Review: Ace Aarons vs. Kirk Donahue (BGEast)

Half of the wrestlers from Wrestling with Pride 1 return to face off in Wrestling with Pride 2. However, Ace Aarons vs. Kirk Donahue is the only match that SPOILER ALERT features a winner from last year's event. It actually SPOILER ALERT features two! Ace and Kirk return, putting their 1-0 records on the line. One of these men will have the best record at WWP.

Kirk decides to see if Ace's bulge is award-worthy.

The winning record is not the real tension here. That's just something I noticed. The real tension is Kirk Donahue's record at the 2018 BESTIES awards. Ace Aarons doesn't mind Kirk's win as Best Babyface. He objects to Kirk's runner-up position for Best Bulge, a category where Ace was not even nominated. The heel vehemently disagrees that Kirk has a better bulge than him.

(One-sided) Grudge match initiated.

Ace knows the place for Kirk's face.

The flip confuses Ace.

Ouch. Intense.

This is the first match of WWP '19. It's a great way to get everyone into the show. Ace looks great in purple and black trunks. He's full of swagger, contempt and arrogance, immediately letting everyone know he's the "bad guy". The crowd responds accordingly, rewarding Ace's mic skills. And he makes definitely a good case for his inclusion in the Best Bulge category for 2019.

The runner-up for Best Heel of 2018 is a great contrast against Kirk, whose "good guy" appeal is on full display. He is sporting a weird mustache, so I don't know if he's some kind of hipster outside the ring, but he's still a cutie. Kirk brings classic babyface energy to the ring, winning everyone over. He really gets his role and plays it up to the max. Confident without being arrogant.

The cartwheel makes the elbow hurt more.

Kirk's a babyface, but he's no jobber.

Ace's a heel and he loves your boos.

Action-wise, things move quickly. The guys are flipping and flopping, hitting and kicking, jumping and slamming. It's nicely choreographed as a back-and-forth battle. It's rough and hard-hitting with some real impact moves and intense holds. There is some bulge focus, not surprisingly, but not entirely. I like that Kirk fights hard and gives as good as he gets. Ace shows he can sell. It all kept me guessing until the very end.

If one donkey kick is good, two must be better.

Kirk gets kicky.

Lift, spin and slam. BOOM!

In the end, these guys execute an exciting, fast-paced pro match with sexy tension, advanced moves and crowd-pleasing charisma. Ace and Kirk are great in classic heel and babyface roles with neither being a 'jobber'. There's a definite winner, who also earns the bragging rights of being (I think) the only man who can say he's 2-0 at Wrestling with Pride.

What are other bloggers saying?

RINGSIDE: DETROIT STEAMPUNK

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

Alex