In honor of yesterday’s post featuring Alberto Del Rio’s tap-dance all over Ziggler’s head, here are some classic Face Kick photos from my archives. It appears that punting your opponent’s head into the third row like it’s a football on a tee is nothing new in professional wrestling. It also makes for a compelling image of violence and cruelty.
Big Van Vader was a massive heel, which gives him a ton of weight behind his kicks to this kneeling pretty-boy’s face. It’s just so wrong to put this little jobber in the ring against such a huge, hungry beast — the promoter must have a sadistic streak (my favorite kind of promoter…)
Samoa Joe offers a more modern take on the heavyweight ass-kicker. He loves to put all his body-mass into his stunning boots to the face. And if the victim’s face is slammed into the fence at ringside, well that’s even better. 
Chris Hero — now known as “Kassius Ohno” on the WWE development circuit — has always had a mean streak. His gear has changed (for the better) but his desire to drive his boot into a helpless victim’s face is as powerful now as it was then.
We can always count on Hero (or Ohno) to deliver the violence in his matches — the sadistic, exciting kind of violence.
Bruiser Brody portrayed the raging lunatic, injecting that element of unpredictable danger that makes pro wrestling exciting. He had no qualms about driving the heel of his big furry boot into some punk’s skull — which is why we loved (or respected? or lusted after?) the Bruiser.
This magazine promises to show us Brody in a brawl, a Steel Cage Match, a war, a rebel, the Von Erich Brothers, and muscles. Nice!