Fiery Feud

Nick Karras vs Luke Caruso, Fiery Feud (88Wrestling)

After posting yesterday's match, Karras vs Alex Garcia, I wanted needed thirsted for more of the 6-foot, 180-pound hairy-chested roughneck Nick Karras. I backed up to 88's previous catalog and downloaded this killer match I missed when it debuted. This match might have changed my whole way of thinking about 88Wrestling. Let's put it this way: I immediately bought up all the available Karras matches.

"The Bulldog" is at his best when he grapples with Luke Caruso on the ring floor, and the pair are admirable against the ring ropes, too. A few of the takedowns are sloppy, but sloppy is the way a real fight goes down, if you stop and think about it, and Karras slaps Caruso to the mat like he's hitting an eel against a sharp rock. 

Poor Luke doesn't know what hit him. It takes him a few minutes to plot his first counterattack, not bad either, but not a knockout. Luke subdues Karras with a full-nelson, but you'd have to be super-strong to turn that hold into a knockout or a submission against a guy as durable and thickly built as Karras. 

So, this is mostly Karras's show. Nick keeps the greater part of the action on the mat, his home base and the place where he can do the most damage to babyface Luke. The match is closest to pro wrestling when punches get thrown (Karras's punches sting in this fight, especially near the end). The guys also employ the Irish whip and the ring rope choke - well enough, but these are hard sells for even more experienced ring wrestlers.

And the sweat! Both men are shiny from the start and become more radiant as the 22-minute match progresses. I can't remember a better 88 match or even one as good as this, but then I'm a little blinded by Nick's bulldog grit.

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