Review: Frey vs. Iceman18 (Thunders Arena)

Full disclosure: This video was provided to me by Thunders Arena.

I think the most impressive thing about Thunders Arena is how they never stop finding new young studs. I wish a lot of them would hang around longer, but I've learned to appreciate them for the time they're there. A big part of the 'flash-in-the-pan' feeling is driven by their distribution model. While BGEast might produce the same number of matches with a guy, they will take years to release them. With Thunders, five matches might be uploaded in two weeks then you never see him again.

And so, when I saw they sent me a couple of matches with a new find named Iceman18, I was excited to check them out. I started with Iceman18 vs. Frey, because let's face it, that's how so many rookies begin their careers - facing off against the master.

Welcome to Thunders, Iceman18.
You couldn't be in better hands.

Iceman18 is the latest young muscleman to visit the house for some frat boy shenanigans. He fits perfectly with the look and feel. Iceman is young, cute, big and cocky, which are the main ingredients for a Thunders boy. They've put the beefy blond bodybuilder in a pair of their "perfect for any occasion" yellow-purple posers, which many past stars have worn to stardom. We're off to a good start.

Another way to get off to a great start is facing rookie-wrecker Frey. Here, the superstar is his usual thick and powerful self, full of cockiness as he faces yet another newbie. He's in a raggedy red singlet with gray trim pulling away at the side. Luckily, it's also tight and low-cut, so it doesn't hide his smooth torso or barrel chest.

Somebody's been using his thigh master.

FLEX!

I hope Iceman warmed up before the match.

So the studs are on point, but what about the wrestling? It's like a rite of passage to face the most prolific hunk in underground wrestling, but it also has a functional purpose, because you know Frey will keep things moving and do his absolute best to make the young buck look good. And that's exactly what he does here.

The two studs flirt and tease, building up their chemistry. Frey seems to be taking Iceman18 lightly as just another rookie coming in to get his debut squash. And the young buck is true to his name, coming across as a chill dude just here to have fun. It's a good sign that I'm liking the beefy blond from the start and those feelings continue.

Look, ma, one hand!

OOWWWWWWWW!
Yes, Icy, figure-fours hurt.

BAM! BAM!

Action-wise, this is standard Thunders living room stuff. You get a lot of mat work. Scissors of multiple varieties. Bearhugs. Lifts. Takedowns. Lots of body and leg work. The sofa gets used and abused. There's quite a bit here and I appreciate that the guys keep going in this back-and-forth battle. I pulled out most of the standouts, although I had to pass on a couple of playful spanks that happen too fast for me to successfully GIF.

I want to add one more thought on Iceman. He has a very expressive face and I love his selling. It's nice to see him get right into the whole Thunders vibe and really go along with it. As rookies go, I think the young blond stud did a really good job. Just look at him after the splash (below) or in the figure-four (above). Of course Frey is good, too, but I expect that.

On a previous post, a commenter talked about the brightness washing out the wrestlers in Iceman18's matches. I didn't really have a problem with this match, but it was noticeable to me in Blayne vs. Iceman18. The young blond hunk is naturally pale and while he is big, he's not super-chiseled, so that's why I think he got washed out in brighter lighting. In this one, there's only one whirring camera out of focus moment and it lasts less than a second. The audio drew my attention to it more than the video. Still, I wanted to address video quality based on the previous comment made.

Iceman18 goes for a ride.

I think Iceman enjoys hanging with Frey.

Sofa splash! SPLAT!

In the end, I enjoyed this battle. My favorite moments were Iceman18 dominating Frey, mostly because of the implied storyline - rookie vs. veteran. The young blond proves himself to me and I'm looking forward to checking him out versus Blayne. And Frey just keeps turning out the hits. The guy is a machine, but I appreciate how he keeps his energy and interest up for all these newbies thrown his way.

What are other bloggers saying?

RINGSIDE: ICEMAN18

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

Alex