Here is a classic match from Japan in the 1970’s which follows the usual script for matches from Japan in the 1970’s: The local hero, a handsome, humble Japanese lad, must battle a cruel, freakish foreign son-of-a-bitch, in this case the Mexican luchador, Canek. You can view part 1 and part 2 of this match on YouTube.
Wow, Tatsumi Fujinami was buff as a youngster — damn! Check out those shoulders. He wears simple, plain black trunks to convey his humility and humble unassuming attitude.
Canek, on the other hand, is a beefy dude in a shiny gold mask. He wears long red tights with gold knee-pads. More about those later…
I’ve featured matches like this before from Japan because the politics and the psychology just seem to trip my trigger. The obvious fan-favorite, the fit young Japanese lad, always gains an early advantage thanks to his prowess and dexterity. In this case, Fujinami applies a showy Flying Headscissor into an ass-clenching Headscissor.
Soon, due to treachery or brutality, the tables will be turned and the Foreign Dickhead will begin to dish out sadistic punishment. This scene played off the xenophobia of the Japanese people. Maybe the long, painful beating inflicted by the foreigner is a metaphor for Japan’s struggles after World-War II. The audience gets all angry and frustrated at their hero’s inability to defend himself, which always gives me wood.
One enjoyable aspect of this match is the emphasis on Canek’s legs in those beautiful red tights. He clamps on a crushing scissor of his own, then entangles Fujinami’s arms between his legs in a rare Arm Scissor. The bright red fabric and those shiny gold boots command our attention on Canek’s thick hamstrings and bulging calf muscles.
Canek also uses plenty of knee strikes, including a big Ball-Buster late in the match and some stiff knee-drops to Fujinami’s lower leg. This further emphasizes the Power of the Tights. The viewer gets the impression that Canek (who looks like a super-hero anyway) is wearing magic pants, which imbue his legs with the strength of ten men. His gold boots are also deemed to be powerful in our thoughts because of their shiny, reflective qualities.
As if his magic red tights and goony mask are not enough to intimidate poor young Fujinami, Canek also bites the kid’s fingers!
He grips the hand as if they’re arm wrestling (his legs still entangled around the upper arm to maintain his advantage), then he inserts the fingers to his mouth to taste his victim. The fans are thinking: What a BEAST!
Fujinami is thrown out of the ring at one point, then big Canek pounces down on him and really wipes him out on the floor. I don’t think the fan favorite appreciated the rough stuff, especially on his home turf, so he wants a measure of revenge. The action then gets bitchy when an angry Fujinami rips open Canek’s gorgeous mask and, I think, bloodies his face.
To show Fujinami how it feels to be stripped of clothing, Canek later unlaces and yanks off the helpless kid’s boot and sock! Shits getting kinky now! That is a rare and sexy offense: to strip your opponent’s shoe off. Now the young man’s ankle is exposed, wrapped in tape and looking injured and vulnerable. Canek then drops his knees onto that naked ankle (apparently more prone to injury now that the protective boot has been removed.)
This is where my interest in the match ends — with the Baby-Face’s foot exposed and the masked heel utterly brutalizing him.
I won’t tell you how the fight ends, but if you’ve watched any classic Japanese wrestling ever, you probably already know how it ends. Or you can catch Part 1 and Part 2 of this fun match on YouTube.