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Things go downhill from here for Ronald.

"Bunny Hugged" is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones, starring Bugs Bunny. In this one, Bugs is the pet of a rather delicate pro wrestler named Ravishing Ronald ("It's a livin'," the rabbit quips) who is quickly (and quite literally) turned into a punching bag by his opponent, a terrifying muscleman called "The Crusher". Bugs, seeing that his "bread and butter" is imperiled, decides to go into the ring himself as "The Masked Terror". Naturally, The Crusher is hardly bothered by the wrestling skills of a small rabbit, so Bugs decides that he needs to reach into his bag of tricks to defeat him.

Features many traditional Professional Wrestling tropes.


"Bunny Hugged" provides examples of:

  • Adaptational Heroism: Ravishing Ronald is based on Gorgeous George. However, while George was a heel, Ronald is a face.
  • Ambiguously Gay: Ravishing Ronald, "the de-natured boy", who prances about in ballet shoes and wears a hairnet. This was, of course, a part of the character of Gorgeous George in Real Life.
  • Ash Face: The Crusher suffers one after Bugs's bomb goes off.
  • Bedlah Babe: Ronald's valet.
  • Big Guy Rodeo: Bugs jumps on top of the Crusher and tries to administer a head lock. Crusher just dismisses him and removes him like a hat.
  • Big "SHUT UP!": When the Crusher wants to shake Bugs' hand after the end of the match, he gets (oddly) criticized for this and roars angrily at the audience until they go silent.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Crusher screams this when he hears the Masked Terror won.
  • Charlie Brown from Outta Town: The Masked Terror.
  • Defeat by Modesty: Bugs first gets an upper hand over the Crusher by ripping his own mask, making the Crusher believe he's split his shorts.
  • Dumb Muscle: The Crusher is a terrifying mountain of muscles who pummels his adversaries, and not much else.
  • Excuse Me While I Multitask: The Crusher plays solitaire and jacks while Bugs is attempting a leg lock.
  • Face/Heel: Ravishing Ronald is the face [hero] while The Crusher is the heel [bad guy]. This is an interesting inversion since in real life, the seemingly effeminate wrestlers who Ronald is based on like Gorgeous George and Buddy Rogers were top heels and tough guys like The Crusher were babyfaces in most territories.
  • Fake Arm Disarm: The Crusher offers Bugs a handshake after the match. Despite the audience's warnings, Bugs shakes his hand back, only for the Crusher to grab the arm and bite it. Bugs being one step ahead, he actually gave Crusher a dynamite stick with a glove, which blows up in his face.
  • The Fighting Narcissist: Ravishing Ronald. His vain, prancing style does not work against The Crusher.
  • Flexing Those Non-Biceps: Bugs's drooping non-biceps do not intimidate The Crusher. Currently provides the trope image.
  • Fooled by the Sound: Bugs Bunny tears his wrestling mask in half to fool The Crusher into thinking he's ripped his shorts. Bugs then disguises himself as a tailor to give him some of his usual mischief.
  • Garbage Wrestler: Bugs as The Masked Terror resorts to this style when his attempts at traditional wrestling moves fail to faze The Crusher.
  • Gorgeous George: Ravishing Ronald is an obvious parody of the trope namer, George Wagner. Unlike most examples, Ronald is a face.
  • Helicopter Hair: A variant with Bugs' ears. The Crusher grabs him, winds up his ears and makes him fly away like a plane (with a Stuka Scream to boot), then back right into the Crusher's legs.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Again, Ronald's Bedlah Babe valet — as seen in the image above.
  • No-Sell: The Crusher is completely unfazed by standard means of attack.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed:
    • Ravishing Ronald is an obvious parody of OG effeminate wrestler George Wagner. His nickname of "The De-Natured Boy" is a parody of Buddy Rogers.
    • Not to mention The Crusher is a parody of... Well, The Crusher.
  • Non Sequitur, *Thud*: "Just passin' by, duh..."
  • Pain-Powered Leap: Disguised as a tailor who came to mend the Crusher's pants, Bugs sticks a needle into his opponent's hindquarters, causing him to fly across the arena.
  • Pro Wrestling Episode: This is basically a remake of a 1948 cartoon called "Rabbit Punch" that involved boxing, not wrestling. Though that short also descent to wrestling at the end.
  • Pro Wrestling Is Real: In this cartoon it certainly is.
  • Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: The Crusher is not fazed by Bugs's attempts at straight wrestling.
  • Shout-Out: The giant gong that announces the entrance of Ravishing Ronald parodies the Vanity Plate of The Rank Organisation.
  • Spiritual Successor: This short is essentially Chuck Jones' remake of Rabbit Punch.
  • Squash Match: This wrestling equivalent to the Curb-Stomp Battle is what happens when Ravishing Ronald is decisively defeated by The Crusher. Bugs's challenge to The Crusher is on its way to being this when Bugs decides he needs to get more creative.
  • Talking with Signs: While the announcer introduces the Masked Terror, Ravishing Ronald, trapped inside his own hairnet, holds up signs asking for help.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: In "Rabbit Punch", the Crusher was not only The Brute, but fairly crafty, and able to keep even ground with Bugs the entire cartoon (to the point the latter has to literally end the cartoon to claim victory). Here, while still a menace in strength, the Crusher is a Hulk Speak talking simpleton who is outmatched the moment Bugs "employs stragedy".

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