Rough Little Fuckers

Joey McCoy vs Corey Turner, Catalog 26 - Muscleboy Beat Down

I have always been a little slow-witted, but it took four matches for me to realize how the title "Muscleboy Beat  Down" relates to the six matches. And though I claim to be a give-and-take guy to the core, I have enjoyed Catalog 26 more than I could have possibly expected, not despite but because of its celebration of the squash match. The credit goes largely to the wrestlers and the murderous abuses they inflict on each other.

I like Joey and Corey both, with a slight preference for Corey. Deprived of an even contest, I want to see Corey kick Joey's ass, but my disappointment is eased by how beautifully Joey kicks Corey's ass. Corey sells pain viscerally and realistically. The times that Joey has been in a pinch, there's a lightness, a make-a-face sitcom goofiness to it.

Corey has a face that's made for pain. It comes readymade for tragedy - all the crushing injustices of human history appear on it. The seeming frailty of his physique adds to the effect. Look at the sixth GIF above. How many wrestlers can you name who so honestly portray the crushing burdens of the world as an opponent bludgeons him with turnbuckle thrusts? Corey acts with his entire body.

Joey also acts with his entire body. There's a winsomeness about it that makes him endearing - even as he punishes his opponent. He portrays youthful energy and innocence, breezy exuberance, an almost innocent glee in the act of dismantling Corey. Looking into Joey's Disneyesque eyes, I am fully confident that he's the hero, and Corey deserves everything he's getting. Joey's energy is the opposite of suffering - it's joy.

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