Here’s to the suffering Baby-face — the most iconic symbol in pro wrestling. Lately I’ve been seeing some great images of a wrestler’s body sprawled out down on the mat (or across the floor, or over a busted table) selling his agony and helplessness for all he’s worth. It’s so striking and eye-catching when done well, and there are infinite variations on the theme. Sometimes the Face-in-Peril will slap the mat or clutch his lower back or kick his boots in violent protest of his situation. Sometimes he’ll appear to be out cold, or go as limp as a ragdoll as if he’s lost control of his muscles. It’s all good.
To celebrate this sublime and skillful scenes of suffering, I’ve decided to launch “Suffering Sundays” — images featuring gassed and gasping grapplers doing the job, on this Blog every Sunday morning to enjoy with your coffee and the funny pages.
