This instant rivalry turned into an instant classic for me. |
Jonny Firestorm is a superstar heel by the time this match happens. Older, wiser and nastier, he’s earned respect and he expects it, especially from young punks hanging out in his ring. The bad boy is beefy and hairy, mentioning that he’s been on vacation and skipped the gym. However, he’s still got his ring savvy and collection of tried and true moves.
It's two pros, but that's about all that's the same between them. |
Jonny says that he's skipped the gym, but he's still looking good. |
Paladin frequently proves his youthful arrogance is deserved. |
Fortunately, this match is completely back-and-forth. I kind of expected Paladin to win a little at the start, but get crushed by the established heel. That’s not at all what happens. Both guys can claim victories right up until near the end and it’s one of those videos where one guy wins the battle (the match) while the other wins the war (last man standing).
Jonny's got the skills to take down a big man. |
Paladin has the power to take down anyone. |
Not so fast, big guy. |
Action-wise, it’s pro-mission style with a combination of well-executed pro moves and painful submission holds. Paladin’s physical superiority and energy more than matches Jonny’s wiles and experience. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by more experienced wrestlers and be merely a prop to support another of their star turns, but you will remember Paladin here. At least I did.
There's about 35 minutes of action where Jonny uses some of his fan favorite holds, but Paladin is a guy who can dish out as well (or better) than he receives. The run to the finish is amazing and features one of those humiliation ploys that I just love as one guy is locked in a brutal submission hold but also pinned. He’s forced to count his own shoulders down to escape the pain. Nasty.
Yeah, dust him off, stud. |
That's one way to slow down the big guy. |
I do love a good tear drop. (my tear drop hold post) |
What are other bloggers saying?
Interestingly, Joe throws out ‘creative differences’ as a possible reason for Paladin’s short stint at BGEast. Inside info? Maybe, which would be a damn shame. Based on the two matches he had, I could definitely see how he might have questioned his trajectory. I would have positioned him a cocky young dominator kicking prettyboy butt, not a jobber fed to someone like Joe Robbins.
So that’s my take. What’s yours?
Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment