RhodyRaybo's blog

Not only did I just wrestle 4 days in a row, but I had a record number of matches in that 4 day period. Beginning on Thursday evening and ending on Sunday afternoon, I had six, yes six matches, all with different opponents.

My wrestling spree began Thursday afternoon when I began receiving Instant Messages from a wrestler I've met on several occasions that I will call "Ryan", big guy in his late 40's who is very strong and loves to punch. Ryan lives over the state line but works not far from me sometimes. He is some days in RI, other days in Boston. But I began hearing from him and we worked it out for him to come over after work. He met me at the house as always, went to my basement and stripped down to our briefs and the fun began. He began as always with fire in his eyes wanting a good gutpunching fight mixed with wrestling. He's one of the few opponents who nails me against the wall, standing and punches me in the gut and side. He kept egging me on to hit back. And he wants to see me go after him hard! After a good sweaty half hour of him punching and nailing me and me pinning him to the floor, he was spent. It is never a very long match with him, but very intense. Thanks again "Ryan" for coming over. It's always fun to see you.

The next day was a scheduled vacation day for me. I had some days left to schedule so I requested that Friday off looking forward to a long weekend. I had one match scheduled originally, then 2 then 3! 3??? Seriously?? I so figured one would get cancelled. Just having 2 in one day is a big, huge, hairy deal, but 3? That had never happened before. The first one was in the mid morning at the home of a guy I'll call "Ralph". "Ralph" is about 60 and knows some good holds. He's not one of the stronger guys I've wrestled, but he's no slacker either. Because of what I had planned the rest of the day, I was careful not to overexert myself. We had a good 45 minutes of tussling, holds, pins, etc. Ralph is a very courteous host and I was happy to have this second match with him.

Then I drove home 45 minutes, mostly in the pouring rain to be home for my 12:15 match with a local guy who works just minutes from my house. I had met him only once before and he was brand new to wrestling. I'll call him "Jasper" a smaller, in-shape guy in his mid 50's. "Jasper" was right on time as he was the other time we had met about a month earlier. I met him outside as I usually do with my wrestling guests and we proceeded to the basement. I stripped down to my briefs and he had gym shorts and a t-shirt on. We began to go at it and I noticed that he seemed to remember much of what I had done to him when we last met. I also noticed more confidence from him this time, so I acted more confident with him. rolling around, my growling, nibbling his ear, nailing him, getting out of his holds, I even tapped out once. He showed great potential. Oh, and that t-shirt of his got yanked off when I had him pinned once. When it comes to wrestling attire, less is more. This match lasted about a half hour for that was all he had because he needed to return to work. Hopefully I'll see "Jasper" again soon.

Then at 2pm, came the big one. One of my all time favorite wrestling buddies. I'll call him "Alan". "Alan" is a fitness instructor. He's in his late 40's, good hair on his chest, and a form most guys would kill for. He's tall and very muscular. He's also a close friend that I met through the wrestling circuit. "Alan" changed into his speedo and wrestling shoes and I changed into mine. (he's one of the few I wear them for) Alan and I are also of the same faith, so while we stood there, before we began, we gave our match to God and asked Him for guidance and safety during our match. Then we began hugging standing and started taking each other down. Alan was in a ferocious mood! I had never seen him so aggressive. I had so much difficulty freeing myself from his holds, and I could tell he was getting his aggression out on me. I loved it! He nailed me, we paused, I nailed him, we paused, and back and forth it went, nailing each other and sweating all over each other. We sweat soooo much on each other my eyes were burning for the rest of the evening. This went on for 2 hours. Alan hadn't been over in about 9 months but we had wrestled each other at group matches since then. There's nothing like rolling around with a good friend and brother. Hopefully I'll see him again soon. I always need a good shot of "Alan"...ever see two Sunday school teachers wrestling each other aggressively? Neither have I. And footnote...so sorry, "Jim-Bob", that you were unable to join us. I so wish you could have.

The next day I heard from one of the best semi-regulars anyone could ask for. He's skilled when it comes to submission holds and is a well built 57 year old with the body of a 40 year old. Yup, I heard from and was able to schedule a Saturday afternoon match with "Stanley". This match was our 26th. Yup, 26th! He showed up at 3:10 and I met him outside as always. We began with the usual pleasantries as "Stanley" got his gym bag out of his trunk and we proceeded into my house and down the basement stairs. We stripped down to our normal gear for us and we went to work on each other. We always start on our knees and pull each other down. We give each other all sorts of holds and locks. "Stanley" is best at nailing me to the floor, but when he starts to put my arm in back of my head while he's nailing me, I know I'm a goner. So, the usual hour with him went by very quickly as always. I'm always able to take him down, but KEEPING him down is another story. You see, "Stanley" is very skilled in martial arts, so he knows how to control his seemingly endless stamina. And when we were finished after 5 rounds, in which he only tapped out once and I tapped out the rest, we embraced for a bit and talked for just a bit while I massaged his pecs. I always look forward to "Stanley" and find it a privilege to be on his list of wrestling buddies. I've also considered him one of my mentors in my 2-plus years of wrestling. He never lets me just lie there when he pins me, though he knows how much I love that chest of his. He always makes the position harder and more painful on me, forcing me to attempt something. Can you ask for a better wrestling buddy? I know so few who beat him on so many levels.

