Axel vs Reno

Zack Reno vs Axel, Match 675 (UCW)

I'm liking Zack Reno at UCW. For me it was not always an obvious fit. His matches elsewhere never indicated that he was the UCW type. I was thrilled to see him join the roster and happier still to see him in this match with Axel. Axel, of course, is THE man to take on at UCW (elsewhere, too, but especially here and especially on the mat).

What Reno proves here is that he can fight dirty (house style at UCW), that he can raise Axel's hackles, and that, win or lose, he can slug it out with the best of them. Turns out he's a real ball-breaker - yet no sooner does he cross this line than he feels the full force of Axel's wrath upon him. This fight is beautifully balanced give and take. Zack puts up a strong offense. Then, so does Axel.

If Axel ever takes victory for granted, it is not for long. Of the two, he is the more polished fighter, a master of sub wrestling and a variety of MMA styles. At some point - it may be the third shot above, or maybe the fifth - he realizes there's no getting out of this battle without going full blast and knocking Zack out - or causing him serious bodily harm.

Zack thinks he knows how to get around Axel, but it doesn't take him long to realize that the usually mild-mannered Axel turns into a beast on the wrestling mat. If he is to survive, he's going to have fight like an animal, too, which in short means fighting dirty, which in short is (as previously stated) UCW house style. Zack has never had a better fight. The question is Can he survive it?

Match 675 was unusually easy to chronicle in screen shots and GIFS, which tell the story better than I can in words - omitting only the knockout ending. We see the moment when a frustrated Zack resorts to hair-pulling to save himself from Axel's headlock. We see the mandatory ball busting. We see Axel's decision - judicious, in this case, if not enough to stop Reno altogether  - to take the legs out from under his opponent. 

All in all, this match displays everything that separates UCW from the rest of underground wrestling - and signals that, whatever the outcome, Zack Reno may be a good fit here.

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