Last week we saw the suffering of the Boy Next Door from a British perspective, as Lee Bronson was bullied by an American visitor to England named “Mighty” John Quinn. The nickname “Mighty” evokes the superior strength of the American Heel — his caveman singlet and hairy beard further emphasize his greater masculinity compared to the lad in red and yellow tights.
Comparison of strength and power is a major theme of the match — and poor Bronson’s inferiority is repeatedly demonstrated. “Mighty” John presses the kid down, forcing him onto his back in the Test of Strength.
You can bet that the British, who used to rule a whole empire, are tired of cocky Americans — our swaggering, our Boston Tea Parties, our awesome weapons of mass destruction. So imagine the frustration of the British viewers as their boy gets bested by the cowboy in black.
In move after move, Bronson is forced to his knees, pressed down, bent to Quinn’s will. Bronson’s face is positioned at Quinn’s crotch level, his strength drained as he is repeatedly emasculated. Does this frequent portrayal in Brit Pro wrestling of their promising young heroes suffering over-whelming defeat reveal the zeitgeist of the British people? Were they feeling a little inferior and helpless in the 1980’s when Brit Pro wrestling was so popular?
The shrinking of the British Empire, the loss of their military and economic superiority, the dominance of the United States is acted out in the ring as Bronson is over-powered again and again by “Mighty” John Ameri-Quinn.
The American Heel shocks the crowd by attacking Bronson’s throat, dropping his neck across the top rope. British wrestlers are generally very polite and law-abiding, and most of their matches are quite sporting and fair, so a blatant rule violation like the Throat Snapper must have seemed outrageous to the audience. You just don’t see vicious attacks like this in Merry Old England (although violent brutality by a sadistic Heel is expected in the USA), so I’m sure “Mighty” John Quinn appeared to be some kind of monster or serial killer to the British wrestling fans in the audience.
Next Quinn illustrates the crushing power of the American war machine by standing on the throat of the weaker man. The term “Boot on the Neck” is often used to describe an oppressive government’s tactics to dominate weaker nations.
Here we see the American jackboot of oppression literally pressing on the neck of the British man. Being under one’s heel or under one’s boot is symbolic of being controlled by a fascist government. It also must feel humiliating to be stepped on, as if you’re nothing more than a Welcome Mat!
Again we see those black leather boots walking all over Bronson, this time driving his face down, forcing him to kiss the canvas. This trampling began as a metaphor for America’s imperialism, but now it’s becoming porno for people with a leather boot fetish.
And the victim, Lee Bronson, must have no self-esteem, laying face down and allowing another man to walk all over him (or maybe he enjoys it).
On the YouTube video of this match, some lovers of trampling and stomping commented on the usage of those boots on poor Bronson’s face:
“Great use of the boot by John Quinn.”
“I could never understand British Wrestling when it came to using the boots on an opponent. Mighty Quinn humilates Bronson by standing on his face, stomping in this wrestling era was given a public warning could never understand this. Great bout thanks for uploading!”
“Quinn should have used the boots more on Bronson, especially in the corners of the ring, I thought the stepping on his face was total humiliation great stuff!” (by Shoefetishguy.)
In America, the young lion often rallies at the end of the match and snatches a victory. The British Baby-Face is not so fortunate.
Bronson can no longer continue, forced to submit to the crushing power of the superior American. Perhaps this reveals an inferiority complex on the part of the British people — accepting the defeat of their hero (their nation) by a Super-Power.
I don’t know how tongue-in-cheek every comment is (I obviously get that most are) But since this one doesn’t “scan” that way … Bronson didn’t actually submit. He was knocked out. In British wrestling, if you were on the mat and the opponent didn’t have a hold on you, you had a 10-count to get to your feet, like in boxing, and if you didn’t, the fight was over and scored as a knockout.