Best crimson mask

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

So, when you get a close up of the blader's face as is common...how do you explain the fact that instead of there being a cut on the guy's forehead and blood coming form it, he's just got blood on his face coming from nowhere in particular.

 

The cuts are usually very small. It is extremely rare to actually be able to make out a gash in a guys head. Also, they normally blade right at the hair line to further mask the actual cut, thus, if the fake blood was applied at the hair line, gravity would cause it to run down the face as if it were pouring from a legit cut.

 

 

Hiding it in the ref's pocket? What? How does it get from the pocket to the forehead without anyone noticing anything exactly?

 

In Heenan's first book, he said he used to hold his guys blades, and then he'd find someway to sneak him the blade when the time was right. Exchange "blade" for "blood capsule" and you'll start to get the idea.

[nl5xsk1 0]

WMD, I actually kind of agree with you that using blood capsules makes sense, but if they want/need the match to be a bloodbath using capsules wouldn't work. If they want a guy to have a full-on 'crimson mask' it's easy to do things to thin the blood (aspirin, caffeine, etc) so that they cut themselves once but bleed for a while. If they used a capsule, they'd need to repeatedly go back for more, and thus it would be more obvious.

 

Of course, having said all that, I can probably count on one hand the number of times blood was necessary in a match. Doing it for the sake of doing it is stupid.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

You can only count on one hand? Then I guess you haven't seen many matches that blew off "bloodfeuds," as blading is actually very important. Want some recent examples (last 7 years)?

 

WM13 - Austin vs. Hart

Yeah, it's been said, but the bleeding lead fans to believe Austin passed out from bloodloss and pain without having to tap out, and it made the match seem more important to the feud - which it was - by having Steve gig it.

 

Badd Blood 97 - HBK vs. 'Taker

If HBK didn't blade, then this would have just been a generic squash match in a cage. HBK blading was a build-up of all of the times HBK has gotten the best of 'Taker over the past few months, and the severity of the bladejob heightened the sense that 'Taker was out to not win the match, but to injure HBK.

 

Royal Rumble 2000 - Cactus vs. HHH

Is there any doubt in your mind that this match NEEDED blood? It's a streetfight. Both men gigged. It heightened the illusion that they were out to maim each other, more so Cactus maiming HHH than the other way around, and worked efficiently.

 

Fully Loaded 2000 - HHH vs. Jericho

Jericho was bringing his all to take HHH out. HHH gigged to, once again, heighten the illusion of importance for this match, and to sell Jericho as a tough SOB.

 

Unforigven 2000 (I think) - Austin vs. Rikishi

When Austin discovered Rikishi was the one that tried to end his career, then what sense would it have made if Rikishi didn't bleed by the time Austin was done with him?

 

No Way Out 2001 - Austin vs. HHH

After having it revealed that HHH masterminded the whole attempted vehicular manslaughter deal, all because he hated Austin and wanted the WWF Title, it wouldn't have made sense for HHH to not bleed, and since HHH is willing to go out of his way to make sure Austin isn't 100% for WrestleMania, Austin gigging was expected.

 

Want some more? Because I know I just listed enough for one hand, but that was just WWF in 97, 2000, and 2001. I could give you a few examples from 98 and 99, if you'd like.

[Guest SteveyP93]

Fake blood doesn't flow continuously.

 

You also don't get the transition from a stream of blood to a crimson mask.

 

You don't get the puddles of excess blood on the mat.

 

You have no cut from which the blood originates (it DOES just look like a glob, real blood flows in a river from a wound). It's very obvious.

 

All of the elements that make for a great bladejob.

 

There's no way you can make fake blood NOT look fake in professional wrestling. It flows very briefly, it doesn't continue to "bleed"...also, the wrestlers are competing under ridiculously bright lights (make theatre lights look like a candle) and there are tons of close-up shots on TV/pay-per-view...

 

Just a bad idea all around.

 

You call it barbaric, but there's a certain pride in a manly bladejob. So many angles have gotten over because of a great bladejob...would have never worked with hokey-looking fake blood.

 

It's bad enough that pro wrestling detractors accuse the wrestlers of using fake blood, let's not go there.

[Guest Dan 420]

Face wasn't really covered in blood but the visual of it is sickening -The Mass Transit incident where Kulas' head is literally squirts with blood.

