Fan Fiction 1: Brody vs. Ram (Part 2 of 5)

This story was written by Anonymous featuring characters from The Cave.

The Cave Unleashed: Brody vs. Ram

Round 1: Athlete vs. Athlete

Brody vs. Ram

"So how do you want to go about this, man?" Brody asked. "Do you want me to show you how to do some moves?" "Let's just start and see where things take us," Ram said, bouncing his pecs at his new rival.

Brody smiled. "If you think you got what it takes," he warned, bouncing his pecs in return. "Do you want to change into some workout clothes or something?" he asked.

"I'm good like this," Ram replied. "Wrestling in our skivvies!" Brody grinned. "Is that OK with you?" Ram asked.

"You're asking a guy who wrestles semi-professionally in public wearing only a Speedo if practicing wrestling moves in private wearing boxer-briefs is OK?" Brody asked rhetorically. "Heck, this is downright modest compared to my usual gear!"


The two men slowly approached each other and bumped chests, then bumped chests again, then pressed their bodies into each other, trying to force the other man back with their mass while still bouncing their pecs. Waves of muscle rolled over each man's breasts as he countered the other's chest flex, causing their nipples to rub against each other. Both men savored the feeling.

Being of equal height, the two incredible specimens of manhood stood eye-to-eye in their struggle for dominance. Staring into Ram’s ice-blue eyes, Brody started to lose his concentration, entranced by the sight of the fitness model’s frosty gaze and the feel of his incredible body pressed against his own.

Ram noticed Brody's eyes begin to drift apart as pleasure overtook him. Taking advantage of Brody's momentary lapse in focus, Ram quickly snapped his arms around Brody's thick chest in a bearhug.

"Ah, you beat me to it! I was just about to do that to you!" Brody laughed, snapping back to reality.

With a slight growl, Ram pulled Brody tighter into his crushing embrace. He had wanted to squeeze this massive hunk of man in his arms since the moment he met him nearly 24 hours ago. Their huge chests had to this point prevented their red- and blue-clad bulges from coming into contact, but with Ram's arms wrapped around Brody's torso, their crotches brushed together, and each man was finally able to assess the other's manhood. Both were equally impressed.

Ram had his head positioned atop Brody's shoulder but wanted to see the pain that was surely etched on his opponent's face, for no one could endure his bearhug very long. He pulled his head back to view Brody's expression, but to his surprise, Brody's look was one of amusement.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," Brody said, not sounding much in pain at all. "My best friend, Buck, squeezes harder than that. Heck, my sister squeezes harder than that!"

Offended by the insult, Ram doubled his efforts, this time eliciting a wince and a slight grunt from the muscular security chief. Still, Brody's body seemed unphased by the pressure.

"I told you... I was into powerlifting... right?" Brody asked, his words more labored this time as he slowly lifted his arms and placed his hands on Ram's upper chest. "I set the... national bench press record... in my 20s.”

With that, Brody applied a sudden shove to Ram's chest that was so forceful it not only broke Ram's grip but knocked him back into the ropes. Brody followed Ram in and caught him as he rebounded off the ropes in a bearhug of his own.

"UNGH!" Ram grunted as Brody encircled him in his enormous arms.

"This is a training session, right? That was Lesson #1: Rebounding off the Ropes, and here’s Lesson #2: How to Apply a Bearhug!" Brody lectured, smiling broadly as he finally had the chance to fulfill his near-constant fantasy over the past 20-plus hours of using his strength to squeeze the life out of his handsome, musclebound opponent. The pecs of the powerlifter ground into Ram's steel chest as his arms wrapped tightly around Ram’s solid torso. Their bulges once again came into contact, and both men again took note of their opponent’s manhood encased within.

Ram honestly couldn't remember being in such a powerful bearhug before. With his gimmick as the man-beast of The Cave, it was usually he who did the crushing. Few wrestlers on The Cave's roster had the strength to do what Brody was doing to him now, and Ram had not yet faced any of those other fighters. It was definitely an unusual feeling for him, but he wasn't about to let Brody know that. He looked into Brody's grinning face with a bored, slightly unamused expression. Brody cranked harder on the hug, still smiling due to his naturally jovial nature and the great fun he was having, but Ram flexed his torso so the extra pressure had no noticeable effect.

Realizing it was far too early to gain a submission and that he was just expending energy, Brody shook Ram side-to-side and then released him. Ram stumbled a few steps as Brody let go of him mid-swing but quickly regained his balance.

"We'll revisit that move later," Brody smirked. "So what lesson do you want me to teach you now?" he asked, smiling at Ram as he delivered his veiled insult.

Ram paced back and forth for a moment while looking down at the mat, his lips pursed together in a slight frown. To Brody, it appeared Ram was either frustrated, plotting his next move, or trying to psych himself up. Eventually Ram turned and walked right up to Brody, standing face-to-face and toe-to-toe with the big bouncer as he stared into Brody’s eyes with intensity, his lips still pressed tightly together in a serious expression. Without blinking, averting his gaze, or saying a word, Ram slowly raised his right arm in the universal sign of a test-of-strength challenge.

"The ol' test-of-strength, huh?" Brody grinned. "I've been looking forward to this!" he added as he stepped back and rubbed his hands together quickly in anticipation.

Keeping their eyes locked, the two alpha males interlaced their fingers on one hand and then the other. Once in position, they slammed their huge chests together with a sound that echoed off the painted cinder block walls. SMACK!

Arms at their sides, the two musclemen struggled against each other's power. Their arms, shoulders, and backs rippled with strength. Their massive gluteal muscles flexed and strained, creating thick ridges and deep indentations in their tight underwear as each man engaged the largest muscle group in the human body to stave off his opponent’s advance.

With two such evenly-matched competitors, the slightest misstep can make a big difference, and Brody happened to hit Ram's chest about an inch below where Ram's chest hit his, which gave Ram a slight leverage advantage. Brody slowly felt himself being overpowered by his rival. He was used to losing tests-of-strength to Buck due to Buck being quite a bit taller and stronger than him, but to lose to a man of equal size – and just a fitness model at that, not an unnaturally strong farmhand like Buck – frustrated the powerlifter immensely. Both men were breathing hard now and had worked up quite a sweat, enough for their chests to slip against each other, allowing Ram to slide his chest higher up Brody's pecs and gain more of a leverage position.

"Grrrr... GRRRR...!" Ram growled in a low tone as he poured on the pressure. "Ungh! Ungh!" Brody grunted as he tried to resist Ram’s power. His smile had become a look of concern.

Ram eventually gained enough of a leverage advantage to allow him to pull their chests apart and begin working on forcing Brody down to the mat. He lifted their arms above their heads and turned Brody's knuckles over. Brody's legs began to buckle, and with one big push, Ram forced Brody to his knees.

"YEAH! Yeeeaaaah!" Ram sneered down at Brody, a huge smile across his face as sweat rained off his brow and dripped onto Brody's thick shoulders, arms, and chest. "I thought you said you were a powerlifter? Where's your power now? Huh? GRRRR!" Ram asked. The soft yet intense tone of Ram’s voice made his snarls and insults sound a bit menacing.

Offended by Ram's comments about his strength, Brody looked up into his challenger’s face. The stunning features of Ram's model good looks had taken on a slightly sinister appearance as he reveled in his domination, but Brody's natural smile had become a look of lethal determination. His look was so serious, in fact, that it caught Ram slightly off guard, as Ram had never encountered someone so muscular who looked so pissed off. Brody’s expression actually concerned him for a moment, and the brief lapse in Ram’s concentration was all Brody needed to plant one foot beneath himself.

"Shit!" Ram yelled.

Keeping his determined stare, Brody applied more resistance against Ram's downward pressure. His entire head turned red with effort. He squinted his eyes and puffed his cheeks as veins bulged in his temples. With a large exhale from his huge ribcage, he powered Ram back enough to plant his other foot on the mat.

