A Game








Movimus released its first video of 2015 this week. It features Doug Acre, in his sophomore appearance for the company, against Aron Stokes. Both came to Movimus with video wrestling experience at other companies. Both wrestled competitively at meets before that. 

Though Aron has seven inches and 14 pounds on Doug, my money's on Doug even before the two step on the mat. Acre is stocky, sturdier and closer to the ground than the willowy Stokes, sporting a smooth, hard physique more suited to wrestling. His high and tight haircut makes a statement, too. He made a big impression in his Movimus debut, wrestling Dave Markus, a strong competitor who tests all his opponents' mettle--and Doug's mettle looked good to me then. It still looks good.

Movimus describes Aron as usually laid-back but notes that Doug stirs up his aggressive side. Aron starts off pretty strong here, but one of the things I enjoy most about this match is the way Doug gradually yet doggedly gains a sure advantage, leading to the first submission. A noisy and angry one at that. Aron seems inspired by his first taste of defeat to double down for the rest of the contest. He comes back at Acre much more committed to taking him down, much more open to taking risks, often painful risks, to reach that goal.

I want to warn readers (again) who may not be used to real submission wrestling that they shouldn't expect the kind of drama, spectacle, and hijinks that pro-style ring wrestling has to offer. There's drama here, all right, but it requires close attention, more like watching a chess game (a cliché comparison, I know, but its message is true enough) than watching Transformers in 3-D IMAX. 

Doug and Aron go for three falls in over 28 minutes. Compare that to Movimus's previous release, Markus versus Jimmy Reilly, which gave us seven falls in 21 minutes, a much more dynamic match. This contest demands focus, patience, and a realistic (if not scientific) grasp of the ways the human body will bend without injury--and won't bend. Neither wrestler telegraphs his next move, and tough customers that they are, you have to watch carefully for the small, telltale twitches that reveal how punishing some of these holds are.


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