Gut Punishment: Grappling with Growing Popularity

If you've had any exposure to the online underground wrestling space in the last year or so, you may have noticed one particular move gain a lot of traction lately—gut punishment. Here I aim to discuss the art, briefly dipping into history and breadth of content available online.

A Brief History

As I'm sure many male-adoring readers will be aware, fascination with the muscular male form has been around for millennia. From the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, humans have been captivated by muscles.

Discobolus (disc-thrower). Interior from an Attic red figure cup, ca. 490 BC. On display at the Louvre.

Many gods and idols from many cultures long past are often seen with bulging muscles, both in old and new media. This is especially prominent with the more recent depictions of ancient Greek figures such as Hercules.

Hercules and Cerberus statue, by Antonin Pavel Wagner (1834-1895), Michaelertor, Hofburg Palace, Vienna

It's of course worth noting that appreciation of the male form goes far beyond hard muscles. Men of all shapes and sizes are worthy of adoration. Body positivity is an important part of human history, not the forceful, modern arm of inclusivity and wokeness some people would have you believe. Obesity itself was seen as a symbol of prosperity and wealth in 17th century Europe, for example. I'm reaching beyond the bounds of this topic, but I want to make it known that there is no answer to what is attractive and what is not. There is far too much nuance for that kind of question to be sufficiently covered. What's important is that people are happy and healthy, and this is very much achievable regardless of what your body looks like.

Masochism, the other half of this elaborate coin, has a similarly long history that has its roots in the origins of culture itself. The larger umbrella of BDSM is seen throughout time. Depictions of whipping as a form of sexual gratification are noted in a 5th century BC Etruscan tomb dedicated to the practice. Many of the examples found in pre-20th century art display flogging, which involves repetitive strikes, usually involving a whip or stick.

Wrestling itself has rich origins dating back even further. It has been known that oil wrestling has been practiced for over 4,500 years in Thrace and the Balkans. As fetish culture has evolved in the age of the internet, many of these interests and practices mix. The consensual give and take of pain, both in and out of the context of combat, has been on a fascinating rise in popularity of late.

Why Now?

Any amount of time browsing various underground wrestling websites nowadays will have you come across a huge variety of content. From body types to wrestling rules, you can find almost any combination of things. Something I've taken noticed recently is the near-overwhelming presence of gut punishment content. With its origins in BDSM and male appreciation, not many instances of gut punishment videos are seen with little to no wrestling content whatsoever. It feels reminiscent of the gay porn 'wrestling' videos which feature two guys in singlets rolling around for two minutes, only to spend the rest of the thirty minutes ditching the gear and fucking each other. There's nothing wrong with that of course. You won't find me kink-shaming on this blog, but that kind of video rarely appeals to me.

I don't have access to sales figures or porn site search metrics, but I have definitely noticed a surge in gut punishment content as of late. Of the 15,000+ videos found on Watchfighters, almost 20% of them are categorized as gut punching. Of the site's numerous categories, it is the third largest after pro wrestling and grappling, respectively. 

I should note that I also don't have X (formerly known as Twitter), but I'm sure there is a bustling community of gut punishment enthusiasts on there.

"Bruno forced labour and gutpunch in quarry" by ABS ART, via Watchfighters

One of the main reasons, I believe, for the rise in gut punishment content is due to the ABS ART channel on Watchfighters. By their own description they produce "muscle and abs fetish content". They are hugely popular, amassing many hundreds of views for their videos, which are of a high production quality and feature a variety of muscular actors. They even produce custom videos, and appear to be one of the most prolific creators of bespoke content on Watchfighters. There are currently 54 reviews of their custom work on the site, doubling the next most reviewed producer of customs. The above image is from one of the many customs they have produced in their time on the site.

ABS ART displays the range in gut punishment content I mentioned previously. There's grappling content which features gut punching as the loser's punishment, to unapologetic gut torture. Personally, I am a fan of their more wrestling-focused content, but as you can see there is a range of videos to whet your appetite. Much like their name suggests, they have refined the appreciation of abs into an art form.

One other creator whom I think has played a big part in the rise in popularity of gut punishment content is Ash Deleon. Finding much fame on BG East in recent years, much of what I've seen from Ash's content has been a celebration of gut punishment. Both the content he produces himself and the products he stars in for BG East, you can expect to find varying levels of gut punishment. As a content creator in his own right, he often collaborates with other well-known creators and tends to focus more on kinky content. It displays a love for the art that isn't typically conveyed in the works of others aiming to capitalize on gut punishment's popularity. I can't blame them, of course, and I am in no position to gatekeep. I'm sure with time an appreciation for the act will come to fruition. 

"Wolfboy's Nightmare" by Ash Deleon and John Wolfboy, via Watchfighers

An Interview with Ash

When asking for permission to use the above picture Ash was very kind in answering a few of my other questions about his love for the kink and what he thinks of its popularity. It was a great opportunity to pick at the brain of someone who epitomizes the appreciation for gut punishment so well. Here's what he had to say along with some of my own reflections in italics:

1. What initially attracted you to gut punishment?

So gutpunching has been my oldest kink, it began way back when I became attracted to men, and the body part I was most attracted to was the abs. But underneath that what I wanted to do to the abs the most was punch them. Why? I am not sure but it just excited me. So I would do it everytime I roughoused with my friends and I'd also go for the body punches. Especially my friends who had great abs to punch! (Good times 🤤)

I'm sure most of us can reminisce about the foundations of our interests in men and wrestling as a whole. It's really interesting to see how specific interests for different people can arise from such a common attraction. I know a lot of you can relate to seeing the abs of the models on boxes of underwear. 

