Bruno Sammartino & Tito Santana vs Randy Savage & Adrian Adonis (Way of the Blade Art Print)

“Bruno Sammartino & Tito Santana vs. Randy Savage & Adrian Adonis (Steel-Cage Match)” - ink & digital illustration

On the way to the upcoming Way of the Blade sequel, here’s another flashback to an illustration & match that I’m very fond of from the original (from the great guys at Hybrid Shoot, written by the rad Phil Schneider, art by yours truly!).

This wonderfully no-frills yet absolutely perfect good-guys getting their comeuppance on the bad-guys, bloody steel cage blow-off match took place on July 12, 1986 for the World Wrestling Federation at the 'Mecca of Professional Wrestling', Madison Square Garden. I believe this was actually Bruno’s last ever match (& main event) at the Garden too!

This was such an excellent swan song for Bruno in my opinion; the old gunslinger coming back to settle one last score before walking off into the sunset. Adonis is also fantastic as always (despite working a highly questionable Gorgeous George doppelgänger gimmick at the time). Tito is the perfect hard-working upper mid-card babyface. And a prime Randy is Macho Man in all his glory. Randy & Adrian do a tremendous job of bumping their butts off for wrestling’s Living Legend here. That insane splash off the top of the cage by Adonis!! Not a very long or necessarily clever match, but totally perfect for what it was.

There is a reason why Bruno is the greatest crowd-favourite superhero that the New York territory ever had. Despite being a bit past his prime here, he absolutely killed it as always.

I was lucky enough to be there in person at the Garden when Bruno finally made his return & accepted his induction into the ‘up north’ territory’s version of the Hall of Fame. It was a wonderful moment to experience. Bruno was so very special.

Artist’s Note: This turned out to be the only Randy Savage illustration in the book so I took a special pride in getting to illustrate the one & only 'Macho Madness' here. That cage also took bloody AGES to draw!

ENJOY!!

Fancy, high quality art prints of this book illustration are now available to purchase for as little as 25 clams, FREE worldwide postage!

HQ Basic Art Prints: Printed on 189gsm, museum-quality matte paper stock, printed with high-quality multicolour, water-based inkjet printing technique. (Printing & delivery arranged by Printful).

'Premium' Art Prints: Voluptuously extra thick, textured & hand-signed! Printed on 320gsm 'Sihl Masterclass Textured Cotton Rag', French made, Cold Press style textured art paper. 1cm additional border for easy framing unless otherwise requested. High archival rating, printed with 12 colour Canon Lucia EX pigment Inks, expected life over 100 years if displayed correctly. Since I send these out myself, I'll also include a little bonus 'surprise' for you! + ALL PREMIUM PRINT PURCHASES COME WITH CHRIS THINGS ZINE VOL. 1!!

Pre-Framed Art Prints: For those who don't want to worry about the hassles of framing! Pre-framed basic art-prints printed on 189gsm, museum-quality matte paper stock, printed with high-quality multicolour, water-based inkjet printing technique. Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick, light-weight wooden frame from renewable forests. (Printing, framing & delivery arranged by Printful).

Please don't hesitate to send me a message if you require a different size - all prints made to order.