Neck and Neck

Jax Atwell vs Chase Michaels, Match 756 - Chloroform Match (UCW)

It's astounding how well matched Jax Atwell and Chase Michaels are, and watching them tear into each other, practically gnawing each other down to the bone, is a revelation, measuring up to some of UCW's best-ever matches. Though the chloroform angle typically doesn't work for me, here it doesn't detract from the wrestlers' prowess on the mat. These guys don't need a prop to get their fight on, yet the chloroform cloth gives them an object to tussle over. Besides, it doesn't enter into the fray until the match's second half.

The opening taunts are brief and appropriately acidic. Chase says he's unimpressed with what he's seen of Jax's previous matches, doubting whether the relative newcomer even bothered to take a wrestling class before signing on to the UCW roster. Jax responds to the effect that classes aren't needed to beat a poser like Chase. The words work up enough attitudinal heat to set the fight in motion in under a minute. The rangy limbs entangle, and both bodies fall hard on the mat, Chase quickly claiming the dominant position.

Chase's and Jax's slinky tangling creates some kaleidoscopic effects as the camera circles in and the fighters squirm and stretch. If raw violence has an aesthetic side, it's what we see in this match. Jax's chesty voice goes right to my dick. But then so does Chase's profile, as distinguished as a bust of a Roman centurion. By the match's close, the fighters have left their marks on each other like tags on a subway door. They make the case for pitting sinewy men against each other on the mat, something of a specialty for UCW from its very first match.

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