Yesterday in my article about Randy Orton, I mentioned how I used to get all excited when they’d announce the matches coming up later in a wrestling program — especially if a match sounded hot and homo-erotic, such as “Terry Taylor battling the One Man Gang.”
Well there is a reason I made that very specific but seemingly random reference. Someone had just posted a classic video to YouTube featuring Taylor vs. the One Man Gang that I’d been obsessing over for a day or two. So I’ve decided to write up a recap of this classic Pretty Face vs. Monster Heel match and discuss why I got off on it.
Taylor is the epitome of the 80’s Heart-throb pretty-boy Baby-Face in his powder blue trunks and satiny ring jacket. And that long blond hair flowing down to his shoulders just adds to his beauty and sex appeal. I suspect that a lot of dudes were attracted to TT judging from comments I got the last time I blogged about him.
Taylor’s opponent is the One Man Gang, the big biker-dude in all black clothing and mean looking mohawk.
But “One Man Gang” is actually part of a larger gang — Devastation Incorporated. The Sheik in the ring is the leader of this band of thugs who love to attack and beat up all the sexy, popular young wrestlers like Mr. Taylor. Poor Terry is totally over-whelmed and in danger!
Every good boy neatly folds his belt.
(Mr. Taylor: if you’re reading this article and you still have these trunks, I want them. Name your price.)
Terry disrobes and removes his golden belt, making him the most naked man in the room. His opponent, the ref, the audience — everyone else is fully clothed.
The One Man Gang is too wide for Terry to wrap his arms around.
We see Terry’s massive opponent in a black shirt and pants, blending him into the dark background. This serves to focus our attention on Terry’s bare flesh, his tan skin contrasting nicely with the pale fabric of his trunks. He might as well be wearing a sign that says: “Stare at my body. Go ahead — men, women, get a good look, I don’t mind.”
That’s why I love Taylor — he can sell, sell, sell.
It’s rare to see a big brute like OMG using the Arm-Bar — this is more of a Baby-Face hold. But Taylor sells it as the worst blinding pain of his life which makes it work.
Taylor has a moment with the ref who keeps getting in his face. I think Taylor screamed at the horny creep to get away from him while he’s suffering.
Taylor reverses the Arm-Bar and we see that he is being watched closely by the other men in the arena, not only by the over-attentive referee, but also by that evil Sheik and all his henchmen outside the ring. Basically all eyes and all attention are riveted on Terry Taylor, presenting him and his pain (and his nearly naked body) as the most fascinating object of interest in the building.
Some Fat Man’s Offense wastes the vulnerable lad.
Rather than fading in shame from the relentless male gazes, rather than hiding and covering up, Taylor draws everyone’s attention even more. He craves it! He over-emphasizes his pain and suffering, sprawling on the canvas, laying still so we can savor him with our eyes. He wants to be the center of our attention and he actively works to get us to stare at him even more.
Terry jumps on OMG’s back, wrapping his bare arm around the big man’s throat to destroy him with a Sleeperhold. Again we see the classic pro wrestling contrast between Clothed and Naked, Terry’s shirtless skin and bare legs in contact with the voluminous black fabric covering OMG’s hefty bulk.
This is a guaranteed boner — put that big mean fucker right to sleep, Terry!
That’s what you get for trying to Man Up, sissy.
But the Sheik will not allow this blond American pretty-boy to embarrass a member of Devastation Inc. He orders his henchmen to attack and several big, fully-clothed brutes begin to stomp him. Terry remains the center of their attention as they now focus on hurting him rather than just staring at him.
The Shiek has some phallic weapon to dick-slap Terry with!
The ref is prevented from coming to Terry’s aid — tossed out of the ring like a sack of potatoes. The crowd is going insane as the gang-bang heats up.
Check out that vicious foreign Sheik, striking Taylor in the forehead! He actually has some black weapon he pulled from under his robes — it looks like a dildo.
Again the Sheik drills Taylor with his Forehead-Buster!
Fuck — this is getting exciting as blood now gushes from Taylor’s forehead! The minions hold his arm back so the damn Sheik can repeatedly drill our American boy in the face! Won’t anybody rescue this cute kid!?
I used to love brutal, sleazy, raunchy pro wrestling like this. Oh the cruel, cruel things they did to the good looking guys back then!
Now the spectacular blond becomes the center of his fellow wrestlers’ attention as they rescue him, minister to his injuries, and help him limp out of the ring. The rescuers wisely remembered to wear black tank-tops to not risk drawing our gaze away from Taylor’s shirtless bod.
I enjoyed Taylor’s matches, he might not have the amazing body of Paul Roma & Tom Zenk, but seeing his pretty body getting a pounding in the ring was very enjoyable to watch!!
Terry Taylor was like Jacques Rougeau & Tito Santana, not the most muscular but still hot.
Always a pleasure to see Terry Taylor getting such a brutal punishment. What I like about him is that, despite his cocky attitude and face/heel pose, he was -as you prefectly described him once- a jobber at heart, and that reflects in his matches against the big bullies.
….when he removes the belt, no-one’s looking at the belt; everyone’s staring at the bulge in those baby blue trunks.
I sure like the bodies and the skimpier trunks of today’s wrestlers. But, Terry was hot until the sad Red Rooster days.