As is the case sometimes with so many guys wrestling for so many companies, we have the same matchup done two ways. I already covered Jake and Eli facing off in the RHW ring, now they're facing off on the
BGEast mats.
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After a round in singlets, Jake wants
to take things to a new level |
BGEast's
Jake Jenkins vs. Eli Black has a dubious distinction for me. This is the first Eli Black match I watched and could've been my last. In all these years, I've only watched two more Eli matches and that was driven by my interest in his opponents and my belief that both were retired, so I couldn't be choosy (
Jake Jenkins (
RHW reviewed
here) and
Marcus Ares (
UCW reviewed
here)).
Admittedly, Black doesn't really appeal to me physically, but that wouldn't matter. Looks are never my number one interest in wrestlers. In this case, it's his personality. I found him to be so whiny. He comes across as a huge crybaby during this encounter to the point where I tried to block him out. In fact, I actually emailed
Bard (who I knew was a big fan of Eli) after watching it to ask him if this was typical, because I was so irritated by it.
On the plus side, Eli didn't actually bug me in either followup match, so it might've been a one-time thing. However, it definitely put a damper on my enthusiasm for what is otherwise an excellent encounter.
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Eli: "Wah, wah, that's not wrestling!"
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So I bought this for Jake. And? Well, he is his usual transcendent, superstar self. Jake is like a superhero in that he's one of those rare guys who I love to see and hear being punished, but I really hope he wins in the end. I'm not a huge fan of how BGE used him as a jobber, much preferring the cocky RHW badass who can win or lose, but is going to suffer along the way.
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Jake is such a selling machine. He should be in
a La Quinta commercial. |
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| But he can also dish out the punishment, too |
Here, Jake sounds perfect. He also looks great in his tight singlet and even better in his orange jock. He's fit and ripped, with his signature mop top that just begs to be pulled. Eli matches him, going singlet and jock when the action escalates beyond amateur moves.
Both guys get put on display throughout with a focus on Jake's ass. The guys sweat beautifully, which makes this 37-minute match even better.
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| This match is very re-watchable |
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| Just gorgeous |
Action-wise, it's a lot of mat work, but you do get more pro-like holds like a surfboard, rack and backbreaker. It's very back-and-forth, with Jake usually being the one to escalate things to the next level. When he pushes the door open, Eli whines about it, but he'll join in with a low blow or matching hold.
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| Eli gets with the program |
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| Sweet surfboard |
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| What a rack! |
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| It's non-stop fun for almost 40 minutes |
Overall, there are a ton of great moments in this match. It's very re-watchable and probably one of Jake's best performances. Both guys give it their all and it shows. There is a winner in the end, but honestly, I didn't realize it at first and I think it's irrelevant. I kind of thought they were both just exhausted and it just stopped. That happens when you try to tune the annoying guy out.
What are other bloggers saying?
So that's my take. What's yours? Have you watched this? Am I crazy not to love Eli as so many others apparently do?
Alex
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