"SHIT!" Ram yelled again.

With both his feet now under him, Brody yelled with effort as he slowly rose to a standing position, then quickly pulled Ram towards him so their chests collided again. This time, however, Brody made sure his chest hit higher on Ram's body than Ram's chest did on his. SMACK!

"Ooof!" Ram exhaled as his chest impacted Brody's pecs. Now it was Brody who had the leverage advantage, and it wasn't long before Ram's body was being forced to the mat.

"Ahhh! AHHHHHH!!!" Ram shouted as he tried to resist, but within moments Brody had him down to one knee, then the other, cranking on Ram's knuckles.

Brody's serious expression softened a little, but he maintained a look of concentration while trying to keep the big man down, still red-faced and blowing air through his cheeks from the force he exerted. His eyes were glassy from the struggle, and sweat from his brow now rained down on Ram's body.

Ram hadn't spent years developing his freakishly large legs for nothing, though. Even the bodybuilder who was temporarily overpowering him had admired their size and definition mere moments ago, and it was time to put them to use. Mustering every ounce of strength he had, Ram was able to get his feet under himself and power back to a standing position with a room-reverberating roar. The two men then released their grips and separated, shaking out their hands to regain feeling in them.

"Stalemate," Ram said, breathing heavily.

"No wonder guys are afraid to spar with you!" Brody grinned, also winded. "I get the feeling you're a lot better at this than you let on, though. To make it a fair fight, I need to know how hard you're willing to go so I know how hard to go on you. How about laying down some ground rules?"

"Best 2 out of 3. No low blows, and no eye-gouging,” Ram stated. “And no biting... at least not anywhere it'll show," he added, smiling.

“I’m cool with that,” Brody smiled in return.

"And no slaps or chops to the chest – those things fucking hurt!" Ram said, adding to the rules.

"Agreed," Brody laughed.

"And we go all-out. Full-strength. Hard-hitting. No holding back. Submissions, knock-outs, and pinfalls all count," Ram stated. "I don't know about you, but I've been waiting a long time for a challenge like this."

"You have no idea," Brody said. "So was that just a warm-up, or is this Round 1?" he asked.

"Let's consider this a pause in Round 1,” Ram replied. “We'll keep going until we have a clear winner.”

"Alright, but we should probably put some shoes on first to get better traction on the mat," Brody suggested. He hopped out of the ring and slipped on his gym shoes, then handed Ram his workboots and climbed back into the ring. Once both men laced up their footwear, it was time to resume the action.

"Round 1 – FIGHT!" Brody said in his best Mortal Kombat voice.

The two men circled for a moment before engaging in a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Both bulls struggled back and forth until Brody broke the hold and grabbed Ram's left arm, applying an armbar. Ram winced slightly as Brody applied the pressure to his massive wing, but the move wasn't having much effect. Sensing Ram was about to counter, Brody turned the move into an armdrag takedown, resuming the armbar while on the mat.

Ram, however, was too strong for the move to be effective and quickly rose to one knee. Brody stood to maintain pressure but soon realized that such a maneuver would be pointless in controlling a man as powerful as Ram, so he eventually released the hold. Expecting a follow-up attack, Ram quickly turned to face Brody while still on one knee, but Brody merely nodded down at Ram in a show of respect while also giving him a slight smirk and a quick flex as if to say, "Gotcha!"

Ram regained his feet and, as if on cue, the two powerhouses engaged in another collar-and-elbow tie-up. Brody again broke the hold and applied a tight side headlock to Ram but couldn’t contain his opponent’s raw power. Ram placed his hand on the small of Brody’s back and shoved his adversary hard, pushing Brody into the ropes.

As Brody rebounded, he could see Ram bent over and set to deliver a back bodydrop. Brody dove into the air and somersaulted over Ram’s back, landing with his head between Ram’s feet. He reached up and grabbed Ram’s gargantuan thighs to attempt a roll-thru pin.

Unfortunately for Brody, Ram’s legs were far too strong for such a maneuver. The fitness model staggered backwards only a step before regaining his footing, then dropped onto Brody’s chest, causing Brody’s legs to rise into the air. Ram reached back to grab Brody’s feet and hooked them under his arms in a drop-down pin attempt.

“One! Two!” Ram counted.

Brody, however, had strong legs, too. With the hamstring muscles he developed from years of deadlifts in his powerlifting training, Brody used his legs to pull Ram backwards and onto his shoulders while he himself sat up, executing an armhook pin attempt.

“One! Two!” Brody shouted.

Calling on his MMA training, Ram unhooked his arms from Brody’s legs and rolled backwards, freeing himself from Brody’s grasp. Catching the big man off guard, Ram sprang like a cat, grabbing Brody’s legs and driving them forward over Brody’s body, stacking Brody onto his big shoulders for yet another pin attempt.

“One! Two!” Ram called.

Using the core strength gained from a lifetime of gymnastics, Brody twisted his hips and toppled Ram onto his side. He continued to twist his body until he rolled Ram onto his back and himself on top of his opponent to attempt another pin.

“One! Two!” Brody counted.

Still relatively fresh, Ram easily broke the pin and rolled away from Brody. The two men kneeled on one knee and looked at each other warily, both breathing heavily after the flurry of near-pinfalls and smiling broadly as a sign of respect for the other’s technical wrestling abilities.

Eventually both men stood and circled the ring before once again locking up in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, this time with Ram taking the advantage. He broke the hold and applied a side headlock, using his strong arms to crush Brody's face against his iron pec. The two waltzed around the ring, with Ram occasionally cranking on the pressure while Brody patted Ram's stomach and back looking for an escape.

Fearing a possible counter as Brody's hands approached his legs, Ram turned the move into a hip toss while maintaining the headlock on the mat. Brody's head and face were once again a bright crimson, but despite the discomfort, he couldn't help notice that Ram's nipple was pressing into his cheek and occasionally his lips. He considered flicking it with his tongue but wasn't quite sure how Ram would react, so he put his effort in getting back to his feet.

Once standing, Brody used his massive strength to push his way out of the headlock, sending Ram to the ropes in the process. On the rebound, Brody lowered his shoulder to bring Ram down with a shoulder block.

BOOM!

To Brody's surprise and amusement, Ram remained standing, the shoulderblock having only stopped the big man’s forward progress and maybe knocking him back a step or two.

"Try that again. I dare you," Ram challenged.

This time it was Brody who went to the ropes, with both men lowering their shoulders on the rebound.

BOOM!

Again, both men remained standing, their strength and momentum only succeeding in forcing each other to take a single step back.

"Again!" Ram commanded as he pounded his own left pec with his right fist.

Brody once again hit the ropes, and the two bulls collided yet again with no noticeable effect.

"YEAH!" Ram yelled as he flexed a most-muscular pose.

Now a little frustrated, Brody began to circle Ram while glaring at him. He rolled his shoulders and briefly flexed his upper body while cautiously eyeing his opponent, then bounded to the ropes again.

"C'MON!" Ram yelled, flexing his chest in response.

This time, however, Brody changed his strategy. On the rebound, Brody took to the air with a flying crossbody. Unprepared for the move, Ram was unable to stop the force of 230 pounds of airborne muscle hurtling at him and fell to the mat with Brody on top of him. SPLAT!

Realizing Ram was stunned, Brody went for a quick pin attempt. "One! Tw-" but Ram still had way too much energy to be pinned so easily. He tossed Brody off his chest as if he were doing light-weight bench presses.

