Review: Young Ady vs. Rob Palomino (Spotland Scrappers)

Recently on Twitter, W4H commented on one of my tweets, "Awesome duplex!" Of course, he meant suplex but autocorrect struck a vicious blow. It happens to me all the time. My reply was that I need a wrestling dictionary for my computer. Imagine a world where bodyslam stays one word, along with headlock, etc. Armbar won't become armor. And suplex won't become duplex. Grrr.

A new one I need is Spotland Scrappers, which likes to change to Scotland Scrappers. Now, I'm sure that videos featuring feisty Glaswegians could be fun, too, but it's not right. This annoyance aside, it's not enough to keep me from posting about Young Ady vs. Rob Palomino.

The belt is on the line and these boys want it!

Young Ady is one of the big stars of Spotland. The Romanian rumbler is the first guy listed in the profile section and one of the few guys I've seen reviewed elsewhere. He's a smooth, stocky bad boy with dark hair and olive skin. It's a great contrast for Rob Palomino the lean, lanky stud who's so pale that he shines. Listed at only 6' tall, he feels like a giant (it makes me wonder how short everyone else really is).

Ady's the more experienced powerhouse here.

Rob's got more than a few tricks in his trunks.

Two can (and do) play that counter-reversal game.

Young Ady vs. Rob Palomino is titled "Lords of the Loft" if you're looking for it (although I have the link right up there). Now, these two talented boys are lords of the ring and that ring might be in a loft, but the name hides that this is a title match! I love a good title match. It adds so much extra drama and tension. Losing a match is bad but losing a title match is so much worse. And in this case, the loser has to watch the ref put that leather and metal strap around his opponent's waist while he kneels in shock and disappointment.

Young Ady enters as the Spotland Scrappers Pro Wrestling Champion. Rob Palomino has risen up the ranks to challenge him for the belt. Like the last Spotland match I reviewed, this is broken into a series of timed rounds. There's the same diminutive ref calling the shots. And it's best two-out-of-three with pins or submissions, or you can win with just one knockout. And there is a clear winner.

I love this sequence. Hammerlock.
Leap frog. Superkick. Very nice.

This feels like Ady's thinking, "Stay down, boy,
I can touch you wherever I want." (And he wants to)

Nowhere is safe to stand when your opponent
can cross the ring with a big dropkick!

Action-wise, this is a fast-paced pro battle. The guys go all out and they're pretty skilled. I thought Ady might be a heel but he's not really. He's got a bad boy vibe but he doesn't really cheat. Maybe that's because there's the omnipresent referee hanging around. And fresh-faced Rob is a tough babyface. He a good guy but is more than willing to go rough when he needs to.

One thing that impresses me is the counters and reversals. The guys never just take abuse. Their time on top has to be earned. I like this style as it adds to the sense that anything can happen, as well as making the fight feel more intense and "real". When I pulled images, I was totally skewing to Ady dominating but it's back-and-forth so I balanced it out. I just like seeing Rob suffer at Ady's hands.

Torture racks were made for displaying
bendy boys like Rob Palomino.

Does Rob roll the champ?

Or is Ady sitting pretty at the end?

In the end, this is a really good pro-style match. The wrestling is solid, the guys are studs and drama is high. It's fast but not too fast. I like both guys but definitely prefer seeing young Rob receive punishment from Ady. However, Rob's capability as a wrestler is part of his charm, so I'm glad it's not a squash. The finale with the belt presentation is a great topper to an entertaining battle.

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

Alex