The sexually charged battle between Ron Bass and Barry Windham continues. The winner gets to keep a saddle that both cowboys want.
Outside the ring, an exhausted Barry Windham repeatedly grabs the front of the Outlaw’s black trunks and presses his face into the older man’s groin. Either Barry is so tired and limp that he doesn’t realize what he’s doing, or he’s drunk on cock.
Soon the cute young cowboy’s face is busted open, red blood gushing down his forehead. Windham and Bass frequently bloodied each other during their epic battles, perhaps symbolizing a Money Shot — bodily fluid disfiguring the face — a form of degradation or penetration — the marking of the face to imply ownership. Soon Barry returns the favor and busts open Ron Bass as well, just like in a bloody fist-fight from the old television Westerns. Now both cowboys must wrestle with sticky liquid pouring down their faces and into their eyes and mouths.
Barry stuns the older cowboy and pins the veteran to win the match. The crowd erupts as Windham is handed his trophy: the family saddle! However, the Outlaw won’t accept his loss like a gentleman. Just like the villain in the old Westerns, he attacks the hero from behind.
In an outrageous display of masculine domination, Bass places the saddle on Windham’s back and begins bouncing up and down like he’s on a horse! He pulls Windham’s head up by the hair, similar to a rider controlling a horse by the reins. Poor Windham is forced to portray a submissive beast of burden, willingly allowing the dominant man to ride him!
Gordon Solie, the announcer, describes this scene as the “ultimate humiliation.” Simply getting ridden around like a horse, albeit fairly embarrassing, is not really the “ultimate humiliation.” The ultimate humiliation for a man is probably getting raped by another man. Is Solie implying that there is more happening here than two men playing horsie? Does his comment that this is the “ultimate humiliation” indicate that this scene is meant to represent the rape of Barry Windham by the Outlaw?
You can watch the legendary Saddle Match on YouTube. Gordon Solie’s comment that “This is the ultimate humiliation” occurs at the 4:03 mark in Part 4.
This article from a 1980’s wrestling magazine uses language to imply that the saddle incident was more than a wrestling match — that riding on Barry’s back was intended as a sexual assault:
- “Boy you’ve got something I want!” — Do you mean a cock?!
- “Bring your skinny little body out here” — Why is Bass noticing his body??
- “We’ll get it on” — Doesn’t “get it on” usually have a sexual connotation?
- “…began to ride him like a pony.” — That definitely has a sexual connotation!
- “The smile on Bass’ face as he jumped up and down on Windham” — A smile usually indicates pleasure, and bouncing is similar to sexual thrusting
- “A humiliated Windham laid in the center of the ring a badly beaten and dejected man.” — i.e., a rape victim
- “This is only the beginning. I’ve got more surprises in store for him.” — Might those “surprises” include leather, candle wax, or a dog collar?
Barry Windham was one of the first wrestlers I remember noticing, but holy crap, I never saw THIS…!