All Continental Classic 2023 reviews linked here.
Another example of slotting Brody into a classic formula to get the most out of him. Lots of people have already pointed out the parallel to the Survivor Series 95 finish with Bret and Diesel, but this feels even more raw and elemental than that. No real smoke and mirrors around this, just Garcia continuing to round out his toolbox as a babyface now with a big bumping and selling performance against a larger opponent.
He does it really well! Garcia pretty much throws himself at all those big bumps, he puts over the exhaustion and pain of being battered pretty much nonstop. But he’s also still got that little bit of Steamboat in him, he can’t help but scrap, he can’t help but claw even when he’s flat on his ass down on the mat.
I probably would have preferred this against a better opponent, but Brody’s serviceable in this role to make the moment feel real. I could maybe quibble too about Garcia’s tournament run paralleling Mark Briscoe’s in the gold league a little too much, but the smaller details like Garcia’s motivation and the interactions with Daddy Magic grant it just enough texture to separate it. A hopeful result for Garcia, one I hope he’s given the chance to follow up on.
Rating: ***½
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