Appreciating Online Underground Wrestling

I wasn't sure how to start this post--the first of hopefully many on this blog. An authentic introduction to myself, thought processes, and general attitude feels like it should be prepared and worded carefully to have the highest impact. But then I realised that there isn't anything much more genuine a blogger can do other than word vomit and hope for the best.

My fascination with wrestling and 'gay awakening' first occurred in 2005 or 2006. I remember reading the Guinness Book of World Records with a shiny cover. After flicking through some cool and interesting records I eventually reached the small "Combat Sports" section. One particular image, featuring two muscular men covered in oil, caught my attention. I'm sure some of you may already know I'm speaking about the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Tournament.

It's an annual wrestling tournament that takes place near Edirne (formerly Adrianople), Turkey. The tournament is roughly a week long and is said to have started in the mid-14th century, making it the oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition in the world.

My appreciation of the sport didn't extend to its rich cultural roots, however. My young mind was infatuated with the idea of burly men grappling for dominance. Fast forward nearly a decade, after expanding my Google searches and trawling through pre-purge Tumblr, I discovered Naked Kombat. That was my first introduction to wrestling content meant for a queer audience. It was only then I realised what I actually was, a homosexual.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that as I made my way down the rabbit hole I came across companies like BG East and Can-Am. I've seen plenty of bloggers say these companies were their introduction to the world of underground erotic wrestling. Although they were established well before I was born, I am aware of how influential they were in shaping what has become a significant part of my queer identity.

Now there are many places I can satisfy my desire to watch men struggle against each other. Be it deliberately erotic or not, I'll admit that my appreciation for the art of wrestling was initially surface level. While I don't think I've fully come to appreciate the sport and its cultural significance, my understanding of the contest has come leaps and bounds. I believe one of the main reasons for all of that internal homophobia I harbored as a child was a result of objectifying men participating in the culturally significant sport of Turkish oil wrestling. It just felt weird. This was compounded by the fact that Kirkpinar has a reputation for repudiating non-Turkish entries. It's not meant to be viewed in that light. 

I'm having trouble putting my exact feelings on it into words now, perhaps there are still some things I need to work on, but it makes me grateful for the online wrestling community. Sites like Naked Kombat, UCW, and BG East provided content that was meant to be objectified. There's a strange comfort in that.

UCW's "Match 876: Kal Conner vs Anton Alvarez – Sleeper Match"

Sites like Watchfighters, OnlyFans, and JustForFans have given much more power to the creator. The rise in popularity of custom videos mean wrestling content is even more personalised than ever before. Just check out the number of customs produced on Watchfighters, Wrestlingmale, or UCW (under their "Lost Videos" collection). Of course, buying videos or commissioning customs costs money, but creators and studios alike deserve to be paid appropriately for their work.

There's a lot of nuance in wrestling. Some people prefer the demonstrative show of pro wrestling, others the more intimate bump and grind of grappling. There are even more niches within that like gut punching, muscle worship, squash matches, etc. Much more than I think any one person can really capture. That's where the beauty in diversity lies, and there isn't a much better place for diversity than the queer community. I don't have any set topics, but throughout the life of this blog I want to delve into the different aspects of gay wrestling, give reviews on matches, and discuss other relevant topics like 

I've never been an active participant in the community, be it through wrestling someone or even having a conversation, so consider this my hello to the online underground wrestling community at large. I'd like to step out of my box and be a part of something that has given me an opportunity to explore my queerness.

This has been an unexpectedly cathartic writing experience. Though I can't promise a thrilling or unique perspective take on the online wrestling space, compared to the numerous other blogs out there (all great reads, by the way), I hope this is another you might find interesting enough to add to your reading list.