Stranglehold

Stranglehold is a Decepticon Pretender from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Must.... Reach... Inner robot!

A brainless brawler of a bot, Stranglehold is the Decepticon equivalent of the stereotypical wrestler, which is rather appropriate, seeing as how he is the reigning Intergalactic Cybertronic Wrestling Federation Champ. Stranglehold has absolutely no qualms about cheating and will do anything to win. Stranglehold turns into a rhino, has a shell that resembles a giant human gladiator, and carries a gun that saps the strength of its targets, making them too weak to fight back. Just how he likes them.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

After the Time Wars, Stranglehold was chosen to be part of the Decepticon elite and join the newly reformed Mayhem Attack Squad, led by Snarler and Spinister. After participating in a training exercise (wherein Stranglehold helped total six solid-light simulations of high-ranking Autobot, plus some "nono-entities") they were ready for their first mission: hunt down and execute the traitors Carnivac and Catilla, who had joined forces with the Autobot Wreckers on Earth! The Hunting Party They caught up with Carnivac in Texas, Way of the Warrior but the wolf scored first blood by clawing Bludgeon's shoulder. Stranglehold and Octopunch were about to step in for their turn when the National Guard arrived, giving Carnivac time to flee while the Mayhems were distracted. Survival Run Eventually it was Catilla, not Carnivac, who fell before Stranglehold and the Mayhems, and the Decepticons chose to flee with one kill under their belts rather than confront all the Survivors at once. A Savage Place!

For one shining moment, Stranglehold was modest enough to wear something.

Stranglehold grew a mustache and, along with Octopunch, remained a part of the Mayhem Attack Squad when Bludgeon took command, when it was sent by Thunderwing to assassinate the Autobot Pretenders; Bumblebee, Grimlock and Jazz. After tracking the Autobots to their secret base, the Mayhems interrupted the Classic Pretenders and Micromaster Rescue Patrol's trip through the trans-time dimensional portal, with all three groups transported to the core of Cybertron. Surprisingly, Cybertron's core contained none other than Primus himself! Yesterday's Heroes!

RUUNCH!

Stranglehold and the others were teleported further away from the core than the Autobots, so it took them a short while to close the gap. When they arrived, they interrupted none other than the Keeper of Primus as he was attempting to tell them the story of Primus and his nemesis, Unicron. Despite their location on holy ground, the Mayhems attacked the Autobots, who were reluctant to return fire in case a stray shot might awaken Primus. This unsurprisingly tipped the odds in the Decepticons' favor. Emerging from his shell, Stranglehold rampaged through the Autobots in his rhino alt-mode, until eventually Jazz tricked Stranglehold into crashing into the wall. The Primal Scream

Stranglehold and the other Squad members ended up on Earth, and joined forces with Scorponok. Surrender! After Stranglehold shaved his mustache, Primus himself brought all of the Earthbound Transformers to Cybertron to counter the imminent arrival of Unicron. Primus spoke to Stranglehold and the others through Emirate Xaaron, catching them up on the history between the two cosmic beings. Though Stranglehold still had his doubts about an Autobot/Decepticon alliance, they were mostly dispelled when Unicron cultists raided their camp—he didn't mind the new opportunities for violence! The Void!

When Unicron arrived, Stranglehold did the wise thing and made a run for it. On the Edge of Extinction!

Unicron was defeated, and with Scorponok also dead, Bludgeon assumed command of the Decepticons. Stranglehold grew a mustache. Bludgeon led Octopunch and the other Decepticons off Cybertron, stranding the Autobots behind on their dying home planet. Stranglehold helped Bludgeon randomly pick a new planet to rule, choosing Klo, a peaceful world which they could conquer quickly and easily. A Savage Circle During the subsequent carnage on Klo, Stranglehold shaved his mustache. The Decepticons found a tracer on one of their spaceships and, realizing the Autobots may have survived after all, waited for their adversaries to arrive, intending to spoil their surprise attack. The Last Autobot?

