Review: Brute vs. Felix (Thunders Arena)

I bought Brute vs. Felix at the same time as several other Thunders Arena matches, but it took me a while to watch it. These two guys were in an extremely disappointing video labeled as a tag team match, but it was really a practice video with about six minutes of sort-of tag wrestling. As readers know, I love tag, so I was quite bitter about it and it lowered my interest in watching this one.

Fortunately, I got over it, because Brute vs. Felix is pretty good. It's not life-changing, but definitely a video I enjoyed watching.

It's beefy boys from opposite sides of the pond.

From the pics, I was interested in Felix right away. He's a beefy British brute (small-b) with a sexy, smooth pro wrestler's body. The bearded bloke is poured into his tight and shiny purple squarecuts. And he's got the pompous air of a classic British heel, although his accent isn't exactly aristocratic. All that's missing is the robe to make him the perfect archetype.

Brute (big-B) is the perfect foe for Felix. He's a talented pro wrestler. An American. And he's big and powerful, fitting a hard-working, roughneck archetype of his own. I like Brute. He looks and sounds like a badass, but he has a charming and lighthearted nature to him. The big lug seems fun and casual about the whole Thunders thing, going with the flow.

Felix looks great.

Woof.

Yep, physically, i love this dude.

After the terrible 'tag' match video, I decided to give these guys the benefit of the doubt, hoping there'd actually be a legitimate match this time. And there is. Phew. In fact, this is pretty fast-paced with solid action. Felix doesn't sell everything, but he's a foul-mouthed heel, so I'm okay with it. Brute does a great job on either side of control.

Right from the start, Felix is a jerk. Or should I say, he plays a jerk. He might be very nice. However, he's a gruff, arrogant snob with a superiority complex compared to Americans. You know the deal. It's a classic character, including in wrestling. I won't say I love to hate him, but I definitely liked hating Felix in this one.

And so, it doesn't take much to get these two wrestling and the cultural clash adds a layer of tension to the conflict. Even though I was #TeamBrute, I didn't expect him to win. The guy's got a history of jobbing for new talent at Thunders, but I don't only cheer for winners. Fortunately, there's a lot of back-and-forth, but one guy is definitely more dominant, both physically and verbally.

The Brit is more than a match for the big man.

Brute's not going down easy.

Felix looks sexy in a sleeper.

Action-wise, there are multiple sleepers and they're the most memorable part of the video for me. They're sexy while they happen then played for laughs a little afterwards. I really enjoy the targeting of a single body part from a storytelling standpoint, so the final five minutes or so are great for that. The tree of woe is fun. The ending is one guy just quitting, which isn't my favorite, but is probably believable, given the action.

The video's good, but not perfect. For example, there's a sloppy edit after the first sleeper, where one guy is rising then a cut and he's flat on his back out of it. But I wasn't distracted too much by this. Things happen. I prefer the illusion that these matches are happening as a continuous stream of action, but I realize they're usually not.

Felix gets playful. Still a jerk, though.

Can Felix's beard push back Brute's foot?

Arm attacks feature prominently in this one.

In the end, I liked this video. There are enough hot moments in it, like the sleepers. Brute is a great character. And Felix plays a classic British bad guy really well. I definitely enjoyed hating him. Since both guys are pros, the action is strong and tells a story, especially the strong focus on repetitive arm punishment.

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

Alex