Don't Be a Bully

Ethan Andrews vs Rex Bedford, King of the Ring 2 (88Wrestling)

My good friend Dr L and I have this conversation frequently: Avid fans that we are, we just don't get Ethan Andrews' ring persona. The good doctor thinks the issue is that Ethan wins too often - specifically against wrestlers who, from all appearances, would have better than a 50/50 chance of beating him. I agree, stating last month that it's one thing for Ethan to beat 200-pound Dash Decker by opportunistically seizing an unexpected advantage. It's another thing entirely that he wins as often as he does ... like, 90 percent of the time. 

There's another issue for me, though. As far as I'm concerned, Ethan could win every single match (he doesn't, but I'm just saying, even if he did) I wouldn't mind so much ... if only he'd eighty-six the tough-guy talk. When Rock Hard Wrestling labels him the "street punk" and "bad boy," I cringe a little. It's involuntary. Okay, he's a fighter, he's MMA-trained, but why can't he be the "strong silent type," who, let's say, isn't Apollo Creed? Is it really far-fetched that a polite, well-behaved young man from the country could, through know-how and raw determination, beat a streetwise muscle-dude occasionally? Not at all, but when Ethan starts talking like he's Guido fucking Genatto, I just don't buy it. What I do buy is his early incarnation at UCW - "Don't Be a Bully" Axel.

Ethan's opponent in King of the Ring 2 is Rex Bedford, totally believable as a roughneck, if not exactly a gangsta. In an interview last spring, he told me he was looking forward to his upcoming match against Andrews. He felt confident about his chances, but he wasn't braggadocious or disrespectful of his opponent. He even named Ethan as his pick as a tag-team partner, should the opportunity present itself. This month Rex has a second crack at Ethan. The title belt is on the line. I would be satisfied if Rex beats a little respect into Ethan.

I've seen the match, in fact. It's great, the third round being sweaty enough to count as my idea of very heaven. It's a stiff competition, obviously since the contest runs for the full three rounds. And, frankly, with Ethan and Rex in the ring together, how can it not be great? These are two strongly skilled fighters, both of them highly comfortable with making his opponents highly uncomfortable. The match is as incendiary as I expected it to be. There's choking and hair-pulling and, as I said, lots of sweat. Am I pleased with the outcome? I'll have to think about that one. Let me just say it's a damn good fight.

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