The Wrestler

 

The Wrestler

by Gym Dude

My job requires some travel and while I'm a people person and enjoy working with and helping new people I'm not crazy about the food. Not being one to frequent the "finer" restaurants and especially not wanting to take the time, I usually stop at "down home" style places or coffee shops. Driving home from a recent upstate conference would be no different.

One place on the edge of town looked inviting so I parked in the lot behind the coffee shop and went in. The place was packed with college age kids, some reading but most laughing and having fun. I sat down at the only open table and put in my order.

I enjoyed watching the interaction of the kids and remembering my college days. Aaaaaah, it was a very good time.

It wasn't long before a young black man came in the door. He stood tall and walked with confidence. He looked like one of the students but even at a distance the guy looked like he had spent some time in the weight room, the man moved like a jock. He leaned over the juke box and his wind breaker stretched across his v-shaped back. Damn strong dude, I thought to myself. After punching in a few buttons, he stood upright, looked around the room and headed in my direction.

The guy headed my way looked like he was in damn good shape. When you work out as hard as I do, you tend to notice other people who do the same. I keep myself lean and hard, in fact, at 36 I actually work fairly hard at it. At 5'11 ½½, I'm maintaining 216 pounds of solid beef. I get involved in some white-collar boxing and can take care of myself in the ring and on the mats against most any man my size, even those hot shot young pups fresh out of college who always want to show off to their buds. I think I enjoy kicking their asses more than just about anyone else.

Just about the only seats left were at my table. He approached, looked down at me and matter-of-factly said, "These taken?"

"Nah" I replied. "Be my guest."

Probably because of this country’s racial history, a lot of people won't just walk up to someone of another race and invite themselves to their table. Even in a situation like this restaurant so close to campus it would be unusual for a student to take a seat with someone who obviously wasn't in his age group, but there he was. I had the feeling he was confident that he could handle anything that came up.

The kid slid out of his jacket placing it on a chair between us and sat directly across from me. I couldn't believe the arms on this dude. He was about my height, maybe a fraction shorter and wearing a black tank top that confirmed my thought that he spent time in the gym, a great deal of time.

"Meeting friends here?" I asked casually, since most college guys, especially jocks, are not usually alone and there were two other seats at the table. "Everybody's across state at the game, I had things to do in the gym that I didn't want to miss." He said.

I took another look up and down his powerful looking build. Shit, it doesn't look like he's EVER missed a day in the gym. He reminds me a lot of myself at that age. It wasn't until then that I noticed the small emblem of two wrestlers on his shirt. "You wrestle?" I asked. Talk about a redundant question. Try to find a wrestling coach anywhere that would let a man like this get by him. The big guy nodded in the affirmative.

"You must be. what, 197?" I asked and he smiled back. "Yeah, exactly. You spend some time on the mats?" He asked, like we might have something in common to talk about.

"Not as much as I'd like to, anymore. But as-a-matter-of-fact, I fought in your weight class at this very campus." I said proudly.

The young horse looked me up and down for a moment, "You any good?" he asked.

It made me laugh. "Now or then?" I shot back.

"Both, I guess", he smiled confidently.

"I got taken once in my sophomore year by a guy who went on to get an Olympic medal. That was my only loss in competition. And you?"

He glanced down and gently flexed his right arm. The biceps jumped to attention like a mighty soldier, "Three years, undefeated!" he replied.

Although he didn't say it, I got the distinct impression that he was throwing my one loss back in my face. I couldn't tell if he was putting me down, making a challenge or just proudly relaying his record. "Looks like you put on a little weight since then. How you doin' now?" he inquired.

Here's my chance to gloat a little. "I pick up matches were ever I can. Most towns have a couple of gyms with local competition and every once in a while, you run into a sports bar with a ring set up, but that's more in the south. Don't find a lot of good pick-up fights around here. In the ring, I take pretty good care of myself."

"So, you're telling me that the competition in these pick-up fights is not too tough?" he was leaving less doubt that he was putting me down!

"Don't jump to conclusions. These guys don't play around. They are there simply because they love to fight. Most of the time, there are no weight classes and no rules. It's not all that uncommon for some guys to get messed up pretty bad. You'd be surprised how tough these fighters are."

"I'd be surprised all right. I'd be surprised if any of those guys could last ten minutes with a real wrestler. Look at me, Man!" Actually, I hadn't stopped looking at this dude since he walked into the place. I've spent a lot of time on the mats and in the weight room and I don't remember ever seeing a 197-pounder in this kind of shape. "You're just a bunch of old men trying to re-live the good old days when you thought you had the kind of strength and toughness I have. You old farts wouldn't hold a candle to a man like me in his prime."

