This is a bodies-over-time post in fast forward. Rio Garza (aka Ray Martinez, aka Alan Valdez, aka Alan Arturo) has been quickly making quite a name for himself (well, several names). I first caught a glimpse of him on YouTube preening and flexing and begging for followers about a year ago. His little boy face on top of the body of a sculpted musclegod is hard to tear your eyes away from.
Rio (let’s just call him Rio) is marketing himself from a lot of different angles. I respect that. As he ages, it will undoubtedly be harder and harder work for him to maintain the body of an adonis, so cash in when the work is plentiful and relatively easy. Modeling and competing as Alan Valdez, his rock hard body has been photographed in a state of physical perfection. When his physique is entirely on game, he’s massively muscled, vascular, shredded to bits and completely devoid of body fat.
Battling for BG East as Rio Garza, this beautiful boy is just a half step off of the physical perfection he’s been documented to achieve in some of his modeling shots. Personally, I think his appearances with BGE have been his best wrestling work. I suspect that even the very latest releases starring Rio from BGE may have all been filmed several months ago, because from product to product he appears similarly massively muscled and cut like crystal. He may not have the 0% body fat of some of his modeling work, but he isn’t far off that mark, with his abs ready for some heavy duty laundry. I think BGE has also captured Rio looking confident, despite being owned over and over like the muscle jobber he’s fated to be. His opponents clearly recognize the remarkable physical specimen he is, and they work his muscles like concert pianists, striking every chord to perfection.
Wrestling for Rock Hard Wrestling as Ray Martinez, Rio is noticeably less sharply defined (though no less stunningly gorgeous). He looks decidedly less confident for RHW than BGE, which I suspect may be due to the relative directing skills of the companies. RHW hasn’t yet drawn from Rio the type of performance that truly capitalizes on his muscle jobber potential. The other RHW boys with some legitimate wrestling skills (of various stripes) do some entertaining work making Rio/Ray suffer, but they don’t dabble in the worship side of things like BGE has done. Rio/Ray appears to always be geared up in tight, if expansive, trunks for RHW, whereas BGE has talked him into putting his gorgeous ass on display, wrestling in a jock strap.
Now Rio/Ray/Alan appears to be about to grapple for Can-Am. They just posted some teaser pics with him appearing side-by-side with Aryx Quinn for another installment in their new Arena series. Can-Am is touting Rio as theirs exclusively, which seems a little like closing the corral gate well after the horse has gotten loose. As always, Rio looks like a tasty treat. He’s yet another step down from his competition form, though, both less sharply defined and less developed. The stills are all photo shoot poses (no action shots), but he’s appearing so far in very brief yellow trunks. I think both Aryx and Rio were in better shape when they faced off in BG’s Bad Boys, but so far, the Arena series has been entirely a loser-gets-fucked product, so if they’ve scored Rio in his first fuck scene, this product is going to fly off the shelves.
I must say, though, that Rio/Ray/Alan also looks a little less happy with each bit of salesmanship he stars in. His little boy smile in his early modeling pics are absolutely adorable. BGE captured some happy moments from the coverboy, looking awfully pleased with himself with his devastating body about to be devastated. His appearances for RHW have showcased him looking a little put out, like he’s feeling a little impatient with the workday to be over with. His stills for Can-Am look downright morose. However, if the sour look is a result of developing a new fierceness on the mats, or if it arises from a virginal foray into loser-gets-fucked action, he can pout all he wants: he’ll still be golden with the fans, I’m sure.
