Review: AJ Johnson vs. Rob Palomino (Spotland Scrappers)

WARNING: This is my most visually deceptive review ever!!!

For those of you who just look at the images ... well, you probably aren't reading this, so I guess it doesn't matter. For those of you that read what I write, you know that I look at my posts as informative, not promotional, but in this case, my choice of visuals is completely misleading. I just couldn't help myself because you know what's as deceptive as my image selection? AJ Johnson! The kid comes to the ring looking like a soft-bellied jobber then acts like a big bad heel.

And I love it.

Yeah, AJ, show that cocky pony-boy who's boss!

Of the four Rob Palomino matches I've watched, this one is the first where I would say that he is the definitive favo(u)rite. The lean and lanky Palomino is a babyface stud who's into fair-play but who can kick ass. He's finally facing someone his age, someone who is smaller and someone who screams local scrub that they recruited to make the future Spotland Scrappers champion look good.

And then we have AJ Johnson. Pale and pudgy, he's a wolf in lamb's clothing. There are clues that there's more to him than meets the eye. In his pre-match rant, he talks tough with a sneer that speaks volumes. He's accompanied to the ring by Young Ady. The black gear. The arrogant posture. And the fact that he's facing Spotland's ultimate good guy means that he needs to be the balancing bad guy. That's basic wrestling psychology. Still, I missed all the clues.

The Brits are always so honorab - WHA?!?

There's a first ... a pony going for a ride.

A quick counter puts control back where it belongs.
#teamAJ

Facts: AJ Johnson vs. Rob Palomino is a back-and-forth Brit pro match. It's booked as eight three-minute rounds, with all the rules and the ref to enforce them. The pacing is different than the other Spotland matches I've watched with longer stretches of control. Always a plus for me. All told, there's probably only about 16-minutes of action before it wraps up in Round Six. Each guy ends up on top for three of the six rounds. Three rounds end because of falls - two pins (one each) then a final submission.

Those are the facts but they don't explain the fun.

AJ's got surprising power.

Down you go, trash!

What? The ref is stepping in to hold
AJ back and protect Rob? Rigged!

The fun in this one for me is remembering it as a 100% squash. One where the underdog beats up the rising star, upending expectations and shocking the promoters who thought this would be another stepping stone for the prettyboy pony. Rob seems like a nice kid, but I don't feel guilty. He's also kind of cocky and likely in need of a comeuppance. I even recommend watching the in-between rounds footage as Rob looks so good being weak.

AJ Johnson is remarkably good at being nasty. I could post 30 GIF's of those moments. As you can tell, I'm totally Team AJ as he's wonderfully rough and rugged. Action-wise, both guys are well-trained. The pro wrestling is mostly solid and fast-paced. AJ can dish out the punishment with a strong ground game, impressive power and extra little oomph, like a shove at the end of a round or a contemptuous kick. It all just works.

Whoa, the prettyboy pony won't be so
pretty after a few of those eye rakes!

There's a lot of fire in that soft belly!

Now, that's how a man pins a bitch.
A 280-lbs hairy beast couldn't have done it better.

In the end, I enjoyed this match a ton. My head-canon squashier version of it rocks, but so does the whole match. AJ is a delight. Rob's so cute. Maybe the biggest difference between the two studs (beyond things I've already outlined) is that Rob is wrestling to win and AJ just enjoys the act of hurting his opponent. Rob's about the destination and AJ's about the journey. #teamAJ #enjoytheride

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

Alex