Tooth and Nail

Jonny Firestorm vs Anthony Wayne, Ringwars 32 (BG East)

If there's one thing that would redeem BG East for its staggered release of matches years after they were shot, it's news that its cache includes a hundred or more matches like this one, featuring Firestorm in his physical prime and at his pugnacious best. To this day, one of my favorite BG Easts is Jonny vs Frankie Flave. His battle here against ex-partner Anthony Wayne is a close second, tying his run-in with Aryx Quinn.

It's rare that we see Jonny take on a smaller opponent - or even one reasonably close to him in height and weight. According to the online stats, Jonny is a couple of inches taller than Anthony and 15 pounds heavier. It's all muscle on Firestorm, who looks awesome. There's nothing wrong with Wayne either, who's both easy on the eyes and hard on Jonny from the get-go. 

The catalog description paints a picture of the vengeance these two exact against each other, doubling its sex appeal, as far as I am concerned. No rage burns brighter or hotter than the rage between two exes. The two lock up collar and elbow like they mean something by it. Wayne backs Firestorm to the turnbuckle and triple-rams his gut with shoulder thrusts.

The speed and fury of both men's attacks raise the match above those of lesser rivals. These guys want to wreck each other. Bodies writhing as they're plied with tendon-busting holds, nostril-hooks, and stiff punches, Jonny and Anthony work each other against the ropes and grapple on the ring mat. The still shots don't capture a tenth of the action and mayhem, not to mention the boner-inducing moans and gasps.

Sweat is apparent before we are a quarter of the way through the 32-minute fight, with plucky Anthony commanding most of that stretch. Then Jonny turns the tables on him. Still, nothing is certain until the final two minutes. The two fight dirty and bulgy for the duration. It's hard not to flinch at some of the assaults, even from a safe distance.

By the midpoint, backs are shiny with sweat, and still neither man has a clear and secure lead in the contest. This is the kind of match that trunks and boots and ropes and turnbuckles are made for. 

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