We Made History Tonight

Sometimes I think we wrestling bloggers don't give babyface-versus-babyface matches the credit they're due. BG East's Babyface Brawl series (so far with only two releases) is already a favorite of mine because #1 and #2 pit the supreme and very nearly omnipresent babyface Cameron Matthews against babyface rivals like Alexi Adamov and Austin Cooper. My all-time favorite matchup at Can-Am squares Paul Perris against his cousin Roman Stone, two hunky good guys doing their best to kick shit out of the other. In the past year UCW has given us a trilogy of events [#269, #277, and #295] in which Axel and Johnny Deep are brutally intent on proving which of them is the better fighter and the more adorable. Given my love of a fine heel, it beggars logic why I'd be so taken by a heel-free match, but the problem lies in our underestimation of the ferocity and competitiveness of a grade-A face.

Take, for instance, this August 10th match from CZW, pitting longhair newcomer to the promotion, "The Juice" JT Dunn, 5'10", 176#, against square-jawed "The Product" David Starr, 6'1", 220#. Both are young, good looking competitors admired by the fans. As one commentator notes, the crowd's instant approval of Dunn is unusual because often it takes a wrestler several fights before he earns the fans' trust and goodwill. But the crowd seems equally divided between the two likable roughnecks, one being no less honorable, skilled, determined, and tough than the other. So where's the drama in that? Well, it's obvious to me. Both wrestlers are so determined to be liked that their blows get stiffer and their moves riskier as the fight wears on, each dead set on wiping out the competition. Since the roles are not already firmly in place. anything can happen. In the end, though, there's a clean, unquestionable finish that leaves both guys exhausted, one bleeding at the forehead. Still, they shake hands, quick to recognize each other's merits, very sportsmanlike and, I think, rather hot. In a post-match interview, The Juice exclaims, "We made history tonight!" Not I, but we. Together these two fair-haired boys do rock the house.