Hell-Bent

Austin Cooper vs Lazlo Kohl, Florida Fights 8 (BG East)

Austin is so consistently great as a wrestler at BG East and other venues that it's easy to forget how lucky we fans are to have him. Ringside at Skull Island has been covering his career for over eight years, beginning with his match against teen bodybuilder Lucas Payne. Back then I praised the way his "upper lip rides up his teeth when he's stretching Payne out," a gesture he has kept over the years that demonstrates the man's concentration on the task at hand. Coop could phone some of his matches in and still be a star of underground wrestling, but he doesn't. Few wrestlers are there  in the moment the way Austin is.

Beefy Lazlo is a near match for Cooper in height and weight. This is his third BGE appearance. I suspect this match was shot some time ago and held in the vault for a few years before its release to the public (typical BGE business practice - it's been explained to me, but I keep forgetting the rationale). Kohl makes a good impression here, but Coop keeps him bound and tormented for most of the 28-minute contest. For no discernible reason, Austin's temper flares up as the match progresses. Halfway through the video, he refuses to hear Kohl's submissions, instead, prolonging each murderous hold beyond the point Kohl's body can endure the pain.

As a heel, Austin's viciousness belies his wholesome "all-American" good looks. He's awfully good at being a bad guy. His dramatic skills nearly equal his athletic skills, which (I feel) are best exhibited on a wrestling mat - though he wrestles in rings successfully, too. His face and body make so big an immediate impression that it may be difficult to discern the man's technical prowess and understated finessing of theatrical aspects of wrestling entertainment. For a guy with his talents and looks, Coop can be self-effacing in prioritizing story lines over his ego. I have been told by people who have worked with him that he is receptive to other people's suggestions and that he is an all-around good guy. 

After the brutal wringing he gets at Cooper's hands, Lazlo Kohl may beg to differ.

Visit BG East here.