I had to laugh at the arrogance of youth. "Shit, son. You're lucky you're in college, cuz you've got a hell of a lot to learn!"

His dark eyes began to twinkle, "And you think YOU can teach me?"

Finally, there would be no more beating around the bush. The challenge was on the table. This young

powerhouse wanted to take me on. And the fact-of-the-matter was, I was ready to take him down a few pegs. Undefeated, my ass! 

The wrestler smiled confidently and planted his elbow on the table. "Armwrestle me, here and now. Show me what you got! Loser pays for dinner! I'm just a kid working his way through college. I can always use someone buying my dinner."

It was unexpected, but I really liked the idea. I glanced at the mass of muscle before me. As he began to flex, the wrestler's forearm looked like a freaking bowling pin. I don't know what it is about black weightlifters. Whether they have thinner skin or maybe it's just the color, but muscular black men seem to have amazing definition and this dude was certainly no exception. I swear I could see the individual muscle fibers twitching right through the skin!

Every conversation in the place gradually stopped and the whispers began as more and more of the kids noticed what was happening at our table.

Casually, I undid my cuff link and rolled back the sleeve of my dress shirt. "Not bad for an old man." The kid laughingly exclaimed, "But not nearly enough!" he bragged.

I reached forward and we began adjusting our grip before anchoring my elbow to the table.

"Gawd. The big white guy is gonna get creamed!" one of the students commented out loud. "Bet your ass, man. Leroy is just about the strongest dude I've ever seen." "Look at those muscles, man! He totally dominates ever opponent on the mats." "The white guy is big, and he looks to be in pretty good shape, but NO man stands up to Leroy!" "Shit, Leroy is gonna break that old dude's fucking arm!" The gang gathered around as the entertainment began.

As soon as our grips were secure, I said "GO" and we both poured on the power. I have to admit, this kid was even stronger than I expected. This young stud is holding up better than most of the heavyweight bodybuilders I've faced!

We jockeyed for position, back and forth, getting familiar with our opponent and trying to figure what he would do next while trying to gauge just how much power was locked in those considerable arms.

The kid was confident and from the look of those muscles I could certainly see why. The guy wanted to play with me and put on a show before putting me out of my misery, but I had plans of my own.

In one rapid move, I poured all my strength into my wrist and powered over the top bending the college boy's wrist back then using the element of surprise and his loss of concentration to my advantage, I powered up forcing the stud's big arm about half way to the table before he caught himself. The wrestler's arm exploded with muscle and he was able to temporarily stop my downward momentum.

My suspicions that my muscular opponent had spent his time arm-wrestling college boys and had probably not seen much real competition were proven true. The kid was all muscle and very little technique. I'm sure he has very little trouble totally overwhelming most guys stupid enough to face him, he's just never faced a man with power AND skill, a fatal mistake in this game.

The kid was flexing hard. The big smile on his face was gone and I got the distinct impression that the big stud was in a position he had probably never seen before. The guy's muscles were a treat to behold. I couldn't get over how great he looked with his broad shoulders, thick traps and amazingly powerful neck, all flexed hard. I stretched his big arm out both to wear him down some more and to see that massive biceps

grow even larger.

There was no doubt that this wrestler was a true fighter and he wore his "Undefeated" title proudly. He was in big trouble for the first time and risked getting beat in front of his fans AND get beat by an "old man" that he had challenged! Leroy was fully aware of the stakes and was not about to consider failure as an option.

The young fighter gasped a giant breath and his chest flexed to impressive size. Damn, I could see the definition of his pecs stretching against his tank top! This man if fucking STRONG!

Inexperience is a tough teacher. While the wrestler didn't know it, I knew well that once a man comes over the top and gets your wrist back, you're a dead man in this game. I don't care how damn strong you think you are, you don't come back from that point, at best, it's just a matter of time. Leroy just didn't know when to give up and I was enjoying the entertainment of watching those handsome muscles fighting back. I had no reason to put him away yet so I let him fight me.

The kids were going nuts! "Look at that!" "I don't believe it. The old dude's holding Leroy!" "God, this guy must be Superman or something. NOBODY is stronger than Leroy!" "Shit, man! Check out Leroy's guns. Look at all that muscle! I say he comes back and kicks the old man's ass!" "Come on, Leroy! Do it man! Reach down and show this dude who's boss!" "Leroy's a horse, man. He ain't never been beat and I say he won't start now!"

