It was about a year ago that the "Dad Bod" was all the rage. Personally I didn't get it. But what got me thinking about it again was a recent match from 88 Wrestling featuring one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, Zack Jonathan. His real name is Zack Vazquez, and of course, we know him better as the Zman. The dude has been around the wrestling ring for years. It was three years ago when I paid tribute to his ten year anniversary as a star in the world of underground wrestling. At the time I figured Zman's wrestling days were numbered, but he just keeps coming back. Cameron Matthews once commented about how much he liked working with Zman because the guy just loves to wrestle. Zman loves any opportunity to be in the ring. That's good news for us, because I love seeing Zman in the ring.
So, this recent match at 88 Wrestling has Zman facing off against a newcomer named Jake Mason. 88 Wrestling describes the match up as "an intriguing dichotomy between two wrestlers at opposite ends of the spectrum in their wrestling careers." Sounds like 88 Wrestling has some new college grad writing up its match summaries, but in this case it's pretty much on point. Jake is just a kid with his pale, smooth body, which while athletic still looks like it's at least a few years away from its full physical potential. It's not hard to imagine the peach fuzz on the newbie's face. This contrasts with the seasoned veteran we have in Zman, with a face full of manly stubble and a tanned, shredded physique. I mean seriously, has Zman ever looked better than this? I don't know if Zman is a father or not, but looking at these two wrestlers, it's not too far fetched to imagine Zman being old enough to be Jake's father (assuming a young teenaged Zman sowing some wild oats in his high school days, perhaps). That's why I'm stunned about how amazing Zman still looks. That's the kind of "dad bod" I want to talk about! Holy fuck! And with age comes experience, which Zman uses to his advantage early in the match to school Jake in the world of underground wrestling. As Zman dominates Jake with bodyslams, bearhugs, and abdominal stretches, you can't help but shout out "Whose your daddy!" to the computer screen to taunt the suffering kid.
Yet, as glorious as Zman's "dad bod" is, age does eventually come at a cost. How long can a seasoned veteran last against the seemingly limitless energy of youth? Jake may just be a kid, but stamina and endurance work in his favor, so don't count him out just yet.
Several years ago I was wondering if it was time to mark the end of Zman's wrestling career, but here we are in 2019, and the stud is still going strong. I've learned not to count the Zman out yet, either.
The "Dad Bod" faces the onslaught of Youth.
Be sure to check out Joe at Ringside for additional commentary about this match.
First of all, great match up and your commentary is excellent. ZMan is an experienced staple. 88W does better than most in identifying new talent and bringing them to the ring. In this case, they have a winner and Jake Mason looks promising. I def don’t count ZMan out, tho.
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