After growing another mustache, Stranglehold helped the Decepticons kill nearly all the Autobots once they arrived. However, when victory seemed finally in their grasp, Stranglehold and the other Decepticons were suddenly visited by the Neo-Knights, the Last Autobot, and a resurrected Optimus Prime. Stranglehold tried to attack Thunderpunch, but Rapture caused him to momentarily dream of being surrounded by beautiful robo-ladies, and Stranglehold's attack landed on Bludgeon instead. The Last Autobot began resurrecting the fallen Autobots, and soon the tide of battle was turning. Stranglehold got a tooth knocked out of him by Grimlock, and soon it became apparent that the Decepticons had been defeated. Bludgeon announced to the Autobots that they had been beaten, and the Decepticons withdrew, but not before Bludgeon took Stranglehold aside and told him that the Decepticons would regroup and some day rise again. End of the Road!

Marvel UK future timelines

Stranglehold struggles for a moment to remember his own name.

In 1990, Megatron accused Bludgeon of being a traitor to the Decepticon cause. Allowing him a Trial by Combat, the Decepticon leader sent Stranglehold, Octopunch, and Warmonger out to face him in battle. After Octopunch struck first, Stranglehold attempted to ram Bludgeon in his rhino mode, but ended up knocking himself out when Bludgeon nimbly stepped aside. Eventually, Megatron identified Warmonger as the true traitor, and executed him instead of Bludgeon. Aspects of Evil!

Earthforce

Expecting Carnivac to make an ill-conceived attempt at retribution, the Mayhem Attack Squad bunkered down on a small tropical island to wait for their prey to come to them. When Needlenose's cowardice prompted him to fake an emergency to test how quickly his teammates would come to his aid, Stranglehold, Bludgeon, and Octopunch were left infuriated over the deception. All three prepared to off Needlenose, only for Snarler and Spinister to interrupt the attempt. The disgruntled Decepticons walked away in disgust after Needlenose explained that his paranoia had pushed him to cry wolf. Little did the group know that Carnivac had indeed already infiltrated their headquarters. While the other Decepticons resumed their duties, Needlenose was killed, no one else the wiser. Cry Wolf! As night fell, Carnivac skulked about the base, eager to find another isolated target. He happened upon Snarler while he was overlooking plans with Spinister, and so moved on. Finding Bludgeon meditating, Carnivac tried to take him out by surprise. But Bludgeon heard him coming, and the ensuing commotion soon brought the rest of the Decepticons to the confrontation. Wolf in the Fold! The Decepticons were tricked into thinking Spinister killed Carnivac, when in reality their opponent had allowed the destruction of his Pretender shell to fake his death. Stranglehold, Octopunch, and Bludgeon wandered off to a nearby beach to mope over not getting to kill the traitor themselves, only for several Autobots to turn up, intent on rescuing their ally. Stranglehold and his colleagues were planning to go down fighting against Carnivac's back-up, but Carnivac turned up just before a killing blow was struck. The three Pretenders were taken into custody, denying them a warrior's death. Where Wolf?

Guarded over by the Autobot Inferno, Stranglehold staged a distraction in their cell which gave Bludgeon enough time to telekinetically retrieve his katana, stabbing the guard in the back and gaining them their freedom. Shut Up! The Mayhems were then hired by Megatron and Shockwave to assassinate their usurpers, Starscream and Soundwave. Assassins Though the Pretenders were only meant to eliminate whichever of their targets had survived an orchestrated battle between the pair, they found both Starscream and Soundwave functional upon their arrival. Unperturbed, Octopunch and his teammates surmised that they could ask to be paid double for the hit once it had been completed. External Forces! They ultimately failed and were forced to flee when Swoop and Sludge of the Dinobots joined forces with the Decepticons because they needed Starscream alive for their own reasons. The Lesser Evil!

Another Time & Place

A rare morning where he shaved and got dressed before work.

In the Decepticons' next venture, Stranglehold shaved his mustache and joined Bludgeon in an attempt to bring Megatron back to life. Tracking the Dinobots to Hydrus Four, and the miraculous energy source known as Nucleon, Stranglehold and the Decepticons captured the Autobots and made ready to restore Megatron to his full glory. Stranglehold was seen worshipping on bended knee before Megatron's slowly recuperating body. When the Autobots attacked, Stranglehold charged into battle in rhinoceros mode. However he fared personally, though, the Decepticons were defeated. Another Time & Place

Marvel Generation 2 comic

"Also they're melting us!"

