Gallery 205
Classic Abdominal Stretch

 


Back when Pro Rasslin was brutal and hot, you would often see the brawlers getting bloody and torturing each other in deadly submission holds like the Ab Stretch.  Both these studs are busted open, but the man in control is relaxed as he casually stretches his opponent's guts out.


 
 
 

Here is Harley Race torturing Superstar Graham in a wild match from the good old days of Wrestling. Superstar's face is covered in blood as he screams in agony from having his spine bent and twisted!

Now the tables are turned and big Harley Race learns how it feels to have your internal organs stretched thanks to Bob Backlund.  That thick manly body looks great bent over and stretched to the limit in those skimpy briefs.

Not so fast, Backlund! Now the Iron Sheik slaps the Abdominal Stretch on Backlund, torturing the young American to show him how powerful and ruthless the Arabs can be.  The fans are outraged that the Sheik is dominating and humiliating their helpless hero.  They scream for Backlund to break free and punish this foreigner before his back is broken.



 

A very hot masked man locks this stud in the "Chinese Rack" variation, with the free leg lifted and pulled back for extra leverage.  According to the caption, he could easily break the man's back with this hold, and I believe it.

 
 

Slaughter looks especially brutal and vicious as he works over this young Native American brave.  He is really throwing his weight back to stretch out this young man's shoulder and rib cage.

 
  
I never knew JJ Dillon, who later managed the evil Four Horsemen, was a wrestler himself.  You can see that his sadistic nature was in place back then, as he punishes Mike Davis in the ab stretch.
 Check out the expression of fear on Dory Funk's face as he reaches desperately for the ropes.  His Japanese opponent uses a painful Asian variation of the Ab Stretch that no American can resist.


 
 

That's a young Don Muraco with thick long hair, torturing the beefy body of Dusty Rhodes.  Dusty's flabby body is no match for this powerful young stud.
This is Don Muraco later in his career, when he cut his hair shorter and beefed up his muscles.  He hooks one leg over the handsome young jobber's leg to lock him in place, and uses his awesome muscles to bend this kid into a painful position. The jobber is clearly in agony.

 
 
Poor Carlos Colon was finally able to put the big bald fella in an Abdominal Stretch, and the cheater's partner ran in the ring to elbow Colon and break the hold.  This is not fair!  Colon is an honest man, trying to wrestle fair and square, and the big bald guys are just ignoring the rules!
Baron Von Rashke is REALLY bent to the limit.  I don't think he will ever be able to straighten up again!  The Sheik does not care how badly he injures the helpless Baron, he continues to apply back breaking pressure to the man's spine.

 

Flair thought he would defeat Ricky Steamboat with his devastating Ab Stretch.  Instead the ref forces Flair to release the hold.  Either Flair cheated to get this locked on, or the ref likes Steamboat and doesn't want to see him suffer.

  
This time Ric Flair is the victim of the dreaded Abdominal Stretch, applied by studly Kerry Von Erich.  Check out Kerry's muscular torso and ripped abs!  Poor Flair does not have a chance against this power house, especially if Kerry slaps on that deadly claw hold.  Where do you think Von Erich will claw the helpless nature Boy's body?

Now Kerry gets to see how it feels to have your body twisted and stretched.  Can Kerry's rock hard midsection withstand the pressure being applied by this big fat bully?

 
  
Class is in session as this veteran shows the other wrestlers the finer points of this intricate hold.  The victim is forced to whimper and cry as all his buddies watch him suffer, but no one will rescue him.Check out the masked man with his arm around his young friend. They will be doing some ab stretching of their own later.