Review: Joe vs. the Heels (BGEast)

I love heel vs. heel action. There's just something about two bad guys battling it out for supremacy. The arrogance. The attitude. The pure testosterone-fueled tension. It's especially hot when it's two undefeated, established heels going at each other. I’m talking two mega-heels with a line of broken jobbers in their wake. Heels who never lose rather than heels who go both ways. I love watching them put reputations as the baddest of the bad on the line.

BGEast has the biggest stable of traditional heels. They bring these matches out occasionally and I'm a total mark for them, even if I’m not a huge fan of the heels normally. For example, I was anxiously awaiting the Guido Genatto/Dolph Danner match from catalogue 112 to make it to VOD, which it finally has.

Bad boy face off

Obviously it takes time to build the tension for these matches. It takes both guys having a long list of victims before they face off. For example, I liked Guido Genatto vs. Flash LaCash a lot (reviewed here), but it might've been even hotter for me now, post-Flash's emergence as a major heel. I almost wish the match had come out after he built up his resume, rather than at the start.

As an aside, I wonder how seriously these guys take their records. Do they care or is it just a paycheck? Is it easy to convince them to play the victim for once? Or do some guys refuse to do the job for another heel? Just curious.

Did Cassidy enjoy staring up at greatness?

Was Mazetti okay with a heel riding his back?

Joe Mazetti has satisfied my craving for this kind of action a few times. I've watched him against cocky punk Aryx Quinn, beefy bully Bulldog Barzini and arrogant bad boy Cole Cassidy. It seems like Mazetti has been more than willing to share the spotlight with other bad guys. It definitely makes me appreciate him more.

In all three matches, he has taken some punishment. Obviously Aryx is very comfortable in the heel-jobber role, so he doesn’t really count entirely. He’s just fun to watch. However, both Bulldog and Cassidy entered in as a top dog contender. They have destroyed a ton of jobbers and, as far as I knew when I watched these matches, never lost to anyone.

Joe Mazetti vs. Bulldog Barzini is on a Big 'N' Beefy video and both guys fit the bill. In this match, both are at their beefiest, with Mazetti looking significantly different here than anywhere else that I’ve seen him. Even his gear is different, with Joe in red rather than black. I didn’t know if all this was portending a passing of the torch. It definitely made for some additional interest.

Tonally, it’s an interesting matchup. Mazetti and Barzini are two heels who rely on power and weight, however I think their matches feel very different. From my experience, Mazetti is a serious heel. He’s angry and ruthless. Bulldog has more humorous tendencies, especially when selling. He’s all dramatic with amusing bluster, even as he breaks his jobber foes.

The guys test their strength and mettle. The action includes a test of strength, bearhugs and other power moves. These are big boys engaged in big action.

Battle of the beef

Mazetti manhandled

Not many guys can lift Barzini

Or squeeze the life from Mazetti

A match between big boy heels

Now Cole Cassidy is another story. Like Mazetti, he’s a brutal and serious heel. Taller, less bulky but ripped, with a sneer that oozes contempt. He breaks down his jobbers before ending them with one of my favorite finishers, the heart punch.

The opening staredown of Joe Mazetti vs. Cole Cassidy is thrilling as the two heels size each other up. Both guys have their moments in control and my imagination runs wild. Where else can you see Joe Mazetti doing the climb of shame as he weakly crawls up Cassidy's body like a jobber?

Mazetti doesn't look like an alpha male here

You get body slams, stomps, boots and more hard-hitting abuse than either would ever normally face. Mazetti goes down a little too easily for my liking, but suppress your disbelief and it’s a hot match.

Joe slammed with authority

Cassidy pressed and dropped

Does the piledriver finish it?

"You're gonna remember my name for a long time."

Context is key. If these matches featured unknowns, I’m not sure I’d be so fond of them. As a viewer, what gets me going is that the punishment is happening to a mega-heel. Seeing Joe Mazetti manhandled has added meaning. Seeing Cole Cassidy writhing is extra hot. And while Bulldog has lost falls during his matches, seeing him overpowered and lifted is thrilling.

So if the scenario interests you, I think these deliver. If you don’t care about these guys or the broader implications of the match, they’re probably just okay.

Alex