The crowd was obviously on the wrestler's side and they clearly didn't know how much trouble the kid was in or that there was no way he could win now. This could be some real fun.

The next time the young fighter flexed, I let his big arm back up slightly but I still poured on a ton of resistance. The cards were stacked in my favor but that doesn't mean I wasn't up against an absolutely amazing display of brute force! No doubt about it, this kid had more natural power than any man I had ever faced. I gotta see how deep that power goes. The kid has strength, but does he have guts?

Seeing his arm working its way back up, even just a little, was enough to give the wrestler a new lease on life. The young man clinched his powerful jaw and poured an incredible amount of power into those thick muscles. I have to admit that he caught me by surprise, I had no idea the kid was capable of that kind of force after the strain I had already placed on that massive arm. I didn't even have to let up on

him, Leroy was forcing our arms back all by himself! SHIT! I thought to myself. This kid must have some kind of atomic power plant buried inside those cannons of his! Imagine some poor wrestler having to face this dude on the mats and getting caught in those guns! Terrifying!!!

What's going on here? I'm getting lost in the admiration of this muscle stud and he's already powered his way back nearly to the neutral position. If this kid is able to work my arm down, he could have enough power and leverage to bring his wrist around and I will be the dead man. For my sake, I hope he's exhausted his immense storehouse of reserve power getting back to his point because if this dude can

crank like that again, I'm not sure I could hold him back.

The kids were insane at this point. "Holy Shit! Look at Leroy's arm, man! I've NEVER seen muscle like that!"

The guy was right. The wrestler's biceps must be peaking at 19" or more! The tissue thin skin was stretched so tight in became nearly invisible and every thick cable of sinew roped across the twin peaks of the young man's massive upper arm. His dark color gave the appearance of polished ebony. In serious battle the wrestler's fully flexed physique resembled a carved statue, except that no one would ever believe someone this young could develop such size and power!

What the fuck! While I'm lost in the amazing sight before me, this stud has powered my arm past the midpoint! That and the support of the screaming crowd has given the black Superman a second wind. This kid is totally ignoring the tearing pain his wrist must be providing and working to take me down using nothing but absolute, unadulterated power!

OK! Enough admiration of the young muscleboy. I'm not going to let him walk all over me, just because he can! This guy has to be completely spent by now. His huge biceps have been locked in battle for too long. No man can put out that much force at full flex without exhausting the muscle! My big guns have been taking it easy. I'm still fairly rested and I figure he's about done.

I begin to muscle up to show this boy what a man can do, but our arms don't move! Damn! This shit is even stronger than I thought. I flex again with even greater force and my arm fills the sleeve stretching the fabric of my dress shirt tight. Our audience comes unglued! All the cheers for their muscular hero to put me away begin to quiet down as our arms return to the neutral position.

The wrester grunts and even groans for the first time. It's hard to tell but I think I can detect a question in his eyes. For the first time Leroy may be wondering if he will have what it takes to win this battle.

Both big arms are trembling from the amazing force of two very powerful men, but the game is yet to be decided. I flex again and my big guns are more than my shirt was designed to hold. Our youthful audience is astounded as my shirt splits across my upper arm and a pretty damn beefy biceps of my own sticks its head out.

For the first time, Leroy gets a good eyeful of what he's fighting and at that same moment, I add more power forcing his big arm down another couple of inches. Sweat is beginning to run down the handsome dude's face. The wrestler is still pouring on incredible power but he's still slowly losing ground. The kid fights and fights hard! He grunts and groans, but won't give in. Finally, with every remaining effort in his incredibly muscular body, once again the massive arms stop their downward motion. One more time the muscular superhero has saved himself from destruction.

I look at the stud before me and marvel at his amazing strength. This kid has one incredible build and is one hell of a fighter. I could take him down and put him out of his misery. I could ease up on him and watch those beautiful muscles fight back again, I

could even let him take me. I mean, what would be the problem in that? I'm never going to see these kids again. Imagine what a story that would make on campus. This guy is already a local legend, that story would be his insurance.

One glance at the struggling muscleman across the table from me made up my mind. He challenged me! What if the tables were reversed? I'm a fighter and I don't fight to lose! Undefeated MY ASS!

I began to slowly tighten my grip on the young stud's thick hand as I whispered across the table. "You know, I can crush the shit out of your hand and put you out of competition for the rest of the season. You're in way over your head, muscleboy."

The wrestler looked me square in the eye. I was smiling but he wasn't really sure how serious I might be. Our massive arms were locked halfway to the table. If it were closer, a man could recognize defeat and give it up, but at this level there was still a chance to win. No real fighter would pack it in. I had him! Mentally and physically, he was beaten. He just didn't know it yet!

