This photo of a suffering wrestler with a beard and leather collar around his neck appeared in my 1/11/15 episode of Suffering Sunday. Several readers then e-mailed me to ask who he is, as often happens when an attractive but anonymous wrestler appears on this blog.
A reader called “NeedToKnow” posted the question on the blog article: “Okay, who is the guy in the collar and chain??? SOMEONES GOTTA KNOW!” Unfortunately I could not ID him and nobody responded to NeedToKnow’s desperate query.
But this week, into my Tumblr Feed (that’s what you call it, right?) appeared more images of the same bearded stud, suffering at the hands of a big Heel in a gorgeous chinless mask. Once I tore my eyes off his agony, I noticed the letters “CCW” in the upper left corner of the photo.
Once I figured out the name of the Federation — Celtic Championship Wrestling from Ireland– I was soon able to locate the CCW Facebook page, which revealed the names of the wrestlers involved in the chain match (Ricky Combat and the Executioner) and the name of the Event (Riot 2014 on November 28). Next I hopped onto Ricky Combat’s Facebook page where more images from the Chain Match and other events were posted.
I then happened to notice that Ricky likes to wear revealing little red trunks when he wrestles, which inspired me to “Like” his Facebook page and to create this gallery.
So that should answer your question, NeedToKnow and all the other inquiring minds out there. Am I a dedicated and responsive Blogger or what?! Here is Ricky wearing his trademark red speedo and dog tags on his way to the ring.
Ricky is actually a rookie at the very beginning of hopefully a long career. He doesn’t even have proper pro style boots. On August 17, 2014, he posted on his Facebook page:
“This weekend I was born. I had my first 2 matches in CCW. But only 6 months ago I was just another man without a purpose.”
Welcome to the ring, Ricky, and to the Wrestling Arsenal blog. I am impressed to see such an inexperienced wrestler in such a dangerous match.
The big Executioner is the classic masked villain — intimidating, freaky and sadistic. One gets the sense that he is in his element, perfectly comfortable fucking around with chains and leather collars, corrupting our innocent young Ricky with his twisted toys. I bet it was the masked freak’s idea for the men to chain themselves together at the neck.
This pairing of the Executioner with Ricky Combat plays off several classic pro wrestling tropes: Veteran vs Rookie; Scary Beast vs Boy Next Door; Clothed Male vs. (nearly) Naked Male; and of course Mask Porn. Adding a dog collar and chain to the scene — classic instruments used in BDSM play and humiliation rituals — lends a decidedly sexual overtone to the proceedings.
I could not find any video or written recap of this match, but from these great photos, it appears that the Money Shot of the whole battle occurred when Executioner straddled Ricky and brutally tried to tear his head right off his shoulders. Get it? The Executioner trying to behead his victims.
(This reminds me — the image of a shirtless, muscular Executioner carrying a big phallic axe has always excited me. Maybe an Executioner’s costume reminds me of a masked pro wrestler.)
In the end, it seems the rookie was able to defeat the masked freak. On 12/1/14, he posted to his Facebook page:
“Wow, Riot brought something out in me I hadn’t felt before. I needed to go to that place to get the win. Definitely my most brutal and taxing match to date. The Executioner isn’t as tough as he looks, he’s tougher.” And so are you, Ricky.