This review was commissioned by CJ over on my Ko-fi account.
A real neat and breezy singles match from these two here. One thing I especially appreciate about this match is just how long they resist the urge to turn to the more obvious hoss fight exchanges between these two. Instead, they primarily focus on a much more natural David vs. Goliath dynamic, with Brodie especially working wonderfully in his big bully role.
That being said, there’s a few twists on that dynamic. The most obvious is that Brodie will bust out a few cool dives on top of just just standing tall and knocking Shingo down. When Brodie hits that tijeras and suicida early, it’s an impressive spot but it does feel incongruous to the rest of his act. The way it’s deployed here isn’t too much of a problem for me though as it does at least further his control segment and leads into more traditional big boi shit like planting Shingo through a table.
I enjoyed Shingo’s attempts to take down Brodie with a combination of evasion and raw power. Perhaps the best example comes from just ducking Brodie’s big boot in the corner to set up a massive move off the ropes. I do wish that had been the end of it, if I’m being honest, just for how it was the creative high point of the entire match. Still, all the big strikes they throw afterwards is still pretty cool too.
Borderline great, could have used just the slightest editing.
Rating: ***3/4
