Review: Josh Goodman vs. Austin Raines (BGEast)

One of the things I've just recently noticed is that BGEast is posting a free VOD on the Arena. I like this. I have no idea how long they've been doing it or how frequently they swap it out, but it's a nice feature to create more value for the Arena. Their back catalogue is so huge that I'm sure there are a ton of hidden gems that aren't getting purchased, so it won't impact them in any financial way.

Currently up is Joshua Goodman vs. new-to-me Austin Raines from Demolition 14, a match that (in 2014) Joe at Ringside ranked as his 12th favorite Demolition match. Not bad.

Mr. Joshua makes this bearhug even more brutal!

FAIR WARNING: I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SPOIL THIS MATCH TO TALK ABOUT IT. TURN AWAY IF YOU HATE SPOILERS!

Now, you might be wondering how this can possibly be spoiled. It's a Demolition match, which everyone knows means squash. It features Mr. Joshua Goodman, one of the greatest heels of all-time against Austin Raines, a skinny ... well, I can't think of how to finish that without appearing insulting. Let's just say, a skinny young man who is NOT one of the all-time great heels.

Mr. Joshua brings the demolition.

Doesn't Mr. Joshua Goodman crush the lightweight Austin Raines? Doesn't he bend him, break him and make him beg for mercy over and over again? Doesn't he repeatedly flex his big, beautiful muscles over the nobody's broken body, basking in his physical and tactical superiority?

Well, yes, he does.

Mr. Joshua does all of that with his usual brilliance and beauty. In his 'tan' trunks that nearly match his tanned skin, he looks incredible as he brutally crushes the lightweight loser.

Action-wise, it's terrific. I had to leave so many awesome moves on the cutting room floor. I really like how Mr. Joshua executes moves multiple times in a row. He bulldogs Austin, drags him up then bulldogs him again and then once more. Same with body slams. Three in a row, each more brutal than the last. Back-to-back bearhugs nearly break the lightweight in half. You get the idea. It's a great tactic and you really feel Mr. Joshua's domination and Austin's destruction.

I accidentally typed bullgod when naming this GIF.
I wasn't completely wrong.

Mr. Joshua nearly kills the kid with three
big body slams in a row!

Okay, this is exactly how things are supposed to go.

Now for the spoiler. All that Goodman goodness is bookended by a few minutes of Austin Raines domination. Austin controls the match at the start, cleverly surprising the handsome and muscular heel like Mr. Joshua was some rookie jobber. Then, after the natural order has been restored, Austin's been thoroughly wrecked for 20 minutes, and the match is over, the loser does a climb of shame up his flexing dominator's perfect physique.

Early on, Austin shows Mr. Joshua why men shouldn't
wear shirts to the ring. I agree 100%!

Austin: "Oh wise teacher, you forgot a rule. Just because
the match ends doesn't mean it really ends."

Unfortunately for Mr. Joshua, Austin doesn't seem to believe the match is over. A low blow leads to a pedigree then to a humiliating final few minutes where it's Austin Raines who exits the ring victorious (twice - he isn't satisfied that he's humiliated Mr. Joshua enough, so he comes back to really embarrass the 'winner' with a final wedgie). Damn, I love it. The match is great, but this made it even better.

Let me be clear, Austin's domination doesn't last that long at either end, so don't take my choice of images as indicative of the amount of time each guy spends dominating. It's just Austin's moments on top were too wonderful not to post. I could see this being edited into a really awesome 10-minute squash of Mr. Joshua. Think about it. All-time great muscle heel getting schooled by a guy with less experience, smaller muscles and no reputation. Wow, that's hot.

A little cocky foreplay before the money shot.
I like Austin's style.

Now there's a position even Mr. Joshua might enjoy.

Austin: "Know something? You might have won the match,
but I think I got more enjoyment out of it."

In the end, I really enjoyed this match. It's a great squash and Mr. Joshua does an incredible job of squashing Austin. I love how the action plays out and their chemistry. And the framing device with the heel getting a lesson from the less-experienced lightweight loser moved it from great to instant classic for me. With it being a free VOD, I can see myself watching it again while it lasts.

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

Alex