Fighting Jack Tomlinson

Jack Tomlinson vs Maxwell Jacob Friedman, CAP Crowning Achievement (Create A Pro Wrestling Academy)

Graduation day for spunky Jack Tomlinson - a kid who looks more like a Mouseketeer than the tenacious fighter that he is - came in the summer of 2019 with this match against short-fused heel MJF. I will admit it was the fresh-faced enthusiasm of Jack that drew my eye to this contest. The kid looks like a winner - likeable, effervescent, lean. But it is Friedman who gives life to this fight. As Jack bounds towards the ring, Friedman attacks him from behind. The two battle in front of the front-row fans for a couple of minutes, young Jack giving as good as he takes. The bell still hasn't sounded when Maxwell climbs into the ring. The ref pushes him away to give Jack space to make his entrance. The bell sounds only after MJF rushes in, driving his shoulder to the youngster's gut.

For me the ball starts rolling about six minutes into the video, as MJF and Tomlinson throw punches while kneeling at the center of the ring. This ritualized slug-fest does it for me almost every time I see it. I like it better than standing fisticuffs, something about their knees almost touching, each blow forcing the recipient to rock back on his haunches. Both men are fixed in place, having to take their licks and dish them out by turns. Eventually the brawlers get on their feet. Each blow knocks them a step or two apart, until one guy gets in two uninterrupted and audible hits, then three, four, five, six ... with the crowd screaming the count. There's something intimate about a punch in the nose, with the crowd hooting in the background.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has a rassler's body - bulgy, hard, strong, sexy, and hazardous. It's the kind of body that (literally) takes my breath away - or maybe it just makes me forget to breathe. Jack Tomlinson's body would fit in anywhere - track and field, high diving, ballet, TV, politics - but MJF's body belongs in the squared circle; it's as emblematic of pro wrestling as black trunks and kneepads.

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