On the May 30th episode of 2o5 Live (which is a show on the WWE Network featuring the Cruiserweights), Austin Aries was given the microphone to talk about a recent victory.
Apparently he was involved in a Tag Team match the previous evening on Monday Night Raw, and had forced the Cruiserweight champion, Neville, to tap out. Neville is portrayed as a Beast and has never, ever tapped out to anyone in his career, so Aries is being put over as a Beast Master.
Soon Neville enters the arena looking buff and spectacular in his wrestling gear. His swole physique, proudly on display, is contrasted with Austin’s fully-clothed body to position Neville as the stronger man. To publicly degrade the Champ, Aries requests the video showing his victory over Neville to be re-played.
Aries slaps on his deadly Last Chancery hold.
The footage of Aries rolling Neville into “Last Chancery” position is presented, with Neville bent back in a helpless and excruciating position.
A website I found described this as the 8th Deadliest Wrestling Hold — a legit killer move that was adapted from a much-feared Judo chokehold.
The victor continues to taunt at his humiliated victim, continues to “poke the bear.”
Tap out or pass out, bitch.
The moment of Neville’s emasculation is again presented on the Jumbo-tron, the entire WWE Universe watching and laughing as he slaps the canvas like a bitch, begging for release. Known as the “King of the Cruiserweights,” this moment of weakness must infuriate the champ!
While Austin continues to argue and gloat, the King sends his henchman and tag team partner — TJ Perkins — to sneak-attack.
The victory party is over for Austin Aries as his own humiliating beat-down has begun.
He won’t be getting up from that Knee Buster any time soon.
Oh how I love scenes like this in pro wrestling! A Baby-Face is brought down by multiple attacking villains. Helpless on the mat, they gloat over him, standing with their boots on his neck. Periodically they drag him up to harm him some more, then go back to flexing their biceps and talking trash right in his face. Hurt him, Neville — he was being totally disrespectful to you.
The “King” goes on a power-trip, ordering Aries to kneel before him. Of course our brave hero refuses to degrade himself.
This “Kneel Before Zod” trope is often seen in super-hero stories, where the villain gets off on forcing the hero’s face down to dick level. The scenario plays off of homo-erotic S&M relationships.
The camera moves behind Perkins’ back so we can’t see Aries’ face. We can’t see what, exactly, Aries is doing while Neville raises his arms, his crotch presented toward his victim’s mouth.
With Neville nearly naked, the viewer is meant to fill in the blanks, to grasp a sexual connotation from this blocked view.
LOOK at me when you’re worshiping me!
Here is my favorite moment of this extended torture scene. Perkins pulls Austin’s head up by the hair, forcing the helpless slave to look his King in the eyes respectfully.
Aries is utterly degraded and we get the sense that Neville might kiss him violently and aggressively just to further humiliate him.
All of this bullying, drama, sexual tension, and One-Ups-Manship is building heat for this coming Sunday’s Extreme Rules show (to be available on WWE Network.) Aries and Neville will face off in a Submission Match — which sounds HOT.
And hopefully that Drop-kick to Austin’s knee earlier in this scene has “injured” him to the point that he will show up with a big bandage for Neville to rip off and then really go to town on the damaged limb (another of my beloved pro wrestling tropes.) I can’t WAIT until Sunday!
Have you had enough yet, Austin?
But let’s get back to the current punishment. Aries somehow escapes Perkins’ grasp, but Neville is quick to re-establish his dominance by spiking poor Aries’ face into the mat.
Dressed only in his wrestling gear, Neville looks powerful and effective compared to Austin Aries who is wearing tight, restraining clothing.
NOW who has the superior submission hold?
Neville pounces on Aries and applies his “Rings of Saturn” submission, which one website listed as the 9th Most Devastating Wrestling Hold. Now Aries can see how it feels to be trapped in a torture lock while the entire world watches you suffer!
A few people in the audience begin to chant “Make Him Tap!” which I thought was pretty hot.
Actually maybe THIS is my favorite moment from this torture scene.
The refs try to peel Neville off his victim, but the angry beast just keeps humping and grinding, using his whole body to really fuck up Austin’s shoulders.
This was an interesting visual: Austin’s arm scissored in Neville’s crotch as Neville bucks like a bronco. I hope we see more of this on Sunday.
When Neville was a Baby-Face, he used high-flying tactics such as a big Soaring Snuka Splash off the top rope that caused the audience to cheer for him. But as a Heel, he gets down and dirty instead. He lays on top of his victims, scissors their arms between his legs, and just grinds them into the mat without mercy. I really like Neville much more as a cruel Heel than I ever did as a valiant Face.
Aries began this encounter as the smirking, gloating Cock of the Walk, but ended up helpless, knocked out, and utterly destroyed. Shifts in power like this, loss of ego and total emasculation, are what give pro wrestling its sex appeal.