Review: Duke Russo vs. Apollo 2 (Movimus)

It's a bit of deja vu as March starts off in similar fashion as February with a Movimus re-match here and a couple of Cason match reviews following on Tuesday and Thursday.

One month ago, Duke Russo showed rookie Apollo some moves then hit the mats with him. Now, we've got Duke Russo vs. Apollo II, the re-match. Has the new muscleman learned enough to challenge the reigning stud of Movimus?

Has Duke taught Apollo too well?

Review: Duke Russo vs. Apollo (Movimus)

I'm impressed how Movimus has made each Duke Russo match feel different, even if the outcome is essentially the same. While pro action allows for guys to be unstoppable one match, helpless the next, and anything in-between, submission is more a meritocracy. It's unlikely Duke's just going to lie down and job for someone. If and when he loses, it'll be hard-fought and to a great opponent.

Duke Russo vs. Apollo is unique in its story and tone, featuring Duke as trainer. What's not different is that it still showcases sexy muscle studs rolling around the mat in a sweaty struggle.

Welcome to Movimus, Apollo.
Hope you survive the experience.

2017 Cavey Awards: Matches

It's day two of the 2017 Cavey Awards.

Today, we're focusing on the matches. Even pairing the best wrestlers doesn't mean the match will be a winner. So here are my favorites where hot studs combined to produce magic. I shared the rules yesterday, but as a reminder, matches are eligible if I watched them for the first time between December 1, 2016 and November 30, 2017.

Review: Myles Morales vs. Sam Reddy (Movimus)

We headed back to the mat. Myles Morales vs. Sam Reddy from Movimus caught my eye for a few reasons. Both these guys are new to me, but I was attracted to their contrasting looks and body types. So when I found myself in the mood for some simple, classic submission action with no gimmicks, this one scratched that itched.

It's a battle of the body types on the mats.

Review: Duke Russo vs. Robert Biggs (Movimus)

So, Thursday is the cutoff for the 2017 Cavey Awards. If I haven't watched a match by then, it'll be eligible for next year, not this year. Duke Russo was co-winner of my Favorite Wrestler for 2016. So far, 2017 has been a quiet year for him with just 1.5 videos, but now he's back with a scorcher, getting in right under the wire.

Duke is back.

Review: Duke Russo vs. Dario Espinosa (Movimus)

Full disclosure: This video was provided to me by Movimus.

Duke vs. Dario is my current dream matchup. I've raved a lot about these two super studs. Unfortunately, this is a dream where I got woken up a little too early. The action is great, but there's only 9 minutes of it. It's due to an apparent leg injury, so I'm sympathetic. I hope for a rematch to happen really soon, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more.

I mention this all right up front as it seems extremely relevant to providing a review. Now Movimus has decided to offer buyers of this one 40% off another video, but they're still charging $26.99 for this one. I guess it depends on how motivated you are.

It's "dreamus interruptus" for me when
Duke battles Dario

PSA: Movimus' Free Match

Movimus Wrestling is offering a free streaming match. If you're not a regular visitor to their site, you could miss it. And if you're like me, Movimus is one of those sites where you're not quite sure what you're going to get. It took me a long time before I finally purchased my first match.

Review: Duke Russo vs. Dave Markus Rematch (Movimus)

Full disclosure: This video was provided to me by Movimus.

The last time I watched a Duke Russo re-match, it ended up winning my 2016 Favorite Mat Match Cavey Award. It also helped Duke win my 2016 Favorite Wrestler Cavey. Yes, I really liked the second battle between Duke Russo vs. Case CT Thornton, even more than the first one. So when Movimus sent me Duke Russo vs. Dave Markus 2, I was really excited to see how it went.

Duke is back. Dave looks hard. Does this
re-match go any differently than last time?

Review: Dario Espinoza vs. Dave Markus (Movimus)

Duke Russo is still my Movimus guy, but Dario Espinosa definitely made a big impression on me in his match against Ray Mousi (reviewed here). It was the kind of experience where I just had to see more. His only other match was his first one - this one against Dave Markus. It made my choice easy and fortunately, Dario delivers for me again.

It's Dario's debut vs. Dave Markus

The guys go hard on the mat

Review: Dario Espinosa vs. Ray Mousi (Movimus)

Full disclosure: This match was provided to me by Movimus.

Movimus might be telling me something. They certainly are expanding my experience with them. So far, it's been mostly focused on a couple of great wrestlers, Mikey Hanlon and Duke Russo. When Ray Mousi vs. Dario Espinosa showed up in my inbox, I put it on my list to watch, but I didn't really rush to do so.

My mistake. I really liked it and am now quite interested in Dario, too. Big, bad and beautiful, these two put on a great show.

