Joey Redux

Returning to UCW with more meat on his bones and more ink on his skin, Joey Cantrell takes on UCW co-owner and former champion Axel for a full-tilt 40-minute brawl, very little of which is wasted on introductions and chat. Joey now looks big enough to take on Marcus Ares or UCW's other co-owner Bodyslam, but if he thought he could flatten his leaner opponent and take the rest of the afternoon off, Axel lets him know right away that he's in this fight for the duration. 

Genial, soft-spoken Axel often catches an opponent off guard like that, even one, like Joey, who ought to know better. Arm bars, surfboards, piledrivers, wedgies, chokes, punches, slams, scratching, clawing, and cock-pinching ensue, under the guise of "training." But, in case you forgot, Joey always was a tough, backstreet sort of mofo, and though seemingly underprepared for Axel's initial onslaught, he comes back like a wrecking ball.

The match is fairly straightforward, by UCW standards. Lots of rough play, putdowns, and horndog oneupmanship. Axel sets the laid-back tone, so there's little of the animosity wrestlers like Quinn or Eli would bring to the match, for better or worse, yet there's nothing "soft" or "easy" about this match either. Axel sees it as a workout--early spring training for a returning athlete. Even if this is more aggressive than the typical gym workout, it lacks mean-spirited-ness or hostility.

Axel looks fit, at last sprouting some reassuring signs of puberty on his chest and stomach. Joey mocks the new growth but soon finds out he faces a man-size challenge in Axel, who takes everything Joey has to dish out and manhandles Joey's new bulk with unexpected force and nimbleness.