And finally, on Sunday afternoon I arranged a match with a less experienced guy from about 40 minutes away. "Larry" is a smaller guy, decent build, late 40's, and very wiry. "Larry" was a good opponent to end the wrestling streak with . He likes to have conversations and he loves to throw punches. Whenever he nails me, I know I'm going to get several blows in the side and in the gut. And he knows how to throw them. Even though his inexperience had me playing the heel most of the time, this guy has a high endurance level. He was able to deal with me putting him in all sorts of holds and scissors for 90 minutes. We got good and sweaty, then talked for a while. He's a nice guy over all, but when he and I are grappling, all niceness is out the window for both of us. So it's always fun to test his limits, and for a guy who has very strict rules about gear and "grabbing" (which I don't do much of), he is very flexible on all the trash talk I gave him. "you're MINE, punk!". He didn't mind me sweating all over him. It seemed we had wrestled several times before, but I'm sure it was only 2 other times. I guess when you're comfortable with someone, it will seem as though you've known each other longer than it actually was.

So how did I fare out after all that wrestling? Jim Bob asked me earlier in a "chat" today. After each match I had a "Muscle Milk" protein shake (something Alan uses) and it really helped get my muscles back. But my eyes are still a bit irritated from all the sweating I did. I'm a bit sore in a few places and have a few bruises, but the more noticeable ones are covered by all my body hair.

Will I ever have a streak like that again? I hope so, but now I think I'll just sit back and enjoy this Sunday evening in the presence of my dear wife who allows me to engage in this pastime.

I've wrestled this guy several times. It was about his sixth time here and we met at another wrestler's house not too long ago. He kept telling me on Instant Messenger to get mad, build up the aggression, hit hard! But when we start, I try, but I am having SOOOO much fun hitting and being hit, beaten, and humiliated, that I can't even try to look mean. I wind up laughing. But at one point with all my energy I start hitting and hitting hard, fast and repeatedly. He loved it. But I couldn't be as aggressive as he'd like. It couldn't have been that bad for him...he still tapped out twice.

A short time ago got a new guy to my basement to wrestle. He was new to wrestling, though in decent shape. He was only 26, and here I am pushing 50. We wrestled, roughhoused and I demonstrated my best moves on him. He seemed to enjoy it. He laughed when I held him tight. I started saying "come to papa bear" as I held him close. He laughed the whole time enjoying every minute of it. However, this young professional man had one annoying trait to him. One thing he kept doing and it was getting old quickly. He kept wedgies! I've wrested 55 different guys in the last 2 years in over 200 matches. This was definitely a first. And to be honest, I HATE wedgies! So after the 3rd time or so, I finally had enough and pulled his briefs off completely, held him down then slipped mine off. I said to him "If you insist on pulling a wedgies, we're wrestling naked!" And we did. And not to my surprise, he didn't mind. Though we did nothing in the nature of any sex acts, I don't go for those. But we continued as we were doing, just with nothing on.

So new rule, from now on, if you give me a wedgie, I'm removing all gear. And by the way, gear will be returned upon completion of the match.

I've been wrestling since July 2011. I am very persistent in finding matches and new opponents. Some would even say that I've become an addict. So be it. But I will say, that since I began 2 years ago, I have had 208 matches with 55 different opponents. I've gone against total beginners to more skilled pro types. And I can truthfully say that I have made some of the best buddies you could possibly ask for. How could I have so many matches? Some in that count are group matches, I count each guy I wrestle at such a gathering as a separate match. But with a one on one, the match must go more than 10 minutes. I had a couple that lasted less than 5 minutes. I don't count those. Trying to expand now to some light boxing and gut punching. I hope to get back into writing regular blogs about my matches. See you on the mats!

After 75 matches with 29 different guys in a 12 month period, I decided to sit back and reflect on my top 5 favorite wrestling buddies. It was easy to pick them out. About half the guys I wrestled were one shot deals. Some of those were not a heartbreak to me. Others, it would have been nice to see them more than once. But for the guys who stand out I'm giving mention to each of them in a "Best Of..." approach. And I will use all made-up names to protect their privacy. So here goes.

BEST BROMANCE "Todd" age-mid 50's, lives 20 minutes away, single, straight, about my size, cannot host. Todd was the second guy I wrestled with when I started last July. His knowledge of wrestling moves is limited, but he can hold his own. He was the first to put me in a scissors lock. He was also the first to treat me as a genuine friend. After our match, we didn't see each other for a few weeks, but much to my surprise, I continued hearing from him through email. He was very encouraging. We started meeting semi regularly and wound up wrestling 10 times. During our matches, we talked an awful lot and enjoyed each other's company. He was the first wrestler that I confided in with a lot of personal issues. We became close friends. Unfortunately, he's had some health issues this past year, so any future matches are on hold for now. But he is having them addressed, so we'll be able to get back into the swing sometime next winter hopefully. In the meantime, we continue to communicate and keep each other updated on what's happening with us. So "Todd" gets the "Best Bromance" award.

