Sunday, September 10, 2017

Review: Blayne vs. Scrappy 3 (Thunders Arena)

Two of the best at Thunders Arena are back against each other. Even though I already own two different Blayne vs. Scrappy matches (Custom Series 45 and No Holds Barred 82) and even reviewed them both this year (here and here), I decided this looked different enough for me to try it. Plus, I just really like them both.

Blayne and Scrappy pull out all the stops
to get a big win in the Thunders ring.


It's not fair that Blayne and Scrappy can actually get better looking. Blayne's body is chiseled and his face handsome, but a new, more aggressive attitude (complimented by the beard and hair) takes him to a new level for me. Already a favorite of mine, I like seeing a fresh side to Blayne, because it keeps me interested. I admit I've skipped a few Blayne videos thinking they'd just be more of the same.

Scrappy meanwhile looks more muscular. Maybe it's an illusion, but look at the last GIF in this post and see what I mean? Just crazy hot. And he's so great as a wrestler, because he has such an expressive face. Going seamlessly between maniacal, boyish and suffering, it's hard to take my eyes off him. Arguably, he has the most range in the business right now.

Blayne is like a work of art.

Blayne: "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."

Battle of two beautiful men.

This isn't the first time that these two have faced off, but it's the first time in a ring, as far as I know. They have a strong chemistry, which comes across in the banter and elevates the action. Both guys admire the other, commenting on Scrappy's added muscle and Blayne's rugged looks. It makes the whole thing fun and more entertaining.

I was very pleased that their previous encounter is not forgotten. Scrappy got mean, using a tire and dirty tricks to injure Blayne. Now, the hairy stud wants some revenge and is willing to bend the rules (are there rules?) to try to get it. Meanwhile, Scrappy wants to keep Blayne on the losing side of things.

Blayne knows he has to be ruthless
and relentless against Scrappy.

Same old sorry ass Blayne.

Blayne's going big in this one.

There's a lot of action here: submission holds, hard-hitting abuse, and more. I made sure to capture a couple of images with ball grabs, because those do feature prominently in the video. I know can be a specialty taste and it's actually not a favorite of mine. However, as added punishment or a reversal, I'm okay with it. So when it's paired with a hot over-the-knee backbreaker, like Blayne does, it can work for me.

The biggest issue for me on this video is the camera work. It's shaky, but worse, it's often blurry. You can hear a whirring of the camera adjusting, but the extended picture issues take some time to adjust to. I've mentioned this before in recent videos, so I suspect that Thunders invested in new cameras. They just might not be designed for fast-paced wrestling action.

The camera frequently loses focus and
could cause you to do the same.

Can a chair get Blayne his first win?

Or is Scrappy the one left sitting pretty at the end?

In the end, Blayne and Scrappy make this a winner for me. They're superstars. They're gorgeous. looking better than ever. They're charismatic. And they work well together. It's back-and-forth, which works great. The production issues could be distracting for you, but you'll have to decide that for yourself.

So that's my take. What's yours?

Alex

6 comments:

  1. By far my two favorite wrestlers on the current Thunder's roster, and two of the best in the business! Like you, I was getting tired of seeing Blayne relegated to the "jobber" role. I admit he looks fantastic when he's grimacing in pain as he's suffering, but he looks absolutely AMAZING when he's grimacing with effort as he's punishing someone, and the new scruffy look makes him an ideal heel. I wish he'd win more often because I feel Thunder's is tarnishing his image. To be taken seriously, he needs to win. (Even Z-Man won a few of his matches.) I'm begging Thunder's to turn him into a dominant heel!

    Scrappy is the perfect wrestler. Size, speed, strength, looks, attitude, and a simply flawless physique. My only knock against him in this match is that he should NEVER wear squarecut trunks because he looks so great in Speedos!

    Lastly, I totally agree with you on Thunder's camerawork. It's often very shaky and is increasingly more blurry. As much money as the company makes from us, they should invest in professional grade shoulder-mounted TV/movie cameras like in the WWE and a professional cameraman to work them. They could easily afford both with just one or two fewer trips to Vegas this year. Thunder's prices have creeped up to near BG East levels, but their camerawork isn't nearly up to BG East's level.

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    1. Thanks for the comment. Not sure I think Blayne's image is tarnished for me by always losing, but it does lessen my sense of urgency to buy.

      And I love your summary of Scrappy's perfection. Barring something dramatic in the next three months, he's my wrestler of the year. Fuck, he's been incredible.

      It's interesting that you view BGEast as having high prices. Because they have multi-match compilations, I tend to view them as cheaper (e.g., $49 for 4 matches = $12.25 per match). However, often you only want one or two of the four, so you do end up, in theory paying as much as $49 for a match. Since I use Arena + VOD with them, I actually pay less per match there than at Thunders or Muscleboy.

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  2. Thanks for the heads up about the blurry video. It feels like every match lately from Thunder has an issue. Another issue they have lately is overexposed video. The 2 matches of Frey vs Fang and Iceman, along with Blayne vs Iceman were filmed in the inside and everyone looked albino at times. Even with the sales they have, it may not be worth purchasing videos if their quality doesn't get better.

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    1. Thunders just sent me a couple of Iceman videos tonight. I'll definitely check them out and likely review at least one of them.

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  3. I’m pleased you mentioned the video quality in your review. Some of the reviewers tend to overlook that aspect of a video but its important and I appreciate that you included it.

    And am I the only fan who thinks that the Thunder guys could "complete their look" and wear boots in the ring?

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    1. I’m glad you appreciate that. It feels like something guys should know before they buy.

      I’d love to see them in boots. In a ring, I like to see guys wear boots, pads, trunks, etc.

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