Stranglehold shaved his mustache and joined Bludgeon and his troops trying to raid artillery caches from an abandoned civilization, but were chased off by the weapons' guardian. Ghosts

Sometime later, he left his shell to man the Warworld's cannons for space piracy. Old Evils

Stranglehold joined Bludgeon's forces in raining destruction on Earth, hoping to draw out Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Tales of Earth Part One The carnage was interrupted when Megatron arrived and challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons and obliterated his usurper utterly in single combat. Stranglehold realigned his loyalties to serve Megatron, while Bludgeon's decapitated head went on to serve as a warning to other potential supplanters while mounted on a wall. Tales of Earth Part Two

Stranglehold was later ordered by the revamped Megatron to attack Jhiaxus's troops, which resulted in the Pretender being reduced to a puddle of slag by acid bombs. New Dawn

Classics

Stranglehold grew a beard. He and Octopunch were hired by the REEEEEALLY stupid Ruckus and Needlenose to smash up Nightbeat and Siren. Ruckus should have told them that Slag and Sludge were with Nightbeat. Sludge beat Stranglehold so badly that he was begging for reinforcements. Then they saw that Ruckus was stupid enough to bring their hostage with him. The Decepticons got their rears handed to them, and after politely apologizing to his opponents for inconveniencing them, Stranglehold fled the area. Cheap Shots

It's good to be the king.

Some time later, Stranglehold shaved his beard, leaving only a mustache, and had joined Gigatron on Earth. He and Octopunch were present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots' Ironworks headquarters for their hidden Rarified Energon reserves. Invasion Prologue

Stranglehold immediately grew the rest of his beard back. While observing Ironworks with Gigatron and the rest of his troops from afar, they received word from Spinister that strange Transformers from another dimension had invaded the Autobot base. Gigatron decided the time was ripe to make another play for the Rarified Energon while the Autobots were distracted, and the Decepticons moved in. However, they discovered that Ironworks was under siege from extradimensional evil Autobots, and that just would not do. Stranglehold and the other Decepticons did their best to subdue these would-be conquerors. Ultimately, their efforts were mostly for naught. Earth was cast into the invaders' dimension as their entire native universe was destroyed.

A heroic Straxus tried to smooth things over with a poem. Invasion

Along with the humans and Autobot Pretenders of his dimension, Strangehold was transported over to another dimension's Earth by Gaea. Several years later, the allied Autobots and humans were attempting to relax after the resolution of the Thunder Mayhem crisis, only to spot Strangehold on television as a wrestler. Finale

Regeneration One

"Something's the matter. Something sinister and something grotesque. And what's worse is that it's going on right here under my very nose."
"Sir, your moustache is lovely."

Stranglehold remained a member of Bludgeon's forces twenty-one years after the battle of Klo, and helped eradicate the inhabitants of Torkulon. Loose Ends, Part 3 He was still at Bludgeon's side aboard the Warworld as the Decepticon leader unleashed his Blitz Engines on Cybertron's Autobots. Destiny, Part Four At Fangry's suggestion, Krok, Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, Horri-Bull, Octopunch, and Stranglehold went down to the planet's surface to join in the fighting, but as first the Blitz Engines, then Soundwave's Neo-Decepticons and finally Bludgeon himself were all defeated in turn, the Autobots claimed victory. Destiny, Part Five

At the end of the battle, any Decepticons not killed in the fighting were incarcerated by the Autobots and were then most likely converted into shadow-leeches by the Dark Matrix creature, along with (almost) the entire population of Cybertron, while Rodimus Prime and his Autobots were off-planet fighting Jhiaxus at the Hub Network.

