When soap hunk and Daytime Emmy-winner Mike Manning responded to a fan challenge with two simple characters — “Ok… 😏” — he didn’t just accept the dare. He drop-kicked it into thirst trap history.
It all started on X (formerly Twitter, but still definitely where bad decisions are made), when a user threw down the gauntlet:
“Hey @mike_manning_ I challenge you to take that 👕 off and pose like a professional wrestler 🤼 let’s see what you got! #poselikeyourfavoritewrestler.”
Manning, never one to back down from a cheeky request — or an opportunity to showcase the results of what we assume is a diet made exclusively of boiled chicken and gym selfies — simply replied:
“Ok… 😏”
Cut to a few days later, when Manning detonated Instagram with a photo shoot that could melt ring ropes. Clad in little more than attitude and abs, he struck a pose straight out of the Randy Orton playbook, captioning it:
“Did I understand the assignment? 🤼 #WWE#wrestling#gym#workout#gains@wwe@wwe_on_netflix”
Understand it? Babe, he graded it, lectured on it, and then gave it extra credit.
Manning has come a long way since his breakout on The Real World: D.C. in 2009. Fans of the actor know him as Charlie Dean from Days of Our Lives, and more recently as Bradley Smith, the bisexual heartbreaker with a conscience (and killer biceps) on Beyond the Gates, daytime’s groundbreaking new soap. That show, by the way, is making television history as the first-ever Black-led hour-long daytime soap, co-produced by CBS Studios and the NAACP.
And speaking of Beyond the Gates — while the residents of its fictional, pristine Maryland suburb are hiding juicy secrets behind ivy-covered gates, Manning is out here breaking down every wall (especially the fourth one, with his IG thirst) and letting it all hang out… respectfully.
But don’t let the protein shakes and sweat fool you. Mike’s not just a pretty face with wrestler pecs. The man has produced credits on The Passion Project, Youthful Daze, and The Bay — proving he’s just as comfortable calling the shots behind the camera as he is causing chaos in front of it. (Multitalented and shirtless? Choose a struggle, Mike.)
In a world where queer audiences have often had to squint at subtext and crumbs of representation, Manning’s presence — as both an LGBTQ+ advocate and actor who’s never shied away from queer roles — is the main course. His unapologetic openness, both professionally and personally, is a breath of fresh air in an industry that often prefers its stars perfectly closeted.
So when a fan jokingly asked him to “pose like your favorite wrestler,” he didn’t just flex. He gave us something else to believe in: the power of play, the joy of visibility, and the absolute gift of a man who knows the internet is for the gays — and acts accordingly.
Beyond the Gates airs weekdays at 2 PM ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+. But if you’re just here for thirsty content, you might want to set your notifications to “on” for @mike_manning_.
Got a favorite Manning moment or another soap star who gets your pulse racing?