Ain’t Too Proud To Beg

This article discusses that rare (and kind of kinky) moment in a wrestling match where one opponent will drop to his knees and beg for mercy from his enemy.

To slow down the attacker’s momentum, the kneeling wrestler is willing to publicly emasculate himself and act like a submissive, helpless beggar.

The Beg-For-Mercy gimmick is usually performed by a devious Heel who is only pretending to be helpless.  He drops to his knees praying for mercy only to slow down his trusting opponent in a bid to gain the upper hand.

He hopes his trickery will distract the hapless Good Guy so he can slam an elbow into his crotch, or grab his trunks and toss his pretty-boy ass out of the ring, or trip him and pounce on him like a treacherous beast.  As usual, the Heel proves to be sneaky, deceitful, and nasty, using his opponent’s trusting nature as a weapon against him.  You rookie wrestlers out there should NEVER trust a kneeling opponent!

Meanwhile, the Baby-Face demonstrates compassion and trust (and stupidity) by not attacking.  He stands back and waits for his kneeling opponent to get up and defend himself like a man.

The Baby-Face is crippled by his masculinity — his sense of fair-play and mercy for the weak.  The hero always gives a kneeling man the benefit of the doubt.  His own honesty and goodness blind him to the potential cruelty and deceit of a cheater who is willing to lie about being helpless.

One of the many things I loved about Ric Flair’s matches was his willingness to place himself in the submissive position and put his opponent over.   He seemed almost eager to publicly humiliate himself for the other man, to act like a bitch on his knees.

Flair estimates that he wrestled Steamboat over 2,000 times in their 30+ year rivalry.  And Flair used the old Beg-For-Mercy gimmick in at least a tenth of his matches, so they probably played this scene out over 200 times.  Yet each time, Steamboat trusts that Flair is in trouble and backs off, and each time, Flair sneak-attacks his merciful opponent, gaining the advantage through his trickery and deceit.  It almost seems that they are role-playing, both enjoying this kinky S&M game and always playing along.

Bo Dallas in his pure white gear also seems to enjoy public sissification, often dropping to his knees and pleading with the stronger man not to hurt him.  Have you ever seen a boxer or MMA fighter adopt this degrading pose, even when fighting a losing battle?

Pro wrestling matches differ from other combat sports by emphasizing the weakness and powerlessness of men, the sexual politics and acts of blatant debauchery.  The begging man is presented as deceitful and therefore effeminate — a liar and a bitch. So he is not a Real Man, he is a deviant sissy, in contrast to the valiant, merciful, manly Face.

The Mercy pose could also be interpreted as a sexual proposal.  The helpless man is on his knees after all, his face at crotch level as he “begs for it.”  In this image, the submissive beggar even reaches out with an open hand toward the bulge presented by the standing Alpha Male.

So not only is the cheater emasculated by his sneaky bitch behavior, but also by the deviant act he is apparently proposing.  He is not a Real Man.

This animated GIF shows Hector Garza playing off the sexual possibilities of the submissive position he is in, with mouth open, tongue poking out, and hand outstretched.  (You may need to click on this image to get it to animate.)

Masculinity is an act we are taught to perform from boyhood – a fake pretense of strength, pain-tolerance, and confidence we must always uphold (or suffer dire consequences).

Pro wrestling supports the patriarchy by teaching us that “the mighty don’t kneel,” that only a cheating bitch will plead for mercy (and only to trick his enemy), and that the Manly will inherit the earth.