#bobby shane

[goodtimesgreatmemories]

Bearcat Wright and Bobby Shane defeated Bob Roop and Jack Brisco to retain the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship. (CWF 3/21/1972)

[suspiciousbehaviorproductions]

[vintageprofessionalwrestling]

[wrestlingarsenal]

The Assassins are covered from head to toe in spandex, blocking our gaze from accessing their faces or bodies -- preventing us from relating to them as fellow vulnerable humans.

Instead our gaze is drawn to the shirtless young Babyfaces, their bare flesh on brightly-lit display, their bodies exposed to potential violence in little more than tight underwear.

Nice manly physiques on these young up-and-comers -- this is how Real Men were supposed to look in the 1960s and 70s. I'm sure when the suffering begins, the crowd will fall head over heels in love with these eager yet doomed warriors.

[wrestlingarsenal]

Back in Nov. 2023, I blogged about a short story describing Bobby Shane's suffering and sex appeal. The story, by journalist Phillip Martin, is titled: "Before Bobby Shane Grew a Mustache and Became Evil." I've had a Man Crush for young Bobby Shane ever since I read the story (he was slightly before my time so I didn't develop a crush on him until now.)

The story brought up plenty of memories of my own restless, horny days as a youngster, getting worked up by pro wrestling on TV on many a Saturday afternoon, yearning to see my favorite Pretty Boys in the ring getting stretched, kicked, and nerve-pinched.

[wrestlingarsenal]

TLDR - I recap a poignant short story posted in 2000 which describes seeing beautiful young Bobby Shane rassle on TV back in the homophobic 1970s.

Bobby Shane would later morph into a cocky, flamboyant bleached-blond Heel like Ric Flair or Gorgeous George. However, he began his career as a fresh young pretty boy that made all the young gays swoon. I recently stumbled across a provocative short story that references him.

The author recalls being 10 years old, watching wrestling on TV with his redneck uncles down in Georgia: Ray age 19 and Kent age 25. Uncle Kent apparently had a man-crush on babyface Bobby Shane, who was suffering on TV that night. The author notes that Kent "truly did love Bobby Shane—in fact ached blue for him." (I know that feeling.)

In the match, Bobby takes a beating from an aggressive Black heel performing the old jungle savage gimmick. I'm guessing it looked something like this:

That's when homophobic Uncle Ray begins to taunt Uncle Kent for being queer for young Bobby Shane, which pisses Kent off because, back then, it was considered despicable and unmanly to be aroused by other men, including pro wrestlers if you can believe that. (I mean, we're SUPPOSED to be turned on by pro wrestlers, that's the whole POINT of pro wrestling. Am I right?! And who the hell WOULDN'T be attracted to young Bobby Shane?? But in the 70's, you had to keep that queer shit on the Down Low as I recall.)

Anyway, witnessing the grappling on TV becomes too stimulating and the Drunken Uncles tag team suddenly wanted to dominate someone (hey, I get it!) So they begin to roughhouse their little nephew, giving him Indian Burns and Red Bellies, all that grab-ass shit that young men do. And then it all goes downhill from there.

Anyway there is a lot more angst and regret to the story, but this scene just felt familiar to me as a horn-dog for wrestling who grew up around the same era. I can recall the hopeless yearning for the handsome Babyface in peril (mixed with vehement denials of any queer feelings); that tawdry and violent 1970s Rasslin on TV, holding everyone's rapt attention in case something hot should happen; those horny cravings to grapple somebody triggered by watching shirtless men on TV going at it; the sloppy rough-housing on the couch or floor, knocking over lamps while giving zero shits. Been there, done that, bought the skimpy briefs.

Trigger warnings: the original story contains homophobic, racist, and ableist slurs (including the N word and R word - which is how many people talked during the 1970s when this story takes place) and descriptions of violence. I do not condone the crude language, I do not condone frightening children or making them cry - I just felt the wrestling scene sounded familiar.

The story was posted in 2000 to the Arkansas Literary Forum, an early and short-lived attempt to use the Internet for intelligent discourse rather than just porn, gossip, and fake news (we were still idealistic 23 years ago -- it hurts me to remember how earnest we were.) The story was written by journalist Phillip Martin and is titled, "Before Bobby Shane Grew a Mustache and Became Evil."

[vintageprofessionalwrestling]

The Shiek, Ivan Koloff, Dirty Dusty Rhodes, Pampero Firpo, Bobby Shane

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

U.F.O.A Assorted Wrestlers: Bobby Shane