Back on 10/12/19, the excellent He Is Out! blog posted a hot series of images featuring Tommy Rogers in Tag Team action against the New Zealand Sheepherders. Damn I love this little bow-tied Baby-Face — he’s one of my favorite sufferers from the 1980s.
As you might expect from He Is Out!, (1). pretty-boy Tommy gets his ass totally kicked, and (2). the images are spectacular. In fact, all of the images in today’s gallery are stolen from He Is Out! with my usual captions added to them.
Rather than simply re-posting the same images you’ve already seen on He Is Out! and remarking on how gorgeous Tommy looks in his yellow trunks, I decided to dig in deeper and add some value by de-coding Tommy’s body language. I want to break down the themes, imagery, and sub-text being expressed through his every movement and position.
For example, during the Baby-Face Shine phase at the start of the match, we see Tommy shake his ass before dropping an Elbow on the Sheepherder’s arm.
Why is Tommy showing off like this, peacocking instead of focusing on his next move? This is clearly foreplay, meant to wake stir up the audience. It’s also a flirtation meant to attract us to him so we will feel compassion and regret later when his suffering begins.
By the way, the Sheepherders would later join the WWF and become known as the Bushwhackers and behave as asexual, non-threatening goof-balls.
But earlier in their career, during this feud with the Fantastics, they were presented as half-crazed sadistic killers, beastly sociopaths who lived to evoke pain and suffering in their victims (especially hot little studs like our beloved Tommy Rogers.)
The violence and abuse quickly amp up and Tommy goes into ragdoll mode, his powerful arms limp at his sides, not even defending himself from this vicious Knee to the Jugular.
His prone body position expresses exhaustion to send the message that he’s losing the match and in danger of being pinned. But also, his utter vulnerability (paired with his attractive physique) convey a sexual under-tone of submissiveness, non-resistance, and consent.
Here we see the Heel break the “fourth wall” by looking directly at us and giving us a big Thumbs Up as he continues to cut off Tommy’s airway.
What is he trying to tell us at this moment? Is he letting us know that he’s aware why we watch pro wrestling and he’s OK with our perversion? (Wink wink, nod nod.) Is he perhaps assuring us that he plans to keep right on strangling Tommy for our viewing pleasure, exploiting and exposing the stud because he knows that we’re totally getting off on it? Thumbs up right back at you, killer — keep up the great work!
Tommy hangs his arms on the ropes like wet laundry to convey his exhaustion (if you perceive pro wrestling as sports entertainment), or to convey submission and passive acceptance (if you perceive pro wrestling as homo-erotic porn.)
Observe how the powerfully built stud drops weakly to his knees, utterly at their mercy (or our mercy), his open mouth now at the Sheepherder’s belt-line, his arms still draped over the ropes as if to say, “Do whatever you want to me.”
THIS is why pro wrestling punishment scenes are such a turn-on, because of the sexual undertones.
Tommy is dragged around at will, pulled up by the hair, and pushed into the other Heel’s knee. Tommy is submissively accepting his punishment, allowing himself to be controlled. His muscular physique makes his weak lack of defense seem even more enticing.
By pulling down the top rope, one of the cheating Heels causes Tommy to fall outside the ring causing him extreme bodily injury.
Now Tommy (the little slut) takes the suggestive presentation of his body to a new level, opening up his torso to our gaze, spreading his knees apart invitingly, rolling around moaning on the floor in utter ecstasy.
The Sheepherders evoke imagery of a gang rape by assaulting their shirtless victim two-against-one outside the ring.
After being whipped into the steel fence, Tommy continues to play up his weakness and vulnerability, inspiring a compassionate hug from his partner. Are the hugs free, and where do I get in line?
The violence escalates as the cheaters whip Tommy with his own belt, sending him into a convulsing orgasm down on the floor.
Tommy’s climax is captured nicely by the ringside camera (and by the He Is Out! blogger, Tetsuya-san, who apparently is interpreting Tommy’s sexually suggestive body language much the same as I am.
It’s notable that Tetsuya lives on the other side of the world and speaks a different language, yet we both comprehend the erotic tone of Tommy’s performance — both of us triggered by the same moments of defeat, display, and flirtation.
Apparently some body language is understood universally around the globe — the poses and presentations having the same meaning in every country.
By repeatedly blocking Tommy from re-entering the ring, the Heels convey a sense of rejection — as if they’re not interested in Tommy and his amazing body. They toss him away like trash, implying that he’s not man enough to be in the ring with them. This further degrades the spectacular male, presenting him as worthless, unappealing, and undeserving.
Finally back in the ring, the abuse and molestation continue. We are made to feel sorry for our exhausted ragdoll.
The prolonged length of his punishment also conveys a sense of sado-masochistic role-play. It’s as if the Sheepherders don’t want to finish off their beautiful victim. Meanwhile Tommy keeps kicking out as if he’s enjoying it too.
One of the nasty Heels then inserts his dirty fingers into Tommy’s mouth, penetrating him against his will.
Is this unusual wrestling move simply meant to position the Sheepherders as crazy savages who will do anything to win? Or is the intent to imply a rape scenario — the defiling and degradation of a sexually attractive stud? I guess either interpretation is possible, which is what makes pro wrestling so enjoyable.
I always read people who have a valid opinions about such things think that Tommy would have been one of wrestling’s biggest stars , had he been taller. You have to hand it to promoter Bill Watts of mid southern wrestling New Orleans based fame who actually could fill a Superdome with half female wrestling fans by realizing “sex appeal sells” and bringing in Tommy Rogers, Bobby Fulton, Terry Taylor, “Magnum PI” and Rock-n-roll express all on his roster seemingly at the same time from various parts of the country.
Interestingly, it was Bobby not Tommy who turned down the lucrative Chippendales touring contract to stay in pro wrestling keeping them together. As per usual, Bobby with the save.
Wow! This is a revelation. I’ve only seen Luke and Butch as the Bushwhackers. What a waste of talent! Clearly they’re much better heels. I also haven’t seen much of Tommy Rogers, so thanks for the blog. Thanks to Tetsuya, as well.
It would have been good if they tied him up in ropes and worked him and his tagteam partner over.
Tommy was hot getting worked over and brutalized. He looked even hotter getting worked over when he let his body hair grow in. He had a nice furry chest at times and I found him the best looking when he was hairy and vulnerable to the heels he wrestled.