Gallery 629 Old School They sure loved long, painful Bearhugs back in the Golden Age of Wrestling, especially inter-racial hugs.  Here is Baron von Rashke's pale skin pressed tight against Rufus Jones' big black body. The Junkyard Dog sure knew how to punish a white boy.  He uses Black Power to crush this stud's ribs. Now Art Thomas gets to use his superior muscles against a chubby white wimp.  He crushes Ox Baker's flabby white flesh into submission, proving that blacks are clearly stronger athletes. Tony Atlas was one of the strongest men in Wrestling, but Jessie Ventura knew how to Bearhug.  The future Governor picks up Atlas for a tighter squeeeeze.  Check out those amazing, thick thighs on Atlas! Youngblood is an honest Native American who never breaks the rules.  So why do Jack and Jerry Brisco feel the need to take advantage of the young brave?  One Brisco puts the squeeze on him without mercy while the other kicks him in the kidneys! Here is a curly-haired young angel struggling to escape the embrace of some killer in a singlet.  Meanwhile the bulge is growing in the kid's yellow speedo from the friction of their bodies. They just don't make wrestlers any more like this big brawny blond, leaning in to rest his cheek on Larry Hennig's chest as he cranks on the pressure. Angelo Mosca doesn't seem to be applying much pressure on this Bearhug.  Instead he just seems to be embracing the other man, holding him belly-to-belly as they rock back and forth. Are these studs wrestling or Dirty-Dancing?  Mosca continues to hold his beefy opponent in his arms without trying to squeeze the lucky man. David Von Erich turns to the camera and gives an interesting expression as the shorter opponent rubs against him belly-to-crotch. The fans seemed to enjoy watching the Von Erichs being bearhugged, so it happened often.  Here muscular Kerry grows as limp as a dishrag as a powerful opponent milks all the air out of his body. I'm surprised Lex Lugar is able to wrap his arms all the way around Dusty Rhodes' thick waist!  Once he joins his hands behind the chubby victim, he crushes him like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Tommy "Wild-fire" Rich was a cute blond kid who the Southern wrestling fans seemed to enjoy watching in agony.  Here he grits his teeth as a Russian Bear tries to bust him like a balloon. Wow, Andre the Giant was truly a monster!  Look how small this masked man appears in the huge animal's deadly embrace!  It looks like a fat daddy embracing a child! Here is a more modern Giant embracing Sting like a lover.  They dance around the ring slowly for several minutes like two kids at the Prom trying to get lucky. "Polish Power" Ivan Putski was known for his powerful physique, so of course he was also a Master of the Bearhug, like all the powerful wrestlers from that era.  Here he embraces some bearded beast, who struggles to escape. Bruno Sammartino was a hairy bear of a man, who often won his matches with a prolonged Bearhug.  Even the evil Sheik is no match for Bruno's embrace, throwing his head back as if he is in ecstasy from the pain he is feeling. Bruno's arch-enemy and major competition for "Master of the Bearhug" was big, muscular Billy Graham.  Billy was smooth, blond, and tan while Bruno was hairy, dark-haired, and pale-skinned.  It made for an interesting contrast when they embraced, which happened often. Here are two photos of these muscle-men in a competition to determine who is stronger.  First Billy tries to squeeze the air out of Bruno's body, then Bruno repays the favor, picking Billy up to bounce him around like a baby being burped. In the end, no man could withstand the power of Billy Graham's Bearhug, and no photographer could resist the urge to snap photos of this powerful blond squeezing his victims into submission. Whatever made little Mil Mascaras think he had a chance against the Superstar?!?  Billy Graham teaches the masked hunk to stay south of the border where he belongs as he crushes the poor Mexican's ribs! Yet another jobber falls asleep in Graham's arms as the Superstar demonstrates the amazing power in his chest and arms using his patented Bearhug.