I recently stumbled across some hot new content produced under the name RecPro Wrestling by WRSLMEDIA. It appears to be an earnest as hell little cottage industry that plucks a retro chord paired with smarty, savvy editing, and it feels novel to me. It’s super fresh, with just a few matches currently available after starting to post content about a month ago, but I’ve reached out to the team behind RecPro and they assure me that they’ve got plenty more in the pipeline and on their schedule. It’s a little more organized and thought-through as a cohesive concept than a lot of what I’ve found on WatchFighters. While I am, admittedly, quite new to exploring WatchFighters, I also would venture to say that the editing and final product of RecPro Wrestling is better than the majority of the self-produced content I’ve seen. They’re building a brand, with a fun flavor that feels respectful of homoerotic wrestling histories and sensibilities.

In their own words, RecPro Wrestling aims to be “a modern day throwback… to the old school traditional style, gear, and pace of the great 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s pro wrestling action.” It’s a little deceptive, because the matches have this pop-up (aka, recreational) feel to them, but the two-camera editing is packaged with some hot polish that gives them great immediacy. I feel like I’m in the room. The damp thuds of sweaty bodies slamming into each other almost echo on my side of the screen. The hand held camera angle, edited skillfully together with a stationary camera, makes the bumps vibrate inside my chest. One of the production team members for RecPro described their brand for me as “raw, underproduced backroom bar-pro-aesthetic,” but I think “underproduced” undersells the quality of the videos so far. There’s a ton of potential, but they’ve already achieved something that feels professional to me.

The wrestling is fucking INTENSE. The pricing so far feels reasonable to me, particularly considering how short the matches are (match 001 is about 15 minutes, match 002 is about 14, each currently for $9.99). But again, the time stamps are deceiving. There’s not a wasted second. The wrestlers are going at it from 00:01, with no editing breaks, no breathers, no pre-match posturing (though, to be honest, I’d love a little pre-match posturing for context with these guys). They are earning that sweat, and they deserve every hard fought submission and pin, and there’s a TON of wrestling happening in that concise time frame.

WRSLMSK appears to be the franchise, starring in everything so far. He’s handsome, with a hot body, and fuck, he’s cocky as he confidently executes sensationally sold pro wrestling moves with hungry, erotic seasoning. And, holy hell, I had NO idea what an itch I had that only a sneering, gloating, taunting Australian accent can scratch.

I think the matches are getting better and better. Match 002 is a nudge better than Match 001, which is a nudge better than the “Genesis Grapple” prequel. I’m pretty sure there’s a mathematical formula that, if this progress were plotted and an x/y axis, would have RecPro taking over the world within a couple of years. But it’s ground floor right here and now, and there’s something exciting about catching sight of their nascent vision.

002, my favorite thus far, features sensational chemistry between WRSLMSK and his leaner, possibly just a fraction less mean opponent, Mean Machismo. I don’t know exactly how these two ended up tearing into each other with this much heat. The super brief match description just says, “This slow methodical school yard bully-meets-jobber beatdown gets started before the bell rings.” Mean Machismo gets a couple of licks in, and I am on the record as a fan of a bully heel taking some licks along the way (WRSLMSK gets worked harder by his 001 opponent). But Mean Machismo in jeopardy, sweet ass wedged and slapped red, rolled over and folded in half like origami, is hot as hell. He’s a fierce, hot hunk, mind you, which only makes it that much more incendiary when Machismo is literally crawling across the mat in full on retreat, trying to claw his battered body to the nearest exit before he gets bashed and groped and possessed any more. (Spoiler alert: he gets bashed, groped, and possessed more). It’s erotic without being explicit, which can be a fine line to walk, but wrapped up in this intensely produced package, it’s just fucking hot.

So, the polished product plays on a “rough cut” VHS aesthetic in 21st century HD, which brings a ton of character. I’d LOVE to know more of the context on the other, unseen edges of the rough cut. Like who are these guys?! Why does WRSLMSK want to fucking DEVOUR Mean Machismo, and why does Mean Machismo put his ass on the line like that against this clearly dangerous sadist? I mean, I know why I would want to fucking DEVOUR Mean Machismo, but that’s the backstory I bring. I’m looking forward to the continued RecPro build out with just… more! More text, more context, more showcasing of the personalities that are shining through the fast and furious quality wrestling. Already, I’m invested, damn it. I want stills. I want bios. I want WRSLMSK to talk to us in that contemptuous Aussie accent about what twisted, fucked up things must have happened to him in his past to make him want to out-hustle and out-muscle tasty opponents and cock-pin their faces to the mat.

Sorry. Sorry. I’ll try not to get ahead of myself, or to jump into the future when RecPro is the fully formed finished product that it hints at with its seriously nice hook of a brand. My thanks to the RecPro boys for giving me permission to share these images here, and for letting me dump a boatload of enthusiastic fanboy feedback into their DMs. Check them out on WatchFighters, and it looks like they’re starting to build out their own web presence on GumRoad.