One of the most important participants in a pro wrestling match is the camera-man. A good videographer can put you right in the ring, turning a mundane match into a religious experience for the viewer. Put a lazy or careless photographer behind the lens, and all the hard work of the athletes may be lost in a blur of missed opportunities. Haven’t you ever wanted to scream at the television — “Zoom in on THAT! Hurry!”
This match from the 1970’s featuring Victor Rivera against a masked Luchadore known as “Del Gato” is really ahead of it’s time. The camera frequently pans in to examine the wrestlers’ gear, facial expressions, flesh tones, and musculature. This artistry may be common at a modern WWE event given today’s technology, but back then, it was a rare and beautiful thing to have a camera-man of this quality, who seems to enjoy the sensuous aspects of the match as much as the viewers at home do.
When filmed properly, pro wrestling is a feast for the senses. First and foremost, it is a visual experience. The eyes are drawn to bright colors such as Gato’s yellow tights and blood-red boots, and the motions and gyrations of the bodies. Men are visual creatures, deriving pleasure and entertainment from what we see, so a close-up view of some legs entangled, flexing, and gripping is the “Money Shot” for many wrestling fans.
The sense of touch is also involved when you watch pro wrestling. Granted, we can’t reach in and feel the wrestlers’ bodies, but a tight focus inspires the viewer to think about the textures in the ring — their warm skin, the smooth spandex surfaces, the shiny leather boots, a hard body perhaps with some wiry hair that tickles. Seeing the combatants grip and press their bodies against each other causes the viewer to crave a similar experience.
Watching wrestling makes you curious about what it would feel like to entangle your legs, to grip flesh or clothing, to press chest-to-chest. Monkey see, monkey do. How many of us watched an episode of pro wrestling as youngsters, then went looking for a play-mate to act out the holds — to fulfill that craving for the sense of touch? (Or maybe you were lucky enough to have a friend who watched with you, so you could wrestle during the commercial breaks.)
Wrestling also stimulates the auditory senses. The drama of the match is magnified by loud slams as their boots or bodies impact the mat (and often microphones are placed under the ring to increase the volume.) Little grunts and growls by the struggling athletes almost sound passionate. The villain complains aggressively that he’s been cheated, his outraged voice drawing angry, loud protests from the crowd. Just view a match with the sound off, and I believe you’ll find it much less entertaining.
And throughout the battle, the television announcers insert clever, provocative comments to keep your attention on the wrestlers’ bodies, their muscles, the names of the exotic holds, the pain they must be feeling, the injustice and brutality of the spectacle. It’s almost like phone sex if the announcers are talented.
If you want to stimulate your senses by checking out this match, you can view Part 1 and Part 2 on YouTube. The commentary is in Spanish, but you can still get the jist of what the announcer is saying if you don’t speak the language, and the rolling R’s and musical tones of the Spanish language add another layer of auditory sensuality.)