pro wrestling — in notifying the viewer that:  They are not just wrestling — they are PRO wrestling (you can tell by the wrist tape).

This fact is not lost on artists who draw pictures of wrestling and usually include wrist tape for that extra visual pop.  I know I would always draw little strips of tape on their wrists when I would try to sketch pictures of pro wrestlers (trying to create my own wrestle-porn I guess, especially while bored in Trigonometry class.  I don’t know what it was about Cosines and Tangents that really made me want to escape to the wonderful world of wrestling.)

Speaking of my weird high school obsessions, our school also had male Yell Leaders or spirit squad guys (who were mostly there to throw the female cheerleaders up in the air to make pyramids.)  Anyway, our Yell Leaders all wore matching white wrist tape when they performed at football games, I suppose to avoid injury as they hefted those cows up in the air.

And because of my pro wrestling obsession, that wrist tape caught my eye and increased my interest in those Yell Leaders (none of whom would qualify for a second glance from me in class, without the tape.)  I would watch the cheers more than the football game itself and picture those pretty boy Yell Leaders in the wrestling ring, and it was that bright white wrist tape that piqued my interest.

Then there are wrestlers like CM Punk who are total Tape Whores.  They not only tape around the wrist, but all the way from the forearm to over their hands.  Maybe they are dealing with persistent arm injuries and trying to protect their bodies.  Or maybe they figure if the fans get off on a little wrist tape, they’re really going to blow our minds by using about four roles of tape, by wrapping the fuck out of their arms all the way from the elbow up to knuckles. WOOF!

Other wrestlers don’t bother with all that tape and instead wear a sexy spandex forearm cover (often in colorful patterns) to add visual interest to their outfit. This look is often worn by the flashy young high-flyer who wants to highlight his motions by drawing our eyes to his arms.

Another visual association that attracts us to wrist tape may be the similarity to the wrist cuffs worn by exotic dancers like the Chippendales.  The traditional look for a male stripper has become a bare torso with a bowtie around the neck and white cuffs around the wrists — I suppose to imply the presence of a shirt that has been torn away.

This bare, muscular arm ending in a cuff around the wrist must trigger something in our brains that results in arousal.  Or maybe seeing male strippers in their “Collar and Cuffs” look has caused us to associate that image (the white band around the wrist) with male potency and sexual play.

Many wrestlers tap into our enjoyment over this costume by adopting a stripper persona and bumping and grinding their way to the ring, ending up in little more clothing than bikini briefs and wrist tape.

Wrist tape also becomes an important tool in a wrestler’s toolbox when he grabs onto that tape for added leverage.  He is applying an Armbar for example and really wants to show he is grinding on the pressure, really wants to inflict maximum pain.

So he grabs his own wrist with the opposite hand and it makes a little slapping sound.  Now he’s really got the pressure on, and the victim sells it by groaning and struggling in reaction.

The Iron Claw is another hold where the attacker often grips his own wrist with his free hand for added pressure.  Come on now — does it really add pressure to a hold if you grip your own wrist?  I suppose it doesn’t matter — the exciting thing is it’s meant to add pressure.  The attacker intends to subdue the other man by adding pressure to his grip and that’s the real turn-on.

I suppose when the participants in a sport are otherwise nearly naked, every strip of fabric or inch of adornment on their body takes on added significance.  When we just have miles of bare flesh in our scope, our eyes are naturally drawn to even the smallest pops of color — the little stars on the crotch of his trunks, the strip of cloth around his big biceps, and of course whatever he’s wrapped around his wrist.

Most wrestlers have less than a square yard of clothing to tell their story and advertise their gimmick.  The little two inches of wrist tape takes on an important role therefore in the narrative of the match and our impressions of the wrestlers — and ultimately in our pro wrestling visualizations and fantasies.