Mayne Event

Jayden Mayne vs Erik the Viking, Match 582 (UCW)

Memory fails me sometimes, but I'm pretty sure the first catalog copy I wrote for BG East was Jayden Mayne's debut with Trent Blayze. A fan of the big boys, I was more taken with Trent at the time - a big amiable brute who wrestles is my taste in men. Kid Leopard told me Jayden was the man to watch, however, and the Kid was right about that. Since his arrival here, Jayden is quickly becoming the UCW wrestler who makes my heart beat faster every time one of his matches hits the site.

In Erik the Viking, Jayden finds another big amiable brute to pound on. Erik is built to take a lot of pounding, but he's good at pounding back, too. For all intents and purposes, almost any fight you see at UCW is a real fight, and this one is realer and tougher than most. It's a potential star-maker for Erik and Jayden both. Both guys have ice water running through their veins, and in other matches their quiet intensity is often upstaged by the maniac antics of louder, flashier wrestlers. Watching them together in Match 582 is rewarding on many levels. What stands out for me is the way they keep the fight honest, which is not the same as saying they keep it sporting and aboveboard. I get the sense these boys are holding nothing back.

Erik's style depends heavily on his size and muscle - raw power is not just attractive, it's a real asset in a fight. I suspect the Viking is still a little uneasy in front of the camera, but his inhibitions evaporate in a situation like this one, where the focus is on wrestling and not glib banter, poses, and attitude. Jayden, too, benefits, not so much from the power dynamics, though. Jayden uses his wiles - knowledge of paralyzing holds and cheap shots - to even the playing field. He's also a tenacious badger of an aggressor. Speed and viciousness are his advantage in this fight. Erik is a big target - but he's also a self-contained fortress, thanks to his weight and build.

I love this match. I wish it were twice as long as it is. These guys are built for the long haul, and though the fight comes to a definite and incontestable conclusion, I sense unfinished business between these two.

Visit UCW here.