Best of the Best

In my 500th blog post, I talked about one of my favorite all-time bodyslams.  And that got me to thinking about the other "best of" moves that can be found in my blog.  It's no secret that the over-the-knee backbreaker is one of my favorite wrestling moves, and I have posted many pics about it over the years.  So which one is the best of the best?  It's really no contest.  Hands down, it's muscleboy Brad Barnes breaking Tak's back over his knee in a match from Thunders Arena.

And what makes this one so great?  Well, first off, it features Brad Barnes.  That's pretty hard to beat right there.  Also, it begins with some flair, thanks to Tak as he kicks his legs about while Brad carries him to the center of the mat.  I love it when they kick!  And then Brad brings Tak down with such authority over the knee.  Ouch!  That's gonna be sore in the morning.  Brad then tortures Tak by stretching him out and grinding him over the knee. You'd think Tak should be in agony, but take a quick glance at his shorts and it seems like he's making the best out of a bad situation.

A perfectly executed backbreaker, right?  There's nothing left to do, right?  Wrong!  There's more!  Brad picks Tak back up (the little bitch still kicking his legs) and then cracks his back over the knee one more time.  This is ultimate muscleboy wrestling here.  I love it when a strong wrestler like Brad isn't content to just leave things at one backbreaker.  Brad has got the power, so why no show it off by breaking Tak's back one more time?  And I love how this move shows off Brad's massive shoulders.  Check out those fucking traps!  This is one of the longest OTK backbreakers I have ever seen.  It just goes on and on and on. 

It's the backbreaker that keeps on giving.

Big Bad Jesse Zane

Be sure to check out Muscleboy Wrestling, and you will be pleased to see that they released several new matches about a week ago.  But of course, I am behind the times while I still sort through some of their older productions, which leads me to this post about Jesse Zane.  Not long ago I explained that (for me at least) a big appeal about Muscleboy is how it gives smaller wrestlers a chance to be more than just jobbers in the ring.  Jesse Zane is a case in point.  The dude is only 5' 5" and 145 pounds, which screams jobber at most places, but when Muscleboy puts him in the ring against the 140 pound Logan Cross, you expect an even match.  Or at least on paper it looks like it should be even.  Here are some action shots from that match.  If I could, I would include some good pics of Logan in action, but when this match begins, it is all Jesse.  With bodyslams, powerslams, bearhugs, torture racks, back breakers, and more, Zane demonstrates the best of power wrestling.  He easily looks like a strapping 5' 10" and 180 pound stud as he tosses hapless Logan around in dominant heel-like fashion.  I love the action here precisely because little Zane proves to be a total alpha wrestler, which is what makes this match so fucking awesome.

Jesse Zane . . . Total Badass!

Number 500

So, today is a momentous occasion for my blog as I present post number 500.  I started this blog eight years ago with no real plan other than to make wrestling commentary about things that catch my interest.  And even today, that pretty much remains the rule for whenever I post something.  I have no real agenda for my blog.  I'm not trying to promote any particular point of view.  My primary motivation is not even to get people to read it, although I have to admit that I'm incredibly flattered that you guys do.  Sure, I don't get the numbers that bloggers like Joe at Ringside, Alex at The Cave, and Bruno at Beefcakes of Wrestling get.  Their blogs (and many others) are so much better than mine anyway, but I appreciate that there are some guys out there that find my pics and commentary interesting enough so that they take a few moments out of their week to check it out.  So with eight years gone and 500 posts on the books, what's in store for the future?  Do I have eight more years in me?  500 more blogs?  For all we know, this could be my last (not likely).  Or I could have thousands more (even less likely).  Who knows?  We'll just have to see what the wrestling muses have in store.

OK, enough of this sentimental crap.  The photo above comes from my very first post where I explained why I like the bodyslam.  While that commentary was not very insightful, I have to say that this pic is still one of my favorite bodyslams.  It's taken from a match years ago at Thunders Arena between Batar and some dude who's name I don't even remember anymore.  Why do I like this one so much?  Well, first you take the wrestlers, who are both muscular dudes in squarecuts (my favorite wrestling gear).  I like Batar's flag theme shorts in particular, because, you know, he loves America.  And how about how the legging kind of rides up a bit on one of his thighs?  And check out those thighs!  Talk about incredible.  And Batar shows awesome technique with his arm deep and secure through the other dude's crotch, holding him up high, and leaving no doubt he's the alpha wrestler during this match.  Batar actually delivers two nice textbook bodyslams here, and while the picture above is worth a thousand words, a gif or two on the subject make for a pretty good movie.

So do you guys have any favorite posts from over the years?  Let me know!

