Martin vs Castellano

Tanner Martin vs Paul Castellano (Movimus)

Tanner and Paul both made highly promising debuts against fellow newby Braden Trelisse (see here and here). They build on their promise in this 26-minute match against each other. They are well matched, but not so well matched as to end the match in a draw. Not until the final third did I feel confident in predicting the winner of this six-submission battle. Even then, I would have hedged my bets.

I like the new and growing roster at Movimus. (It's hard for me to accept it's been over six years since Movimus rose from the ashes of NHB-Battle.)  I admit to missing the big burly fighters that ruled the company's East Coast presence - guys like Duke Russo, Josh Steele, Mikey Hanlon, and Max Anderson - yet while most of the new crew weighs in at less than 190 pounds, they bring plenty of fight to the mat. 

In the last couple of years, the drama of these submission matches has greatly improved. Part of the credit goes to the increasing number of closeups, but mostly to Shawn Duncan, whose 2017 debut brought back some of the expressiveness and charisma (and tight and teeny gear) of early grapplers like Steele and Hanlon. Like Duncan, Castellano adds fervor to this contest to offset Martin's ice-water cool technical prowess.

Both guys have strong muscular legs - both a turn-on for me personally and a major asset in all mat wrestling, especially in wrestling to submission. Unlike the greater number of gay wrestling fans, for eye candy and tight competition I prefer mat wrestling to ring wrestling (though I'm an avid fan of both) and thick thighs to washboard abs (though, ditto, I like both). Movimus ranks among the best at keeping mat work aggressive and sexy without succumbing entirely to the lure of theatrics.

Visit Movimus here.