On the Mat with Thunders Arena Wrestlers Blayne and Eagle

What makes Thunder Arena Wrestling the go-to website for those fans of the sport to watch matches? Likely the major reason is the wrestlers themselves - hot college-aged guys who love the sport and love to compete. They have, according to the site's owner Mr. Mike, "the 'it' factor - something about them that stands out from the crowd."

The Florida-based company has been a presence on the web for some eight years and continues to grow, currently distributing videos to some 35 countries. Mr. Mike thinks the key to its success is how much it respects its fans. "We listen to the fans and put their requests first," Mr. Mike explained, citing how one fan asked for a match in which the wrestlers were tied together at the wrist so that they couldn't get away from each other. "We shot that and it was a lot of fun."

What also has contributed to Thunder's success is how the matches evoke the kind of wrestling found in high school that goes back to the basics of why fans fall in love with the sport in the first place. No flashy theatrics and tricks, just fun competition. "Wrestling takes skill, not weapons or cartoon characters to be entertainment," reads a description on the site. "We use our athletic skills to bring a fresh, new look to wrestling and are not afraid to laugh and enjoy ourselves while we put on a show."

"Wrestling is very much entertainment," says Mr. Mike. "I totally agree with the fact that parts of it are fake. The story lines are definitely fake. Because we create story lines as to why the guys are fighting and beating each other up and defending each other's honor, and things like that. It is always good vs. evil in wrestling.

"But the athleticism-- the ability for them to do the moves, to do them effectively, and take the hits is 100% real. Everything about it is real. And it really does hurt. My guys go through half a bottle of Ibuprofen after a day of filming. It is definitely not easy to do. You have to be athletic. You have to have cardio. Just because you've got a pretty face and a pretty body does not mean you can wrestle."

Two such Thunder wrestlers are Blayne and Eagle, whom EDGE caught up with on a recent afternoon as they were preparing to ready for their match. Blayne at 5'9" and 165 lbs. is clearly outranked by Eagle, who is 5'11" and 200 lbs. But what makes such matches so much fun is to see how each wrestler uses his skills to his advantage - in this case Blayne's speed and agility - in the match. Whether that would be enough to overcome the brawny Eagle can be found on the Thunder site, along with dozens of other equally compelling matches that underscore the site's pre-eminent standing amongst wrestling web sites.

Here is our conversation with Eagle and Blayne:

Manly-man sport

EDGE: How did you get into wrestling?

Eagle: I wrestled when I was a little kid, then as I was getting older I started watching WWE SmackDown and all that. The sport has always been of interest to me; then when the opportunity arose I took it and ran with it. Now it is part of what I do. I think it's the original manly-man sport. I think cavemen would have been doing it to prove that they were the alpha males of the pack. It has that masculine tone to it.

Blayne: Wrestling was my favorite sport in high school. Ever since I was young, a hard workout was important and wrestling really sets the foundation for that. Hands down it taught me so much hard work and so much great camaraderie.

EDGE: Looking at your stats, you guys aren't evenly matched. How do you each deal with the differences?

Eagle: I am bigger and stronger, but he's going to be quicker and be able to get around me a little bit. What I check out in my opponent first is his legs because I have pretty solid legs, so if mine are bigger than his, I automatically assume that I will win. But we'll just have to see how it plays out.

Blayne: Seeing that I am a smaller guy, I definitely have to think about my agility. It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. I always try to bring a die hard, 110%, ball-to-the-wall mentality. And just go in there and try my best, even if my opponent, like Eagle, is gargantuan next to me. It will still be a very fun match and I'll use my speed to my advantage.

Trash-talk?

EDGE: Do you guys trash talk during the match?

Eagle: Yes and no. Sometimes I trash talk because I like to make them feel small, but other times I don't like to hear them talk back, so I make sure that doesn't happen.

Blayne: Yes I do. Take with Eagle, I'll say how puffy he looks. A lot of guys that get bigger they start getting too much muscle, so I like to poke and prod them with that. I still have got a good ab structure and have always tried to practice an ascetic lifestyle. I keep in my mind that I am looking tough and ready to go.

EDGE:: Are you comfortable wrestling in front of the camera?

Eagle: Definitely. I am very comfortable in front of the camera. I have been a model for a little more than a year and a half now and I have been on a couple of television shows as well, so I am use to it now.

Blayne: Absolutely. I haven't signed as a model with anyone, haven't done any print work; but I have done modeling here and there, and some acting. There was an agent from LA who talked to me a little bit and he tried to talk me into moving to LA. But I told him no. I was too young and didn't have the money. I am going to try to make my own here in Orlando and I think Thunder is very solid spot to stay with right now.

Very competitive

EDGE: Are you wrestling for fun or to win?

Eagle: I always wrestle to win. I am very competitive, so I never wrestle to see what happens.

Blayne: Of course, I play to win. But if I lose, I feel I have to learn from it. It definitely humbles you a little bit. I definitely get my blows in, but at the end of the day if I lose, I just have to move forward from any mistakes I've made and go from there. So, yeah, it definitely hurt a little bit in my heart because I always wrestle and do everything with my heart 100%.

EDGE: What kind of mind games to you play on your opponent?

Eagle: I definitely psych out my opponent. That's just part of the game. If you are not playing mind games with your opponent, I think you are a step behind everybody else who is. I like to show how powerful I am and then when I sense they're vulnerable, smack them in the face a little bit and call them ugly.

Blayne: When you are wrestling someone, it is not totally scripted. Everybody thinks that. The problem is that when you are being psychologically beat by him, you start forgetting what you want to do. You forget how to clear a move or how to hold a guy. You aren't going to be able to perform the way that you want to. So I think if you get someone down psychologically it is a little more effective than the physical prowessness of it all.

Using Eagle as an example: he is so big but I think I can surprise him by pulling a couple of fast ones. I think that element of surprise is one of my strongest suits. I am definitely a smaller guy but I still pack a little bit of a punch for a 150-pound frame.

Dealing with their fans

EDGE:: Have you both established fan bases?

Eagle: I have a pretty large following on both Instagram and Facebook, with those I get messages daily. It makes it an easy way to talk to my fans. I think what they respond to the most about me are my eyes. That's what I get the most comments on. They see pictures of my face and that's what they zero in on. They're bright blue - somewhere between blue and white.

Blayne: It is starting to build. At first Mike and I were tossing things back and forth, like I don't know what is going to happen, but just stay in there and stay tough. Keep working hard at it. He helped me through a few things. I took a few more pointers from some other guys that are higher up professionally. And now we are starting to see more emails and more banter on the web talking about Blaine. And I love it. It goes without saying that any attention I get is a plus. Talking about Alpha Male syndrome and what not. We'll all out to strut our stuff and to be talked about is very intoxicating.

EDGE:: Why do you choose to wrestle with Thunder?

Eagle: Mostly because Thunder is the most professional outfit out there right now. And once I got here and met the crew and the owner, I think I made the proper choice and have been exclusively working with them.

Blayne: I was doing the modeling and was trying to figure out how I was going to get my name out in the entertainment industry. When I ran into Mike and was a little skeptical just up front in the first conversation, but he has a very true voice. Mike is not evasive. He doesn't ask for anything up front. He just said, come on in. We'll get you in a wrestling match and we'll go from there. I think Mike is a solid dude. He is always true to his word and makes a great product, so I am definitely coming back.

For more on Thunder Arena Wrestling, visit the website.