BEST SUB WRESTLER "Stanley" Mid-50's, mostly straight, married, family man, smaller, muscular, fairly hairy, cannot host. I met Stanley at a garage of another wrestler last August. The host had Stanley and myself wrestle right after I arrived. It only lasted about 10 minutes, but I knew at that point that I wanted to go at it with this guy again. He left shortly after and I had a session with the host. That guy who hosted and I have not been in touch lately, but Stanley and I began wrestling semi regularly the following January. While Stanley does not employ a large variety of moves when we wrestle, he has tremendous strength, energy, and speed. He likes sub wrestling and it's always a battle to to see who can pin or nail whom. When he has me on my back he often treats me to his grinding his hairy chest in my face. Love it!! Then after a tapout (usually me), we embrace for several minutes. But what I love about Stanley is that he's been wrestling for many years and has quite a list of semi regulars, largely guys who travel to the major city he lives near. So with all that demand and heavy activity, I consider it such a high honor and privilege to be on his list of regulars. He also is one to try to push me to the next level. He wants me to get better at what I do, and with his brotherly help, it's happening. Thank you so much Stanley.

BEST BEAR MATCH "Wilfred" mid-30's, gay, single, slightly bigger than I am, very, very hairy, cannot host. Lives 25 minutes north of me. What do I mean by "Bear Match"? Picture 2 very hairy guys going at it who mutually admire each others' very hairy chests. That is a "bear match". Thus enters "Wilfred". He and I first met and wrestled sometime during the winter when I had a 3 day trial "premium membership" on another site. I sent out over 30 invites to wrestle, and "Wilfred" was the only one who met with me, or even agreed to for that matter. We have now wrestled 7 times and will continue to do so as circumstances allow. Wilfred is very strong, but not unbeatable. I am able to get him to tap out at least once each session. After each tap out we might massage each others pecs or bellies, hug a bit, or just plain talk. He's actually quite funny when he tells of his antics with his parents, work, or roommate. He actually might do well as a stand up comic. But either way, I always look forward to meeting with "Wilfred". It's always intense, fun, and humorous.

BEST JOBBER "Ron", mid 40's, straight?, divorced father of one, 50 lbs lighter than me, works 20 minutes north of me, lives about 45 minutes east of me. I don't see this fav anywhere near as often as I wish I could. Our schedules and infirmities just seem to prevent us from grappling as often as we'd like. But nonetheless, this jobber whom I first met in March and grappled with 4 times so far is very deserving of a place on my list of fav's. Despite the fact that he is trained in various martial arts and is quite strong, his first choice is to be a jobber. But he's no rag doll here. He will make you work for the title of heel. He loves being in a hold and trying to get out of it. I always say I love the looks on his face. He also loves belly and pec play, and will trade rolls and play the heel if you ask him to. Bottom line, I have had so much fun being heel to him, and he's very down to earth and personable. On our first match, I felt as though I was wrestling an old friend rather than a guy I just met. So 5 dings for "Ron". He's tops in my list of wrestling buddies even though I usually look "down" on him while grappling.

BEST ALL AROUND "Jim-Bob" early 30's, about 65 lbs heavier than me, straight, family man, hairy chest and belly, lives about an hour away, cannot host. I had every intention of including this very special wrestler in my list of favorites, but what title to give him? I couldn't think of one thing in particular, but rather, several things. So I decided to award him "Best All Around". We met back in May for the first time though we had chatted months earlier, but a match didn't happen back then. But when we planned our initial meeting back in May, we chatted quite extensively beforehand, both on line and on the phone. And the more we chatted, the more we realized the common interests we had when wrestling. We both love hugging and long embraces. We both love hanging together. We both love making videos of our meets then watching them together. We both love certain types of wrestling that I won't go into. And he has gotten me interested in more gut punching, something he loves. Our matches are long...at least 3 hours. We meet, we embrace, we wrestle, we embrace, we wrestle, we embrace, we through some talking in there and we just have an all around great time. Let's just say, we really clicked. We've had 3 matches so far with a fourth one in the planning stages. I honestly didn't think that I would click so strongly with someone that much younger than myself, but I have. We've become very close friends in the process and Instant Message each other very regularly. So hats off to "Jim-Bob" for making every aspect of our wrestling relationship the best one could ever ask for.

Again, the men here are real, the names have been changed and locations concealed to protect their privacy. If any of them read this and wish to identify themselves, they are free to do so. But hopefully they'll all read this and realize they did more than just wrestle. They bonded. And I love them all like brothers, well more than brothers because I never really got along with my biological brothers to begin with. Peace out!