Brody was faster to his feet and ran to the ropes while Ram was still rising. As he neared the ropes, Brody called upon his tumbling skills from gymnastics and did a forward handspring, allowing his back and legs to hit the ropes and reverse the maneuver with added momentum. Brody then leaped into the air while hurtling with his back towards Ram and caught his opponent’s head as he prepared to deliver a Lethal Injection maneuver, but Ram wrapped his big arms around Brody’s waist to stop him, then tossed the agile athlete over his head in a release German suplex.

Being incredibly nimble for a man his size, Brody landed on his feet behind Ram. He then took a page from Ram’s book and wrapped his arms around Ram’s waist to attempt a German suplex of his own, but Ram blocked it by wrapping his foot behind Brody’s calf muscle. Maintaining his hold, Brody drove both himself and Ram forward into the ropes to use the momentum of the rebound to prevent Ram from blocking his suplex again, but as he pulled Ram’s body backwards, the muscular fitness model grabbed the ropes in front of him to once again negate the throw.

Brody lost his grip around Ram’s waist and tumbled backwards but rolled through his fall and regained his feet facing Ram. Unfortunately for him, Ram was there to shove Brody backwards into the opposite ropes, following him in to deliver a big European uppercut to Brody’s head. Ram then turned and ran to the far ropes, but Brody chased after him. As Ram hit the ropes and turned, he was shocked to see Brody right there with him as Brody delivered a European uppercut of his own.

Brody grabbed Ram’s mighty arm and tried whipping his opponent to the far side of the ring, but Ram reversed the maneuver, sending Brody to the ropes instead. As Brody rebounded, Ram squatted down and lifted Brody in a gorilla press.

"Holy shit!" Brody exclaimed as his weight was lifted and held high above Ram's head. Only Buck had ever manhandled him like this.

"What to do with you now? Decisions, decisions..." Ram said, taking a lap around the ring while holding Brody aloft. Finally making up his mind, Ram rotated Brody's body and dropped him stomach-first onto his right shoulder, then slammed Brody to the mat hard in an over-the-shoulder slam in the middle of the ring, landing with his full weight on top of the muscular powerlifter. WHAM!

"OOF!" Brody exhaled as the wind was driven from him while Ram covered him for a pin. “One! Two!” Ram counted, but Brody managed to lift a shoulder and roll onto his stomach.

Ram sat back on his knees, admiring his handiwork. The powerful former football star hadn't tried very hard to pin his opponent because he finally had the upper hand and wanted to savor his domination. He was also slightly out of breath after the flurry of offense both men just exhibited.

"THAT'S power, my friend," he smiled as he got to his knees and flexed over Brody, "and that's just my upper body strength. You remember my legs, right? Time to show you what THEY'RE capable of," he said as he rolled Brody onto his stomach and moved his own legs into a headscissors position.

By the time Brody realized what was happening, it was too late. His head was engulfed in the enormous quads of his new rival, his face directly in front of the bulge in Ram's blue boxer-briefs. The tight underwear straining against Ram's flexed thighs made his legs look even more massive as he slowly increased the pressure, enjoying watching Brody's head once again turn various shades of red then purple.

(Ram's headscissors on Brody)

"I'll admit you’re pretty big and decently strong compared to most of the guys I've faced, but you're going up against a REAL man now," Ram taunted while Brody moaned.

"Ungh... screw you!" Brody playfully yet painfully replied, gently clawing at the quads and abs of his oppressor. "Just wait ‘til I get out of this. Gonna show you what real power is!" he said, his words somewhat distorted as his face was mashed together between Ram's thighs.

"You know I can end this any time I want to," Ram threatened, "but you still don't seem to respect my strength, so I'm gonna have to toy with you some more."

Ram released Brody from his headscissors. The powerlifter rolled to his side and shook his head to regain his bearings while Ram rose from the mat and stood in the middle of the ring, hands on his hips, his huge quads pumped from the exertion they just emitted.

Ram walked over and pulled Brody to his feet, then whipped the musclebound security guard to the ropes. Demonstrating his MMA skills, he delivered a Superman punch to Brody’s chin on the rebound. It was a glancing blow, but the impact was enough to force Brody’s body to turn 180 degrees and expose his back to Ram.

Presented with another opportunity to demonstrate his grappling abilities, Ram moved in and bent over, briefly lifting Brody across his upper back and shoulders before depositing him hard to the mat with an Olympic slam. The move had the added bonus of landing Ram in a pinning position on top of Brody.

“One! Tw-” Ram called before his pin attempt was broken.

Ram rolled away from Brody and stood up. He then circled Brody’s body like a predator stalking its prey. As Brody tried to get to his feet, Ram charged him, sending Brody back down on his ass with a shoulderblock. Brody tried getting to his feet again, but Ram once more sent him down to the mat with a shoulder block.

"C'mon, man. Why aren't you getting up?" Ram mocked as he sent Brody down with yet another shoulder block when he tried to rise. "Are you gonna stay down there all day?"

The moves didn't hurt Brody physically, but they did hurt his pride. Brody had figuratively been knocked on his ass many times in life, especially since moving to L.A. as he struggled to get by, but literally getting knocked on his ass was just as humiliating. Brody realized the phrase “knocked on your ass” was an apt metaphor.

"I can't believe you tried to take me down with shoulder blocks," Ram said. "ME, a football player! Shoulder blocks are a football player's thing! We're REAL athletes, man – unlike you gymnasts and powerlifters, whose strength is just for show."

As Ram approached, Brody placed his hands below himself to lift his body off the mat and swung both his legs around as if he were performing a floor exercise or pommel horse routine in gymnastics, sweeping Ram's legs out from under him. Now it was Ram's turn to fall on his ass.

Brody took advantage of the situation and leapt onto Ram's body. The two men struggled on the mat, with Brody eventually rolling Ram onto his stomach and taking Ram’s back in the rear mount position. As Ram rose to his hands and knees with Brody riding his back, Brody hopped to his feet and moved his legs over Ram’s shoulders to apply a standing headscissors of his own to the multi-sport athlete.

“You’re not the only one with big legs! How do THESE legs feel?!” Brody taunted. Ram could only moan and curse in pain.

Brody smiled at Ram’s suffering and flexed every muscle in his body as he applied pressure to his hold, but Ram would not be denied. Slowly planting his feet beneath him, the handsome event promoter roared with effort as he used his enormous quads to stand up with Brody sitting on his shoulders like a small child.

“No! No! No!” Brody exclaimed, his face a look of shock and fear as he sensed Ram’s next move.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Ram responded as he walked in a circle around the ring before falling backwards, slamming Brody hard to the mat in an electric chair maneuver. Both men landed on their backs, but Brody took the brunt of the impact.

Sensing Brody was stunned, Ram quickly rolled over and climbed onto Brody’s body, grabbing the powerlifter’s wrists and pinning his arms to the mat near his head while sliding his legs down next to Brody’s, bringing their crotches into contact. With Brody unable to defend himself, Ram pressed his own torso off the mat, then brought the full weight of his massive upper body down hard onto Brody's chest, driving the wind out of his strapping opponent. He repeated the maneuver twice more, feeling the breath forced from Brody each time he squashed him with his bulk.

On the fourth attempt, however, Brody wrested his wrists free from Ram's grasp and latched onto Ram's solid pecs in a double pec claw, holding the big man suspended above him and causing the beefy fitness model to howl in anguish. With his arms paralyzed by the pain in his chest, Ram was powerless to resist.

Brody proceeded to do several reps of bench presses using Ram as a human barbell, holding Ram aloft by his pecs for a moment at the top of each rep. After the sixth repetition, Brody lowered Ram onto his own chest and released his grip on Ram’s pecs, then wrapped his arms tightly around Ram's chest and clasped his hands behind Ram’s broad back, crushing the former football player against his torso in a ground bearhug from below. Ram moaned as he felt the air being squeezed from his body.

