You can be certain of one thing when you visit The Wrestling Arsenal on Halloween: there will be blood. For the past several years, this most ghoulish (and campy) holiday has served as an opportunity to celebrate the blade jobs that made pro wrestling seem more violent, realistic, savage, and sexy.
I’m sure I am not the only freak out there who gets into gory images of bloody faces, or else the wrestlers would not have “juiced” so often! If you get weak in the knees (like me) seeing that shocking “Crimson Mask,” feel free to go back and re-visit the prequels to tonight’s bloody brutality: Halloween Gorefests #1, #2, and #3 (if you dare.)
This year’s Gorefest is dedicated to a single wrestler who has willingly and humbly worn the Crimson Mask thousands of times for our viewing pleasure — the incomparable Ric Flair.
There may be other wrestlers who spilled more blood more frequently than Flair (such as Abdullah the Butch or Bruiser Brody or the like) but Flair did it with the most pinache and style. Most of the frequent blood donors worked the Savage Beast gimmick, acting like werewolves in the ring. What set Flair apart was his combination of grace with gruesomeness. He was a flamboyant blond pretty-boy whose gorgeous looks (which he bragged about frequently) were so often maimed and marred in the ring. That’s hot!
What I love the most about Ric Flair — what makes me honor him today — is that he always gave the crowd bucketfuls of whatever turned them on. When he saw that people got off on his fancy gilded robes, he bought dozens of gorgeous, stunning gowns for our viewing pleasure. When he noticed the popular appeal of his Figure 4 Leglock, he started slapping on that erotic hold during nearly every match.
When he noticed that the crowd would pop at the image of a popular pretty-boy suffering a painful beating, Flair started bullying and brutalizing every young fan-favorite he could get his hands on, from Ricky to Kerry to Magnum.
And when he sensed the audience getting hot and bothered over his blood-soaked face, he began spilling buckets, the crimson fluid staining his perfect white hair, spilling down onto his sweaty chest and even sloshing on his expensive gear.
He was perfectly willing to injure himself — to utterly humiliate himself — if it gave the fans a thrill. You’ve got to love this man’s dedication to our visual pleasure!
The modern style of wrestling is cleaner and healthier (not as bloody), but Flair has kept the classic vibe of raunchy, sexy, violent, and sadistic pro wrestling alive with his on-going use of blade jobs.
One of Flair’s tricks (and treats) was to dye his hair an extra brilliant shade of blond and to wear bright white trunks to the ring for his juice matches. This made the gushing red blood soaking his hair and splattering onto his gear seem even more shocking, dangerous, and inappropriate (and exciting.)
Ric Flair always portrayed an arrogant play-boy — a spoiled rich guy who enjoyed luxury, self-indulgence, and pleasure. Even his name, “Flair,” seems show-offy. To see him wounded, with blood gushing down his face, represents a loss of power and control — an emasculation or soiling of this usually clean, dapper, and civilized gentleman.
So have a safe and happy Halloween, my loyal readers. Let’s hope you don’t suffer any mishaps during this spooky season that could cause the level of blood loss Flair experienced on a typical Saturday night.
And if you’re invited to a Halloween party and have no idea what to wear, a bottle of peroxide (or blond wig) and some ketchup could quickly transform you into one of the most iconic sights in the history of wrestling. You just have to take off your shirt and pants and say “WHOOO!” a lot. I’ll bet your Dance Card will remain full all night long, Nature Boy.