neverland 
Well, I don't know how much one can draw about a wrestler's personal level of engagement based on how often he smiles over time, but I'm surprisingly and guardedly excited that Rio Garza has moved on to Can-Am. It's a strength and weaknesses thing: obviously BG East puts more emphasis on technical performance/quality of "wrestling" issues, which Can-Am can't match. And Rock Hard Wrestlng has the quality of photography and instant downloads for instant gratification, which, again, ditto.However, it seems to me Can-Am's strength is the raw fantasy aspect. What they put on tape is less defined by the wrestlers'/producers' pure tastes as some sense of what the fans want to see a specific worker do. I mean, I got the strong impression looking at BGE's first match description for Rio that their long-term focus was on how well he learns to wrestle, summarized perhaps in the line "Although BGE fans appreciate a hot stud, they also expect great action," a blatant statement that the look and whatever response it elicts from the fans is meaningless unless it's matched with skill and personal committment. And those are good things but, let's be honest, the people who buy Rio Garza's matches are not going to be judging him on how well he executes a snapmare or how many moves he chains together.As such, since Can-Am doesn't have the resources to dig into deep, technical wrestling, I would expect the emphasis to be on the fantasy–a whole, if fans like seeing Rio wrecked and his hot body displayed in a dozen positions, then let's give them exactly that. BGE's squashes with Rio had a huge forced air. I compare his matches to, say, Brad Rochelle, and there's a whole different feel. Brad's squashes were imaginative even though the core was the same; it wasn't just Brad takes a beating, it was mixed settings within matches, inside/outside the ring, props, contrasting gear, and always grounded in the fantasy that the other wrestler wanted to do what he was doing. With Rio, the action and imagination seemed forced, perfunctory, and his opponents jaded, like they routinely squash magazine cover models all the time and are bored with it. I don't know how to explain it.Anyway, more outlets mean more choices for fans. So, here's hoping…
Astute observations, as always, JoshH! I think you've put your finger on why I lean toward BGE's productions more than Can-Am's. I think of it as a matter of sincerity, but you're probably right, in that it's more about BGE's commitment to center the story of the wrestling, whereas Can-Am is more likely to center the "raw fantasy" (excellent term for it). And I agree entirely that more choices for fans are always a plus. As long as corporate competition doesn't dilute the strengths that each company brings, then more's-the-better.Still, I like seeing Rio with a grin, at least to start off with before he gets the crap beat out of him. It may not reflect on his actual affect, but I do like to see a cocky musclegod like his is, reveling in his own invincibility… preferably moments before his face is contorted in agony. I hope that no one tries to write Rio so serious that we miss the opportunity to see his cocky, little-boy smile.
Hey, Bard. Mutally appreciation society we are, lol. But, I think I was a little soft in my initial comments. I meant to be a little controversial. When I said Can-Am might explore an aspect of someone like Rio Garza that BGE wouldn't, I didn't mean it to come off as to each his own. Basically, I think BGE's tedious fixation on indy style action actually makes someone like Rio Garza wasted at BGE. BGE's greater experience with execution of action gives them an angle, but it's also a limit. Rio's strength is his looks, but BGE can't really work with that because their style of wrestling doesn't allow them to consider looks relevant. A guy like Rio is presented as no more physically attractive than someone like Jonny Firestorm. In fact, Rio's presented as Less Than any other guy because his looks aren't promoted, but his lack of training is a flaw. So, basically, I was saying even with all their "skills" Rio at BGE is likely to be less exciting than Rio at pretty much any other company, because the reaction he generates has to be marginalized and ignored at BGE.
JoshH: Perhaps I was intentionally glossing over your provocation, sort of in an Aikido-style move to neutralize the offensive (not that your provocation is offensive). In any case, if you really want to provoke, all right then:I don't quite buy that BGE doesn't consider looks relevant. I don't think the implication is that someone like Rio is essentially no more attractive than, say, Johny Firestorm. I think that BGE does a nice job of mixing up the bodies, strengths, and liabilities of their boys, for the most part. While Rio gets his ass handed to him, he's clearly being exploited for the eye candy he so obviously is. Johny, while perhaps not as classically gorgeous, gets a ticket to the show based on skill and attitude (though I like his look most of the time). If they put up a pretty boy against a pretty boy, neither of whom could look anything but awkwardly ill-equipped for a tussle, then no amount of imagination would really make that work for me (just hand me some straight up porn). Two highly skilled wrestlers, neither of whom really turn my crank aesthetically, would be a pass for me as well. BGE occasionally strikes out with me, as evidenced by the fact that I don't own every product they've put out there. But I think they've got a good eye for the formula that makes me "happy." I do think that they capitalize on Rio more effectively than, say, RHW has done thus far.Can-Am has certainly put up some pretty boys who couldn't sell a fight to save their lives, as well. They do tend to give a reason for the story, including a justification for unskilled pretty boys to offer to sell (e.g. anything "Hard Heroes," the classic Cal-Muscleboy series). Still, the fantasy doesn't take me far enough to tweak my wrestling kink, which is, after all, what I'm all about. If it's just fantasy bodies and bad acting, I'll probably turn to straight up porn for that sort of thing. To tweak my kink, somebody needs to make me suspend enough disbelief to want to see who's ass is about to get kicked by whom.That said, I think I often come across as too harsh on Can-Am and too adoring of BGE. I own and regularly enjoy products from both of them. I do think that the model cross-over storylines that Can-Am has launched (Arena) is begging the comparison, though, and at least 7 times out of 10, my kink is drawn to the indy-pornboy formula that BGE brews rather than the pornboy-fantasy fight formula that Can-Am concocts.Should we wrestle for who's right?