Review: Duke Russo vs. CT (Movimus)

In a recent blog post, Joe at Ringside at Skull Island said, "Either you like submission wrestling or you don't." I suppose that's true for some, but I think there are a lot of people who could like submission given the right wrestlers and the right action. I'm actually kind of like that, for example when Mikey Hanlon's working with his charming and cocky chatter.

Now, I'm really into Duke Russo with his wrestler's physique and steely determination. He's certainly another guy who has broken through for me, so I was definitely interested in picking up Duke Russo vs. Case 'CT' Thornton.

Now that's a genuine superhero pose right there

I raved about Duke when I reviewed him in March (Duke Russo vs. Nero Angelo). After watching this match, my feelings are even stronger. He's still super-sexy with a perfect body for wrestling. With his compact, hairy body, he looks as hard as a rock and extremely powerful. Not surprisingly, I love his tiny green briefs, which perfectly fits my gear philosophy of fitting the situation.

Duke looks great

Just as good from behind

Case 'CT' Thornton is a familiar face. I've seen him in BGE, RHW, UCW and Wrestler4Hire, but there might be more. In UCW, he's the champ and everywhere else, he's usually a heel. There's no real relation to 'Axel' here (and it's a good thing or that UCW belt would be around Duke's awesome waist), as Movimus isn't about characters like that. CT is just a regular wrestler with a lean body in a simple speedo.

CT has a big (and hairy) test in front of him

Action-wise, they're up, they're down. They cover the mat. They sweat, struggle and strain. After getting thrown to the mat a couple of times, CT tries toppling the stocky stud, but Duke can't really be moved unless he wants to be. There are a lot of fast bursts, but for CT, they mainly result in a frying pan to fire situation.

When Duke wants CT down, he goes down.

CT tries another approach.

Yeah, still not gonna work, sport.

I really enjoy watching Duke in action. I think he's just built for wrestling and it makes him incredibly watchable. I don't feel like he's the best technical wrestler, but he's frustratingly strong. It makes him tough to control and even harder to submit. You really need to focus on his head or neck with a choke or something, otherwise he'll just power free.

However, it's not like Duke is getting submissions every two minutes, either. There are only two the entire time. So let's give CT some credit for his skill, especially on defense. CT gets a good chance with an arm lock, but the hairy muscleman powers out. Body scissors and grappling just don't accomplish much. The result does feel inevitable and predictable, but not in a bad way.

I though CT might have something here

It's Movimus so you know the guys are just going to wrestle, but damn if there aren't some moments with a different kind of tension. Duke has a raw animal intensity combined with confidence that is just breathtaking. And for a bigger, blockier guy, he moves very smoothly.

Look at that stare ... like he's been caught with his prey.

I would probably have the exact same expression
as CT if I was in his spot.

The look, the slide, the retreat and the pounce. Perfect.

This is a quiet match, especially compared with the Mikey Hanlon videos I reviewed last month. Neither guy talks during the match. There is an encouraging 'good job' from winner to loser at the end, but that's about it. Even though Duke only grunts, he still comes across as a man who's likable, down-to-earth and a hard worker.

"Good job."
"You, too."

Overall, this is a really entertaining encounter between two true mat studs. It's not suspenseful in a surprising way, but it's super-engaging. It is action-packed. You really feel the heat between the combatants and the intimacy of a great submission wrestling match. Yeah, Duke is just incredible, so I'm hoping to see a lot more from him.

Alex