Review: Jonny Firestorm vs. Paladin (BGEast)

When I was thinking about older matches to review, I don’t know why this BGEast match didn’t occur to me first. I’ve used it often enough as a reference point. Jonny Firestorm vs. Paladin might not be a classic for anyone else but it obviously is for me. When I needed characters to ground my BIGBeast series, these guys were perfect. Here’s why I love it and why you might.

This instant rivalry turned into
an instant classic for me.

Many of you may not even know who Paladin is, so let’s introduce the two-hit wonder (2HW). He’s lean and lanky. 6’6”/210-lbs. Pro wrestler. Deep voice. Cute. Cocky as fuck. The kind of young stud who thinks he’s hot shit just because he’s tall, strong and has a few pro wrestling lessons under his belt. I can’t believe he only filmed two matches, but if there were more in the vault, you’d think they would’ve been released by now.

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.

You can’t have a great story without tension and this is immediately established as one of those awesome rivalries that only pro wrestling can deliver. Young vs old. Rookie vs veteran. Big vs small. Power vs skill. Brawn vs brains. It’s all laid out visually then spelled out in words and more importantly, action. The guys honor the themes amazingly well and both sides of things get to shine.

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.

As you might expect, there’s a lot of trash talk going both ways, depending on who’s in charge. Paladin confidently confirms his original assessment that Jonny is nothing compared to him. And the uber-heel mocks the big stud for being young and dumb. I’m impressed with Paladin’s ring presence as his personality feels big, too. He certainly feels equal to Jonny.

Jonny's just a toy to the big young buck.

Can't do much when you're bent like that.

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)

In the end, this is another underrated match that I really enjoyed. Paladin is a sexy young buck who lives up to his ego. He shines beside one of the greats of BGEast, putting Jonny through his paces. Better to have one great match than a dozen mediocre ones, I guess. This was surprising to me for how it plays out and it works much better than the more typical and expected storyline.

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.

RINGSIDE: GIANT SLAYER

So that’s my take. What’s yours?

Alex