I'm not a fan of strong style
wrestling.
As someone who has trained in American
karate, taekwondo, muay thai and a handful of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
sessions, I think the notion of standing still so someone can hit you
as hard as they can in a safe place so you can growl and return the
favor not only isn't convincing, but isn't half as believable as
punching a person in the face. Am I saying that wrestling matches
should be all about punching someone in the face? Not at all. I
just think hitting someone as hard as you can with the intention of
NOT hurting them is stupid as shit.There is an art that comes with the entertainment aspect of pro wrestling. It's so beautiful and authentic, it goes beyond attempting the dignify the question of whether what we do is real or not with a response. If done correctly, there's no need to go to extremes to keep people into what you are doing. “Mean” Mike Stratus says it best: entertain the fans, not your ego.
I'm old school as they come. I find it hard believing a 190-pound cruiserweight can subdue a near 400-pound man with one blow. Sure, power won't win every battle. Still, wrestling has preached for so many years that only the strong survive. There is definitely an audience for the Ring of Honor-type wrestling out there. I enjoy it in spurts.
But at the end of the day, I like a good fight.
For this story, I have scoured the roster of both NXT and IMPACT Wrestling. While one is a brand and the other is the name of an entire organization, I'd venture to say this is the only WWE brand IMPACT can remotely compare itself to now. I did this in search of bruisers – guys who are big and work the part well. Granted, each roster has well-established bruisers to offer. IMPACT has Eli Drake's lackey Tyrus, the returning Matt Morgan and the immensely versatile World champion Bobby Lashley. NXT has its Tag Team champions – the Paul Ellering-led Authors Of Pain. However, I wanted to choose individuals who are still (as my brother Johnny Camo likes to say) finding their feet. With that said, here is the fight club.
KILLIAN DAIN. The
Sanity collective's hardest hitter is a big man indeed.
Six-foot-three and over 300 pounds, this guy is no slouch. Usually,
guys his size are meant to play the background while Eric Young and
the rest of his stablemates get all the props. However, Dain has
impressed with his performance in the Andre The Giant Memorial
Battle Royal at this year's WrestleMania. He continued to impress
recently on an episode 390 of NXT by mopping the damn floor with the
overwhelmed and grossly overmatched Danny Burch (aka Martin Stone).
With a singles scene that tends to shine more of a favorable light
on smaller wrestlers from time to time, seeing this monster wreak
havoc and bring the genuine fight element that makes wrestling so
entertaining back wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
KONGO KONG. IMPACT
Wrestling's resident savage has a style and persona that pays homage
to monsters of the past like The Missing Link and Umaga. Initially
part of Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling roster, Kong has begun
to make his mark on IMPACT. Long legs that protrude from a very
flabby upper body give him one of the sport's worst physiques.
Still, he makes destructive use of his 6-foot7, 400 pound frame.
His corner cannonball usually sets up for what appears to be one of
the stiffest top rope splashes ever in wrestling. Having the
extremely entertaining Laurel Van Ness guiding him makes for the
most interesting combination in the fed. In time, maybe he can be
the monster Abyss was supposed to be 15 years ago.
VETERANS OF WAR.
Jax Dane has made a name for himself over the past few years as the
NWA World champion. After losing the belt and competing in some
Ring Of Honor matches, he was signed by IMPACT Wrestling and paired
with former TNA Tag Team champion Crimson. Now using the names
Wilcox and Mayweather, the two have been rechristened the Veterans
of War – a duo of former U.S. Soldiers who bleed red, white, and
blue. Their initial outing wasn't the smoothest. Both guys are
probably still making the adjustment from being singles wrestlers
and their timing was a little off. But considering their individual
successes, this powerful and imposing team probably just needs some
time to gel and make a real IMPA--... ...never mind.
DYLAN MILEY. This
guy is savage and looks every bit the part. A recent episode of NXT
saw Miley team with Michael Blias against D.I.Y. The former Tag
Team champions offense and style has been celebrated for quite a
while now. However, the undersized acrobats had no answer for the
brute strength and straight-forward approach of the 6-foot-3, 270
pound beast. He nullified their attacks and looked untouchable until
tagging out to Blais - who would ultimately be pinned. So how did
Miley react? By attacking his partner after the match in brutal
fashion. This bruiser was the most unsightly breath of fresh air
for a viewer like me. He's a true throwback brawler. I hope he's
featured on NXT more in the near future.
The
heavy hitters don't stop there. IMPACT has KN and Fallah Bahh while
NXT has the tag team of Heavy Machinery. All look intimidating. In
all honesty, I haven't seen enough of any of these guys to know how
that translates to the ring. Still, I'm certain none of them are
pushovers. So when either of these shows dares to venture into
acrobatic overkill, it is my hope that at least one of these
individuals brings the fight to Wednesday or Thursday night.
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