Vulnerable Superman

One of the common scenarios in pro wrestling is the muscle-man’s loss of strength.   Many matches feature the Ideal Male, buff and powerfully built, being reduced to a suffering weakling, often at the hands of a fat, undesirable, ugly troll.

People are fascinated with the image of powerfully built He-Men being over-powered and forced into submissive positions.  This is why Superman comics are so popular — not because we want to see the strongest man in the world easily winning every fight, but because we want to see him strapped to a Kyptonite altar and sacrificed like a helpless little lamb.

The “Vulnerable Superman” is the pro wrestler who appears to be invincible and muscular, but who always seems to find himself “in a world of trouble, wrestling fans!”

There is no point in cheering for the invincible man.  Why waste your breath if he is definitely going to easily win?  Wrestling fans want to cheer for an underdog, to encourage the weakened victim to get up and fight.  It is the vulnerability of a man which gives him his charm.  We may worship the invincible, but we love that which is flawed.

Also, the viewers of any sporting event want to see some suspense, thrilling plot twists, and surprise endings.  Therefore, every match must involve selling by the Vulnerable Superman — a period where he suffers so much punishment, we aren’t certain who is going to win the fight.

Will the muscle-man reassert his masculinity and assume the dominant role, or will the villain’s cruel abuse totally emasculate the Stud?  The image of the Vulnerable Superman exhausted on the mat raises the entertaining specter of chaos and uncertainty.One message of pro wrestling is that every Achilles has his heel.  It is entertaining to see which attack, which specific Rasslin’ hold, will succeed in draining the Vulnerable Superman’s power.

Superman was vulnerable to Kryptonite, magic, vampires and some types of drugs.  The modern pro wrestler is vulnerable to nerve claws, crushing holds, Sleepers, and leg locks.

The villain who is able to perfect these holds and inflict them on the competition is granted power — the ability to bring Superman to his knees.  We learn from this that masculine power is NOT derived from looking buff and ripped, but from learning to take action, to apply punishing holds, to attack without mercy.

The “Loss of Control” is a powerful turn-on for many men.  This is why bondage, masochism, role reversal, and Forced Feminization are such common and powerful fetishes. Men are taught to be tough, to hide or deny their weaknesses, to dominate and control.

It is taboo for a man to act submissive, and nothing is more arousing than participating in forbidden, socially unacceptable behaviors!

Therefore, the Vulnerable Superman in the wrestling ring depicts a fantasy that many men think about — being forced to your knees, being under a dominant (but physically weaker) person’s control, being used and abused.