Review: Kirk Donahue vs. Kid Karisma (BGEast)

Kirk Donahue earns the BGEast honor of his own Wrestler Spotlight. One of the characteristics that I think makes a good Spotlight is showing a wrestler's range. It could be win/loss, location, style, persona, whatever. Just something that avoids the compilation ending up as three identical matches. I plan to watch all three matches, but today, I'm just focusing on Kirk Donahue vs. Kid Karisma.

And this, boys and men, is how you earn a Spotlight.

I've called Kirk a stealth superstar. Now that he has a Spotlight, that's demonstrably wrong. The guy has appeared in almost 20 matches, including both Wrestling with Pride events. He has won BESTIES for Best Babyface, Best Jobber and Best Bulge. He's been highlighted and featured all over the place. So, he's not stealth. But, from the way he's talked about and the lack of comments I see about him, I just get the sense that he's under-appreciated.

Well, let me appreciate him. Kirk is a cute guy. He's got those penny eyes, charming smile and air of sweetness. He's always in-shape with a lean, muscular body and that award-winning bulge. And he's one heck of a wrestler. I can't remember seeing him put on a bad performance. He brings it every single time, selling, hustling and fighting like a brave jobber should. Bravo, Kirk.

Beautiful in blue.

Kirk's not a lie-down jobber.

The boy's got skills.

The lean stud has shown some range during his time at BGEast, especially when he turned full heel against beefy hunk Calvin Haynes (reviewed here). I don't know if we'll see that Kirk, but I didn't expect it here. While this is the final match of his Spotlight compilation, it is clearly the oldest. And he's facing a true superstar, arguably the top guy of this generation of hunks, the talented and sexy uber-heel Kid Karisma. The writing is clearly on the wall.

Or not. This match has a classic BGEast feel. That's not the same as being a classic (it's too early for that determination), but it sure reminds me of a lot of the classic matches I've been watching. We've got the super-heel. The super-jobber. And a surprisingly competitive match where the superstar's arrogance is upended by a skilled and aggressive jobber. And a rookie who isn't exactly used to how BGEast works. So, a lot of great tropes here.

How's that ring feel, jobber boy?

Kirk's getting cocky, taunting Kid into carelessness.

Kid gives the rookie a tour of the BGE ring.

Kid Karisma is one of those heels who can dominate from start to finish, but it's more common for him to find himself challenged before his ultimate victory. Here, Kirk does get the upper hand multiple times, thoroughly frustrating and angering the heel. I really appreciate the effort, the back-and-forth and seeing both guys on the receiving end of some nasty punishment. And I like how Kid acknowledges Kirk's cuteness (although he's naturally more into himself and his own perfection).

Action-wise, this video is perfect for me. It's a short match by BGEast standards (20 minutes of wrestling), but exactly the length I like. And it gets going fast and never stops. I easily could've pulled 20 images, there's that much going on. There's a great mix of power move, submission holds, and high-flying action by both guys (drop kicks!). All of it is hot and shows off these award-winning bodies beautifully.

Kid Karisma: "That's not how it fucking works around here!"

That's some Brad Rochelle-style bendiness right there.

Welcome to the big leagues, Kirk.
I'm so happy you stuck around.

In the end, I loved this match. I wouldn't have the self-control to have held onto this for so long, but it makes a perfect "early Kirk" match for his first Spotlight. I'm excited to see the remaining two featuring newer Kirk. Looks like they were filmed after Wrestling with Pride 1 and 2, so they're fairly new. Kid Karisma is on-point as always, but I'm all about giving Kirk the love he deserves today.

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RINGSIDE: THE END IS THE BEGINNING

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

Alex