Maintaining his hold, Brody managed to roll both their big bodies over so that he now had the top position, then maneuvered himself so he was face-to-face, chest-to-chest, belly-to-belly, and crotch-to-crotch with his muscular adversary. He released his grip around Ram’s chest and forced Ram’s arms above his head to minimize any retaliation. Brody then wrapped his legs around Ram’s calves in a withering grapevine.

"Gymnasts are athletes, too, and I'm about to show you why," Brody said as he slowly spread their legs apart, stretching Ram's massive quads and pulling his groin tight. Brody enjoyed watching his handsome opponent's face contort in pain.

"Shhhiiiiit!" Ram said, squinting his eyes and gritting his teeth as he tried to resist.

Not only was the discomfort of the grapevine/leg split excruciating, but as Brody spread their legs apart, his crotch grinded hard into Ram's, giving each man a better sense of the equipment the other was packing. Both had been fully erect for quite some time, and now that their bodies were pressed against each other on the mat, Ram could tell that the boner Brody sported was at least 8 inches in length. Brody, on the other hand, didn't know what to make of the bulge in Ram's shorts. If what he thought he felt was real, it would be by far the thickest dick he'd ever encountered.

Brody once again looked into the grimacing face of his devastatingly gorgeous victim, resisting the urge to full-on kiss him. He still wasn't sure of Ram's sexual bent. There was that intimate posing session earlier in the evening and the "no biting ... at least not where it'll show" comment, but Brody had been around many straight guys whose inner lust came out in the heat of competition only to be overridden by societal pressures after the match. He'd also been around straight guys who popped stiffies while wrestling due to the physical contact and friction, and he'd known guys who stuffed their underwear to appear larger than they actually were. Could that be what that is – some kind of insert? Is this rich, image-conscious guy so self-absorbed that he did a bad stuff job in his underwear just to try to impress me? he wondered.

Brody shook his head free of such thoughts and decided to see how the rest of the evening went. He doubled his efforts on the grapevine, eliciting another yelp of pain from his rival.

"You should've stretched before the match like I did," Brody commented. "Stretching makes you much more limber. Hey, I know a move that'll help you out with that!" he added, releasing the grapevine but keeping his legs partially wrapped around Ram’s as he maneuvered his body to roll Ram into a spladle.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Ram screamed, feeling as if his groin was about to tear in half.

"Yeah, that's how it feels at first, but it gets better," Brody snickered.

"I'm gonna KILL YOU!" Ram threatened before Brody laid a couple stiff forearm shots across his chest to silence him.

After keeping Ram in the spladle for a few moments, Brody decided on another move. He released Ram, who quickly rolled to his side and curled into a ball to clutch his aching groin.

Brody rose to his feet and kicked Ram onto his stomach, then laid a hard stomp onto Ram’s lower back, causing the big man to stretch out of the fetal position and grasp his lumbar area due to the blow. With Ram lying on his stomach and his arms and legs now exposed, Brody stepped forward to interlace his legs with Ram’s ankles and shins while bending over and grabbing Ram’s arms.

“Here’s a great full-body stretch,” Brody lectured as he lifted Ram’s heavy frame off the mat in a teardrop submission hold, causing Ram to howl in agony. Brody started to gently rock Ram back and forth in the maneuver.

“This reminds me of the farmer’s walk in the strongman competitions,” Brody commented. “It takes a lot of strength to do this, you know, since you said all my strength was just for show,” he added.

“AHHH!!! AHHH! OH GOD!” Ram screamed.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Brody scolded as he set Ram down on the mat stomach-first while maintaining his grip on Ram’s arms. “Besides, that stretch isn’t nearly as bad as this next one!” he stated as he began rocking himself back and forth to build momentum.

Realizing what Brody was up to, a surprised and fearful look quickly came across Ram’s face. “No! No!” he pleaded while shaking his head but to no avail as Brody built up enough rocking force to fall to his back and lift Ram above him by his arms and legs in a suspended surfboard.

“AHHH!!! AAAAHHHH!!!” Ram shouted in pain. “Now there’s a good stretch!” Brody chimed. “AAAAHHHHH!!! Stop! STOP! You’re breaking my arms and legs!!!” Ram begged. “Does that mean you give?” Brody asked. “NO!!!” Ram cried.

Realizing that Ram’s large muscles might not be limber enough to support his fully suspended bodyweight and that Ram’s pride wouldn’t allow him to submit so soon, Brody gently lowered Ram on top of him rather than risk seriously injuring his opponent. He released Ram’s arms and unwound their legs, then wrapped his arms around Ram’s torso, clasping his hands around Ram’s sternum. Brody also wrapped his legs around Ram’s narrow waist, completing his rear ground bearhug and bodyscissors combo from below.

“And here’s a good stretch for your core,” Brody stated, tightening his arms around Ram’s chest and pulling upward while tightening his legs around Ram’s waist and pushing downward, simultaneously stretching the former MMA athlete’s muscular body in opposite directions while slowly crushing him. Ram could only moan as he had trouble drawing breath, barely able to yell as his midsection was pulled apart and his ribs and guts compressed.

“What was that you said about being able to end things at any time?” Brody asked mockingly, feeling Ram’s rippling back muscles pressed against his thick pecs while Ram began to cough and sputter from lack of air.

Not wanting to end the match too quickly, Brody released both holds. "That should be good – all nice and loose now," he said as he rose to his feet while Ram rolled to his stomach, moaning and gasping for air. As soon as Brody reached a standing position, he dropped a big elbow across Ram's prone body.

"Ooof!" Ram grunted from the unexpected blow.

"If you ask me, I'd say gymnasts are the ultimate athletes," Brody said as he got to his feet again. He circled around to Ram’s head and dragged the muscular model to a standing position. Once Ram was on his feet, Brody scooped him up and held him across his chest, walking to one side of the ring while facing the ropes.

"Gymnastics gives you a lot of core strength to do stuff like this..." Brody said before falling backwards and tossing Ram's body over his head in a reverse fallway slam. Ram hit the mat hard, landing on his back two-thirds of the way across the ring.

Using his massive neck muscles, Brody rolled through his backwards descent and came to his feet near Ram's body, facing away from his fallen foe. He took a couple small steps backward and twisted his torso slightly, taking a quick glance behind him to make sure he was in proper position for his next move.

"... and it gives you tons of agility to do stuff like this!" Brody added, launching himself into a standing moonsault backflip and crashing down with his full 230 pounds across Ram's torso. SPLAT!

(Actual picture of the 255-lb bodybuilder
model for Brody doing a backflip!)

Feeling the air leave Ram's body, Brody counted the pin. "One! Two! Th-" but Ram just managed to get a shoulder up to beat the count.

"Ah, I almost had you!" Brody smiled, his subtle country charm on full display. "Don't worry – we'll get to 'three' eventually, but it looks like I'm gonna have to soften you up a bit more," he added as he regained his feet.

Brody pulled Ram to a standing position, then grabbed his opponent’s muscular arm and whipped him to the ropes. On the rebound, Brody lifted his big leg to deliver the sole of his size 13 athletic shoe across Ram's handsome face. The impact sent Ram spiraling down to the mat on his back.

Wasting no time, Brody ran to his right and leapt to the second rope, using the recoil to propel himself through the air. He twisted his body in mid-flight and landed on top of Ram's chest in a springboard bodysplash, driving the air from his challenger. Brody then lifted Ram's huge leg off the mat to attempt a pin, but Ram still had the strength to kick out just as Brody reached the count of "two".

Brody helped Ram to his feet and delivered a kick to the muscleman’s ripped gut, doubling him over. Taking advantage of Ram's position, Brody locked on a front chancery, then grabbed the elastic waistband of Ram's designer boxer-briefs and hoisted his bulky opponent in the air. As a demonstration of his considerable strength, Brody used his thick lower back muscles to hold Ram suspended vertically in the air for several moments, allowing the blood to rush to Ram's head and disorient him. Brody then lowered and twisted Ram's body beneath him at a high rate of speed, slamming Ram to the mat in a ring-shaking jackhammer. The impact again drove the air from Ram's lungs.

