Review: Marco takes on the competition

If you follow Underground Wrestler, you likely got the same email I did. Marco is retiring from wrestling in front of the camera to focus on his work behind-the-scenes. His matches on UW will disappear tomorrow 5/1.

As far as his behind-the-scenes work, I will say that I was very pleased to see UW dabbling in virtual reality. It's something I commented on years ago when I first tried out a VR headset, so it's nice to see technology moving forward. However, not sure it's worth losing him as a wrestler, but I never begrudge anyone pursuing their goals. If this is what he needs to do, this is what he needs to do.

Marco doesn't want to get stretched too thin. 

Relax while you can, Marco. The hard part is coming.

As I thought about this development, I realized that I like the idea of producers being wrestlers. Maybe it's the Kid Leopard effect. Nowadays, you've got guys like Axel, Cameron and Marco (not any longer, I guess) all doing double duty. And fittingly for me to make a post is that Marco has faced both Axel and Cameron and he's done it on their turf. Bold!

Marco's invasion of UCW is full of respect.

Marco's a little more aggressive against Wrestler4Hire. 

As you might know, I created a little fantasy series called Battle of the Wrestling Stars (Season 1 and Season 2) for the blog. It was fun to think about, but also a fair amount of work, which is why there's no season three yet. Anyway, when Marco faces fellow wrestling site owners like Axel or Cameron, it's like the series has come to life.

So in the battle of the bosses, who comes out on top?

Marco vs. Axel (UCW 637 and it was on Underground Wrestler, because I'm sure that's how I got it, but it doesn't seem to be there now)

Who's bigger? UCW or Underground Wrestler?

In this match, Marco heads to UCW's new ring to take on Axel. They box for 5 minutes then wrestle in the ring before finishing up on the mats. I've never been a big fan of boxing, so the ring and mat action is the most interesting. There are nice holds, dirty tactics (it is UCW, after all), and intensity. It's remarkably peaceful, though. I like the camaraderie and respect shown, even as they fight to win.

In the end, I like the idea of these guys fighting over bragging rights and there's definitely overt tension here. They know they're both stars and this is a pretty big deal. It's not EPIC, but the underlying dynamics elevate every move and make it very enjoyable to watch.

It's always important to check out the competition.

Yeah, Marco came to play in this BOTWS.

Axel, you gonna let a guy come into your
house and do you like that? Come on!

Can Axel successfully defend his turf?

Or is the new kid on the block the new MAN on the block?

What are other bloggers saying?

RINGSIDE: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (AXEL/MARCO)

Marco vs. Cameron Matthews (Wrestler4Hire)

Can Marco upend the competition?

This match is a completely different animal than the UCW-UW battle. There's no mention of their respective roles or reputations. There's no mention of much beyond Marco's desire to beat, bind and bring Cameron to his "dungeon". Yeah, I don't know what Marco's dungeon would entail, but I'm willing to imagine Cameron chained up and suffering. It's not hard to imagine here when he's cuffed and bare-assed (thanks to a brutal wedgie) for a lot of this.

I added the inter-promotional aspects, but that's not hard to do, either. Especially since this is a 100% squash that involves the initial sneak attack, bondage, humiliation and threats of 'taking Cameron's ass'. See, easy to add a few elements. And it's not that much of a stretch since in a previous match, Cameron wagered a 50% stake in W4H against Chase Sinn, so he's willing to go there.

In the end, if you like seeing Cameron destroyed, Marco does an extremely thorough job. It's a 28-minute video. There are a lot of low blows, there are wedgies and there are more typical wrestling moves.

Marco's got "the boss" of W4H right where he wants him.

Hm, looks like W4H's losing this BOTWS. 

Are we looking at Underground Wrestler4Hire Inc.?

Cameron makes the mistake of criticizing Marco's
sleeper. So Marco steps it up a notch.

Marco: "First order of business in the dungeon?
Take care of this ass."

Retirements don't always last, but no matter what happens, hopefully Marco is happy and successful.

Alex