Daddy Fight

D.Dan vs John Rodriguez, Playground Iron Man (Wrestlingmale)

I'm focusing on only the first match of three in this video. All three make this download highly recommendable. The winners of the first two matches face off in the third. The first interests me because of the "daddy" element. D.Dan at age forty and Rodriguez at forty-four are somewhat older than the American wrestler Stefan (thirty-four), who battles Cuban-Italian Judo Kan (forty-one) in the second match. (In several shots, the latter two can be seen in the background with boss and head trainer Etienne.) All four are older than most underground wrestlers at other promotions.

I'm older than all of them, twice the age of the youngest of them, which is only a small part of why I enjoy watching these matches. There's something noble and exciting about a mature wrestler. For me, it's not a matter of inclusion, a sentimental nod to middle-aged athletes and the idea of inclusivity of a marginalized (usually ignored) group. I like the wrestling, when it's good, just as I like good wrestling involving twenty-somethings. These guys are survivors, and it takes balls to survive for long in any endeavor, especially ones that insistently wear out the body. Also, I'm shallow enough to take an interest in wrestlers who are hot - and these four men are hot.

The phrase "daddy fight" has a definite allure for me. This is the long-promised, long-delayed culmination of the playground taunt "My dad can beat up your dad." (Do kids still say this sort of thing? Even back in the day, was this something said by kids who didn't live on military bases, as I did?) Anyway, I never saw a matchup, and I felt cheated out of something daring and arousing. At long last, the daddies are stripping down to fight gear and going mano a mano in an event titled, suitably, Playground.

Visit Wrestlingmale here.