Review: Bolt vs. Slash (Thunders Arena)

Full disclosure: This video was provided to me by Thunders Arena.

I only have so much time and there are so many wrestling videos to watch. April suddenly got me overloaded with potential content. I know, #firstworldproblems, right? Anyway, I'm not looking for sympathy, just saying, that it's easy to miss good stuff. Like this one.

I'm glad that Bolt vs. Slash came to my email. And I'm glad I actually watched it. That's not a sure thing. It's two wrestlers I like, but not love. And I wasn't sure what it'd be. So I easily could have de-prioritized it. I still haven't watched Scrappy vs. Mark Muscle, even though I pulled a still from it for my final Cameron interview post (here). So I'm glad I watched this, because it was worth my time.

Contrasts galore make this a joy to watch.

Bolt is back. It's been a while since I watched one of his matches. He looks bigger than usual, with a more solid midsection. Still, he's looking hot in his tighty-whiteys. And he's as charming as ever, with his country boy accent and cocky attitude. The guy has become a ton of fun and continues to win me over.

Sexy Bolt getting scissored.

Oh, hey, Bolt.

I really liked Slash in his last outing against Marco. He's a mature, beefy stud who works well on the mats. In bright squarecuts, Slash looks good and he brings something unique to Thunders. It'd be great if he'd speak up or more clearly, as his audio at the beginning is inaudible to me, but overall I'm really enjoying him these days.

Young stud power.

I'd love to be Bolt, but if I was, I'd
probably just lie there and enjoy the show.

With Bolt being so much fun and Slash developing as a very specific character, there's a great vibe to the video. I love contrasting looks, styles and personalities and you get that here. These two play well off each other, both being comfortable pros on the mat. Even more than Slash/Marco, there's an obvious older vs. younger vibe here. I will also say that this is not a squash. Both guys remain competitive until the end, with the final reversal to a sleeper finish coming late in the video.

Old man strength?

Bolt brings the hammer on the thick six-pack.

The crab alone would've worked for me.

There's some fun grappling in the video to go along with the charming personalities, interesting contrast, and engaging dynamic. It's Thunders mat wrestling, so there's a lot of lifts, tight contact, pins, punching and body work. I'm a little over the ball grabs, but they don't detract from my enjoyment of the video. Slash does an impressive job, as well.

Let's see how tough that tummy really is.

Bolt gets in the Thunders power game
with a big fireman's carry/flip.

In the end, I enjoyed this match quite a bit. Bolt is a hot and energetic stud who brings a lot of charisma to the mat. Slash has found an interesting niche as the hot older guy who wants to challenge the young guys. There are a lot of great moments and the chemistry between the two works well. There's tension, but it still looks like a match I'd love to be a part of.

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RINGSIDE: BASICS

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

Alex