The Last Man

Jonny Firestorm vs Zach Reno, Last Man Standing 3 (BG East)

Ballots are not even out yet, and already my vote for best BGE match of 2019 is Firestorm vs Reno. In a mix of scientific wrestling and knock-down-drag-out, Firestorm and Reno prove themselves to be at their physical peaks (I only wish Zach had chest hair for this one), and like Wrestler4Hire's recent Klein vs Beckham, offer a glimpse at what TV wrestling used to be. The match reminds me why wrestlers like Brisco and Funk gave me blue balls as a teen. It wasn't mic skills or even muscles (though muscles are always a plus); it was the cold, hard fight in those guys.

Muscles are no substitute for the indy pro experience these two bring to the squared circle. I often wish underground wrestling sites left the ring to the pros and relegated the pretty boys (love them!) and bodybuilders (them, too!) to the mat and bed and lawn and pool to tussle and grab cock (love it!). Jonny and Zach know how to make the ropes tell a story and perform as vibrantly for the camera as for a live audience. My dear compadre Dr. L recently declared, "Firestorm still sells better than anyone," and he is, as usual, not mistaken, as this match proves. In a last man standing match, a pin or submission does not stop the fight - it can end only when one man is no longer able to respond to a 10-count.

I had the privilege to view Last Man Standing 3  early in exchange for contributing a few words to BG East's next catalog. My expectations for Firestorm vs Reno were towering - so much so that I thought I was setting myself up for disappointment - but the fight is a nut-buster from beginning to end, exceeding what I had hoped for. Zach and Jonny badger each other, deliberately raising each other's ire to make the fight as strong as they can. Clearly, both are itching for a nasty scrap, and they get it.

This is probably Reno's best work to date. And it rivals Firestorm vs Flave as Jonny's best work.

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