Review: Captain Flagg vs. Assassin (BGEast)

I'm doing this review a little differently. I've watched this 34-minute video featuring two hot masked studs twice. However, six of the ten images come from two specific moments in the action representing just under five minutes of total video time. Everything that happens before these moments is important to making them what they are, but these are the two scenes that I just love, love, love. BGEast knows how to do masks and Captain Flagg vs. Assassin is a great example.

You need long legs to grab those shoulders.
Luckily, the Assassin is up to the task.

Captain Flagg is a familiar fellow. I doubt his identity is a surprise and I think the website spoils it. It's not really important, other than to say that he's a favorite of mine. Sexy and solid, the Captain is pure 100% grade-A American beef. Opposite him, the lean and smooth Assassin is ripped and ready to dominate another masked stud. The two admire each other pre-match and there's some good chemistry here.

Interestingly, the Captain is NOT some all-American good guy to the Assassin's heel-villain. No, Flagg is actually incredibly arrogant, believing that muscle makes right. He fondles the Assassin's bulge in the pre-match staredown, eagerly anticipating owning it. The American hunk is the first to grab bulge during the match. And he's the first to refuse to break a hold upon submission, milking the moment and forcing the Assassin to submit louder. This is all important, because as things progress, I didn't see him as a hapless victim. I was cheering for the Assassin to take him down a peg or two.

I feel no sympathy for the Captain ...
he started it.

Perfect way to soften up a muscle hunk.

The guy's already lost his mask ...
this is just gravy.

With Captain Flagg not being a jobber, the match is not a squash. In fact, it might end even in falls? I didn't count (I had other thing on my mind), but they each get four or five submissions, I think. However, the order makes it feel squashier. The all-American beefcake owns the action early. He even arrogantly (and stupidly) demands that Assassin show him something and give him a challenge. Well, the ripped wrestler shows him something alright.

The first stellar moment comes after Captain Flagg is feeling super-cocky. He's up 4-1 or some such at this point. It's been mostly mat grappling type stuff. The Assassin goes low then delivers some head smashing to the turnbuckle before he locks the muscular hunk in the ropes for three minutes. I love a guy trapped in the ropes, especially someone as sexy as Captain Flagg! Woof! I love this part.

The Assassin knows that's a gut
just made for punching.

Yeah, losing the singlet is just a taste
of what gear you're gonna lose in the end.

The beefy hunk is so helpless ...
so much for those muscles.

The second major moment is a nearly two-minute unmasking. It's slow, sexy and satisfying. The delicious unlacing and unmasking is the perfect humiliation for the over-confident muscleman. The beefy American gets his hands tied by his own sock, his arms bound by the lean stud's long luscious legs, and his confidence drained as the inevitable draws nearer and nearer. There is action post-unmasking, including a rack and sleeper, but this moment is why I watch mask vs. mask matches. Losing your mask is always the worst thing you can suffer, worse than any particular hold. Muscles recover but pride? Not so much.

So casual. Love the Assassin taking his time.

C'mon, muscle boy, fight back!

Oh boy, that feeling when it's unlaced, with
only gravity holding it on ... humiliating.

In the end, this is a terrific mask match. Two sexy studs, contrasting bodies and a winning narrative. The storyline is perfect as Captain Flagg gets his just desserts, the Assassin emerges as the hero in my book, and the money shot of a forced unmasking is drawn out. If you're not into masks, I can't speak to your enjoyment level, but I was completely satisfied by this one.

So, that's my take, what's yours?

Alex