Detroit Steampunk

Ace Aarons vs Kirk Donahue, Wrestling with Pride 2 (BG East/NewPro Wrestling)

Pride 2 opens with a familiar face. Kirk Donahue soared in the opening event last year, and he's back in the first match of the May 2nd sequel, facing another BGE superstar, smilin' Ace Aarons. This year Donahue sports a handlebar mustache (away from the squared circle, Kirk is active in vintage baseball, recreating the spirit of syndicate baseball circa the 1890s). Love the mustache or hate it, the chemistry between Kirk and Ace is electric.

BG East has spliced together the work of several videographers to create a sense of what it was like to witness this and the other five contests firsthand. After a brief introduction by Kid Leopard, emcee Enoch Scott introduces the wrestlers in this breakneck 9-minute match. Bob Wood, the "voice of BG," offers pro-quality ringside commentary throughout the contest. 

In a classic heel move, Ace grabs the mic to berate the crowd for failing to nominate him for any of the awards BG East hands out at the first of every year, specifically overlooking him in the Best Bulge category for which Donahue was a runner-up. When a fan shouts, "You stink!" Aarons does not let good heat go to waste, declaring that "stink" is one of the few things he does NOT do. Needless to say, this interplay captures the spirit of live pro wrestling in a way that's not possible in most underground wrestling.

Inevitably, the respective bulges of both these contestants draw much abuse in the ensuing fight. Kirk springs into action with a lively lockup with Ace, which leads to a flurry of reverse bear hugs, after which Ace smashes Kirk face down to the mat. More blows reinforce Aaron's heel status before Donahue repays him with some highly acrobatic assaults of his own. Nothing brings up the fight in these guys more than a live crowd emoting through each new turn of events.

The action soon descends (or, for fans like me, ascends) to a knockdown drag-out fight, replete with forearm smashes and kicks. At one point, Ace nearly chokes Kirk out, but Kirk busts loose with a headbutt to Aarons's chin. Donahue capitalizes on the momentum with some vigorous "wow" moves, and when Aarons attempts to humiliate him by clutching his face to the heel's soggy pink-and-black crotch (sixth shot above), Kirk answers with a crotch grab that nearly stops the show (seventh shot), especially when Ace responds in kind, resulting in a searing standoff. 

The action speeds up - sweaty and wild as the wrestling gods intended - to a finisher that again highlights the art and science of the low blow. It's a colorful nailbiter to the end, and for those, like me, who missed the live show, the video is not to be missed!

Photos courtesy of my buddy Pete Carson

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