The Fireman’s Carry or Fireman’s Lift, in one version or ano
ther, must be as old as wrestling itself. Defined by Wikipedia as “a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier,” the Fireman’s Carry is a move that has found a place in and outside of the wrestling ring.
Even in the rule-bound world of amateur wrestling, the Fireman’s Carry emits a homoerotic charge. Take for instance the mid-match photo, above, left, with one man’s seemingly ecstatic embrace as he performs the hold, his head resting tightly on his opponent’s thigh. Add to that the emotional circus of a pro wrestling squash match, in which a nasty heel doles out pain and humiliation to an overpowered guy in spandex, and it’s not hard to account for the appeal that the Fireman’s Carry holds for Doughboy watchers.
The Fireman’s Carry then very often transitions into other holds and slams such as the Gorilla Press, or the Military Press Slam. The technical names of these subsequent moves are of less import to the Doughboy watcher than the fact that the jobbers are rendered defenseless, the buttocks and groin regions are elevated, vulnerable, on full display.
At times, the Fireman’s Carry is used as a show of bravado on the part of the heel to demonstrate to the jobber as well as to cheering crowd of spectators just exactly who can claim the role of Alpha Male in the matchup. By contrast, the jobber in tights paraded around is, in turn, exposed, objectified, in a sense, feminized. Take for instance this match featuring Doughboy “Hollywood” Tommy Landell:
This hold, seen above, with Tommy Landell or the one, pictured left, with Kris Germany characterize another feminizing aspect of the Fireman’s Carry; the buttocks are raised and positioned in such a way that the voyeur relishing the helpless pose of the jobber can easily imagine a pathway to anal penetration (big guys like these, especially, whose tights seem to capture every crevice and curve seem particularly vulnerable). It’s as though the heel parades about the ring carrying the Doughboy on his shoulder in this position specifically to humiliate the guy, subjecting him to a collective visual rape by the gawking spectators.
Sometimes, the heel seems to take delight in further humiliating and feminizing the Doughboy in tights by applying a very firm grip on the jobber’s manhood when carrying out the lift. One can only imagine how Doughboy Barry Hardy in the black tights felt at the close of this match.
The act of being carried can be a sign of traditional subservience (a newlywed wife being carried over the threshold), of weakness (a victim being lifted to safety by a firefighter) or, as is illustrated in the match that follows, humiliation, as all-American hero Hacksaw Jim Duggan “puts the spin” on a dashing jobber in tights:
Another shapely rump is featured in this next bout. A squash match against a monster heel such as The Undertaker may be short in duration; that doesn’t allow a young Doughboy much time to make an impression. In a debut on June 17, 1991 on Prime Time Live before a nationwide audience, a Fireman’s Carry (prior to The Undertaker’s signature and devastating move, the Tombstone) affords rookie Scott Baizo an opportunity to impressively display his assets:
Not only does the Fireman’s Carry (and other related holds) elevate and place the jobber’s butt on public display but, from time to time, the maneuver results in the exposure of bare flesh, as Doughboy favorite Dale Wolfe discovered when he went up against rotund bruiser Jeep Swenson:
Usually the Fireman’s Carry is added as a dramatic flourish before the ultimate finishing hold in a match. Some famous wrestlers that include the Fireman’s Carry in their repertoire include The Undertaker, Tatanka, British Bulldog Davey-Boy Smith, Mike Rotunda (a.k.a. Irwin R. Schyster, IRS), Curtis Hughes as well as the Nasty Boys…
As witnessed by the scenic curves of Kris Germany’s perfect rump, above, the Fireman’s Carry provides some impressive views for Doughboy lovers drawn to men in spandex and tights. True, the Fireman’s Carry isn’t the most common of holds, but a number of wrestling heels and Alpha-Male heroes apply the move from time to time, to the delight and satisfaction of Doughboy lovers everywhere. Some additional screen captures are pictured below:
Jobbers in all shapes and sizes have been subjected to the Fireman’s Carry through the years. But in the wrestling ring, as in the schoolyard, the heavier-set guys tend to be singled out for humiliation. Perhaps the heel wants to demonstrate his superior strength by bench pressing a plus-size fellow. Or perhaps the public-at-large is less likely to feel empathy for the bigger guys so the hero, in an effort to maintain audience sympathy, singles out the Doughboy in a tag-team for abuse instead of going after his cute baby-face partner.
Whatever the reason, Project Doughboy would like to close today’s entry with a match featuring Doughboy Brian Brieger, who, no matter the odds or the degradation he’s forced to confront, carries his heft appealingly and with dignity…
