The Call of the Wild

Wolf Boy vs Derrick Cole, Match 640 - The Rematch (UCW)

Billed as a rematch, Match 640 has the high energy of  a rematch, though its predecessor is not a match per se but Wolf Boy's interference in Derrick Cole's bid for the UCW championship in Match 633. These two scenery-chewing bad-boys sport similar blood-red trunks (a point raised in the opening banter) and sport them beautifully, and from the start the friction between the two is electric. Opposites in character - Derrick is all extroverted verve, while Wolf Boy is predatory and intense - they are well paired against each other. Wolf Boy works the exoticism of his feral child gimmick, wrestling barefoot with a dog collar around his neck. Cole is no less a wild man. Constantly in motion, he keeps the squared circle reverberating with thunderclaps of manic aggression.

Cole is the more dynamic of the two and the more experienced. He's also the more sturdily built. He mocks the pretensions of his opponent's gimmick, yet Wolf Boy's sultry good looks and menacing crouch offer fans miles of eye candy, and his stealth and hunkering moves start to pay off about 12 minutes into the 31-minute fight. Still, it's Cole who is the ringmaster here, and he provides a range of torments for the Boy - from the close detail of the finger snap to bigger, more spectacular spots like jujitsu kicks and body slams. 

Wolf Boy has experienced phenomenal success at UCW after only five months on the roster. Off the mat and out of the ring, he and Axel have attracted internet buzz as the Beyonce and Jay Z of underground wrestling. Wolf Boy has made it clear he's here for the fans, availing himself of social media to live-stream his day-to-day activities and interact with a swelling number of fans who can't get enough of the guy. He's training hard to make his matches pop, and his efforts to connect with devotees are paying off. He and fellow newcomer El Fuego have greatly impressed me in recent months. Whether they are the future of UCW, as I hope, or flashes in the pan, their immediate impact is strongly felt at my house.

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