The Chosen One










Dash Decker, in his second appearance in the Rock Hard Wrestling ring, faces Matt Engel, in his fourth. Matt has a five-month jump on Dash, but Matt's previous three fights (against Jake Jenkins, Ethan Andrews, and Josh Steel) have brought him zero wins. So Matt has good reason to want to prove himself against the rookie. The heat is on Engel (who has some experience in MMA) to prove he's got the chops to make it in pro wrestling.

Unlike some newcomers, Dash takes his wrestling career seriously, and that's good, but for someone brand new to wrestling and the underground wrestling scene in particular, he may be pushing it to dub himself the "Chosen One," as apparently he has, especially on the weight of only one win, which the words "beginner's luck" might better describe, not to mention that he faced a highly (let's say) lubricated opponent in Josh Steel.

Blogging about his April debut, I might have gushed a wee bit over Dash. He might need to increase the number of wrestling holds he can master, but he has good instincts for wrestling. He's a natural, who seems to appreciate both the drama and the athleticism of the spectacle. At 6', 200#, he's about perfect for the pro ring, too, an imposing figure that would not look out of place at WWE or Impact Wrestling. Evidently, in his mind anyway, he's already pals with Cena and Styles, rather than a rookie still trying to make a name for himself against another rookie. He may be due a reality check any day now.

Matt might be terrific in a cage match, but in previous showings at RHW he has had two left feet in the wrestling ring. Even Jake, who initiated the rookie last fall, scolded Matt on camera for not taking bumps very well, "bumps" being wrestling slang for landing on the mat noisily, which is to say properly, and more generally for reacting to moves in a manner that makes them both dramatic and convincing. He still could use some work in this area. For many fans, this deficiency is negligible in a wrestler like Engel, whose "smokin' physique" and "snarky attitude" I praised in his next two matches.  And I certainly can't fault his meaty calves, one (two) of the most neglected body parts deserving our attention (check 'em out in the third, seventh, and eighth screen caps above).

After an arm-wrestling challenge (not really a fan) Dash attacks Matt with a forearm smash to the back and Matt takes a pretty good bump. Both guys look amazing. With work, Matt could become the ideal babyface, all dimples and hard round muscles. Dash is perfectly menacing as an egocentric heel, and despite what I might have implied a couple of paragraphs up, I hope his "reality check" is not yet in the mail. Great ring name, too.


Comments

  1. I hope that Dash develops into a RHW mainstay. The last match is on my personal Wish List. He looks stalwart and studly. He and Waters would make a great team.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dash and Alex: I was thinking the same thing, Almatolmen. I see big things ahead for Dash. For me, personally, I also hope RHW finds some big competitors for him, who can match him inch for inch and pound for pound.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Archive

Show more