Backbreaking Work

Ethan Andrews & Jett Bentley vs Dash Decker & Chase Lundquist, Welcome to Muscleville: Red, White and Black (88 Wrestling)

The taciturn Jett Bentley steps up to the plate in the latest tag team event at 88Wrestling. He seems determined to get the job done even if that means drawing fire from the bad guys and not, as I had feared, leaving the heavy lifting to his more experienced tag partner, Ethan Andrews. Jett still has only the two facial expressions -  stoical indifference and grimace - but his body language is all let's-kick-ass. And speaking of body language, Jett's muscles have never been tanner or put to better use. Of course, Ethan is right there with him, but I get the sense that Jett is determined to step into the limelight in this tag-team event.

Ethan is the brains of the duo. He's the best trained and most experienced of all four competitors. He doesn't exactly take a back seat, but he lets Jett shine. He's there when he's needed, and when the bad guys gang up on his partner, Ethan leaps into action. He doesn't show a lot of muscle, but, as he has proved throughout his career, muscle for fighting is innately superior to muscle for show and pity the heel who underestimates Ethan's force in the ring..

The bad guys - Dash Decker and Chase Lundquist - are physically bigger and harder than our heroes. We know they're bad because of their smugness and smirking contempt for their opponents. They wear singlets throughout the first round, but they peel the gear down about halfway through Round 2.  Their bodies are monuments to heavy lifting and floor mirrors. If they are a little hung up on themselves, who can blame them? I'm hung up on them, too.

The battle lasts three rounds, which means we get to see each side give the other side a good stomping at least once. As we enter Round 3, Ethan gives Jett a backrub while waiting for the bell, and Chase shares some encouraging words to Dash. A light sweat glistens on Dash's ruddy muscle. The third round is almost always the sexiest, and such is the case here. All four men are primed for victory, but obviously only one side will succeed. When Chase and Dash double up against Jett, Ethan is quick to intervene. In the final three minutes, all four men are in the ring, slugging it out.

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