Cheetah's Shoes

Axel vs Cheetah Boy, Match 804 (UCW)

Cheetah has new shoes, a gift from a generous and attentive fan, but Axel has the UCW belt - not a gift, as he pointedly asserts, but won the hard way. This is the setup for a confrontation between two of UCW's star talents. It's their fourth match together, if my count is right, the most recent being last summer, but the inventive wrestlers are kind of made for each other - or, rather, made for fans of true-blue wrestling.

I have often thought, and said, that rematches feature the best wrestling. They bring together two wrestlers who know each other's tricks and have found ways to counter them. Axel and Cheetah make no use of the ropes until the final minutes of the match, so this is virtually mat wrestling between two wrestlers who know how to grapple and how to crank up the pain. Prior experience has taught both men the weak spots and pressure points to concentrate on.

Axel is in excellent condition for this bout. He's evidently shed some pounds and hardened his physique. He and Cheetah are perfectly matched in strength and talent. Axel has the advantage of experience, and Cheetah, of determination. They are nearly perfectly balanced as opponents - tenaciously competitive but playful, too - playful, though, the way cats are playful with sparrows.

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