I stretched his big arm out a little more, leverage was all mine. Leroy was fighting back with everything he had but that was becoming less and less.

As he fought, our arms would move slightly back toward neutral, then after a moment, I would force them back down again. The pumping motion was working on his massive arm and his biceps looked like it was ready to explode! I watched the amazing muscle work and I think I noticed the change even before he did. You could see a wave starting at the elbow and moving gently up the mountain of muscle. The buff wrestler now noticed it too, but he felt it before he saw it. The massive biceps were cramping. You can only ask a muscle to do so much and tonight he had demanded more of his muscular physique than ever before. Now Superboy was going to pay the price!

I let his big arm up a couple of inches and the crowd went crazy thinking that Leroy was making a comeback, but we both knew better. The kid knew what I was up to. I let him power up, just so I could press his big arm back down. I was pumping those guns and feeding the cramps. This boy's knotted up muscles are going

to provide him a great deal more pain than I would ever be willing to do myself.

A second wave then a third and fourth swept up the mountain of muscle. Each wave was wider and a great more painful than the one before it. I could see the young stud's eyes water with pain. He wanted to quit, but he couldn't, not in front of all of his fans!

I pumped his powerful arm a few more times just for the fun of watching the big stud's upper arm go into convulsions. Shit! That's got to really hurt!

Leroy's expression changed as though suddenly he had become someone else. The kid was whipped! The big, tough wrestler was completely done and defenseless in my grip. I tightened my hold on his hand and whispered for only him to hear "You about done, tough guy?"

The wrestler looked me square in the eye for one long painful moment, then slowly nodded 'yes'.

I could do anything I wanted at that point, but decided I'd had enough fun and simply slammed his wrist to the table top.

Leroy was relieved to have it over. The crowd was stunned. "Shit! I can't freaking believe it!" "Someone actually took Leroy!" "My eyes! My eyes must be lying to me!" "It' can't be!" "Man, that old

dude must be Superman!" I sure as hell felt like it!

Rather than just slamming him down and releasing my opponent I held Leroy's powerful arm to the table for a long painful moment, just because I could and I felt so "in control" doing it. "Undefeated! My ass!" I whispered across the table as I gave his hand one more convincing grip just to see his eyes squint with pain then released the big stud and casually commented "Ready for dinner?" as though nothing had happened.

All the cheering kids gradually broke their stunned silence and started to wander back into their little groups. I knew what they had seen tonight would be the fodder for great tales for some time to come. Leroy's position on campus was secure. They would continue to revere him as unbeatable on the mats, but now they would forever add the story of the man with muscles so big they ripped right through the arms of his shirt. The man so strong he could face even Leroy's Superman physique and put the big stud down. I felt really good!

Leroy was trying to get blood back into his oxygen starved arm and find some way to lessen the pain of his cramping muscle. He was still rubbing his massive upper arm when the waitress arrived with our food.

"I gotta give you credit, you're one strong son-of-a-bitch." The wrestler didn't talk much, but then when you're built like that man, you don't need to.

"Well, I still work out some." I casually replied with a slight grin.

"Yeah, I bet you do! I really damn bet you do!" He said with amazement and even a touch of humility in his voice. "You know, no man has ever taken me." The wrestler said, still rubbing his wasted arm.

I looked up from my food and smiled. "That's what you said before. Guess you can't say it anymore, huh?"

The wrestler just sat and looked at me for what seemed like five minutes, then picked up his fork with his left hand and started to eat. I just love screwing with guys heads.

About half-way through dinner he finally he broke the silence. When he did speak, we talked about working out and wrestling. Leroy had a lot of questions about wrestling after college. What was available if you don't get involved with Olympic training. I filled him in on the pick-up matches I've been able to find and shared some of my stories and experiences. I think he began to understand just how rugged some of the competitors are out there and the sense of danger that is involved when you don't have a referee to enforce the rules and in essence save you from getting really pounded when you run into some man that you CAN'T take. So far, that has never been a problem for Leroy, but as he learned tonight, things can change.

After dinner Leroy picked up the check. I hated to do that to a kid working his way through school, but that was the deal. We left the restaurant and walked out back to where my car was parked.

"I don't understand it, man." Leroy said in wonderment and frustration. "You're in great shape, but look at these muscles, dude! I'm stronger than you are! I HAVE to be stronger than you are!" Leroy pulled off his tank top and popped a double biceps pose. "Look at this body, man! Have you EVER seen a 197-pound man built like this?"