ARGH!

Review: Duke Russo vs. Shon Tracy (Movimus)

Full disclosure: This match was provided to me by Movimus.

Is perfection boring? Maybe sometimes, but not yet when it comes to Movimus' current unstoppable superstar, Duke Russo. I recall that Max Anderson was unbeatable for while, but I can't imagine he ever had the air of pure awesomeness that Duke brings to the mats. Well, he's back and he's more dominant than ever in Duke Russo vs. Shon Tracy.

Duke still looks like a superhero

But with a little bad boy attitude thrown in

Review: Duke Russo vs. Dave Markus (Movimus)

Full disclosure: This match was provided to me by Movimus.

I was so excited when I saw this in my inbox. I have all of Duke Russo's matches so far, so getting this in advance was very cool. Along with Mikey Hanlon, Duke's my must-buy guy from Movimus. He hasn't disappointed me in the past and he doesn't start now. I really enjoyed Duke Russo vs. Dave Markus. It showcases the best of both guys in an action-packed 26-minute match.

It's a battle of two of Movimus' hottest stars

PSA: 40% Off Mikey Hanlon Matches @ Movimus

Guys,

Just a quick post to let you know that all Mikey Hanlon matches are 40% off at Movimus.

MIKEY HANLON SALE

Mikey Hanlon vs. Damien Rush: The Rematch

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a huge fan of Mikey. Hot, charming and cocky, he's also a talented wrestler and his gear is always on point. The 2015 Cavey Award winner brings a unique and fun element to submission wrestling.

Quick Hit: Mikey vs. Damien The Rematch (Movimus)

I don't know if it's the right approach to do these types of rematches back-to-back. I did it with Mikey/Max and Jake/Austin. As an aside, I haven't bought the new Jake/Austin Thunders match. I'm excited to see Jake back, even with what looks to be an unfortunate new tattoo on his pec, but I own two other versions of this matchup, so there's not a ton of urgency to buy a third.

Anyway, I feel like sometimes it's good to do them together to get the whole picture, but it also doesn't leave as much to say for the second time around. I mean, it's still Movimus. The guys look and sound the same. The contrasts are still there. The action is even pretty similar.

Mikey channels the Karate Kid

Damien's beautiful bridge

That's why Mikey vs. Damien: The Rematch is an image-centric Quick Hit.

Review: Mikey Hanlon vs. Damien Rush (Movimus)

Before I begin, let me say, don't take this upfront the wrong way. I'm not foreshadowing any changes here. I'm just doing my usual opening with a personal anecdote.

I get why Joe at Ringside said he felt like he was getting repetitive before he took his fortunately short-lived break from blogging. I get it now. There isn't always a lot new to say. I mean, I'm doing two more Mikey Hanlon matches from Movimus. You likely already know what I think about him. I've made my feelings clear. So fair warning, you've read this before.

I'm still loving Mikey

Review: Duke Russo vs. CT Rematch (Movimus)

And I'm back. Yesterday, I covered the first Duke Russo vs. Case 'CT' Thornton encounter. Today, it's rematch time. I specifically made sure to write my review for the first match before watching this to ensure I wasn't influenced by anything that happened here. It turned out to be the right approach, because things change up a little, including a couple of my points from the first match.

Duke and CT are back at it

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

Review: Mikey vs. Max - World Series (Movimus)

Welcome to the third and final day of my reviews of Mikey Hanlon vs. Max Anderson matches from Movimus. After the first two, which ended in a draw and a dominant win, the guys return for a World Series video. This best 4-out-of-7 match is over an hour with most of that being action.

The boys are back for a third go

Review: Mikey vs. Max - The Rematch (Movimus)

Mikey: "You ready for a rematch?"
Max: "Oh yeah, I've been ready for awhile."

With those words, we begin the action part of Mikey Hanlon vs. Max Anderson: The Rematch from Movimus. I really enjoyed the first match (reviewed yesterday), so hearing that exchange got me excited. It's nice to see Max tip his hand that this isn't just an ordinary match for him. It feels like something he's thought about and worked towards.

Review: Mikey Hanlon vs. Max Anderson (Movimus)

So I had two requests from my March post where I invited guys to choose a few of my April reviews from the unwatched matches on my iPad. One request came via email for UCW's Aron vs Axel/Pvt Marino. That post is scheduled for 4/21. However, the first request was from MikeySB. He asked for a review of his namesake, Mikey Hanlon against Max Anderson from Movimus.

Now, I meant the World Series match, but the request was for coverage of all three. I'm all about fan service, so here we go - three days of Mikey vs. Max.

It's a Mikey vs. Max extravaganza