Bare Back Body Slams

The 2016 Olympics May Feature Shirtless Wrestling

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As if this guy isn’t hot already, now just imagine him shirtless. Now imagine him shirtless and wrestling another man to the ground. You still with me? Okay, well that may be the plan for the 2016 Olympic Games if certain changes are made. According to USA Today, the sport is getting a makeover. Everything from the venue to the uniforms are getting updated to modernize wrestling and make it more accessible to fans.

“We will change everything,” said Nenad Lalovic, the president of wrestling’s international federation (FILA). “The whole scenery of the venue.” The red-and-yellow mat will go the way of the full Nelson, replaced perhaps by shades of blue.

“Our singlets are so old fashioned,” Lalovic said. Freestyle wrestlers could wear fight shorts and a tight-fitting microfiber T-shirt. Greco-Roman wrestlers may even go shirtless.

Actor Billy Baldwin, who was part of wrestling’s delegation, said he could see the change for entertainment value. “It’s why beach volleyball is on for 17 hours in prime time and we’re buried at three in the morning,” he said.

Additional changes, including a focus on aggressive wrestlers and more active matches, will roll out over the next few years. What makes it to Rio is yet to be determined. But let’s hope the singlets get left on the floor.

[GIF: 10 Reasons To Be Happy Wrestling Is Back In The Olympics]

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