Trunk Show — Part 2

Last week, we discussed the messages being sent by a wrestler when he locks his opponent in a hold, then takes a moment to spread his legs and offer a peek at his trunks.

But what is the meaning when an attacker forcefully places his victim in a Spread Eagle position?  How is the story different when a wrestler splits the other man and displays his trunks rather than the man willingly offering us the view?

Clearly there is an implication of violation —  a hint of rape — when the man’s legs are forced apart against his will.  It appears that the stronger man could reach in and attack (violate) his exposed crotch.  The potential for sexual contact is more prominent if the legs are wide apart.

The pinfall is the climax of the wrestling match — the submission of the man on the bottom to the will of the stronger man.  He finally gives in to his opponent’s relentless advances.  Sexual connotations abound when one man “covers” and “holds” the other and is then declared the winner.

Many common pinning positions force the losing man into a “Spread Eagle” position.  This further sexualizes an already provocative scene. The split legs imply an offer (a prize for the winner) — the willing exposure of the most personal body area to the man scoring the pinfall.

When the victim is Spread Eagle, his legs forced apart by a stronger man, he is degraded in two ways.  First, he is violated by his opponent, and second, the viewers violate him with their eyes — objectifying him with the possessive, judgmental male gaze.

But as always in pro wrestling, the opposite also exists in the same situation.  The “helpless” wrestler isn’t forced to get in the ring (he could find another job), and doesn’t need to wear the most revealing little trunks.

He doesn’t really need to spread his legs for the camera.  Very few of the men in these photos couldn’t simply close their legs to avoid this degradation.

So the “victimized” wrestler isn’t 100% a victim after all.  We soon realize his crotch displays — like all his suffering — is part of the show.  Does this fact make his performance less exciting (because it is contrived) or more exciting (because he’s performing for our enjoyment) — offering us a free show at the expense of his own dingity?