The Champion vs The Machine

Griff Garrison vs Austin Theory, GateCity Battle! - 16 March 2018, Greensboro, NC (Fire Star Pro Wrestling)

Two brawny heels barely out of their teens facing off last month? And a mere hour's drive from my house? How did I miss this? The good news is there's footage - murkily lit, to be sure, but it captures the key moments well enough, the keyest (for me) being a 71-second side headlock executed by Griff "The Machine" Garrison (6'3", 202#) on heavyweight champion Austin Theory (6'1", 220#). These are two Southern boys (Winston-Salem and Atlanta, respectively), and while they don't get nearly sweaty slick enough to suit me, the fight luxuriates in tight clenches and rock-em-sock-em punches - true Southern charm. It's capped off with a nailbiter finish, too.

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