Dustin Rhodes vs Blacktop Bully - King of the Road (Way of the Blade Art Print)

"Dustin Rhodes vs Blacktop Bully - King of the Road" - ink & digital illustration

On the way to the upcoming Way of the Blade sequel, here's another flashback illustration for you of one of a total underrated gem of a match from the original (from the great guys at Hybrid Shoot, written by the rad Phil Schneider, illustrated by yours truly!)

This wonderfully, unnecessarily dangerous bout took place on the back of a truck on March 19th, 1995 at the otherwise quite terrible WCW PPV that was Uncensored '95, somewhere nearby the Tupelo Coliseum - in the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Tupelo, Mississippi.

So I was actually shocked to find that this match is generally panned by many as being terrible! I was completely gobsmacked by this take as I absolutely LOVED the sheer ridiculous of this! That, combined with the reckless disregard for talent safety, as well as the wrestlers involved themselves taking some absolutely ridiculous risks whilst wrestling on an actual truck going 70 miles per hour on a real highway! I have nothing but respect & complete admiration for both Dustin & Blacktop Bully/Barry Darsow/Demolition Smash for going WAY harder than they needed to in such an outrageous spectacle of a match. So hard in fact, that due to both donning the crimson mask in this one (at a time when such things were frowned upon in this awful era of 'Disneyfied' Hulk Hogan WCW), they, along with poor match-agent, Mike Graham, were all three fired from World Championship Wrestling shortly thereafter.

I think this may be my favourite ridiculous gimmick pro wrestling match of all-time. This was so much better than it had any right to be!

Artists' note: This was a really fun one to illustrate as it was visually so completely different from pretty much all other professional wrestling matches. A great creative challenge. After a tough choice I settled on the visual of the amazing moment whereby Bully was crotched atop the chicken-wire truck structure; inches from likely death if things were to go slightly awry.

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.