Tiger Mask vs. The Outlaws, Part 1 of 2

Here is another great Tag Team match from the Tiger Mask anime series which was televised in Japan in the 1970s.  In Episode 49, Tiger Mask joined forces with a Japanese partner to battle a pair of cheating American “Outlaws” who dress as cowboys and wear pistols on their hips.

The phallic references are obvious as the dirty cowboys pull out their guns, pointing and threatening the other men with them.  One Outlaw’s guns spew liquid discharge onto the Good Guys’ faces, and the other Outlaw pistol-whips (dick slaps) Tiger Mask on the head.

To the viewer, this scene begs the question: why are these villains permitted to bring and use weapons against their unarmed, vulnerable opponents?  It always drove me crazy when cheaters brought weapons in the ring and the ref didn’t stop them.  This is the sort of unfair situation — the exploitation of the hero, the illegal advantage taken by the Heel team — that tends to raise the hackles and the excitement level of a young wrestling fan watching this outrageous scene of violence.

Tiger Mask is no willing jobber.  He soon asserts his dominance, beating down the Outlaw, pounding his pointed knees and elbows (which look phallic in their own right) into the other man’s body until he spews a gush of blood from his mouth.  Once he establishes his Alpha Male status, Tiger Mask tags in his partner, who was included in this match for one purpose — to play the Babyface-in-Peril needing Tiger Mask to rescue him from the cruel Outlaws.

Not long after Sakaguchi enters the ring, the villainous Outlaws begin to kick his ass, which I’m sure will inspire Tiger Mask to new levels of brutal revenge as he rescues his poor partner.

You can view this match on YouTube.

To be continued…