My article posted on 2/9/20 described young Cody Rhodes early in his career playing the adorable and vulnerable rookie — recipient of much affection and brotherly love from Randy Orton. Today we fast forward to modern times to find Cody again playing the Baby-Face — but you will see that he has grown up and he’s into sleazier turn-ons these days.
The Wednesday Night Wars continue between NXT and AEW. Both federations air their weekly television episodes during the same time slot so they are competing for our eyeballs. AEW is currently winning the war by featuring plenty of kinky adult content compared to NXT’s more family-friendly programming.
On the 2/5/20 episode of AEW, Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Cody Rhodes performed a brutal and extremely homo-erotic belt whipping fetish scene. You can check it out on YouTube. It seems that Cody wants to challenge MJF for his title belt, but MJF will not agree to wrestle Cody unless he agrees to:
- Not lay a finger on MJF until their 2/29/20 title match;
- Get in a cage with MJF’s bodyguard, Wardlow, on 2/19/20; and
- Allow MJF to whip him ten times with a leather belt on 2/5/20.
Basically these stipulations act as a straight smokescreen that conceals the underlying homo-erotic performances at play: Cody to be locked in a cage with another man next week and, I’m sure, unfairly tortured; Cody submitting to this queer and merciless belt whipping; Cody accepting all this humiliation and not fighting back — it’s really very gay if you think about it.
Imagine how queer this S&M torture scene would appear if the writers had not created this narrative that Cody has been forced to endure these challenges, like the 12 Labours of Hercules, to earn a title shot. The twisted stipulations imposed by MJF are meant to legitimize the gay sexual abuse and conceal it as a straight strength challenge for prime-time viewing (even though the Gaydar is pinging off the charts for viewers like us.) Pro wrestling frequently masks the most obviously gay subtexts under a veneer of competition, rivalry, cowardice, etc.
After stripping to the waist, Cody pulls off his own belt and offers it obediently to MJF (who didn’t want to soil his own expensive belt on Cody’s flesh.) Handing over his own belt creates a sense of willing consent by Cody, as if he perhaps WANTS to be whipped, offering up his own belt to inflict the punishment.
In any case, Blondie Cody looks spectacular shirtless in his tight black dress-pants, his buff torso on display and vulnerable. We soon see red welts appear on Cody’s bare back and shoulders which implies that MJF is really getting into the delivery of these painful lashes — it’s very arousing.
And Cody just stands there like a willing jobber, his bare back-flesh presented for more agonizing leather belt abuse…
Cody standing proudly shirtless in those tight pants, his bare torso awaiting the next painful strike, is an iconic image of vulnerability and hero punishment. Historically when we see a man stripped to the waist for a whipping on television or in a movie, we usually see him wearing tight black trousers. It’s like the required uniform for taking a flogging.
MJF proceeds to gradually undress himself after delivering each whiplash. First his fancy coat is removed, then his fancy shirt, until he’s down to a skin-tight tank top. Perhaps he didn’t want to get any sweat (or blood) on his expensive threads. Or perhaps this undressing is meant to add a sexual tone to the proceedings, to imply that this whipping is a BDSM dungeon session between a horny Master and willing but disobedient Slave.
The below images are described as “Whiplash #3” and “#4” in my captions but now I think they are actually #4 and #5. I got distracted by Cody’s reddening flesh and lost count somehow but trust me — Cody definitely suffered ten lashes as he promised regardless of my captions…
We’ve seen whipping used many times to punish Baby-Faces in the pro wrestling ring — it is Fan Service for wrestle-pervs who get off on BDSM. Clearly the AEW bookers are using this kinky whipping scene (and other fetish scenarios) to turn us on so we’ll be sure to tune in to THEIR program each week instead of their less-salacious rival, NXT.
The homo-erotic implications surrounding one man whipping another are well documented. For example, in my previous article about whip-porn, I wrote the following:
The homo-erotic themes associated with whips and whipping are obvious: the sado-masochistic roleplay; the presentation of a dominant punisher and submissive whipping boy; the bullwhip as a phallic symbol; punishment inflicted by a male authority figure on a naughty boy. Just Google “whip porn” and you’ll find a wealth of material that reveals a lot of guys are into whipping.
One of my loyal readers also noted the homo-erotic nature of a whipping scene. He sent me the following email related to Cody’s whipping:
So many good elements there – the shirtless vs clothed (vulnerability), the powerful wrestler Cody reduced to a quivering wreck, the muscled henchman, good vs evil, MJF verbally taunting him, the use of the belt as bdsm/discipline, Cody’s supporters trying to step in.. the list goes on!
Cody and MJF really take their time during this scene, pausing after each lashing for Cody to savor his pain and for MJF to smile sadistically anticipating the next whip-lash. Cody’s friends and family enter the ring to encourage Cody to keep enduring, to never submit to Master MJF and his devastating leather belt. Nobody does anything to STOP this painful whipping mind you, but Babyface Cody receives plenty of love from his supporters, thus encouraging us viewers to love him too.
MJF drapes his body arrogantly over the ring ropes like a flamboyant cartoon villain, patiently waiting for Cody to man up for his next backlash. What an arrogant fucking Dickhead Heel, I love him! He is just as successful at making the crowd hate him as Cody is at making the crowd love him.
AEW provides viewers with a fairly hard-core and adult-themed wrestling product with MJF calling Cody a “Bitch” and Cody responding with the middle finger as red welts and cuts appear all over his back. If you prefer your rasslin’ to be rough and brutal, you may want to tune in to AEW on Wednesdays for your weekly fetish fix.
MJF graciously invites his hunky bodyguard to deliver the ninth lashing. Wardlow will be kicking the shit out of Babyface Cody in a steel cage in a couple weeks so we may as well start that punishment party early. Get him Wardlow — make him feel that leather strap!
It’s dramatic, it’s kinky — really it’s everything I love in wrestle-porn.
MJF and Cody really ham up this long torture segment and make it seem sexy and naughty to watch (Viewer Discretion is Advised, which usually guarantees a violence-boner for me.) Cody acts especially vulnerable and submissive, collapsing after each crack of the whip as if he was struck by lightning. How nice of him to endure these humiliating and painful lashes and huge red welts on his back for our viewing pleasure! And who knew that a pro wrestling Babyface could portray such a pathetic, non-combative Whipping Boy, yet still maintain his status as a hero in our hearts?
After the whipping, MJF knees Cody in the balls but I didn’t create a GIF of that moment. You can check out the YouTube video if you really must see Cody utterly emasculated in front of a crowded arena.
Congrats AEW — you’re making me want to watch the weekly recording of your kinky fetish-infused show on my DVR before watching my weekly recording of the muscle-studs in action on NXT.