I recently posted an article encouraging my readers to vote for WrestlingMale in the 2021 European Grabby awards. There is still time to vote — you have until May 1st — so please submit your ballot if you have not already done so.
In that article, I mentioned that I commissioned some custom artwork from WrestlingMale’s Wrestling Adventures service. Per my instructions, the artist I selected, Enrique Nieto Nadal, created 7 awesome sketches depicting a Tag Team match. In a future article, I will pair his excellent drawings with some text to create a hot little illustrated story.
But today I want to show you some of the drawings he created for me, along with the specifications I provided to him, to show you what a great job he did fulfilling my order!
Image 1: Pre-Match Pose-Off
Most wrestling matches, including comic strip matches, begin with a pose-off. The wrestlers put themselves on display so their fans get a good look at their bodies, form opinions about their attitudes and behaviors, and sort out who’s who before things get too chaotic.
I asked the artist to begin the series with all four wrestlers in the ring before the bell. Here are guidelines I provided to explain what I was looking for:
“I want to see:
- Tag team match with 2 Heroes vs. 2 Villains
- Trunks and boots worn by all 4 of the wrestlers
- Each team in matching clothing — partners dressed identically
And here are the four studs he drew for me based on my specs:
Clearly the two studs on the left are meant to be the heroic young Baby-Faces in their matching white trunks. They sort of resemble the Von Erichs — “Kerry” with long hair and “Kevin” with short. The flexing wrestlers on the right are obviously the Heels, a sexier version of the Road Warriors with their manly beards, intimidating mohawks, and black gear. What amazing physiques on all four of these studs! Great job, Enrique!
Image 2: Trapping One of the Good Guys in the Ring
Here are some additional guidelines I provided to Enrique to explain the style of match I like best:
“I want to see:
- The villains cheating often, with frequent 2 against 1 unfair moves
- The villains trapping one of the good wrestlers in the ring — holding back his arms and punching or kicking him.
- The other wrestler watching angrily from the corner as his partner is beaten
And below is Enrique’s first action drawing which shows one Heel pounding away on “Kevin” in the corner as the other Heel leaps over the ropes to join in the fun. I feel this drawing captures the vibe of dirty Tag Team wrestling very nicely:
Image 3: One of the Villains Holding the Hero’s Arms…
Below are some images I provided to the artist to explain a specific scene that I wanted him to draw for me, which was: “In the corner, one of the villains holding the hero’s arms as the other villain kicks or punches him.”
And below is the image he created, a gorgeous depiction of a Two-on-One Gutpunch slaughter in the Heels’ corner:
Image 4: Hurting The Hero
As they smile in pleasure, enjoying their dominance, we see crow’s feet and forehead creases on the faces of the mohawked Heels. They are depicted as being a bit older — a bit more mature and dad-like — than their cute young victims. This is an example of the subtle layers of detail that this artist incorporates into his drawings to set the tone I asked for and to advance the narrative visually.
You may be wondering about images of nudity, erections, and sexual penetration that most wrestling artists incorporate into their work. Actually I asked Enrique to skip all that. I specified: “I do not want nudity or sex (but the images should be exciting to see.)” I suspect Enrique and the other WrestlingMale artists would provide more explicit drawings if that’s your preference.
Image 5: Both of the Villains in the Ring at the Same Time
I also requested a drawing of “both of the villains inside the ring at the same time, working together to beat up the hero as his partner watches.” I sent the above collage from the old Tiger Mask cartoon as inspiration.
And below is his masterpiece which is arguably the hottest and sexiest of this entire series. Damn those two bad-ass Heels look amazing!:
Image 6: Heels Using the Same Hold to Win
I enjoy it when two Tag Team partners lock on the same hold at the same time to finish off their competition. It gives us the sense of a strong and bonded partnership — for the two buddies to learn the same Finisher and to implement it side-by-side. I wanted a drawing of mirror image holds, so I sent the artist these matching Camel Clutches as inspiration:
Enrique then took it up a level with a matching pair of Bearhugs, the Good Guys both collapsing in their opponents’ crushing embraces. Nice!
I decided not to reveal the second Bearhug today because I want to save some surprises for the story/cartoon I’m working on. But to whet your appetite, here is one of two tandem Bearhugs that Enrique drew (check out that exquisite facial expression on the suffering jobber!):
Image 7: Arrogant Victor Pose by the Winning Team
For the final victory pose, I sent Enrique this boots-on-jobber-body clip from a BG East scene. He then surprised me with a more amazing and unusual victory pose by the winners — wait until you see it!
I will save Enrique’s final image too for my upcoming story so you’ll have something to look forward to.