The beginning of this 1988 magazine article described when Beefcake attacked Ron Bass and cut up the Outlaw’s weapon, the bullwhip which he frequently brought to the ring to strangle his opponents. Emasculating another man like this, destroying his manhood and humiliating him, is not permissible in our Alpha Male-dominated pecking order. Our patriarchal society would crumble if sissified men were permitted to go around emasculating and castrating the dominant males! Therefore Beefcake must be seen to pay a price, to be punished for not knowing his place.
Sure enough, the magazine article explains, Beefcake was in the ring a week later, once again wearing his flamboyant zebra tights with laces up the sides to expose the profile of his buttocks. He easily dominated a beefy jobber named Tom Merton, using his Sleeper Hold to knock the jobber out. But then he is attacked “from behind” by the even beefier, more masculine “Outlaw” Ron Bass, who is out for revenge after having his whip cut to pieces and his hat mutilated by Beefcake the previous week.
We see that Ron Bass has his weapon, the famous whip, back in his possession. His manhood has now been restored — his phallic symbol is intact again. So he is no longer impotent or female.
He wraps his big long whip around Beefcake’s throat and chokes the spectacular male into submission.
Notice how the article describes Beefcake’s “tongue protruding from his mouth” to sexualize the scene — to imply there is some kind of licking or Frenching going on. The writer takes the erotic imagery to the next level when he mentions that Beefcake is trying to “suck” and his body is laying down and twitching. Beefcake is apparently being punked by the Outlaw, sexually dominated and placed in the female role: tongue out, sucking, twitching in response to the Real Man’s efforts.
Another weapon that the hyper-masculine Ron Bass used to punish his opponents was a sharp metal spur. He wore spurs on the heels of his boots when he entered the ring, implying that he was going to mount and ride the opponent. If he was in a sadistic mood, he would scrape the spur across the other man’s forehead to cut him open.
Ron Bass kneels over Beefcake’s face, placing his groin just so, and slices Beefcake with his potent weapon. The submissive Beefcake is soon gashed open, blood streaming down his face, his flesh penetrated by the brutal Outlaw’s spur.
It appears Ron Bass is violating Beefcake sexually in this position, using him and abusing him. The blood on Beefcake’s face is like a marking, a degrading money shot to symbolize his violation and loss of manhood. Clearly Bass has re-established the male-dominant order.
The American broadcast of this shocking scene was censored with a big “X” to avoid horrifying young viewers who may be troubled by an implied rape scene. The Canadian version was not censored and all the gore and blood can be seen on YouTube.
If you watch this scene, you will hear Jessie Ventura adding to the excitement with his purple prose: “Look what he’s doing! He’s got his foot right in the back of Brutus’s head, choking him out with Miss Betsy…”
“And that’s a nasty looking spur, look at that.” “He is at the mercy of this big Texican…“, “Wow! Oh, what is he doing with the spur, man??”
“Brutus is gonna get it again. I can’t believe it! The Outlaw is gonna do it again!” “And the Outlaw Bass has done in the Barber.”
The take-away is that, if anyone humiliates or emasculates you, then you can (and should) respond with brutal violence. Let nobody take away your manhood — it is the worst violation. If a man cuts up your whip, you should cut up his face — especially if he dresses to appear feminine or flamboyant.
Masculinity is violent, and violence is a legitimate tool to maintain the pecking order. Might makes right, and the most masculine shall rule. Anyone who tries to upset this social order deserves to be punished and bloodied. At least I think that’s what this scene is meant to portray, what pro wrestling in general conveys to the viewers.
