In Paper Mario: Color Splash, a Shy Guy is trapped in a water wheel after being bullied. The internal name for this pose is "crucify". This suggests that the original intent may have been for him to actually evoke a crucifixion before it was decided this may be in bad taste.
seems like a dece enough excuse to play through bananza again though. there's like actual for real challenges like "do the final gauntlet with zero upgrades"