Quiet Guys


Kyle Matthews and Mike Posey are two of my favorite wrestlers in large part because they follow the Southern tradition of long grinding mat work as the centerpiece of every match. The Deep South may be a stewpot of homophobia and anti-gay bigotry, but the boys down here fight up close and let their bodies bump and strain against each other, even the high flyers like these two, and nobody can convince me there's anything wrong with that.

Matthews gets a leg up on Posey early on in this June 5th fight for NWA Rampage Pro Wrestling, and he spends a good four or five minutes controlling him on the mat, giving him the slow, agonizing workout that the Georgia fans enjoy, as crowd chants "Break it! Break it!" every time Kyle grabs one of Mike's limbs.  

Posey slips under the bottom rope whenever he gets the chance, buying time free of Matthews' relentless (and very sexy) punishment.  Mike's left arm has had better days, that's for sure.  But when Kyle thinks Mike's getting too much R&R away from the hot lights, he swoops down on him and puts some sore on top of what he's already got.

Here's one of those rare occasions where I like what a ringside commentator has to say: "They [Posey and Matthews] back up what they don't say in the ring with an awful lot of creative wrestling maneuvers."  Amen to that, and I wish more wrestlers would take heed and follow suit.  Two strong silent types who, with malice aforethought, climb into the squared circle to put the ouch on each other--it just doesn't get better than that, as far as I'm concerned.

After a near pin, the tables turn.  And Posey tears at Matthews' left leg with all the cunning fury with which Matthews had so recently attacked his arm.  As the commentators keep pointing out to us, these two men are well matched in skill, determination, and build.  Like many of you, I'd like to see more thigh meat, but you can't argue those torsos.  The fight is so deliciously neck and neck I won't spoil the ending for you.  It's unpredictable--which is not something you can say about a lot of pro wrestling.  It's not that the outcome is unusual, in fact it's classic, but the boys in the ring do a good job of not tipping us off too soon.

And, yeah, Kyle Matthews' hair is pretty much orange now.

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