Wearing Down

Many wrestling holds are considered “wear-down” holds, meaning they’re intended to tire or weaken the opponent.  The sense is that a wrestler has only so much energy in his body and limbs.  Each hold you apply decreases his strength by some percentage.  A good pro wrestling match is therefore a slow process of depletion where one man “goes to work” on the other, deliberately chipping away at his defenses until he is exhausted.  Wrestling is often siege warfare instead of a blitzkrieg.

I’m no expert in anatomy so I’m not sure how truthful this concept is — that our bodies weaken incrementally, our arms losing power by 1%, or 3% per twist, like dieing batteries or a balloon slowly leaking air until it’s flaccid and limp.

Whether this is realistic or not, most fans find it entertaining to watch talented wrestlers — those who “get” the ring psychology — act out these scenes of gradual weakening, the attacker focused on a single body part and repeatedly softening it until it’s rendered limp and useless.  Why do wrestling fans so enjoy watching the same torture process (or a slightly different variation on a different body part) played out week after week on pro wrestling shows?

I think this scene is so compelling (and titillating) because of what it reminds us of — it’s almost like a seduction.  A good wrestling match is like a romance — let me explain.  At first, one person resists the other’s advances, but the instigator is determined and persistent, using every possible ruse or contortion to break down that resistance, to patiently woo the object of his attention into compliance.

Later in the relationship, once the victim’s willpower is weakened to the point of submission, the dominantor will take complete ownership of his helpless body — the ultimate intimacy.  He “has his way” with his play-thing, using and abusing the other person’s body however he wishes.  He gropes or grabs his victim at will.

I think the application of a series of wear-down holds — a ritualistic and repetitive process — is meant to remind us of two people going at it.

Probably the reason pro wrestlers wear so little clothing is not to show off their healthy physiques, but to keep the image of intimacy working in the back of our minds, as one is riding on and owning the other.  The victim, meanwhile, will respond with grunts, gasps, panting, and moans as his body is used and abused by his creative and persistent partner.

So how does all this hot and heavy body-contact end?  With a climax, of course.  Every good wrestler has a finisher that takes the victim over the edge.  After the finisher is employed, the victim (utterly limp and submissive) is pinned down, the ultimate pose of surrender.  He may even be asleep and totally spent at this point, sometimes with a little smile on his face.