Review: Paradise Loft (Spotland Scrappers)

Paradise Loft features the Spotland Scrappers debut of Lewy "Ripper" Paradise. Seems like this must have been a big deal at the time. It's not called Smiler Loft, after all. Of course, that wouldn't be nearly as clever a title ... I mean,  they've got a wrestler named Paradise wrestling in a loft. The title practically writes itself. Still, I figured the tattooed prettyboy was meant to be the primary draw.

Paradise looks pretty sweet to me.

While I am unfamiliar with young Mr. Paradise, I can see why he'd be a main attraction. He's adorable in his gold trunks. I love his look, body and attitude. Unfortunately, I've since realized that this match is quite old (2014 or earlier) and searching his name at the Spotland transactional site only brings up this match. So, it also looks like he's a one-hit wonder, which is a real shame.

The other wrestler in the loft is Sam Smiler. He's definitely not a one-hit wonder. In fact, it looks like he's done a ton of matches. So far, I've only seen him get his ass kicked by an old(er) man in Dad 'n Lad, which I reviewed here. Sam has a tight, ripped body, looking great in black/red pro gear. The two guys here are a hot young pair and physically a very good match for one another.

Two young bucks go at it hard.

Lewy is a cutie.

I feel like Sam wants to grab his butt.

Like the other Brit Pro matches I've seen from Spotland, this one is multiple rounds (six five-minute rounds here) with victory coming via two falls or one knockout. This goes almost the entire time as each stud wins a fall then the winning pin happens late in the sixth round. The match is fairly fast-paced and back-and-forth. The studs are as evenly matched in skills as they are in appearance.

The usual wee referee is here to keep the young studs in check, eagerly stepping between them and breaking things up. If you ask me, he mainly gets in Sam's way. I empathize with the dark-haired hunk in his frustration. The whole ten-count deal would drive me nuts, too. You get a guy down but the ref stops you from following up and gives the other guy time to recover. Seriously? Anyway, this is a big reason why I ended up cheering for him (plus Paradise looks great receiving punishment).

Sam takes it to the newbie.

Paradise can be kinda cocky.

Paradise crunches up, but Smiler's like
the meanest personal trainer.

Action-wise, this is solid pro action. It's slower and less flippy than modern American indie pro but that's a huge plus for me. I like the focus on technique ... classic lockups, holds, and some really nice reversals and counters. It's mostly all business, as the ref is hanging around to keep any shenanigans to a minimum. The intensity gets higher as the match goes along until one guy finally gets the win.

Reversals keep the guys on their toes.

Sam's playing hard to get.

Nice suplex variation.

In the end, I really liked this one. I think it'll appeal mainly to fans of classic wrestling. I'm sad that Paradise doesn't have any more matches, but oh well. This is strong back-and-forth wrestling between two evenly-matched young studs. It helps that they're both hot, but really, I just liked seeing this type of action between two guys in trunks.

What are other bloggers saying?

RINGSIDE: PARADISE LOFT

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

Alex