Review: Guido Genatto X 2 (BGEast)

(Originally posted on New Stories 5/6/15)

One of the great trends currently is the surge of the hottest indie pro wrestlers playing in the underground wrestling space. Of course there have been guys doing it for a while, but it feels like the curtain has come down slightly and working pros with rising careers are freely joining the ranks of BGEast, CameronWrestler, Can-Am and the like.

One of my favorites so far is Guido Genatto. I have bought three matches of his - vs. Flash LaCash (BGEast), Jake Jenkins (BGEast) and Superman/Randy Winters (CameronWrestler).

What really impresses me is how different the three matches are, even though Guido remains the same character. I already covered one here, but I thought the other two were worthy of review, too. I'm reviewing them together, because they make a nice contrast.

Demolition 17: Guido Genatto vs. Jake Jenkins

Guido's sitting pretty in the match

This is a Demolition series video. There's no suspense. No one should expect any and there isn't any. Jake is being taught a lesson by the bigger, more mature and experienced pro. And it's a tough lesson. This delivers on a jobber's fantasy and provides a master class for dominant heels. I think Jake has literally zero offensive moves.

Let me also say how happy I am that it takes just under than 60 seconds for Guido to start bashing Jake from the time the ring fades in to view. After that, it's basically 24 minutes of pure manly domination. There's no prolonged flexing or facing off. Jake warms up, Guido comes in and he's crushing him immediately. Talk about great value for your money.

Guido looks amazing here. Matched against Jake, he's the prototypical heel - dark, thick, hairy, mean. He dwarfs the much smaller stud, looking incredibly imposing. It's perfect for the premise of a classic ring veteran educating a high-flying ring rookie.

Intensity

We know where the beef is now

What a man!

Even though this is a Guido post, it'd be wrong not to acknowledge his opponents. Combining Guido's raw masculinity, maturity and hairy beef with Jake's babyface good looks, mophead haircut and smooth muscles is perfection.

Good idea, stretching out

You're going to need to be limber

I've made no secret of my admiration for Jake Jenkins' talent. He's great in any role, but BGEast mainly uses him as a babyface and a jobber. The guy sells as well as anyone. Here, he moans and whimpers when he should, with sexy abandon. He struggles and fights in the holds before he ultimately submits. And Jake knows what he's doing in the ring. The guy can take a bump convincingly and in submission holds, I'd say that he's as bendy as Brad Rochelle ever was.

Jake looks tiny in comparison

So very bendy

Screaming out for mercy

I love that you don't have to suspend much disbelief in this match. You never have to forget you just saw them pause or execute clumsily. You don't need to pretend like Guido couldn't just maul this kid (mainly because he does from start to finish). Most importantly, you can literally feel the moves and holds. That's the benefit of having two guys who know their roles and know their way around a ring.

Look at that intensity!

Overhead press back into the ring

Grade: A+. If you love heel-jobber squashes, this one is a classic. It took me back to Saturday mornings in the 80's and 90's when stars dominated and jobbers knew they just had to take it. It has great wrestlers, hard-hitting action and all the grunting, moaning and screaming I could handle. It's no wonder it was a 2014 award winner at BGE.

Poor Jake, he never had a chance!

Now, if you don't love squashes, there's a Guido match for you, too ...

Last Man Standing: Guido Genatto vs. Flash LaCash

Guido is in a real battle this time

On the opposite end of the spectrum is this match. Guido and Flash are presented as equals. Closer in size, Flash gives the air of experience Jake wasn't allowed to show. This match is about as competitive as it gets. It's 27 minutes with only one fall. Yep, no three rounds or anything like that.

Flash is a worthy opponent

Guido's feeling it this match

Guido can still dish it out

Both men suffer

The pace is fast and the action hard-hitting. There are submission holds, slams, action inside and outside the ring. I said how happy I was that the action started in 60 seconds in the Jake match. Here, the action starts in 30 seconds. That's right, they're locking up right away. Loving it!

I love stump pullers

Ouch, that might leave a mark

Back and ...

... forth action throughout

Flash uses Guido as a bearskin rug

Big men = big slams

Big men don't bend that way

Flash looks good in a head scissors

That's a lot of beef to claw

This is the only match I've bought with Flash in it. He's a good counter-balance to Guido's brash arrogance. He seems to know what he's doing and whether he's giving or receiving, it seems convincing.

Unlike the Superman or Jake matches, I really didn't know who would win, so I'm not going to spoil it. I will say that I was actually surprised. I don't know why, I just was. Maybe I read a review or the description that led me to think it was going the other way, but it really doesn't matter. Since it's back-and-forth to the end, the ultimate winner isn't that big a deal.

Who wins in the end?

The viewer, of course!

Grade: A+. If you love two tough guys in a match with back-and-forth, hard-hitting action, this delivers. There are multiple and constant changes in dominant position right up until the end. It feels like a pay-per-view main event, with two of the biggest and baddest studs in BGEast going head-to-head. All that's missing is a belt for the deserving winner's waist.

Damn that's hot!

So there are my thoughts. Please share yours in the comments. Have you seen either one? What'd you think? Are you a Demolition kind of guy or a back-and-forth kind of guy?

Alex