Brody went for a pin, but Ram was able to lift his shoulder off the mat just before the three count. Realizing Ram had more fight in him than he thought, Brody snaked his legs around Ram's torso and applied a side bodyscissors.

"Ahhh! AHHHHHH!" Ram screamed as Brody applied crushing pressure to Ram's ribs with his legs.

"Yeah, I bet that hurts. Like I said, you're not the only one with big, strong, powerful legs," Brody smiled. Ram tried in vain to pry Brody's massive powerlifter legs apart but was unable to do so.

"We might not even need the three count," Brody commented. "You wanna give?" "You're not getting a submission out of me with these toothpicks you call legs!" Ram spat.

Brody ratcheted up the pressure of his bodyscissors, eliciting another cry from his victim. In desperation, Ram began targeting the side of Brody's thick quadricep muscle with repeated knucklepunches, hoping to cramp the powerlifter’s thigh and force Brody to release the hold. His efforts were successful.

"Takin' the easy way out, huh?" Brody observed as he released the hold and got to his feet, massaging the sore spot on his leg that Ram inflicted. "Oh well. I was getting pretty bored with that hold, anyway. Let's try something new."

Brody started to drag Ram up, but once Ram reached his knees, he drove his head forward into Brody's solid gut, knocking the wind out of the unprepared security guard with a headbutt to the midsection. He then grabbed the back of Brody's legs as he drilled his shoulder into his rival’s abdomen. Mustering the strength from countless tackle drills over his many years playing football, Ram powered forward, lifting Brody up and driving him back-first into the corner.

Grabbing the second ropes on either side of Brody’s body, Ram proceeded to thrust his massive shoulder into Brody's muscular belly, forcing the powerlifter to double over. After four shoulders to the gut, Ram rose to full height and grabbed Brody in a front facelock, then brought him up and over in a classic suplex. BOOM!

Ram pressed his advantage by flipping Brody over and locking on a hammerlock, a move designed to incapacitate Brody while allowing himself some much-needed recovery time after Brody’s vicious assault. Brody was momentarily stunned by the impact of the suplex but quickly regained his composure and managed to get to a seated position while Ram kneeled behind him, continuing to wrench Brody’s arm up his back. Needing more time to formulate a strategy before Brody got free, Ram released the hammerlock and applied a nerve hold to both of Brody's thick traps.

"Ssssss... Ahh! AAAAHH!" Brody winced. Not many men had the grip strength to penetrate Brody's solid shoulders, but Ram was apparently one of them.

Knowing he couldn't keep the big bouncer subdued with the nerve hold forever, Ram decided to focus on breaking down Brody's core. Maintaining his grip on Brody’s traps, Ram rose from the kneeling position and dropped a knee into Brody's spine. He then repeated the move twice more. With the third kneedrop, Ram left his knee in place, grinding it into Brody’s vertebrae while releasing the nerve hold and grabbing both of Brody's arms, yanking them back in a surfboard maneuver.

Brody shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. His face was an expression of pain, but as he started to focus his strength, his expression alternated between anguish and concentration. He began to pull his arms forward, slowly overpowering Ram's surfboard. Realizing he was losing the hold, Ram withdrew his knee from Brody's spine, then hopped up and snapped both his legs around Brody's waist in a rear bodyscissors.

"THIS is how you do a bodyscissors! GRRRR!" Ram growled, gritting his teeth as he applied the full crushing power of his massive quads from behind. Once again, his model good looks had become downright sinister in appearance.

Brody moaned as his sides were squeezed. He was amazed at how quickly events had turned. "You can give up any time now," Ram taunted.

"Never!" Brody cried, griping Ram's locked ankles in front of him and slowly prying them apart.

"Oh no you don't!" Ram warned, reaching forward to lock on a rear naked choke, but Brody managed to block the hold with one of his arms just in time.

Ram pulled Brody's body on top of him, attempting to put Brody out with the combination bodyscissors and rear choke, but because he was applying both moves simultaneously, and because Brody was partially blocking the choke, Ram couldn't devote 100% of his strength to either hold. Furthermore, by trying to wrap his arms around Brody's neck, Ram left the side of his body wide open – a vulnerability Brody instantly recognized after so many matches with Buck. Brody began drilling elbow after elbow with his free arm into Ram's exposed ribs, forcing Ram to release both holds. The two men rolled apart, both massaging the pain out of their sides while Brody also gasped for breath.

"A lucky break," Ram snorted as he got to his feet and started laying big stomps to the writhing Brody with his workboots. STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! Ram then dragged Brody to his feet, only to pick him up and drive him back to the mat with a powerslam, once again bringing his full weight down on top of his opponent.

Ram hooked the leg for a pin. "One! Two!" but Brody managed to kick out.

"More punishment coming right up!" Ram declared as he started to drag Brody to his feet again, but once Brody reached his knees, he fired off a punch to Ram's stomach, catching the big man off guard.

"Oooff!" Ram grunted as the air was temporarily knocked from him. In return, the former football player delivered a clubbing forearm across Brody’s upper back. “Stay down!” he commanded.

Undeterred, Brody threw another punch into Ram’s solid gut. “I ain’t gonna lose to a scrawny fashion model like you!” he vowed before receiving another retaliatory forearm club across the back from Ram.

Shaking off the blow, Brody laid a third blow into Ram’s midsection that doubled the big man over and allowed Brody to get one foot under himself, but before Brody could stand, Ram clasped his hands together and raised both his arms above his head, then brought them down quickly in a huge double axehandle blow across Brody's broad back. Brody was instantly brought to his hands and knees at Ram's feet.

Breathing heavily, Ram looked down at his opponent with a slightly surprised expression at Brody’s resolve, then gave a confident smirk as he took in the image of the muscleman kneeling before him. He slowly circled behind Brody and watched as the well-built security guard crawled to the ropes and used them to pull himself to his feet. Once Brody reached a standing position, Ram struck with another double axehandle blow to the small of Brody's back, causing Brody to stagger to the corner while Ram stalked him.

Ram pulled Brody out of the corner towards the middle of the ring, then tossed him into the ropes. As the big powerlifter rebounded, Ram lowered himself and caught Brody between the legs with one arm and across the shoulder with his other arm, flipping his burly opponent 270 degrees and driving him hard into the mat in a lightning fast scoop slam. Ram felt the air rush out of Brody’s body from the impact.

Already on top of his adversary, Ram attempted a pin, but Brody found the strength to lift a shoulder off the mat just before the three count. For his efforts, Ram repaid Brody by getting to his feet and running to the ropes, delivering a senton backsplash with all his weight across Brody’s prone form on the rebound. With his upper back and shoulders against Brody’s stomach and chest, Ram once again used his position on top of Brody to attempt a pin, counting, “One! Two! Thr-” but Brody managed to lift his shoulder at the last possible moment.

Pounding the mat in frustration, Ram pulled Brody to his feet, grabbed his muscular arm, and flung him across the ring to the opposite corner, making sure to press Brody's back on the release so that the brawny bouncer landed front-first in the corner. As Brody slumped forward into the turnbuckles, Ram followed in, once again grabbing the second ropes on either side of Brody and driving three hard shoulderblocks into the big man’s lower back. Ram then called upon his MMA training by using Brody as a human heavy bag, unloading over a dozen punches to the former gymnast’s wide back. Once Brody was softened up, Ram squatted down behind him and lifted the country stud across his shoulders into a torture rack backbreaker.

