Review: Braden Charron vs. Scrappy (Wrestler4Hire)

It's raining Scrappy over at Wrestler4Hire. No sooner did I stream his match against Ace Owens (reviewed here) than he had a second match available. And this time, the combination is even better. Scrappy vs. Braden is one that immediately captured my attention. I didn't really think about them meeting up, but as soon as I saw it, it felt right. Like an inter-generational match between two kindred spirits.

It feels like generations colliding when
muscle hunks Braden faces Scrappy.

Scrappy looks massive, his upper body disproportionately wide and ridiculously muscular. He's reminiscent of a real-life Johnny Bravo (the cartoon character, not the Thunders Arena bodybuilder). To top it off, the pint-size powerhouse is poured into a skimpy camouflage poser that simply can't handle his smooth bubble butt, riding up early and often. And, he's super-cocky here, oozing a sensuous mix of man-sweat and swagger.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Braden Charron was the fresh-faced fireplug we all drooled over. I liked him from the minute he debuted against Brad Rochelle in BGEast’s amazing Contract series, rocking the USA poser that I'd argue is still his signature look. Through the years, Braden's look has changed, but he's been a solid performer everywhere he's been.

Here, the veteran star looks strong and ripped, his pumped muscles popping. He looks sexy in crisp white trunks against his smooth tanned skin. Having lasted in underground wrestling for what must be more than a decade, it's great to see him still at the top of his body game. Braden never had Scrappy’s character range (few ever have), but he's definitely a multi-dimensional guy. While he started as a muscle jobber good guy, Braden has also showcased his dominant side at times, too. You get to see both of those Bradens here.

Scrappy: "Bring this old guy in, thinking he's
stronger and better than me? 2018 is mine."

Scrappy: "You should drop to your knees
right now. Start worshipping me."

Does Braden have old man strength?

Since both guys can play several roles, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Luckily, it's back-and-forth action with a lot of arrogance. Things start out with immediate tension, a not-so-subtle rivalry between the stars over turf and muscles. There is time wasted flexing, measuring and arm wrestling (6 minutes), but there's still a good amount of time left for wrestling (17 minutes). The pre-wrestling stuff just sets up tension, so it's skippable unless that's your thing.

Once the wrestling starts, the guys each go on long stretches of control. There are full array of classic submission holds, power moves and a solid flow to most of it. Scrappy doesn't go with a couple of moves, forcing Braden to try again, but I'm not sure if that's a lack of communication or Scrappy acting feisty. Other than that, the moves are executed well and sold terrifically.

The overall intensity between the two hunks is high as they seek to prove whose the better man. Forced flexing becomes the preferred form of humiliation and submission, starting when Scrappy demands Braden flex to be released from a groin-stretching leg hold. Braden then makes Scrappy do the same and so it goes.

It feels like the whole forced-to-flex angle is something I'm seeing a lot more of recently. The psychology of it is interesting. If I think it through, it's humiliation on multiple levels. It's obviously establishing one man as completely superior. The better man taking control of a muscleman's source of pride, specifically the body that he's spent years perfecting. He's making him perform on command. And he's forcing him to admit that his muscles are useless and just for show. Not sure it's my thing, but I think I get it.

I have the power!

Scrappy: "You might as well just stop
lifting those weights."

The veteran still has some power and moves.

Scrappy: "I'm gonna do whatever
it takes to get my ring back."

Action-wise, I'm especially impressed by Braden’s power moves. Look at this gorilla press. As I tried to reduce the number of images, I was really torn on exactly which moments to cover. This press is one of the hardest. I thought that a lift and hold GIF would be perfect. Show Braden’s strength. Then I thought, maybe just a still image of Scrappy in the air. No, I really want a GIF. However, I also like how Scrappy comes down. Most often, we see guys carefully set down, like the act of being elevated is the painful part. It's not. Here, Braden and Scrappy shock me by perfectly executing a huge slam. KABOOM! Now that looks devastating. So, I wanted to share that, too. So here we are, two GIFs of the same moment.

Anyway, I'm posting both versions, because it gives me a chance to explain why blogging is sometimes more time-consuming than it looks. I had the same situation deciding which squat-torture rack combination I liked more. And so it goes. There's a lot of time spent trying to decide on little things like this.

This is why reviews take me so long.
Which is better - being powered up into a gorilla press?

Or being slammed down in one?
I spent a lot of time trying to decide. And then didn't.

I liked the rapid repeating of this squat + rack ...

... but I liked the arrogance of this slow one, too.

In the end, this worked really well. I liked the contrasts between two very similar guys from different eras. The action is big and so are their personalities. I would immediately skip to the wrestling, but that's my taste. It might not be yours.

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

If you're stuck for something to say, one thing you can always comment on is the image selections, like if you have a preference on the gorilla press or squat rack move. These types of comments might make a difference. I posted more of the climb of shame, because everyone sparked to it. You can get in my head and get me on the lookout for your favorite move whenever I see it ...

Alex