• Wrestling rumble! It's 'Tower of Power' Lauer vs. 'Sternum Choker' Roker

    Updated Aug. 8: Matt "The Tower of Power" Lauer and Al "The Sternum Choker" Roker (as Bob Costas dubbed them) received a lesson in Greco-Roman wrestling — even painfully learning what the "flying squirrel" move entails!

    The duo have teamed up three previous times to try out Olympic sports, getting schooled in rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming and the luge. 

    U.S. wrestlers Dremiel Byers and Ellis Coleman this time showed our co-anchors how to get gold, by lifting them in the air and then slamming them onto the mat. 

    "That's called a reverse lift," Dremiel told Al. "I call that pain," the weatherman moaned. Dremiel even got Al to yell for "mommy" once, while Matt complained of a ruptured spleen! 

    The two co-anchors then faced off in "one of the most anticipated" wrestling showdowns of the Olympic Games, according to Costas. NBC Sports' Mary Carillo said the entire match could come down to "breath." "If one of these two mooks had onions or garlic for lunch, that could decide the whole thing," she said. 

    Who won the duel? Watch the video, and see some amusing photos below.

    Jen Long

    Al Roker lies on the floor after a particularly painful-looking move. "I'm seeing a lot of this ceiling," he joked.

    Jen Long / TODAY

    Matt learned a tough lesson: Never ask a wrestler how he got the nickname, "The Flying Squirrel."

    TODAY

    Matt and Al face one of their worst nightmares: Wearing more spandex!

    Original story:
    Matt Lauer and Al Roker have gyrated as gymnasts, swam in synch and slid down an icy track — and they're up for more!

    Our fearless co-anchors will reveal their fourth Olympic event tomorrow morning. 

    The particular sport is always a closely guarded secret. TODAY.com pried one hint out of producer Jen Long: "The world's Spandex supply just took another hit." 

    That fact alone promises it'll be another gold medal-winning effort. 

    Vote on which sport you'd like Matt and Al to test out, and relive their three previous performances below.

    More on TODAY.com:
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)
    Pow! Natalie, Savannah get a boxing lesson — in heels
    London calling: TODAY anchors go sightseeing

  • Al, Shawn Johnson, TODAY staffer create 'Sisterhood of the Salmon Pants'

    Al Roker / Twitter

    Al admits that TODAY staffer Sarah Dunham and Olympian Shawn Johnson wear the salmon pants better.

    By Julieanne Smolinski

    This is why you should ALWAYS call Al Roker before you go out.

    Al, fellow TODAY staffer Sarah Dunham and Olympian Shawn Johnson all showed up this morning wearing pants that were verrrrrrry similar.

    Apparently Nantucket Red is popular over in London, so the matching outfits happened because they're all "on trend" and not because of any kind of "Mean Girls" prank situation. Al went as far as to call it "The Sisterhood of the Salmon Pants."

    Shawn, a TODAY.com special correspondent for the Olympics, had nothing but nice things to say of Al and his fancy slacks. “Considering he’s so stylish every day it’s an honor to feel like I was finally fashion forward,” she said graciously. She told TODAY.com that she bought hers at British trouser shop Harvey Nichols after noticing the bright fad around town. “Everyone is wearing patterned, printed and colored. I just liked the color.”

    Sarah wanted to point out that she was not, repeat, NOT copying Al's style. “Not for nothing," she said, "but I came to work first. I think I may be rubbing off on him.”

    Al knows when he's beaten, tweeting, "Ok, so Sarah and Shawn wear these pants better." Gentlemanly! But would you expect anything less from a guy in salmon pants?

    Julieanne Smolinski is a TODAY.com contributor. Her favorite Edgar Allen Poe short story is "The Salmon Pants."

    More on TODAY.com: 
    Al Roker rocks a plaid, salmon-colored jacket
    Al gets his knight on in 15th century armor
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)

  • TODAY anchors fight the London 'monsoon'

    Al, Natalie, Matt and Savannah proved they were pros when wild weather disrupted the TODAY broadcast from the London Olympics this morning.

    First, Natalie bravely delivered her newscast despite torrential rain flying sideways and hitting her face. Watch it here.

    Later, strong winds ruffled the anchors' hair and blew into their mics. Thinking quickly, Savannah figured out a solution to keep the broadcast going:

    More on TODAY:
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)
    London calling: TODAY anchors go sightseeing
    Beach volleyball (and its dance squad) takes TODAY by storm

  • Beach volleyball (and its dance squad) takes TODAY by storm

    TODAY was all shook up this morning by the Olympic beach volleyball dance troup. (Yes: That is a thing.)

    Beach volleyball has quickly established itself as the cool kid of Olympic events, what with its gnarly Santa Monican origins and devil-may-care bikinis. It's also got an attendant dance squad, who conga between points and perform full routines during technical timeouts. (See a slideshow of the team performing on NBCOlympics.com.)

    TODAY

    Beach volleyball dancers do the conga!

    As Savannah said, "This has become THE sport."

    Though maybe she should cheer from the stands rather than hit the sands. The anchors' natural athletic prowess didn't shine during a short pickup game against volleyballers Phil "The Thin Beast" Dalhausser and Todd "The Professor" Rogers.

    TODAY

    Matt tried to distract the beach volleyball Olympians with his colorful jacket.

    The gold medalists creamed them, even with Matt, Al, Natalie, Savannah and Hoda all on the same team. 

    It's OK, guys, there's always 2016. 

    Julieanne Smolinski is a TODAY.com contributor who believes there are very few things that can't be improved with the addition of a dance squad.