Featured image by Chris Grasso
This is both Atlas’ final match on the independents and my first time watching. So, you know, less than ideal circumstances here. Have a grain of salt and read on. One thing that I enjoyed quite a bit from this match was the contrast in physicality between those two men.
When you look at the way these two move, they couldn’t be any more different from each other. Atlas moves with finesse and ease in the ring despite being larger than Deppen. His grace is even to his detriment at some points as none of his strikes ever really land with significant impact except for a few well placed knee slappers. Deppen, on the other hand, moves and jerks about the ring. He looks almost unpolished, not in an unprofessional way, but in manner that lends him character. There’s a sense of urgency to his actions, of buzzing energy waiting to be released. I haven’t really seen that in a worker since maybe peak Moxley. It’s hard to take my eyes off of Deppen’s performance for this reason.
Structurally, this is your standard independent bombfest. Lots of big moves and nearfalls down the finishing stretch. There were some bright spots however such as Deppen’s defiant attitude towards Atlas as well as the brutality with which he stomped on Atlas on the mat. Other than that, there’s not much that I could see going on in terms of match layout.
I also wish the crowd was a bit more invested in the match. They seemed fairly subdued early on and it took a little while for them to get involved. Even when they did, they were firmly in Deppen’s corner which did take away from the farewell aspect of this match as well.
For what it is though–a big indie bombfest to bid someone farewell–it was fun enough. Definitely worth the time to check it out if you have the time but not anything I’d consider essential viewing.
