MUSCLE CHURCH: Our Father, the Iron

  One of the highlights of the wrestling year came recently when Pro Wrestling Illustrated dropped their annual PWI 500 and gave us the first list comprised of both men, woman and non-binary wrestlers. In the weeks leading up to the release of this year’s 500, the topic of intergender wrestling had again hit the internet as if this dead horse hasn’t been beat to death enough. With the traditionalists continuing to battle the rest of the world in determining just what makes fake fighting feel real, one must consider what the fans think and if this war of ideas is ultimately good or bad for the business, much less the sporting aspect, of pro wrestling.     The concept of intergender wrestling was a novelty for years in some areas and a complete in others, as for decades the inclusion of “girl wrestlers” on a card was an attraction and not taken very seriously. In the high years of the Territory Days, legends like Penny Banner and the ubiquitous Fabulous Moolah dominated and later we’d co

  On the surface it would be easy to dismiss anyone competing up into a bigger or more competitive pool of contestants, especially for their first time doing so. Of course, to dismiss Flex Lewis, the “Welsh Dragon” and seven time winner of the 212 Mr. Olympia title for any reason, might be a poor bet to make. But is this year’s Olympia the best place for the Dragon do tread into open water? Maybe it’s the perfect time. This year’s contest is stacked, and while the favorites are the defending champ Brandon Curry and returning seven time champion Phil Heath, the last two years have shown us that the static that once held the Sandow in place for years and year, might have lost its grip. With two new champions in the last two years, the rise in competition could be the perfect place for a dialed-in Lewis to not only make a splash, but make history. Though he ran roughshod over the 212’s for years, he was almost always among the largest contenders-or at least those appearing to be the l

With a new venue, a new date and a new owner, the Mr. Olympia contest for the much-maligned year of 2020 is one of change in a year of firsts. Thanks to the chaos and tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will now be hosted at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas the weekend of December 18 th , but smart money says that the changes end there. With the announcement of “The Gift” Phil Heath coming out of semi-retirement to compete, this contest comes down to Heath and two other athletes, the current champion Brandon Curry and former Mr. Olympia, Dexter “The Blade” Jackson.   As of this writing, the list of athletes looks very deep and on paper this could be the most competitive Olympia in recent years. Last year controversy struck when then-champion “Flexatron” Shawn Rhoden was hit with sexual assault allegations and not allowed to compete, and that cleared a lot of room for Curry to come in and win both nights, earning the Sandow. Rhoden won’t be competing this year and that’s probably a