"Yeah! Yeaaah! This is how I finish punks like you!" Ram yelled as he bent Brody's massive frame across his shoulders, stomping around the ring and occasionally adding a hard bounce to jar Brody's spine. Every muscle in Ram's body was pumped to immense proportions with the physical exertion of hoisting Brody's bulk and the adrenaline rush of his inevitable victory flowing through his veins.

"How's that spine feeling now?" Ram mocked, adding a couple more bounces. "Ungh... feels great!" Brody commented. "What? What did you say?" Ram asked as he ramped up the pressure.

"Didn't you see... OOF!... that bridge I did before the match? Gymnasts like me... AH!... have really flexible spines," Brody pointedly stated while Ram continued to pace around the ring with Brody racked across his big shoulders. "You're just... OOF!... giving me a little chiropractic adjustment is all."

Realizing the error in his strategy, Ram decided to switch tactics. Still holding Brody's body across his shoulders, Ram fell backwards into a Samoan drop, with the back of his head landing just below Brody's ribcage and driving the wind from the big powerlifter. Ram then got to his feet and laid several stomps into the part of Brody's stomach where his head just impacted.

With both men breathing heavily, Ram reached down and slowly dragged Brody to his feet while emitting a low growl. As soon as the groggy bouncer reached a standing position, Ram lifted Brody’s big arms out of the way and slapped a massive bearhug around his rival’s thick torso, squeezing him with his equally muscular body. The sound from the impact of muscle hitting muscle as Ram landed the move reverberated throughout the ring area with a loud SPLAT.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!!" Brody yelled as Ram applied the hold.

“Yeaaaah! You like my bearhug?!” Ram quietly snarled.

Brody noticed that the way Ram pronounced the name of hold sounded more like “beah-hug”, the way some of his friends in Boston pronounced it. It wasn’t the first time Brody noticed a slight accent from his opponent during the evening, and he wondered if Ram was actually from the Northeast, but those thoughts were quickly put out of his mind as Ram gave a sudden burst of crushing power.

“Oh man... That’s intense!” Brody grunted.

"If I can't break your back, I'll just squeeze the life out of you! Maybe break a few of your ribs! GRRRR!!!" Ram growled as he cinched the hold in tighter, making sure to keep Brody's feet on the ground to avoid expending any energy holding the big man aloft. As pumped up and excited as Ram was, he barely raised his voice when he spoke, making his threats sound a bit chilling.

True to his word, Ram wasn't squeezing around the small of Brody's back. His grip was instead centered around the base of Brody's ribcage. The compression wasn't so much against the front and back of Brody's torso via Ram's chest and forearms like the earlier bearhug he applied to start their match. This time, Ram applied most of his pressure against Brody's sides via his big biceps, forcing the breath out of the powerlifter’s lungs and restricting them from expanding to gain more air. Because the compression was around the sides of Brody’s torso, his thick chest offered little help to resist the crushing hold.

Both men had been going at it for quite a while, and their massive bodies were dripping with sweat. Their muscular abdomens rapidly inflated and deflated against each other as they attempted to gulp in oxygen to fuel their muscles, and their huge pecs made suction noises from the perspiration between them as their chests mashed together. Ram relished the feeling of using his strength to squeeze his equally ripped opponent into submission. They may have been virtually identical in age and size, but only one of them could truly be stronger.

Brody began to feel the effects of Ram's crushing embrace. This had been a far more aggressive “evaluation and sparring session” than he anticipated, and the periphery of his vision started to turn red as unconsciousness slowly set in. His eyes started to close as he laid his head down on Ram's boulder-like shoulder, motivating Ram to increase his efforts in squeezing the big man out.

As Brody neared the edge of consciousness, his survival instincts kicked in, and he did what any creature would do when ensnared in a trap: Resist, struggle, and fight. He suddenly came to attention and peppered Ram’s head with punches. The unexpected barrage surprised Ram, and a couple of Brody’s blows rocked him enough to where he was forced to release the hold.

Brody managed to stay standing and, adrenaline pumping, ran to the ropes to rebound with his own attack while Ram shook out the cobwebs. Unfortunately for him, Ram regained his composure in just enough time to deliver a devastating spear tackle – a classic football move – as Brody rebounded, driving the country powerhouse down to the mat.

As Brody writhed on the canvas, Ram sat on his knees, still somewhat stunned from the sudden burst of offense from his opponent. He walked on his knees to the nearby ring ropes and used them to pull himself up. Bearhugging Brody's broad chest had taken almost as much energy out of him as it had Brody, so he leaned against the ropes to catch his breath while observing Brody's movements and formulating his next plan of attack.

Ram realized he would need to take things a little slowly until he regained his wind. As Brody crawled to all fours, Ram approached him from behind, looking down on him with intensity. He spread his legs to straddle the unaware muscleman beneath him, then dropped all his weight onto the small of Brody's back with a butt bomb. Ram squatted and stood again with Brody laying prone on his stomach between his feet. Slowly Brody got back to his hands and knees, only to be brought down again by the muscular rump of his opponent.

Ram stood once more and savored his dominance, but instead of waiting for Brody to get to all fours this time, he dragged the beefy doorman up to his hands and knees and dropped his butt down across Brody's lower back a third time. This time, however, Ram remained sitting on the small of Brody's back and pulled the big man into a camel clutch.

Most wrestlers use the camel clutch to weaken an opponent's back, but Brody's back was so flexible that Ram knew his adversary wouldn't be affected much by the maneuver. Indeed, Ram was bending Brody back farther than anyone he’d ever put in the hold, but Brody only let out a few small moans of discomfort. Ram didn't chose this move for the pressure it puts on an opponent’s lower back, though. Instead, he was using the hold to stretch out Brody's injured ribcage and squeeze Brody’s ribs between his knees while allowing himself time to recover.

Once Ram felt he had sufficiently regained his breath, he released Brody from the camel clutch, dropping the former gymnast face-first to the mat. "Time for another display of power," he warned as he stood and wrapped his arms underneath Brody's torso. With Herculean effort and a tremendous roar, he deadlifted Brody's full weight off the mat and slowly brought the big man over his head in a German suplex. BOOM!

The move took a lot more energy out of Ram than he anticipated, but Brody looked to be completely out. Smiling to himself, Ram slowly crawled over to Brody and arrogantly laid his back, shoulders, and outstretched arms in a reclined position against the powerlifter’s body. Ram then crossed his legs and pretended to check his nails as if he had nothing better to do.

"One! Two! Thr- You've gotta be kidding me!" Ram exclaimed as Brody managed to get a shoulder up even after Ram’s devastating maneuver.

"I have to admit, you’re pretty damned tough," Ram said as he stood, "but this is ridiculous!" Despite his comments, Ram was having the time of his life, and any effort to assert his strength against his muscular rival was effort well spent.

Ram dragged Brody to his feet, then whipped him to the ropes, but on the rebound the big stud left his feet and came sailing through the air like a missile with a flying forearm to Ram’s skull. Both men crashed to the mat, Ram on his back and Brody on his stomach.

As Ram sat up, Brody got to all fours, then reared back and launched himself at his rival with a lunging clothesline from his knees. Ram was once again caught unprepared, and with the short distance between his head and the mat from the seated position, he had no time to brace himself for the fall, hitting the back of his head hard on the canvas.

Realizing Ram was stunned, Brody willed himself up. He ran to the ropes and returned with a leg drop from his massive thigh across Ram's head. He then rose and repeated the move for good measure. Once he felt Ram was sufficiently dazed, Brody dragged the muscular model to his feet and laid a kick to Ram’s gut to double him over, followed by a forearm club to the back and a European uppercut to the head to keep the big man complacent. Brody then threw his opponent into the ropes and caught Ram on the rebound, lifting him up briefly before throwing him hard to the mat with a huge spinebuster. BOOM!

