Review #691 Gabe Steel vs. Zack Reno (UCW)

UCW has been adding a bit of established talent to its roster lately. Maybe they're "mainstream" now. Maybe they're paying better. Maybe Axel is hustling hard on the recruiting side. After all, UCW's Golden Boy wrestles everywhere so he knows everyone. No matter the reason, the big thing for me when guys jump around is do they adapt to the new place or does the place have to adapt to them?

That's one way to tenderize the big slab of beef.

Zack Reno (with a 'k' for some reason - I am not making a different tag for that) has been all over the place for the past year. The great thing about Zach Zack is that he's always hot, talented and charismatic. He's also versatile. At UCW, I'm happy to say that he's the same guy we know and love but he's adapted and the match is very UCW. And so, Zack is like Zach's naughty cousin.

In this match, Zack is facing Gabe Steel (without the superfluous 'e' he sports at W4H). Gabe is big, brown and badass packed into black and lime green. The smiling beefcake might be the biggest guy at UCW or at least close. At 5'10"/218-lbs, he dwarfs 5'6"/150-lbs Zack (UCW's measurements for both). He comes in the ring confident and cocky, ready to destroy the chiseled little guy.

I couldn't not GIF an atomic drop.

Gabe's a big beefy beauty.

Zack spends a ton of time thrusting his
shiny bulge up at us. Thanks, dude.

Things start out sweetly as the gents face off, Zack gives some compliments and they even shake hands! How very un-UCW. And it's pretty squashy at the start which is also unusual for UCW. Gabe plays up his size and strength advantage, mauling and manhandling Zack. It's not a squash for the whole match and Zack does get in some good shots as you can see. Still, I think the appeal is lean lightweight Zack on the receiving end of beefy heavyweight Gabe's abuse.

That's one way to slow the muscle beast down.

I couldn't not GIF a reverse atomic drop.

Size doesn't mean much when you're trapped like that.

Action-wise, it is very UCW in that Gabe Steel vs. Zack Reno is an action-packed 30-minutes of brutality. I struggled with what to post because so much of it is so good. I left some really good stuff out but trust me that Gabe bends, bashes and breaks down Zack beautifully. The smaller stud puts Gabe in some hot holds, too, and seeing David dominate Goliath is always hot.

A long gorilla press leads to a slam which
leads to Zack flopping in pain. Nice.

Zack's not a (total) jobber any more.

Keep fighting, Zack!

In the end, I loved this match. These two guys are born performers who've honed their skills and it shows. The action is smart, crisp and convincing. Zack shows off his suffering skills but I love his never-say-die attitude. He adapts perfectly and gets into the UCW spirit of things. And I'm impressed by Gabe's beef, moves and his ability to punish these lightweight UCW boys.

What are other bloggers saying?

WRESTLING ARSENAL: THE FACE OF THE ORGANIZATION

RINGSIDE: BY THE BALLS

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

Alex