Bodyslamming Beefcakes - Braden Charron

Braden Charron is one of my favorite beefcake wrestlers (quite possibly the favorite).  The dude has been wrestling for our entertainment over twelve years now, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.  Sure, he has aged a little bit over the years, but he remains in prime physical condition with that amazing bodybuilder's physique of his.  As long as Braden has the muscles, he'll keep wrestling.  These pics come from a match of his at Wrestler4Hire against Ty Alexander where the beefcake shows us what he and his big biceps can do.

And speaking of Wrestler4Hire, Cameron Matthews just announced the start of a new related website called Hero Hunks.  It features many of the W4H wrestlers we have come to know and love, but in matches with superhero themes.  And of course, this includes Braden Charron -- as if he needs a superhero outfit to look like a superhero.  I can't wait to see what Hero Hunks has in store for us.

The End of Taylor's Reign

In my my last post, I extolled the virtues of Taylor Reign, conferring upon him the coveted title of "muscleboy" after watching his beat down of Justin Powers at Muscleboy Wrestling.  But the wrestling gods are fickle, or at least they can be here at the Bodyslam Fan blog.  Taylor sure looked totally alpha in his match against Justin, but what happens when you put the 170 pound Taylor on the mat to face Nick Flex, who comes in at 5' 11" and 215 pounds?  Nick has big muscles, and not only does he know how to use them, he totally LOVES to use them.  There's really not much that Taylor can do against Nick's muscles, and to be honest, Taylor doesn't even try to resist for most of the much.  He knows his role here is to be nothing more than a rag doll for Nick to play with.  And for his part, Nick takes full advantage.  If you enjoy seeing a muscular wrestler show off power by dominating a smaller opponent, then this match is not to be missed.

Sorry, Taylor, but you can't be the muscleboy forever!

Taylor Reign

Taylor Reign is one of the more prolific wrestlers at Muscleboy Wrestling, appearing in almost twenty matches to date.  At 5' 11" and 170 pounds, Taylor represents what I like best about Muscleboy.  What do I mean?  Well, let's contrast Muscleboy with Thunders Arena.  The talent at TA these days is comprised mostly of bodybuilders, which is pretty different than what you see at Muscleboy.  Now, I'm not criticizing TA at all.  I love the wrestling they produce there.  But the thing I like about Muscleboy is the "average Joe" type wrestlers it features.  And by "average Joe", I mean the lean, muscular jock type you run into in an everyday environment, like at the gym, the coffee shop, or even at work or school.  Taylor Reign represents the accessible "average Joe" stud wrestler, as compared to the almost mythical muscle gods you see wrestling at a place like Thunders Arena (and again, I'm don't mean this as a compaint against TA at all).

So, all in all, I very much enjoy watching Taylor wrestle.  Here are scenes from one of his matches at Muscleboy where he goes up against Justin Powers.  At first glance, you notice that Justin is thick and muscular, so you think he should dominate Taylor, right?  But at 5' 10" and 175 pounds, Justin really isn't much bigger than Taylor.  Let's imagine Taylor is wrestling a 6' 3" and 230 pound bodybuilder dude.  If Taylor were to dominate that match, you may find it entertaining, but certainly not believable.  But here against a "regular" sized Justin Powers, we get treated to Taylor delivering torture racks, backbreakers, powerslams, and perhaps the best finisher move of all, the tombstone piledriver.  These are all among my most favorite alpha wrestling moves, and I don't have to suspend my disbelief to enjoy watching a lean, fit Taylor Reign dominate a muscular Justin Powers with this type of action.  It's like I went to the gym, pointed to two dudes, and ordered them to wrestle each other for my own entertainment.  That's a good way to describe a lot of the wrestling matches you get to see at Muscleboy Wrestling. 

While bodyslams are my primary inspiration for this blog, I love a good torture rack, too.  I've been doing this blog for eight years now, and Taylor treats us to not just one, but two of the best torture racks I have ever seen.  Watching Taylor rack Justin is more than enough to make this match worth your while.  I find myself wishing I were the one being held across Taylor's shoulders like this.  Holy fuck!

Taylor Reign shows you don't need big, bulging biceps to flex like a muscleboy!

Read more about this match in blogsphere at The Cave by Alex and at Ringside by Joe.

Zuper Z-Man

My previous post made me think about how much I love an over the knee backbreaker.  Like I said the last time, it's hard to beat the sight of a muscle dude in a singlet snapping the spine of his opponent over his knee.  It's also hard to beat watching underwear model and musclestud Zack Vazquez doing the same thing.  Here is a match from BG East a few years ago where the Z Man does just that to Kip Sorrels.  I love how dominant Zack is as he easily scoops up the little muscleboy and shows no mercy as he drops him hard across the knee.

The best part is how the little bitch helplessly kicks his legs before Z Man snaps his spine.  Awesome!