Even after spending the evening with this kid, and watching those massive muscles flex while I kicked his young ass arm wrestling, I STILL never imagined a body like this young stud possessed.

Especially under the harsh glare of the mercury vapor lights in the parking lot, the wrestler looked like he had negative body fat if that were possible. Every ounce on this man was pure, powerful muscle and I swear you could see every thickly developed fiber. The blue-white light gave his chocolate skin an almost purple shadow below his deep cut musculature, and the size of those muscles appeared beyond imagination. The stud's lats flared out like five-inch-thick butterfly wings and his abdominals resembled a cobblestone road. Like I said, I've never seen anything like it. All I could do was whistle in amazement.

"SEE! SEE!" he shouted. "Solid muscle! Stronger than steel! Admit it, man. This body is UNBEATABLE! UN-FUCKING-BEATABLE!!!" Leroy was getting pretty worked up over this.

The amazing mass of muscle before me started to smile and I began to wonder just what he had in mind. If this guy wanted to fight me, he would make one formidable opponent. I tossed my jacket through the car window while the Superboy before me clasped his big hands behind his head causing his abdominals to look even more amazing than they did before, if that was possible.

The wrestler leaned back against the brick wall behind him. "Go ahead, muscleman. Test these abs. Hit me as hard as you can, as long as you want. Come on, big stud. Show me what you GOT!"

I have to admit, as soon as I got some idea of the build on this guy, I wanted to fight him. I never dreamed I'd have the chance or even better, have the

chance to pound on him while he just stands there.

"You're a glutton for punishment!" I said. "You know that, don't you?"

Leroy smiled, "NO MAN has ever punished this body." He replied with well-earned confidence.

"Not until tonight, muscleboy. Not until tonight!" I put him on notice as I stepped forward and took my fist fighting stance.

Knowing there was no reason to take it easy on this guy, I began slam punch after punch into the young stud's lean washboard abs. Three dozen of my best punches failed to even begin to weaken the hard-bodied wrestler. Leroy just stood there smiling and taking every punch in stride. I went back to work, planning this kid's destruction. I picked my shots. I worked the areas where most men, even boxers and bodybuilders are vulnerable. I slammed in my best gut-weakening punches. I must have wailed on this man for over five minutes, then stepped back to survey the damage I had done. The stud had proved his point. Leroy looked every bit as good after my gut pounding as he did before, maybe even better.

"You know!" the wrestler said, "You're one really strong dude. I'll bet most other men would be really hurting by now!"

"ANY other man would have been lying in the dirt five minutes ago!" I replied, just a little winded from my unexpected workout.

"Any man, but ONE! Like I said, this body is unbeatable." Leroy unclasped his hands and locked in another double biceps. Those freaking arms were incredible. This kid was so built that when he flexed you didn't even know where to look. You just didn't want to miss anything! 

"That's what I don't understand. You're big and you're tough, but I KNOW I'm stronger than you. What the hell did you do to me in there?"

"It's this way, son. You rely on pure power, and thank God you've got more than your share of THAT, but just like wrestling, there is technique involved here." I thought about what I had just said, then corrected myself. "Well, in YOUR case maybe wrestling isn't the best example. There is still technique involved, but with or without it, I don't see how anybody in your weight class is going to stand up to your kind of power. ANYHOW, trust me. If you're going to arm wrestle guys outside of the kids on campus and for that matter if you've planning on fighting after school, you're going to have to study technique. Even with all the power in that magnificent body, just like tonight, you're going to come up against a man who has BOTH power and technique. Wise up now or sooner or later you're going down and if there is no ref there to help you, some big muscle stud is going to freaking take you apart."

I think I was getting through to the big stud. I could almost see the gears turning in his head. "I got it man. Thanks." He said as he reached out and shook my hand. The kid has one hell of a grip and I gave back as good as I got, he smiled and we understood one another.

Before leaving, I reached in my wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. "I know how tough it is to work your way through school, especially while training as hard as you obviously do. I think you're going to do well in this world, at anything you set your mind to. This has been a very entertaining evening, and I'd like to help you out a little. The kid protested and refused to take the money, but I finally tucked it in his pocket along with my business card. "Take this and don't give me any lip, or I just may have to beat the shit out of you."

Leroy's face lit up and we both laughed at the prospect. I knew I had gotten lucky by having a great deal more experience at arm wrestling than the kid. There is a lot more to arm wrestling than just strength and power and now he knows that. I have the feeling he won't be making the same mistake again. "You've got my card. If you ever end up against a wall and need some help, you call me."

With that we each turned and left, two men finding new respect for one another.