In Episode 4 of Tiger Mask W, we learn that a Super Heel named “Red Death Mask” has been sent to destroy Tiger Mask. Dressed in a kinky jester costume and wearing black lipstick, the mysterious freak presents both masculine and feminine qualities.
Before facing Tiger Mask, the new villain is booked in a preliminary bout to show off his prowess. His opponent will be our favorite Muscle Jobber in the Tiger Mask universe: cute young Ryu Wakamatsu.
Wakamatsu is the Tommy Angel or Tim Horner of the Tiger Mask universe. He is buff, young, attractive and eager, yet weak and ineffective. Total jobber Eye Candy, he is just as handsome as Tiger Mask, but opposite because he always gets his ass kicked. He is doomed against Red Death Mask!
After Wakamatsu’s Elbow Strikes fail to inflict any damage, the masked man catches the jobber’s temples in his grip. Time for the old Von Erich Iron Claw!
The scene gets highly erotic as the creature in red slowly, relentlessly tightens his iron grip, like a boa constrictor calmly, deliberately choking the life out of a trapped rodent. The crowd falls silent and it sounds like someone trying to pop a balloon as his probing fingers sink in deeper and deeper. Wakamatsu experiences those “sharp pains and sudden dizziness.”
The stiff, probing fingers penetrate the victim’s face.
With a cold, forensic expression, the Red Death Mask tightens his grip, his fingers sinking in deep. Like a bug in a spider’s web, the young man has no escape — trapped on his knees at the torturer’s mercy. Am I the only viewer of this cartoon picking up on the homo-eroticism of this scene as those stiff fingers penetrate Wakamatsu’s flesh?
As the clawing continues for several wonderful minutes, we see Tiger Mask at ringside, watching this relentless torture and knowing he will be the next young victim to be thrown in the ring with this clawing beast.
They used this Hero Watches the Torture trope often in the classic Tiger Mask cartoon — Naoto watching his boy Ken get beaten, or watching his enemy hurt some jobber.
The situation evokes a sense of voyeurism, the viewer turning his male gaze on the men in the ring, anticipating his own participation in the man-on-man action. Our take-away is that it’s OK and normal to watch wrestling and enjoy it.
The hottest Iron Claws are when they draw blood!
The scene fades to red as the heartless Heel sinks his grip in tighter, busting open the Baby-face’s forehead. I guess this level of graphic violence is appropriate for a children’s cartoon.
The Iron Claw is fetishized by the artists, presented as a deadly, sexy, powerful move from which there is no escape.
This is an interesting choice of submission hold for the Heel to use in this modern day cartoon because it’s a classic and campy move not seen in today’s high-flying, dangerous, high-energy wrestling ring. Maybe (hopefully) this cartoon will breathe new life into this old favorite and we’ll see The Iron Claw used much more frequently, perhaps after the youngsters watching (and getting turned on by) this Tiger Mask W cartoon begin their own wrestling careers.
The Claw is also an interesting choice to feature in a children’s cartoon because this unusual torture hold is known to evoke feelings of excitement and arousal. For example, one of my loyal readers paid me to create galleries featuring claw holds from the 1960’s and 70’s, telling me that this hold “gets him every time“. I’ve written several times about the kinkiness and erotic tone of the Claw: Fritz von Erich making his victims bleed; Lord Tensai putting pretty-boy Alex Riley to sleep; muscular Paul Orndorf rendered weak and helpless by the claw; David von Erich trading sexy claws and sleepers with the Spoiler. The transfer of power, the victim’s utter submissiveness, the intimacy of facial contact, the absolute control, the weakening effect are all very arousing, yet they feature it in this mainstream cartoon for youngsters.
Poor Wakamatsu fades off to sleep.
In this dramatic moment, we see the Red Mask’s arm — stiff and straight as a hard cock — contrasted with pathetic Wakamatu’s arms falling limp as he looses his grip and fades off to sleep.
If you didn’t get off on Claw Holds before you saw this cartoon, you sure will after witnessing Wakamatsu’s destruction!
Damn, the Red Mask looks swole and turgid as his arm is raised in victory, implying that he was pumped up by his application of that torture hold.
Wakamatsu is pictured motionless with his eyes rolled back and mouth open as if he’s dead. This episode made several references to death — even calling the Heel’s claw hold the “Red Death Claw.” I think the artists are using death as a metaphor for orgasm.
But don’t worry young wrestling fans — Wakamatsu was not killed. He is like Kenny on South Park — he will be back in later episodes. In fact, in Episode 6 he wrestles a very sexy trunks and boots match which I will be writing about.
Our thoughts now turn to our hero Tiger Mask. How will he fare against this gender-bending, cold-blooded, black-lipped jester? Can our Tiger Mask survive the face crushing Red Death Claw?? Stay tuned wrestling fans!
To Be Continued…