A Big Break

Scrappy vs Reyes Valenti and Cameron (Wrestler4Hire)

In the product description for this match, Wrestler4Hire mentions the resemblance between Scrappy and Cameron (who, I recall, is sometimes compared to Cal Bennett, too). They look like they could be kin. In the case of Cameron/Scrappy, the semblance rests on the cut of their jawlines and their seemingly eternal boyishness, with glimmers of deception in their eyes.

Cameron has set up a match between Scrappy and Reyes Valenti, working a bookish college-boy gimmick (he sometimes wears glasses, sometimes even when wrestling). Cameron wants Scrappy to break Reyes in, but Scrappy seems bent on breaking Reyes apart. For the first half of this match, Scrappy subjects Reyes to an arduous round of punishments, some of which look more vindictive than educational. At the video's exact midpoint, Cameron enters the ring to intercede, and the rest of the match is a back-and-forth battle between Cameron and Scrappy, Reyes eventually disappearing.

Reyes is beautiful, by the way, with just enough baby-fat to be seductive without looking chubby. Cameron today is dreamier than he was 12 or so years ago, though his persona and ring performance have not declined at all. Still, we are all - wrestlers and wrestling fans alike - living in the Golden Age of Scrappy. Beating or taking a beating, Scrappy draws all eyes to him. That glorious physique - especially as it twinkles with perspiration - is the diamond that holds my attention, and everything else - adversaries, ropes, and walls - are merely prongs that support his impossible handsomeness. Because of its give and take, I like the second half better than the first, but I look forward to the day Reyes hangs up his rookie trunks to be the kind of hard-ass fighter I suspect he is capable of becoming. Meanwhile, I sit back and watch Scrappy shine.

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