Brad Honeycutt: "Steel has been known to bend. And in some cases, Steel has been broken. Today, I'm gonna bend you. And I'm gonna break you."
Brad Honeycutt vs. Gabe Steel is one of the three matches to which I was immediately drawn from this latest Muscleboy Wrestling catalogue, along with Bull vs. Greco (reviewed here) and Byers vs. Brody (reviewed here). They make a great set, actually. Each one leans more "muscle" than "boy" but they have very different vibes and they've all been really good in their own way.
Brad Honeycutt has been a special find at MBW. He's got a great body, knows wrestling, and has one of the most expressive faces I've seen. He's a Scrappy/Joey McCoy level facial contortionist. While some might find it hammy, I find it awesome. Probably because selling big is what I think pro wrestlers should do. Smoking hot in his orange ensemble, he's all-in to prove himself.
Unfortunately, if you're a newbie trying to prove yourself, Gabe Steel might not be the right opponent. The tanned beefcake is a powerhouse. And regardless of what his perpetual smile suggests, he's not going to just go easy on you because you're a rookie. In fact, as he descends the stairs (I'm liking this new ring with the stairs ... very dramatic), Gabe is practically salivating at the chance to break Brad in.
Brad: "I'm picking you apart like it's nothing!" |
Gabe: "You're gonna bend who?" |
Brad: "Look how easy it is for me to beat you up." |
The video is a three-in-one. It's a whole match that plays out as two squashes. After about three minutes of intros, one guy is on top for 12 minutes (and I thought it might actually be a total squash) then the other guy is on top for 11 minutes. I liked it, because you really get into the sustained punishment. If you're drawn to Gabe getting beat up, you can do that. If you're into brand getting beat up, you can do that, too. There is a clear winner via three-count, but it'd be easy to imagine a different result given the structure.
Gabe: "I expected more." |
Brad: "You're a joke, like the rest of the jobbers in this federation." |
Brad: "Guys like you make me feel like a real man while I kick your ass." |
Gabe shows off his strength. I loved the big body slams, the suplexes (including one I had to use two GIFs to show because he holds Brad up sooooo long), and an impressive triple over-the-knee backbreaker, easily powering the smaller stud up for another and another. Brad is pretty bendy, making a great toy for the beefy brute.
Whatever goes up ... wait for it ... |
... wait for it ... must come down. |
Brad: "You'll wake up and you'll know you're not half the man Brad Honeycutt is." |
I have to say, this catalogue has been really good so far with three big winners. I still have Scrappy vs. Jesse Zane to watch, but I can now declare it a winner.
What are other bloggers saying?
So that's my take. What's yours?
Alex
I've always been a huge fan of Gabe and I love seeing him in competitive matches. (Don't get me wrong, I love it when he's a total heel too lol.) I'll have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if Brad is an indie wrestler? I thought I saw it mentioned on a blog or on MBW but I can't recall.
I don't know, but I would believe it. He definitely feel like he's been trained, whether he's a working pro or not (pre-crisis) is probably the question. I think Joe might have mentioned it?
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