Brando vs Bronco (Bodybuilder Battle 201) - Thunders Arena

One of Thunders Arena's newest releases pits walls of muscle Brando and Bronco against each other. This has been a matchup on my wish list for a while now, mostly because "Brando vs Bronco" is just fun to say. With a combined weight of 480 lbs, Bodybuilder Battle 201 promises to be a hard-hitting affair. 

As you might expect for people with bodies like these there is a good amount of flexing. Brando and Bronco show off for a muscle-bound 4 minutes before any wrestling gets underway.

The one time I'd like to be stuck between a rock and a hard place

There's a decent amount of competitiveness in their flex-off. The camera gets in real close to capture every sinew and vein as these two compare. The cameraman does a good job of making these two take up the whole screen so that even the posing feels like a battle for the frame.

When the battle really starts it's a test of strength and endurance—a mutual bearhug. Brando and Bronco actually spend a significant portion of this match squeezing the hell out of each other, seeing who can withstand the pressure of the other man's intense grip.

One of the many reasons I purchased this match

The struggle is even. Neither man seems to give an inch in their bearhug battle so they go to their knees. Pecs meet pecs as flesh is pressed into flesh. Their first mutual squeeze ends in a draw, but there's no break in the action here. It doesn't take long for Brando to take advantage of Bronco's fatigue so he picks the 250 lbs man up with so much much ease he has time to flex.

I would love to be Bronco in this scenario

As you might expect from a Thunders Arena production, the wrestling isn't quite top notch but the aesthetic of two behemoths battling it out more than makes up for it. Brando and Bronco are great at playing to the camera, both directly and indirectly. 

Bronco eventually gets some of his own back on Brando, picking him up and throwing him to the ground, then locking in a painful Boston crab. Another mutual bearhug follows, but this time it's Bronco who comes out on top and presses his opponent into the wall.

Brando stuck between a wall of muscle and a wall of concrete

After another quick flex-off the men turn up the heat. They go back-and-forth, exchanging scissors, lifts and carries, and even another mutual bearhug! The allure of just flexing for the camera becomes more of an afterthought as they strive to put each other through as much pain as possible. Sweat is wiped off slick muscle as each man strives to prove their dominance over the other.

It's a close contest that kept me guessing every second of the way. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting much given the first half of the match. The pace felt slow and the wrestling lacked any kind of punch that has been driving much of Thunders' other recent releases. The second half of this match subverted my expectations in a great way. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly Brando and Bronco were able to up the ante, delivering some fairly convincing moments that got me going (if you know what I mean).

Overall, Bodybuilder Battle 201 is a fun, and at times thrilling, romp between two well-matched hunks that I hope come up against each other more in the future. Hopefully with a bit more wrestling and slightly less flexing. Not that I mind the flexing, but I feel like their muscles are best on display when they're being put to use. If you're a fan of bearhugs and lifts, this is definitely a match you should consider adding to your collection.

That'll leave a mark

Brando vs Bronco - Bodybuilder Battle 201 has a runtime of 21:47 and may be purchased on the Thunders Arena site here.