Live from Mount Olympus

Artemis Iron vs Johnny Greco, Finish Me (MuscleBoy Wrestling)

Two strongmen facing off was the meat and potatoes of the peplum films I saw as a kid at the base theater in Yokota, Japan, decades and decades ago. Kids my age and soldiers 25 or younger were the usual audience for these spectacles, badly dubbed and full of reused props and sets. The posters alone inspired hard-ons. Cheesy as it all was, it did the trick for me.

This match from MuscleBoy Wrestling's "Finish Me" set brings it all back. Johnny Greco, at 5'6", 165#, is a good bit smaller than 5'9", 210# Artemis Iron, but he's the main source of energy in this match. Artemis debuted in a match with another muscle god, Rob Steel, in 2021. Based on the beard and chest-hair count, I suspect that this match was shot around that same time. Greco debuted the previous year in a match with Bull Barrett.

There was little by way of wrestling in the 50s/60s movies - except the scenes I made up. Iron versus Greco is a longer, sweatier match than any in those older films. The awkward stiffness is there, but it works when the muscle is this thick and shimmering. I root for Johnny, the more experienced of the two, but I suspect he will ultimately lose. Both men meet my expectations of Mediterranean demigods - and MuscleBoy's small fightroom makes giants of them both.

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