SexRock versus The Armstrongs

"The energy level is off the charts," says Gary in a Tuesday email linking me to this 2012 match in Perth. It is indeed one hell of a show. The Armstrongs, Nick and Jett, are a blond brother team, known for their heroic moonsaults, hurricanranas, and speed. SexRock, the heel team of muscular Elliot Sexton (in purple trunks) and unbreakable J-Rock (Jonah Rock, in singlet), crank up the heat with a jeer-inducing cocktail of churlish arrogance and psychotic menace. All four wrestlers are visiting Perth from Adelaide and regularly appear in shows for Melbourne City Wrestling.

Six-foot-five Sexton starts things off with a bump-n-grind routine on the ring apron, "giving the ladies and some of the men a little bit of a show," according to an unusually inclusive ringside commentator. Sexton's face is world-weary and perpetually contemptuous, and J-Rock makes crazy eyes at the crowd and his opponents. The phrase "blond brother team" (and from Australia too) says everything I need to know about Nick and Jett. They're athletic, wholesome, and extraordinarily well choreographed. The more experienced Nick takes care of most of the ring work, saving Jett for the occasional spot of explosive comeuppance. (We get virtually no wrestling, catch or folkstyle, mostly acrobatic stunts, high-flying action, and muscle-popping body chops. Five-foot-six Jett, though, is somebody I'd like to see perform some real wrestling holds.)

It's a battle between speed and mass, between rah-rah attitude and surliness. Sexton works overtime in providing us with good views of his brawn. He is the true focus of the Armstrongs' and the audience's rage. It's impossible for me not to get wrapped up in this lively EPW-Perth show, and the ten-minute fight flies by. There's no time to get bored, but there's also no time for a leisurely armlock either. In the end, the stoked crowd pleads, "Please come back," and who could possibly blame them for wanting more of these guys? All four wrestlers are consummate ring performers, and the tender commiseration between the blond brothers at the end gives the match a true-to-life touch of emotion.