Let’s continue the review of Tiger Mask Episode 101: The Defeat of Ken. We last saw Ken in the ring against the dreaded and powerful Great Tiger as his friend, Tiger Mask, was watching anxiously at ringside. As the match wears on, the Great Tiger grows increasingly brutal and sadistic. The violence is over-the-top — the pain inflicted on poor Ken is inhuman. I’m not sure if they have ratings in Japan, but I wonder what this violent cartoon would be rated if shown now-a-days here in the U.S.?
Ken’s face is bloodied after multiple slams, kicks, punches, and spikes into the corner, and he’s generally flipped and tossed all around the ring by the dominant wrestler. Ken is really quite pathetic, the most helpless jobber. The match is an absolute squash job, worse than anything Tommy Angel, or Randy Barber, or even the Mulkey Brothers had to suffer.
The sadistic Tiger focuses on Ken’s legs, bashing them into the corner posts until they’re bloodied and injured. The artists focus their attention on legs in this match, treating us to views of Ken’s white flesh with shocking red blood running down. Then, juxtaposed with Ken’s battered, destroyed legs, we see the Great Tiger’s powerful legs, erect and muscular, first straddling Ken’s dazed face, then standing over Tiger Mask who gazes upward submissively.
The level of violence is highly exaggerated to convey the dramatic danger and destruction of Ken. The Great Tiger doesn’t just drop a knee on Ken — first he flies about 3 stories in the air and then drops a knee on Ken. Blood gushes and spews out of Ken and splashes all over in red ribbons. And the Great Tiger doesn’t just strike once — he relentless pounds Ken repeatedly like he’s beating the dust out of a rug.
I appreciate that this match portrays some of the good old moves we enjoy from the classic days of pro wrestling. The cartoonists clearly watch wrestling and know how a match flows. Ken is Irish Whipped into the ropes and flipped as he bounces off. Then his eyes are dragged across the top rope, which is a classic Bad Guy move intended to blind the victim so he can’t defend himself. Of course for poor Ken, his face is dragged around on the ropes for a couple miles at least, and his eyes begin to bleed trickles of blood like sad tears.
When an artist depicts pro wrestling, you can tell in the little details if he really “gets” pro wrestling and watches it all the time — and whoever created Tiger Mask and mapped out the action for Ken’s humiliating beating certainly is into wrestling big time.
You can view Part 1 and Part 2 of this match on YouTube.
IT IS VERY SAD THAT REAL WRESTLING HAS VERY LITTLE VIOLENCE. THE DESTRUCTION OF KEN SHOULD BE A EXAMPLE AND A GUIDE TO REAL WRESTLING