Review: Eagle vs. Viking (Thunders Arena)

I was originally going to do both Eagle’s recent patio matches together, but it turned out to be impossible to whittle the images down enough to fit in one post. Eagle vs. Viking completed the patio round robin with Cason vs. Viking and Cason vs. Eagle. So far, it's 1-1 in terms of wins and losses. This match will break the tie. How did the series go?

Eagle's back, taking on the giant Viking.

I just talked about Eagle two days ago. Same deal here, although he gets to show a little more power with Viking being an even bigger opponent. Against smaller studs, Eagle looks huge, but not with Viking towering over him. He looks like a lightweight against the ginger giant in his tight red trunks.

The big man has this smooth, casual confidence, which I always like. It suits his looks and size. Viking knows he's the beast in this situation, so he doesn't have to scream about it. It's just a fact. And it shows in this video, when he chooses to play along and when he doesn't. It might be surprising that I'm okay with this, but unlike someone like Marco, Viking isn't doing it out of boredom, disrespect or unselling the basic premise of wrestling. He's just reinforcing what we can see. He's the MAN. He knows it and we know it.

Eagle looks huge against guys like Scrappy.

Against Viking? Not so much.

So cute.

Huh, Eagle's got a lot of power, too.

Eagle vs. Viking is structurally similar to, but not the same as Cason vs. Eagle. While the latter focused on sleepers, I remembered this more for the pins. I think seeing a muscleman knocked out then flexed over is my favorite ending. However, watching these guys helplessly struggle to escape humiliating pins is damn sexy, too. Viking adds spanking three-counts to his two pins. And you can see the smoking hot position Eagle gets the 6’6” Viking into, plus he adds his own spanking as payback. He even leaves a mark. The big man is flexible, I'll give him that.

This looks familiar. And hot.

As does this (which is also hot). But worry not.
Eagle/Viking is not just a rehash of Cason/Eagle

Giant Viking brings the hammer down on Eagle.

Aw, Eagle left a little love mark on Viking's bottom.

I like the chemistry here, too. Cason-Eagle started like buddies then escalated into a nastier rivalry with insults and a competitive vibe. Here, things are lighter, mainly because both guys are chill dudes and Viking’s got that supreme confidence. For example, Viking no-sells the smaller stud’s full nelson, hammerlock and bearhugs, but he does it for comedic value. Still, I think Eagle has a good showing against the giant.

This does share the same spacial limitations as the other recent patio matches, but once again, the guys work through it and make something I enjoyed watching. The action starts two seconds earlier, at 1:13, with a hot body-displaying full nelson. There's posing, but again, it's mostly in victory. You get repetition of a lot of things, including full nelsons, standing head scissors and, as I said, pins. And you do get a great sleeper and more body punching from Eagle.

Charming Viking lets the fans know he cares.

Nice guy Viking helps Eagle show off that big body.

Pins are the new knockouts as the guys
take turns keeping the other guy down.

Cocky Viking knows how to make me smile
(among other things).

In the end, this was another good video for all the same reasons - the guys, the holds and the chemistry. It's not life-changing, but it lived up to my expectations. Viking seems to be enjoying his time at Thunders, establishing himself as a reliable heel. And I appreciate that Eagle continues to pop up regularly.

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

Alex