Fridae

In ancient times, young strappling Greek lads used to participate in the sport of grappling in the nude. Condoned by "the gods", wrestling amongst naked youths is an acceptable form of male bonding because it is not permitted to progress beyond the match itself.

Though modern wrestlers do not follow the ancient Greek practice of grappling in the nude (what a waste!), the flaunting of the male form and the close body contact endures even today in wrestling matches and especially in professional circus acts such as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Pro-Wrestling Noah and All-Japan Pro-Wrestling.

In fact, the sight of these muscular he-men, clad in sperm-production threatening trunks, grabbing each other and then rolling around in the ring in mock agony are good enough reasons why gay men are flocking to wrestling matches in the droves or secretly catching them on cable TV.

From the United States, there is the gorgeous Aryan looking wrestler Sting (in his pre-Crow days) with his trademark face paint, the tanned baby-faced Z-Man (or Tom Zenk) with his muscular body, skimpy trunks and huge "package", and of course, pretty boy-turned-bad boy Alex Wright (in his pre-Berlyn days) with his hip gyrations and even bigger "package".

From Japan, there is the one-time favourite of yours truly, Jun Akiyama, with his chub appeal and tight trunks as well as his fellow Pro-Wrestling Noah colleagues such as the spiky haired Naomichi Marufuji who has since traded his well-filled trunks for leather longs and new rookie wrestler Kataro Suzuki. And from All Japan Pro-Wrestling, there is the beady-eyed Kazushi Miyamoto who looks absolutely adorable in his fetching yellow trunks (minuscule trunk tentage not withstanding).

Whether one is into the sport of wrestling as a spectator or as an active participant, it is indeed hard to deny the secret thrills that generate southwards as one watches muscle men pressed against each other cock-on-cock in a "bear hug" or writhing vigorously to get out from being pinned down.

Moreover, whatever else heterosexual wrestling fans may claim, there is an undeniable homoerotic subtext to a sport which requires grown men to strip down to trunks, don S & M masks, and then engage in make-belief hand to hand combat comprising of provocative wrestling holds and illegal moves such as trunks pulling or knees to the groin. If truth be told, wearing trunks/masks/leather and pretending to hurt each other pretty much sum up what goes on in the bedrooms (and dungeons) of many a gay men these days but I digress.

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Then there is also the more primal attraction of watching two prime males locked in competitive combat in a test of male supremacy or engaging in such combat yourself that takes the meaning of male intimacy and masculine struggle to a whole new different level.

Compared to the homoscene where male supremacy is often dependent on one's "dazzling wit", ability to "scratch face" and the number of "trophy boyfriends" hanging from one's well-moisturized elbow, the world of wrestling provides a refreshing world of exaggerated masculinity where "real men" prove their "toughness" by beating up or physically overpowering their opponents.

Viewed as a form of "erotic ritualistic fight", wrestling offers gay men who love to roughhouse a channel for physical and often sexual expression. For the victor, there is the animalistic pleasure of defeating one's opponent physically and crashing his fighting spirit. For the loser, there is also, conversely (or perversely), the pleasure of having to submit to a stronger opponent and then forced to take it like a man.

It is therefore not surprising that quite a number of gay men actually experienced their first sexual awakening when engaging in play-struggle or rolling around the bed/mat/floor etc. with another male (straight, bisexual or gay). Whether in school, at the army bunk, at the beach or in the confines of one's bedroom, it has now become almost commonplace for gay men to engage in some form of grappling or wrestling in the name of fun and/or foreplay leading to sex.

And it's not only the gay men who do it. Have you ever noticed that even the most straight of guys are into play-wrestling mano-a-mano in the most public of places such as the poolside clad only in speedos?

So whatever your sexual orientation may be, there's simply no denying that close body contact between males would always be more stimulating than even a Viagra tasting session at Playboy Mansion - although any "straight" guy would rather throw himself in front of a truck than ever admit to that.