It's the last episode filmed before last Saturday's SuperCard, and everyone (mostly me) is wondering: Who's gonna show up? What's gonna happen? Well, we're definitely getting Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young. As for the rest of the card? We'll just have to wait and find out.
Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Clark Connors, Alex Coglon and Carl Fredericks
The LA Dojo trio try their best to keep up, but to no avail as Castle & the Boys keep steady control of the match from the get-go, tagging in and out and throwing various tag-team maneuvers, working over each opponent in the process. After another attempt at fighting back, the LA Dojo gang fall when Boy 2 catches Fredericks in a small package pin to pick up the W for his team.
Honestly, this was kind of a blur and I barely remember most of the match. Both teams looked good, but it was hard to care. Not sure what they're doing with Castle at this moment, but here's hoping it's something interesting from here on out. Moving on.
The Voros Twins (Chris and Patrick) vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas)
The Bouncers do their usual job of overpowering their much smaller opponents straight from the start. Following a quick counter, the Voros Twins attempt to work Bruiser over with some tag-team offense. This proves to be ineffective as Bruiser eventually powers out and tags in Milonas, who commences tossing the brothers around like it's nothing. The Bouncers hit their superplex/frog splash combo to secure the victory.
A short but fun squash, apropos of The Bouncers at this point. As far as tag teams go, they're becoming one of my favorites to watch. They're incredibly entertaining and you can tell how much fun they're having with each subsequent match. Hopefully we'll get to see more substantial characters in the future, but until then, I'm having a blast watching them toss around some vanilla midgets for a couple minutes every week.
Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham
To no surprise (especially from Gresham's end), it's a techincal bout from the start as both wrestlers exchange a series of holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. The action spills out onto the floor as Young and Gresham trade chops, evenly matched so far. Avoiding the 20-count, they get back in the ring and Young momentarily gets the advantage with his trademark backbreaker/lariat combo. Gresham tries to answer back with a pescado, then a diving crossbody.
Young avoids the crossbody, then peppers Gresham with punches and stomps in the corner, holding the advantage for the time-being. Gresham absorbs some more punishment before mounting a comeback, first with a pinning combination out of the corner then a DDT. Following a drop toe-hold into the corner, Gresham hits Young with a corner dropkick. After a quick exchange on the outside, the two get back inside, trading pinning combinations in an effort to eek out a quick victory.
After their technical exchange, they eventually start dishing out strikes and headbutts. Young brings out some of his impressive arsenal (including a death valley driver/double stomp combo) as Gresham tries to power through the punishment, attempting to mount a comeback. He throws various strikes at Young and tosses him with a couple of german suplexes, pure aggression and intensity fueling his momentum. He hits Young with a quebrada press moonsault, then a tope con hilo through the second rope.
Gresham then connects with a shooting star press, quickly transitioning into an ankle lock. Young rolls out of it and sends Gresham into the referee. With this quick distraction, Young low-blows Gresham then rolls him up to get the win.
Even though it dragged in parts, this was still a great match. I loved how the technical/hard-hitting dynamic of this bout, as both men exchanged fluid strikes, counters and holds, displaying some good chemistry in the process. Both wrestlers played their roles perfectly; Young as the sneaky brawler picking his spots and bending the rules, and Gresham as the plucky technician fighting from behind, constantly displaying a never-say-die attitude throughout. The spots were well-executed and both men got in some impressive signature offense (loved Gresham's transition into an ankle lock from a shooting star press). Despite the dodgy and occasional slow parts, a great match overall and a nice way to end the show.
Not gonna lie, this was a pretty "meh" episode save for Gresham/Young. Skip the first two matches and focus on the main event, unless you like chubby dudes beating small frys; in that case, watch The Bouncers' match. Overall, not the best episode, but I've seen worse. Here's hoping the quality picks back up next week.
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