Tough as Leather

Matt Taven vs JT Dunn, Prison Break (Northeast Wrestling)

Last August JT Dunn entered the ring, thinking he was going to wrestle Rey Fenix, but the luchador missed his flight out of Mexico, so Dunn ended up wrestling the ROH World Champion (and former NEW Champ), Matt Taven, in front of stunned fans in Poughkeepsie ... and the belt was on the line. JT throws himself into this historic fight, not wasting a drop of his good luck. Matt could have phoned this one in, and the crowd would have been satisfied, but his performance is awe-inspiring and stirs up the best in Dunn, too. The end result is a give-and-take battle that's as rock-em-sock-em ferocious as I could hope for.

Few people exude the joy of hurting people as much as Taven. His good looks and perpetual tan drew me ten years ago. (Hard to believe it was that long ago.) But sadism and his ability to take a punch made me a fan. He's one of those wrestlers who, whether playing the heel or the babyface, enjoys leaving his mark on an opponent. The guy has a wicked glint in his eyes when he pummels somebody into mush. And he plays the long game, becoming fiercer as he and his opponent wear each other down. This match, especially those final moments of near exhaustion caught in the GIFs below, gets hotter the more frustrated and desperate Matt and JT get.

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