Larry Wheels has never been one to sit quietly while the internet has its say. The 250 lbs (113 kg) bodybuilder and social media personality made that clear during a live appearance at RAF 10, stepping to the microphone and calling out fellow influencer Mike Holston, better known as “The Real Tarzan,” for a freestyle wrestling match.
The callout was personal. Wheels told the crowd he had grown tired of online commentary questioning whether he had any real athletic ability.
“The internet has been really grinding my gears lately. People have been saying I’m a washed up lifter, I’m not an athlete, I’m stiff, I can’t (). I want to take tonight and use this opportunity with the RAF platform to challenge Mike Holston to a match and prove everybody wrong.”
RAF obliged. The two will compete on August 22 at RAF 12 in Cleveland, Ohio, a state long associated with wrestling culture.
Together, Wheels and Holston command over 23.5 million social media followers between them. Holston arrives with a more diverse athletic background, including hands-on experience handling wild animals, but he will likely give up considerable size to his opponent on the mat. Wheels made clear he sees that contrast as part of the appeal.
“Tarzan is known for wrestling cats and snakes, but let’s see how he can handle a real animal.”
Wheels is not treating the match as a novelty appearance. He has been putting in time on the wrestling mat in preparation and that experience has reshaped how he views the demands of the sport.
“It’s no secret my cardio needs a lot of work, but after rolling around these last few weeks I realize it needs even more than I ever thought. Now I have a few weeks of experience and I can really appreciate the conditioning these guys have on the mats.”
Some of those early lessons came from training alongside high-level athletes. Wheels pointed to a widely seen session with former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, who submitted him during their training collaboration, as a moment that recalibrated his sense of where raw physical power ends and technical skill begins.
Come August 22 in Cleveland, those lessons will either hold up on the mat or reveal how much ground he still has to cover.