 

Other memorable 'crimson masks' for me would be Foley from IWA Kawasaki Dream, Taker No Mercy 02, numerous Ian Rotten, McMahon vs. Taker and Gowen, Guerrero Judgment Day 04, , Muta/Hase etc. I also hear from SMW that Jericho did an extreme gusher.

[Special K 0]

From what I've seen, Muta/Hase (although Hase's mask from the previous match between the two is nasty too) and Jericho's SMW heavenly bodies match. Especially nasty since he wrestles with what I believe is a legit broken arm.

[Fökai 0]

From what I've seen, Muta/Hase (although Hase's mask from the previous match between the two is nasty too) and Jericho's SMW heavenly bodies match. Especially nasty since he wrestles with what I believe is a legit broken arm.

He broke it a day (?) earlier, so after taking those painkillers to numb the pain, his blood was as thin as you'd imagine. Obviously, this is an especially bad time to blade.

[nl5xsk1 0]

You can only count on one hand? Then I guess you haven't seen many matches that blew off "bloodfeuds," as blading is actually very important. Want some recent examples (last 7 years)?

Laz, I agree with you that the blowoff to a feud is a big deal, but why does a guy have to gig until he's a bloody mess to prove how much hatred there is? Couldn't someone have the shit kicked out of him to the point of utter exhaustion and be completely brutalized without involving massive blood loss?

 

Two different times you said it "made sense" that the guy was a bloody mess ... are wrestling fans so aesthetically based that a guy has to be pouring blood to signify that he had the tar beaten out of him? I've been involved in shitkickings in real life (both on the good side, and unfortunately, the wrong side) where the shitkickee didn't get completely enveloped in blood, and didn't feel it didn't look real as a result.

 

And, I will have to admit that on one hand is probably an exaggeration ... but it would still be no more than 10-15 times. HHH-Jericho having bloodshed was not necessary, if blood is needed to make the match seem more important than it's not a very important match, IMHO. Rich-Sawyer, TA-Blanchard, Austin-Hart ... those matches made sense to be bloodbaths. Something like Lesnar-Taker did not.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I'd like to know why you feel blood doesn't add an aura of importance to a match. It's much different seeing somebody just get smacked around a whole lot with a chair, but if they start juicing, the chairshots seem more deadly.

 

Blood enhances the intensity of the match. I don't see how that can be argued otherwise.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Blood enhances the intensity of the match. I don't see how that can be argued otherwise.

Blood does have that effect. The problem comes when blood is used so frequently, that it loses its impact, and then it becomes pointless. If heavy bleeding is used every couple of months, it will mean a lot more than having it used on a regular basis.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

I'll just use this thread as an excuse to plug Johnny Devine!

 

From NHB Wrestling:

 

 

Edit: Sorry about the overly large pic .. looks like a double blade job on the top right corner of his forehead.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Nah, it's probably a single bladejob, and the blood's collecting in the creases of his forehead.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Yall are forgetting Angle's bladejob againest Austin at Summerslam 01.

 

That made Angle.

[Black Lushus 0]

A blade job made a talented wrestler better? Ellaborate please....

[nl5xsk1 0]

Laz, I do think blood can be used to add to the importance of a match ... I really won't deny that. But I do think that it's been way overused lately (mid-90s onward) and it's lost it's luster. Like you said earlier, it should be used to signify the end of a hatred filled blood-feud. Not to make a relatively meaningless match SEEM important or hatred filled. (Buzz Sawyer-Tommy Rich needed bloodshed. Magnum TA-Tully Blanchard needed bloodshed. Undertaker-Lesnar did not. HHH-Jericho did not.)

 

And you said that blood makes a match seem more intense. I disagree, to me it just makes a match seem more bloody. I think the wrestlers should be able to convey intensity without squirting blood like a stuck pig. There have been plenty of matches that seemed brutal and intense without guys bleeding away, just like there have been plenty of bloody matches that don't really seem intense.

 

The fact that a guy getting hit with a steel chair isn't seen as being brutal, and needs blood-shed, shows that they've WAY overused the chairshot now. It used to be a killshot, and would end a match. It's now just an excuse to juice.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Well, I've pretty much used all the arguements against blading that I know, so instead of repeating myself, I'll add to the conversation.

 

My best blade job has to go to Steve Corino. Mostly for the old-school Flair vibe, with his hair turning pink and all.

[Guest curry_man2002]

 

the before mentioned corino crimson mask