Manly Stuff












Papadon vs Mike Mondo, FBW Disturbing the Peace (Five Borough Wrestling)

Dr. L put "Manly Stuff" in the subject line of his email to me,  and I think it is a fine title for  this Papadon versus Mondo match from the summer of 2014. His description is so savory good that I'm copying it below, but before you hear the golden words of the good doctor, I have a few points I would like to raise.

Both these guys wear black trunks, and from a distance look alike. I have no problem with this. Quite the opposite. Black trunks are the only wrestling trunks I have respect for. I can enjoy white, pink, blue, etc., trunks, but black trunks are the real thing. Not being able to distinguish wrestlers is something I've come to enjoy. Two anonymous bodies tearing into each other - it sounds pretty tasty to me. Besides, distinguishing wrestler from wrestler is the job of announcers and ringside commentators. Black is old-school, and I love old school. Papadon, the heel in this match, has a skunk stripe on his left hip and an advertisement on his ass, so it's really not hard to distinguish these two. Mondo is in basic black.

I love how Papadon uses his core to take Mondo down and keep him down in the seventh GIF above. The two punch and kick, too, but it's great when a fighter throws his whole weight at his opponent. His crotch hits the right spot twice, first the chest, then the face. Some wrestlers shun that kind of contact, but I love the pelvic thrust when it's weaponized. I can't imagine what it would look like, but a 100% torpedo match sounds good to me - no punches, no kicks, just a continuous hurling of oneself against an opponent and then pressing him flat to the mat for a ten count.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Now, as promised, here's Dr. L's take - and I totally agree with him:

The bodies are not as hard, but the added pounds equal added sexiness--they look like the seasoned pro wrestlers that they are. Both are skilled in the ring, and I doubt if I have to remind you that they both turn into fountains of sweat early on. This match is a lot of old school give-and-take, and it's a solid turn on. 

But there's more to this match than that. The space where the match takes place is about as far from WWE as a space could be, which is a plus. It is small and looks almost claustrophobic . . . in a welcome way. The paint on the concrete block walls is chipped, and the walls look like they sweat with the wrestlers. I can only imagine what the place smells like, especially after a couple of matches. 

The match is about what goes on in the ring. Perhaps this is an ongoing feud, but it doesn't matter. For the course of the match, it is man against man, a sometimes feral encounter that has, and needs, no plot or subtext. It is a primal struggle (or at least a fine reenactment of one), and it is hot. This is pro wrestling like I remember it and like it still exists, as YouTube reminds us. So close up as to be personal. So personal as to be intimate, as only wrestling can be. 

Obviously, this match did the trick for me. Hope it does for you, too.


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Comments

  1. Papadon is a STUD! Love watching him matches and promos.

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