With his excellent cardiovascular conditioning, Brody was quickly regaining his energy while Ram's energy was tanking. Brody rolled the big man onto his stomach, then got to his feet and dropped his full weight across the small of Ram's back with a bodysplash. SPLAT!

Not content that Ram was incapacitated, Brody rose and dropped three elbows to the same area in succession. Feeling cocky, he added a 5-Knuckle Shuffle fistdrop to Ram's spine for good measure.

"Let's see how flexible YOUR spine is!" Brody said as he stood up and stepped over Ram’s body, pulling his rival’s huge legs into a Boston crab.

"AAAHHH!!! AAAAAAAHHH!!! NO!!!" Ram screamed as his spine was bent backward, although not very far due to the big man's lack of flexibility. Still, it felt to Ram like Brody was bending him in half.

Brody squinted his eyes and gritted his teeth as he applied the move, sitting back in the hold as far as he could, but Ram's huge, heavy legs and lack of lumbar flexibility quickly sapped Brody’s strength. He decided to switch tactics and dropped Ram's legs, leaving Ram lying face-down on the mat moaning and clutching his lower back.

Brody stood and turned, straddling his opponent. He bent over and placed his hands on the mat on either side of Ram’s wide lats. “Just in case you need another demonstration of the strength and balance of gymnasts...” he said before pushing himself into a handstand over Ram’s body. Brody held his inverted vertical position for a moment before tilting his body forward slightly and driving both his knees hard into the small of Ram’s back on his descent.

WHAM! “AHHHH!!!” Ram hollered.

With his knees still digging into Ram’s lumbar region, Brody rotated himself 90 degrees so he was now perpendicular to Ram’s body beneath him. Grabbing one of Ram’s mighty arms and one of his massive legs, Brody rocked back and forth, driving his knees deeper into Ram’s lower back and building up momentum until he was able to roll to his own back and pull Ram’s body onto his raised knees and shins, stretching the former football star’s spine in an unnatural position.

“By the time we’re done here, you might be flexible enough to do a backwards bridge yourself!” Brody said over Ram’s screams as he held his opponent aloft.

After forcing Ram to suffer for a full minute, Brody decided to end the round. He slowly rolled to his side, gently sliding the muscular model off his knees and depositing Ram on the mat in a kneeling position. Brody released his grip on Ram’s leg but maintained ahold of Ram’s arm to keep the big man upright while he pulled himself to his knees and positioned himself next to and slightly behind the handsome event promoter. Once in position, Brody released Ram’s arm and wrapped the underside of his own arm around Ram’s mouth and throat as he bent Ram backwards in a dragon sleeper.

Ram’s screams were muffled as they were directed into Brody's smooth armpit, and his arms flailed wildly as his back was once again contorted in an unusual direction. Unable to breathe, move, or counter, Ram quickly tapped Brody's arm, signaling his submission.

Brody immediately released the hold while Ram choked and coughed and gasped for air. He urgently checked on Ram, tapping him on the cheek and asking, "You OK? You OK, buddy? Talk to me. Are you OK?" with genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ram replied, still coughing and catching his breath.

Brody's concern immediately transformed to relieved laughter. "Holy cow – that was AWESOME man! That was the best match of my life!"

Still kneeling beside the prone Ram, Brody reached down to pull Ram to a sitting position so he could hug him.

"Thank you, man. Thank you so much. That was so... You have no idea how long I’ve... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Brody repeated into Ram's ear.

When Brody finally broke the embrace, Ram looked up at his opponent’s face to see tears streaming from Brody’s eyes, mixing with the rivets of sweat.

Between Rounds – Secrets Revealed

Brody helped Ram to his feet, and the two men embraced once more. "What's with the water works?" Ram inquired as he placed his hand on Brody's shoulder, concerned. "I'm sorry," Brody sniffed. "It's nothing. My dad always said I was too emotional."

"After what we just went through, I don't blame you for crying at all, but I also think you owe me an explanation," Ram said as they slid under the bottom rope and exited the ring. "And I owe you some water."

Ram disappeared into a small room, returning with as many bottles of water as he could carry in his big arms while Brody grabbed a couple of nearby folding chairs and set them up in front of a large industrial fan that Ram asked his crew to take out of storage when setting up the ring. The two powerhouses then sat down and chugged several bottles of water. The scene of two such hulking figures, pumped and sweating heavily, sitting in their soaking wet underwear on tiny folding chairs and drinking from bottles of water that appeared small in their huge hands and forearms was quite a sight to behold.

As the two men dried off and re-hydrated, Ram said, “So tell me what’s up, man.”

“Just tears of joy,” Brody stated. "I've been wanting a match like that for so long. Most of the guys I wrestle are much weaker than me, so I have to go easy on them."

"I know exactly how you feel," Ram said. "You remember our conversation after the concert last night, right?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't sure if it bothered you as much as it does me – facing such weak competition, letting all my hard work in the gym go to waste," Brody replied.

"It does," said Ram. "Why do you think I invited you over here? I constantly feel like I live in a world made out of cardboard and that I have to hold back my true strength unless I break something or hurt someone. I had a feeling I could go all-out with you, though, and I have to say that was one of the best matches I’ve ever had... even though I lost,” he chuckled.

“But I think there's more to those tears than the joy of finally getting some decent competition,” Ram added.

"Well," Brody started, "my best friend, Buck, and I wrestled all the time when we were kids, but he grew up to be a lot bigger than me. He's about 4 inches taller, and he had about a 30-pound weight advantage on me before I started to bulk up again recently. His weight advantage is only about 10 pounds now, but he's got that crazy farmer's strength, you know?"

Ram laughed. "Yeah."

Brody continued, "Buck's strong as hell – definitely stronger than me – but I'm a much better wrestler, so our matches are always competitive and fun whenever we get together to wrestle, and I finally beat him a couple Thanksgivings ago. Buck's been staying with me for the past couple months now while he visits L.A. from the country, and I thought things would be better since I'd finally have some real competition to face with him being here, but I’ve only gotten more depressed since he arrived because I realize I'll never be able to overpower him with strength alone. I'll always be the physically weaker one between the two of us."

Ram nodded, beginning to understand.

"What's worse," Brody added, "do you remember me telling you last night that he and I formed a tag team in Rival Pro Wrestling? Well, because of his size and strength, he's become the 'power man' of our duo, which makes me more the 'technician'. I don't want to be the technician, though – I want to be the power guy. I've worked too hard on this body to be the technician."

"Finding the perfect competition definitely makes the best matches," Ram stated, "but things rarely work out like that. If you love wrestling, you have to enjoy it no matter what the competition level is. Plus, with some of the moves you just used in our match, I'm beginning to think you're both the technician AND the power guy!" Both men laughed.

"But again, I don't think you're telling me the whole story," Ram pried.

"It's just that things have been so hard since I moved to L.A. It's been 15 years now, and I'm still struggling to make ends meet," Brody said. "I left home as soon as I graduated high school because my parents and I didn’t exactly get along, but in many ways it’s even tougher here. Then I met you last night, and you're everything I've always wanted to be since I was a little kid dreaming of making it in the big city: Rich, successful, strong, good-looking..."

"Stop, I'm blushing!" Ram smiled.

"That's one of the reasons I'm helping to start Rival Pro Wrestling with some guys from The Cave," Brody continued. "I'm hoping that my love of wrestling will transition into something lucrative so I can finally stop worrying about money and just enjoy myself."

"A word of advice," Ram began. "You NEVER stop worrying about money no matter how much of it you have, and the more money you have, the more worries it creates. That’s why you need to enjoy the simple things in life. I love wrestling just as much as you do, but my work keeps me so busy that I don’t have time to do it very often. That's why I'm glad you could come here and indulge me tonight."

Ram held out his water bottle, and the two men clanged their bottles together in a toast.

