Male Bonding

If you enjoy a little “Kink” with your Rasslin’, check out this recent grudge match from Ohio Valley Wrestling between Jamin Olivencia (in the Puerto Rican flag shirt) and Rudy Switchblade — the big brute in black trunks.

This was an “Anything Goes, I Quit” match — so there are no restrictions on the torture they can inflict on each other. To win, you must force the bitch to admit his bitch-ass-ness by saying “I Quit.”

The bondage gets started early in the match as Switchblade entangles the Baby-Face between the ropes.  That’s the great thing about a pro wrestling ring — the ropes are conveniently available if you want to tie somebody up.  If you think about it, the ring ropes present a constant reference to bondage — whether anyone is tangled in them or not — just by the fact that the two men are between the ropes, symbolically bound together.

During an “I Quit” match, a wrestler spends much of his time with the microphone in his face, as the opponent (or the ref) encourages the suffering victim to admit defeat.  The microphone is rubbed against the helpless man’s lips, or slapped against his cheek, or nearly jammed down his throat — it’s all very phallic.

Things really get sexy when a bullrope is used to choke the handsome hero.  Somebody is into the Choking Game it appears.  Because it’s “Anything Goes,” this is perfectly legal — (Which always used to make me wonder when I watched matches like this: why not just bring an assault rifle or a flame-thrower into the ring?   Anything goes, after all.)

The excitement of being bound comes from the loss of control — submission to the dominant person’s will.  The bound victim is rendered helpless and must trust his Master to not inflict injury or serious pain. A “bond” of trust is therefore formed between the two partners, far more intimate than most conventional relationships, due to the power game they both willingly are playing.

The dominator, meanwhile, can have his way with his bound boy-toy, inflicting whatever humiliation or suffering he chooses.  This power dynamic — this utter enslavement of one man by another — can be intoxicating, and is at the heart of pro wrestling’s excitement  (whether the bondage involves actual ropes, or merely is implied by the usage of debilitating holds which “bind” the loser of the match.)

Next, the ref’s leather belt is torn from his waist to be used as a weapon, and the image of slavery and sadomasochism is enhanced even further…

In the end, Jamin Olivencia turns the tables and becomes the Binder instead of the Bound.  After whipping his boy, he entangles Switchblade’s body in an unusual Crucifix position, disabling his arms, and tries to rip his head off.  (That’s one cute ref, by the way.)