Science

Jim Gorman vs Dave (DJ) Peterson, 18 August 1984 (All Star Wrestling)

The scientific contest,  already an anomaly in 1984, is certainly out of step with what professional wrestling became, was starting to become even when this match played the airwaves. A pro ring, pro wrestlers, but a roll call of the basic moves of the sport - lots of side headlocks and some scissors and body slams, so my needs are met even in this drama-free event. Peterson sports the curly mullet a la Magnum TA. Jim has the classic '80s anchorman haircut. Typically such a contest would veer away from gentlemanly conduct, as nerves frayed and egos boiled over, spiraling into an all-out brawl. Close to the nine-minute mark, Dave and Jim feint in that direction (last GIF above), only to switch to pretty much straight-up grappling as the 10-minute time limit nears.

The eroticism is all in my head on this one. I doubt Jim and DJ could tell frottage from sausage. But the match, for all its simplicity and straightforwardness, is a turn-on for me. Why? The give and take, the sweaty embraces, the naïve "cleanness" of the competition, and, frankly, even the matching red trunks. Bodily struggle, even more than physical pain or muscular display, stimulates me. And yet the muscles on Peterson's back, wow! The traumatizing head-jerks of the third and fourth GIFs resonate with me because they remind me of the favorite wrestling flourish of a dorm buddy in college. (My favorite, too, because I still recall the pounding of his heart, my ear pressed like a suction cup against his sweat-slick ribs.) Apart from analogies to sexual climax, I can't translate the effect body slams on canvas and plywood have on me, like claps of thunder. The body slam is something I always wanted to experience firsthand and never did. I console myself with the thought that it's sexier to watch than to experience - but, if I'm honest, I think I'm probably mistaken in this.


See more matches on the Jack Cam channel on YouTube here.