A Tale of the Pretenders

With other Decepticon Pretenders, Stranglehold was active in ancient Japan. One day, they came across three human siblings and threatened them. The oldest managed to escape and both Iguanus and Carnivac pursued the remaining two while the other Decepticons followed. They were about to do bad things to the humans when Metalhawk leapt to the rescue. Other Autobot Pretenders soon followed and the Decepticons were fought off. A Tale of the Pretenders

2005 IDW continuity

After the Chaos War, Stranglehold was one of the Decepticons who started rioting on the streets of Cybertron in celebration of Megatron's return. City on Fire

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Stranglehold and other Pretenders were the result of the Decepticons reverse-engineering human anatomy. He and two others of his kind encountered a small group of Joes while out on patrol, and tried to gun them down. Pax Megatronus

Games

Transformers Legends

Stranglehold was among a group of Decepticons who joined a time-displaced Galvatron in attacking the fused-together Ratchet and Megatron, but were fought off by some Autobots. Savage Circle

Angry Birds Transformers

Admit it, you kinda want this as a toy, don't you.

Stranglehold is an oddity, being a reskin of Ramhorn and only available as an "Accessory" character for the Autobirds rather than the Deceptihogs. On top of all that, he was originally called "Slamdance" when he was first added to the Accessory roster (despite having Stranglehold colors), but was quickly renamed a few updates later.

When equipped, he gives an increase to his partner's attack damage. This bonus can be increased with level upgrades, won from random-prize Crates or in the "Shockwave's Tower" mini-game.

He can be unlocked by purchasing him with Gems in the Barracks, with Tokens during specific Challenge Events, or won from Crates and Shockwave's Tower. Angry Birds Transformers

Transformers: Earth Wars

Bludgeon and Octopunch mentioned Stranglehold as a comrade from their days as the Mayhem Attack Squad. Transformers: Earth Wars

Toys

The Transformers

"Wait, you mean Zardoz means Wizard of Oz!?"

• Stranglehold (Pretender, 1989)

• Accessories: "Brawn blaster" (large gun), "concussion blaster" (small gun), helmet, rhino backpack/shield
• Known designers: Tetsuya Ikeda (TakaraTomy)

The Transformers Stranglehold's inner-robot transforms into a robotic rhino. His Pretender shell resembles an intergalactic sci-fi wrestler/circus strongman with a removable helmet. Like the other smaller humanoid 1989 Pretenders, Stranglehold's shell includes an accessory that is an integral part of his inner robot: the combined back and tail of his rhino alternate mode (in a delightful shade of lavender), which attaches to the upper left arm of his outer shell as a small shield. Stranglehold also includes a small orange "concussion blaster" for his inner-robot to hold or plug into his beast mode backpiece, and a large white "brawn blaster" and helmet for his shell. Like all of the 1989 Pretenders, the "concussion blaster" can store inside the shell in a port located in the leg.

Stranglehold's shell is not Burt Reynolds. He also does not come with the spiked-ball-and-chain weapon he consistently carried in the Marvel comics.

No version of this mold or character was released in Japan.

• More information on Stranglehold at TFU.info

Merchandise

e-HOBBY

Transformers Character Card

• Bludgeon & Stranglehold Set (March 14, 2022)
  • ID number: 09 & 10

Released as part of the second wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Bludgeon and Stranglehold along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Stranglehold's Transformers Character Card

Rubber strap series

• Bludgeon & Stranglehold & Octopunch Set (January 2023)

Released as part of the first wave of an e-HOBBY exclusive series, this trio of rubber keychains depict super-deformed art of Bludgeon, Stranglehold and Octopunch.

Notes

• Stranglehold's mustache comes and goes. He never has a mustache in any of the Marvel UK material, and usually has it in the Marvel US material, with exceptions. For example, Stranglehold lacks his mustache when Andrew Wildman first draws him in American material in "The Void!," but Wildman usually remembered to draw it in subsequent appearances. Usually. The mustache is gone completely in Generation 2. Years later, in "Cheap Shots," Stranglehold has graduated to a beard.
• A proposed Fun Publications BotCon exclusive was a redeco of Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Class Lockdown into a Shattered Glass version of Stranglehold.^[1]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Stranglehold (ストラングルホールド Sutoranguruhōrudo)
• French: Étrangleur (France, "Strangler"), Prisegorge (Canada, "Throathold")
• Italian: Demon

References