Review: Alex Waters vs. Zack Johnathan KOTR7 (RHW)

UCW has rejuvenated my interest in their belt. Can Rock Hard Wrestling do the same? I skipped the last two King of the Ring matches, unable to summon any interest in either one. Now we've got King Zack Johnathan vs. Alex Waters.

Two veterans in a KOTR disappointment

Putting Alex back in the KOTR series convinced me to buy this. The guy is my favorite RHW wrestler and his last KOTR appearance is one of my two all-time favorites (now tied with Alex v Bruce, reviewed here). I've seen these two wrestle and I liked it, so it became an immediate download.

So how'd it go? Meh.


I think it's the first Alex match that's disappointed me. Dash's KOTR 4 vs Austin was his only disappointing video, so maybe it's something about the series. Maybe it's too big a thing now. Or maybe my expectations are too high. Or maybe it's because I watched this right after a depressing election. Whatever it is, I struggled to get through this video.

The guys are the guys. This is the bigger, more rugged Alex Waters with the floppy hair and thicker muscles. He's got the mouth and attitude I love. I'm biased, but I think he puts on a better performance than Zack here. Zack Johnathan is a guy I've praised before. He looks good and talks a lot. When he's got chemistry with his opponent, he's pure gold. I love his rivalry with Big Sexy for example. I just wasn't feeling it here.

I'm not a fan of the side-breaker style rack,
but Alex still looks good

Suffering or lounging?

The action is pretty lackluster. There's very little flow and the transitions often involve just giving up a hold, rather than any kind of logical progression, counter or reversal. A lot of RHW favorite holds and moves are here, but the match felt more Thunders than RHW with the jumping from one thing to another.

Looks cozy

Alex is a lot of man to do this to now

A classic backbreaker makes a nice moment

Things aren't helped by Alex once again being the viewer's voice. He questions Zack's moves and decisions right from the beginning. For example, Alex calls him out for weak punches that barely connect. It's true, but calling attention to it doesn't help. Alex regularly points out that Zack is just letting him up, too. And Zack says, "It's a long match, five falls", making it even more obvious that this is following a script. Unfortunately Alex as narrator works better when he's dominating against a rookie like Wes(t). Here, it just points out the weakness of the video.

Alex sells it, but when he asks, "That it?"
I had the same question

Surfboard + choke on the ropes

Alex dominates the King

And things aren't helped by the camerawork, either. It doesn't highlight the best of the guys or the action. For example, Zack gets Alex up in an over-the-shoulder backbreaker. Hot move, but you watch it from the opposite side, which is pretty much the worst angle. Maybe it's on the wrestler to turn around, but you end up basically looking at a side view of Zack standing instead of Alex's suffering. So even when you've got a great hold, it's not maximized.

Lots of potential, but it's never realized

In the end, this felt more like a collection of holds and moves than a complete narrative. It's nice for GIF's and JPG's, but I didn't find it particularly compelling or engaging as a match. Surprising considering the constant chatter. The guys were the selling point, but I actually.preferred their first match (reviewed here).

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

Alex