"Plus," Ram continued, "you're NOT me. We come from completely different backgrounds and walk different paths in life. I moved to L.A. about 15 years ago, too, but I did it to play football at USC. I’m originally from New England and lived there my whole life until I graduated high school, which is why you’ve probably noticed how I sometimes pronounce my ‘Rs’ as ‘Ahs’,” he grinned.

“I was wondering what that accent was!” Brody laughed. “You can probably hear a little country twang in me when I talk, too.”

“Yup, but other than the fact that neither of us are from L.A., we both moved here around the same time, we both love wrestling, and we both talk a little funny, our lives are completely different,” Ram said. “I won’t pretend to know the struggles you’ve been through, but instead of being like ME, you need to be more like YOU – because YOU seem like a pretty cool guy."

Brody smiled at the compliment.

"Now, tell me about your business – this 'Rival Pro Wrestling'," Ram added. "My grandfather is a business genius, and that, along with his people skills and work ethic, is why he's so successful. He told me the three most important things to know when starting a business are your target market, your competition, and what sets you apart from that competition."

"That's pretty good advice," Brody said. "Well, our competition in the underground wrestling world is definitely The Cave, but I don't necessarily see it as direct competition. See, some friends and I noticed that The Cave's business model of superhero-themed pro wrestling is self-limiting. It limits both its target audience and the type of people who can compete for the federation. Everyone who competes for The Cave is supposed to be a superhero or a supervillain, which means they all have to be in pretty good shape physically – because when was the last time you saw an out-of-shape superhero or supervillain, right? Well, there’s this one guy at The Cave, Pete, who’s really heavy, but he’s definitely the exception, and The Cave has been featuring some smaller guys lately, but they’re still pretty ripped. But what about the average guy who doesn’t have 6-pack abs but wants to act out a gimmick? What about guys who may be a little shorter or a little on the skinny or heavy side? What about the people who enjoy watching the little guy triumph over the bigger guy, or vice versa? What about the guys who, unlike us, ENJOY facing weaker competition? Not all those guys are built like Superman or Batman or Bane, so at Rival Pro Wrestling we've expanded our business model to include ANY gimmick – big or small, weak or strong, superpowers or not – which greatly expands our audience and our roster. After all, not everyone in pro wrestling is a bodybuilder, you know? We’ve even added announcers, color commentators, backstage interviewers, and an ‘evil’ promotion owner who shows favoritism and interferes in matches to create storylines and drama. With more people both buying our videos and participating in our federation for a small fee, our revenues will hopefully be greater."

"Interesting theory," Ram stated, stroking his chin, looking down at the floor as he considered Brody’s business model. "Do the guys who run The Cave know about your federation yet? You said last night that you’re friends with one of them – the Batman guy, right?"

"Not yet," Brody replied. "We're trying to keep things under wraps until we're a little more established and secure."

"What do you think your friend and his business partners at The Cave will do when they hear there's some new kids on the block trying to muscle in on their turf who happen to be people they know personally?" Ram asked.

"Well, hopefully they'll want to partner up," Brody explained. "I'm sure there will be certain guys they’ll want to have exclusive to their roster, and we'll most likely want to keep some guys exclusive to our roster, but I was thinking we could also share some of our talent like some of the other underground federations do. Cross-overs are always popular in TV, movies, comic books, and especially pro wrestling."

By now, both men had cooled off, and their sweaty physiques were almost completely dry. It was time to get back to action for Round 2, but before that happened, Ram had a big surprise for Brody.

"It sounds like you've really thought this Rival thing through, and I wish you all the best," Ram stated. “Speaking of wrestling gimmicks, I thought for this next round I'd show you a gimmick I've been working on. I'd like to know what you think," he added.

"Sure thing," Brody replied, smiling. "You definitely don't need any work on your moves, and if your gimmick is even half as good as your in-ring skills, you'll be perfect for Rival!"

Ram smiled slyly. He stood up and slowly – almost seductively – bent over and peeled off his blue designer boxer-briefs while staring into Brody's face with his piercing blue eyes, revealing shiny silver posing trunks underneath.

"Interesting..." Brody said, his bulge once again starting to swell.

Ram then stood, turned, and walked over to his gym bag a few feet away. Brody remained seated, admiring Ram’s thick glutes as he moved.

Upon reaching his bag, Ram pulled two small brown objects from it and wrapped one around each of his forearms. He then pulled a belt with something furry attached to it out of the bag and wrapped it around the front of his posers, but with his massive back turned to Brody, the curious powerlifter couldn't quite tell what it was. Finally, Ram removed one last item from his bag and slipped it over his head.

Rolling his shoulders and flexing his upper body muscles, Ram slowly turned to face Brody while wearing the costume of his character from The Cave.

"HOLY SHIT!!!" Brody exclaimed as he shot out of his chair. "You're RAM!!! I mean, you're THE Ram from The Cave!!! I KNEW I recognized that tattoo! Oh my God, dude – you're my favorite wrestler of all time! Your match against Super Soldier was so fucking hot-, I mean, awesome! Wait, what am I trying to hide? You're RAM!!! You wrestle for stakes! Oh wow! Does that mean we're wrestling for stakes???"

"You better fucking believe it," Ram growled with a slight smirk on his face.

"HELL YEAH!!!" Brody shouted, pumping his fist repeatedly in pure joy. "I can't believe I'm actually wrestling THE Ram for stakes! Dude, that scene where you let Super Soldier climb you and then bearhugged the shit out of him – that's the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in a match! I must've jacked off to that part a hundred times. Wait – I was just in that bearhug! And I managed to escape! Oh man! I just beat Ram from The Cave!!!"

"You beat Rowen Ramsey III: Fitness model, entrepreneur, and trust fund goody-goody. He was weak. You'll find me to be much more of a challenge," Ram said menacingly. "And if you saw me crush the life out of Super Soldier, then you also saw what I did to him after the match."

"You bet I did, but I ain't afraid!" Brody proudly stated, remembering Ram's beer-can-like dick from his Cave videos and realizing that the huge bulge he felt in Ram's underwear during the grapevine in the previous round was 100% authentic. "After all, you lost to the Bat, so that proves you can be... OH SHIT!!!”

Brody laid his hands on top of his head as he came to a sudden, dreadful realization. “You know Cody and Ryan! Oh no. Oh man. And I just told you everything about Rival! I don't believe... Oh my god. Oh my god. You can't tell 'em, man. Please! You can't tell 'em about Rival. I haven't told them yet, and I don't know how I’m... Please, man. Please don't tell them about Rival..." Brody begged, nearing the start of a panic attack. The elation he just felt about meeting his wrestling idol had almost completely dissipated.

"Your secrets are of no interest to me, BOY,” Ram spat. “The only thing that interests me is tearing down the walls of your ass with my battering ram. Now get in that ring!” he commanded in full character.

Feeling somewhat relieved but still a little uneasy, Brody entered the ring, followed by Ram. "Please don't tell Cody and Ryan, man. They’re such great guys, and I haven't figured out how to-" Brody pleaded.

"Don't worry about it," Ram interrupted, breaking character for a moment. "Your secret's safe with me... but your ASS is not," he said, resuming his heel persona. The fact that Ram never raised his voice much above his normal soft-spoken tone even when in character made his threats seem much more intimidating.

As the two men started to circle, Brody could feel his excitement return at the thought of continuing his match against his favorite underground wrestler and ultimate dream opponent.

"You ready to feel the wrath of the man-beast, boy?" Ram threatened as he removed his costume's fur loincloth and tossed it onto the floor at ringside.

"You bet I am, but before we go at it again, I have a surprise for you, too," Brody announced, forcing Ram to stop and stare with curiosity.

With that, Brody peeled off his red and white boxer-briefs and tossed them out of the ring to reveal the faux-denim trunks of his Country Boy wrestling gimmick beneath.

To be continued ...