      2. When giving punishment, do you prefer using your fists or other tools?

100% I prefer my fists! I don't mind using my elbows, knees, trampling, hell even my head! But bottom line it's the gut PUNCHING that does it the most for me!

The fist is could be considered humanity's most primal, intimate weapon. Here Ash echoes some of the sentiments I made earlier in this post about how gut punishment is a natural product of human culture. That being said, I love the idea of someone gut bashing with their head! I can't say I've seen any of that around.

      3. On a more personal note, what do you get out of gut punishment?

Specifically, the kind of power I get when I make a guy double over from a gutpunch is the most satisfying moment. Like, a different level of dominating. Especially when the guy has a strong set of abs that I have broken. Like, I enjoy ballbusting a guy but it's MUCH easier to bring a guy to his knees from that. As oppose to gutpunching where it's a fun/hot challenge! I love the sensation where his head leans on my shoulder and/or chest when I am slugging his gut with my uppercuts. Nothing like it! I think for wrestling fans, Brooklyn Bodywrecker explained it very well in his match on BG East vs Ricky Martinez. There was a gutpunching segment and I LOVED his speech about it while he gutpunched those sexy abs 🤤

BG East's Wrestleshack 5 isn't one I've had the pleasure of watching, but it now firmly sits near the top of my 'To Watch' list after reading Ash's response. The comparison between gut punching and ballbusting is an interesting one. It doesn't take experience to know that ballbusting is an easier way of taking a guy down, so describing gut punching as more of a challenge sheds some light on its popularity as a combat-focused kink.

     4. What do you make of gut punishment's rise in popularity as of late?

I have noticed that the gutpunching community has grown more and more. For the most part, for better in my opinion. While we each have our tastes regarding this form of punishment (some people like naval torture, trampling only, pro style gutpunching etc) I have my own which is I like real, but sensual gutpunching. Do I love a human punching bag? YES! Do I like seeing a guy JUST treat a gut like a boxing bag? Not as much, if I wanted to do that I'd stick to my boxing classes haha. I need some type of eroticism in it for me to really enjoy the experience!

It's great to see Ash reflecting on the nuances within the subculture. I hadn't even considered trampling when drafting this post initially, which goes to show that there is always more to learn. His preference for the more sensual, visceral ab bashing, and touching on the subject of objectification of the sub in these scenarios, further emphasizes the variety of gut punishment content out there.

     5. Are there any creators/studios you feel have helped this surge?

Recently I'd say BG East (yes I may be biased) because they allow me to film the gutbashes I WANT to film. While other companies put up these "gutbashes" with punches that are lighter then when I threw in my rough housing days. Just doesn't do it for me. Muscle Boy had some hot ones especially since Jesse Zane really likes to be worked over 😈 (he's on my hit list). I also have noticed more content creators, like AbsArt. Beautiful guys, I wish I could be one of their punchers sometime but I'd have to travel pretty far to get to them lol. But I enjoy their videos quite a bit! Aside from them there are plenty of creators on Watchfighters that have been putting out hot GP content in recent time! I can only hope this continues, but more so that I can collab with many of these hot punchees around the world!

Ash's mention of BG East, Muscle Boy Wrestling, and ABS ART illustrates the genre's currently landscape. It's nice to see that companies are willing to let the stars of their productions dictate a lot of the content in them. Here Ash mirrors his earlier thoughts about how real, intimate gut bashing is much more of a turn-on than some other companies who prefer to display the muscle. Different strokes for different folks, of course. As a side note, I would love to see Ash and Jesse throw down on a mat. I'm now also imagining Ash gut punching ABS ART's Armin or Patrick. What a picture!

Many thanks to Ash for sharing his insight into the world of gut punishment and delving more personally into his specific interests (and wants).

Concluding Thoughts

There are many factors which contribute to the popularity of gut punishment. With its foundation based in the appreciation of the male figure, its BDSM-inspired origins, and its integration with wrestling in all of its forms, gut punishment has evolved into its own large and thriving community. The age of the internet has only further established its popularity among enthusiasts of BDSM and wrestling alike.

As Ash touched on previously, the integration of gut punishment in popular underground wrestling media such as BG East has always kept it relevant. Even more recently established studios such as Muscle Boy Wrestling have picked up on the kink. It's difficult to truly pin down exactly why it has become so popular lately, but I believe the fetish-focused content produced by ABS ART and people like Ash have really driven gut punishment into the spotlight over the last couple of years. 

The future is, of course, uncertain. As we navigate this world, it's important to remember that appreciation of the human body in all its various shapes and sizes is important. The queer community is an excellent example of the beauty of diversity. Whether you're a gut punching enthusiast, casual enjoyer, or just curious, there is something to appreciate about the art.

After all, beauty is in the eye (or closed fist) of the beholder.