RKO’ed, Part 1 of 2

Friday’s episode of WWE Smackdown featured a great match between Cody Rhodes and RKO — Randy K. Orton. We see that Cody is now wearing a plastic shield over his face (similar to some basketballers) which he claims will protect his nose (which was broken). Formerly proud of his “Dashing” features, he feels his face is ugly now and needs to be covered (clearly it’s fine, so he may be delusional. It’s always good for a Heel to seem a bit crazy). He also uses the mask as a weapon, similar to the way Randy Orton’s father, Bob Orton, wore a cast for years, often clocking his victims in the head with it.

I think the mask serves another purpose. Pro wrestling is about exposing yourself, putting your body and face out there to be used and abused by the opponent, and leered at by the fans. A pro wrestler must willingly submit himself to the male gaze, and accept the role of a piece of meat, to be used for the pleasure of the fans. This is why most popular wrestlers wear very little clothing, to offer the fans easy access to their bodies (their souls) and put themselves on display like beefcake models posing shirtless in a swimsuit calendar.

Many heel wrestlers, however, frustrate the fans by covering their bodies, wearing clothing or a mask to deny access and refuse to accept the role of eye-candy. I think Cody, by wearing a plastic cover on his face, is putting a layer between his handsome face and the hungry eyes of the fans, refusing to let them in and access him, concealing himself from the male gaze. This is like holding a treat up for your dog, and forcing the dog to beg for it, but never giving it to him.

This match between Cody and Randy provides the next chapter in the power dynamic of their relationship. Cody and Randy were once friends, members of the Legacy stable. Indeed, Randy trained Cody on how to be ruthless and aggressive. Then Cody and the other member of Legacy overthrew their leader and double-teamed him (as I described in an earlier article I wrote about the break-up of Legacy.)

Now Randy is portraying a vulnerable Good Guy, and Cody (who seems a bit unstable) is using the sadistic lessons he learned from Randy to punish him — striking Orton in the head with the plastic face protector, then tossing him out of the ring like a jobber. Whenever a Tag Team breaks up, questions must be resolved over who was the Alpha Male in their relationship.

Cody focuses his attack on Orton’s arm, slapping on one of the best Short Arm Scissors I’ve seen in years. The match takes on a sexual vibe as Cody dominates the victim, rocking his body and tossing his head back to increase the pressure, while Orton’s face appears to be in a climax of intensity. Later in the match, we see Cody pressing his lips on Orton’s skin, his face near Orton’s face, symbols of dominance.