Braden's Encore

After my last post the fans begged for more of Braden, and who am I to say no?  So here you go with a bonus collection of photos from the ripped wrestler's domination match against Bart Barron.  Braden starts off by flexing those big biceps of his, and then he shows us what biceps are good for by punishing his lesser opponent.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are five thousand words for you.  Enjoy!

Braden the Beast

Let's revisit our Wrestler of the Year Braden Charron.  My last post that featured him was all about how the new guy Braden got owned by the experienced heel.  But Braden doesn't always play the role of a jobber.  In an early match of his back in 2007 at BG East Braden faces off against a dude named Bart Barron.  We've all probably seen pictures of a big, beefy Braden, but in this match, he's leaned down considerably and is ripped.  Clearly he's in bodybuilding competition mode when this match filmed, which probably had an effect on his ring persona.  To prepare for a competition, bodybuilders enter a cutting phase where they greatly control their diet to drop body fat.  This is similar to what wrestlers do when they cut weight during wrestling season.  Cutting back on food and drink and calories to drop weight does several things to a wrestler.  You can end up weak and without energy, which is not good when it's time to wrestle.  But often times the hunger makes you angry, mean, and almost animalistic.  You tap into the beast inside you to give you the strength and stamina needed to train and compete.  It looks like this is what happens to Braden in this match.  He's lean.  He's hungry.  He's a beast.  Braden can barely control himself as he tears into his soft opponent.  If not for an advantage Bart gained by a cheap shot at one point in the match, it would have been a total squash job.  But ultimately Bart's cheap shop just angers Braden more, and the muscle stud makes the jobber pay for it in the end.  In doing so, Braden shows why bodybuilders can make such awesome wrestlers.

Wrestling in Japan

I've said before that I lost interest in WWE style wrestling many years ago.  It revolves too much around drama and theatrics outside the ring, focusing more on the "Entertainment" in WWE and less on the "Wrestling".  But not all pro wrestling is like that.  Not long ago the Ringside at Skull Island blog had a link to a match from Japan which reminded me why I enjoy watching Japanese style pro wrestling.  It's a  main event bout from Dramatic Dream Team Wrestling featuring Konosuke Takeshita and Kota Umeda, both 20 year old wrestlers.  I like it because there's so much "real" about the match.  Take the wrestlers, for example.  Both are athletic young dudes, but physically not the type you would see with WWE superstars, especially when featured in a "main event" bout.  They actually look like real athletes.  And while there's some drama and theatrics, mostly for its comic effect, this match is all about the wrestling.  Both wrestlers execute moves and endure punishment so convincingly that it looks like a real wrestling match.  Hell, for all I know, most of it really is real competition.  And that's why it's such an fun match to watch.  Check out Joe's Ringside blog for a link to the match and for his own commentary which is much more insightful that anything I could ever say.

Of course, to be true to my blog, I have to mention that Konosuke Takeshita delivers some excellent bodyslams during the match (see above), and looking the alpha wrestler in the process by grabbing a handful of Umeda's ass.  And pardon me for playing spoiler here by showing you how Konosuke wins the match, executing a sick suplex and wrestler's bridge that leaves Umeda dazed and pinned in defeat.  You've got a new fan in me, Konosuke!

Travis

Thunders Arena always does a great job of finding wrestling talent.  Not long ago a new kid appeared on the mats named Travis.  He's a young muscled up dude at 5' 8" and 200 pounds.  TA describes Travis as a ripped bodybuilder but a terrible wrestler (he's even had to take wrestling lessons from Austin Cooper).  So I decided to check out his first match against Zman to make up my own mind about the dude's skills as a wrestler.  Maybe expecting the worse, I was surprised to see Travis doing a good job.  I wouldn't call him a terrible wrestler at all, but I will say that he doesn't quite understand wrestling, at least not just yet.  Travis is a bodybuilder, and he's all about his muscles.  So for him a wrestling match is not so much about competition and using skill and technique to better another guy.  Instead, it's just another stage for him to show off his muscles.  With virtually every wrestling move and hold, Travis finds the opportunity to show off his impressive physique.  With biceps like that, he's looking for every chance to flex them.

Of course, there's one move that's pure wrestling and allows you to show off your muscles, and that's the gorilla press.  Fortunately for us, Travis at least understands this much about mixing his muscles with wrestling, and to Zman's dismay, he doesn't pass up the opportunity to show off.

So, maybe Travis' wrestling skills aren't top notch for the time being.  And perhaps he doesn't quite appreciate the point of wrestling just now.  But he's young and has plenty of time to learn.  I'd say his future at Thunders Arena looks promising.  Let's hope it includes many more spectacular gorilla presses like this.