I recently found a couple of Tumblr sites dedicated to the nasty, bloody, violent side of pro wrestling. If you’re into wrestlers “busted open” and wearing the dreaded “crimson mask,” (and I must admit, that violent shit sometimes trips my trigger) then you’ll want to follow these Tumblrs. All images in today’s article were swiped from these two sites.
Be warned though, these gory photos are not for the squeamish. For this article, I actually culled some of the less sickening, more arousing images, but there is a lot more garish gore and shocking bloodshed where these come from. As they used to say before the raunchy, rowdy rasslin’ programs from the 1970’s and 80’s: “Viewer discretion is advised.”
The first Tumblr site is called “Red Equals Green, Brother” and it’s located at the interesting URL: http://the-crimson-mask.tumblr.com/.
The name of this site refers to an old saying among wrestlers and promoters that implied the fans get off on blood, so if you give them plenty of “red” in your matches, they will buy more tickets to the show so you can put “green” in your pocket.
Nowadays, graphic violence and buckets of blood spilled in the ring are rarely seen in the big, popular federations in favor of a sexier, slicker, prettier product.. So instead of “red equals green,” I think the modern maxim is: “skin to win.”
Japanese federations imported many aspects of American wrestling, including the blood.
The second Tumblr, and the one I just discovered, is called “Blood on the Mat.” This site also provides plenty of images and video links featuring busted, bloodied wrestlers from the modern age and yesteryear, as well as scenes from the crazy Death Matches involving glass tubes, fire, thumb-tacks, etc.
Most of that ultra-extreme hyper-brutal “wrestling” is too over-the-top for my tastes. But show me a handsome Old-School brawler with a cut above his eye, a trickle of red running down his cheek and splashing onto to his bare chest, his bloodlust inspiring him to savagely gnaw on his opponent’s forehead, and yes, I will admit to having a possible sadistic streak which I probably wouldn’t talk about in polite company.
Brody and Funk were two of the innovators of blading and bleeding. They just seemed to naturally understand how to turn on their audience.
Perhaps this sick, sadistic aspect of pro wrestling is not for you — I get that. I wonder myself sometimes why I seem to be drawn to it. Maybe that part of my brain hasn’t evolved yet from when we lived in caves and ate raw mammoth.
But the nice thing about Tumblr, and about pro wrestling, is that there is something for everyone to enjoy. No matter your particular Hot Button, you’re sure to find material to get off on. And if you are into bright red Crimson Masks, have fun Tumbling.