It was a British writer, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who introduced us to the sexy white savage known as Tarzan, and unleashed the noble brute into every young man’s imagination. Watching the old Tarzan movies during puberty, who didn’t think about tussling with that stoic hard-body in his loincloth?
Joe, who writes the Ringside at Skull Island blog, knows what I’m talking about. In his article about Tarzan, he describes the allure of “Tarzan’s noble savagery and virtuous struggle but also the darker aspects of the fantasy, its bestiality and Darwin-haunted jungle brutality.”
I too can recall watching the old black and white Tarzan movies on a Saturday morning and then needing some alone time to process all that testosterone and raw masculinity and savage violence I had witnessed. GRRR!
But I was always impatient with those old slow-paced movies. I wanted a lot more shirtless wrestling per hour! Sure, we’d get to see Tarzan roll around with an alligator for a minute, or quickly subdue some tribesman in a Full Nelson. But then he’d spend the next half hour helping Jane prepare dinner in their tree-house, or tip-toeing around the white man’s camp. Couldn’t they make a Tarzan movie where he just wrestles other muscle men the whole time?
Enter British pro wrestler Johnny Wilson, who adopted the “Tarzan” gimmick, put on some skimpy leopard-print trunks (reminiscent of a loincloth) and delivered the sustained and gratuitous wrestling action craved by the Tarzan fans in the audience.
Finally the Brits could get their fill of their beloved ape-man wrestling shirtless for more than a just few minutes of movie fanservice. Finally, they could see what Tarzan would do — how he would sound — if trapped in a Headscissor or Leglock. Fans could watch him use his incredible strength and virility to patiently dominate numerous other men.
Tarzan’s opponent for this classic Brit Pro match is a talented little grappler named Chic Cullen. He peels off his shiny blue jacket (every British Blue-Eye wore a satin ring jacket) to reveal a leotard covering much of his flesh. This costume, like a ladies one-piece swimsuit, has the effect of feminizing “Chic” in comparison to the boldly shirtless, hairy-chested Tarzan.
Fans of wrestling boots may find themselves distracted by the shiny silver and gold footwear worn by Mr. Cullen and Mr. Wilson.
The critical question posed by this match is: which is superior? Brute Force or Skilled Agility? If a powerful muscleman pits his strength against a tactician with a wealth of holds in his arsenal, who would win? Early in the match, Cullen uses his legs to trap, torture, and tame the unsophisticated savage.
The two wrestlers play their roles perfectly. Cullen is the civilized man, cleverly applying a series of complex holds, his body a well-oiled machine in that colorful red, white, and blue leotard.
Tarzan, on the other hand, portrays a brute, relying on his strength advantage, ripping open his opponent’s grasp, forcing the weaker male down to his knees. He doesn’t even wear kneepads like a civilized man. His animal trunks highlight his raw masculinity. Tarzan wins — which proves brawn can conquer brains.
If you want more of Tarzan in the ring, you can catch Part 1 and Part 2 of this classic match on YouTube.