The Psychology of Jobbing

If you watch pro wrestling long enough, you start to wonder if some of these jobbers actually enjoy the suffering.  They sure seem to place themselves in dangerous and helpless predicaments, simply allowing the other man to dominate them.  Why is that?

The fact that a wrestler would get in the ring week after week and accept yet another beating, absorb yet another painful series of submission holds, endure yet another humiliating loss implies that he enjoys it.   And different jobbers seem to get off on their self-destruction for different reasons.  Let’s take a look at some of the types of perpetual losers in pro wrestling and what makes them tick…

The Slave

Some weak men enjoy being obedient to a Master.  A “Submissive” finds pleasure in knowing he has pleased his Dominant.  He loves to be told what to do and to quickly, shamelessly comply.  These “people pleasers” take pride in obeying Master’s every order.

So the dominant wrestler uses increasingly painful holds to test his slave’s devotion.  The Submissive wrestler allows his pain threshold to be pushed to the limit because he wants whatever  Master wants.

The Captive

Some men crave the loss of control more than submission to a Master.  The feeling of surrender itself is a major turn on for them.  Captives often enjoy bondage and scenarios that offer no hope of escape.

In the ring, the Captive jobber readily allows himself to be placed in holds that tie up his limbs and restrain the movement of his body.  He may be seen to fall against the ropes and entangle his own arms in between them.  He aches for the feeling of inescapable helplessness.

The Exhibitionist

A man who likes to be watched, to be the center of attention, will portray scenes of suffering in order to grab the spotlight.  These actors work in collaboration with their opponent to create an interesting, compelling scene to draw the attention of the viewers.  Positioning is important for the Exhibitionist who is keenly aware he is being watched and video-taped. He wants to create the most beautiful, arousing image possible.  His attention is outward at his audience, peeking to make sure all eyes are on him.

A wrestler who allows himself to be locked in the most outrageous holds, who twists his body just right for the camera, who groans extra loud is eager to get you to look at him and pity him.

The Hold Enthusiast

Some wrestlers enjoy the diversity of wrestling holds and want to know the potential pain that each hold can deliver.  I grew up with a kid who was always begging to be placed in a Sleeper, or Figure 4, or DDT just to see how it felt.

You may know dudes who want to learn as many wrestling moves as possible, or who slow down the video to watch step-by-step how each hold is applied.  They collect wrestling holds like a hoarder collects cats and old magazines.

When a jobber wrestler is a Hold Enthusiast, he wants to experience the effects of each hold applied on himself.

He wants to feel every possible variation,  permutation, and body position.  He challenges the Heel to twist it, reverse it, and tighten it so he can lay there enjoying it.  It seems as though the Hold Enthusiast is the one in command because he is forcing the other man to perform and loving every minute of it.

The Masochist

Some people have certain wires crossed in their brains, so they associate pain with pleasure.  These “Pain Sluts” love to feel the crack of whip, an elbow to the gut, or a nice, long, spine-busting Back Breaker.

The experience of pain triggers a rush of endorphins in their brains which makes them feel high, and they become addicted to abuse.

These jobbers often kick out on the Count of Two, eager to absorb more punishment.  They wouldn’t exit the ring if the Heel invited them to.

The Tough Guy

Macho men feel the need to constantly prove their strength and intestinal fortitude.  They accomplish this by enduring as many painful and uncomfortable situations as possible.  A Real Man wants to prove to the world and to himself that he can take a big kick to the belly or a stunning Pile Driver and just laugh it off.

Some people believe the whole point of the pro wrestling jobber is to demonstrate the high pain threshold, the degree of punishment a human can experience and still peel himself off the mat and stand up for more.

Tough Guys are out to prove they can “take it like a man.”  They need someone to inflict pain so they have a yardstick to measure their manliness against.

Pro wrestling is the perfect job for a Tough Guy out to show the world he has a big iron set of balls stuffed down inside his trunks.   The more he suffers without bitching or whining, the more powerful he feels.

Some of you may be wondering if real life wrestling jobbers actually fall into these categories and legitimately experience these feeling when they take their beatings in the ring.  Whether they really do enjoy suffering or not, they are acting as if they want to take a beating.  They are planting the possibility in the minds of the viewers that they love to be jobbers for whatever reason, which inspires us to inscribe these thoughts onto them.  THAT is why watching a pro wrestling squash match is entertaining.