This review was commissioned by BeenThrifty over on my Ko-fi account.
A compelling Ricky Marvin performance here. He’s comfortable as ever brawling and scrapping in the ever dusty Arena Coacalco and he’s the one bringing a lot of the joy and heat to this particular bout. The match smartly structures itself around Marvin’s performance here, as he controls the bulk of the second act. He’s the one driving the action here for the most part, first by bumping and basing for Keyra’s very brief shine, and then by grinding her down and roughing her up during the heat.
It’s the latter that really makes the match enjoyable as Marvin’s move to the mat after getting flummoxed on his feet feels like real classic rudo stuff. Then there’s the standard wrestling comeuppance too of Marvin setting up multiple weapons stacks only to get sent through them in the back half. All the groundwork Marvin does capably sets up all the biggest set pieces of the finishing run—those big bumps through the chairs and his repeated attempts at a Crab finally paying off.
Keyra’s fine in this. Not fiery enough to make the big comebacks work, elbows that leave a little to be desired, but delivering some flashy high spots to remember still. There’s a pair of late game counter ranas in this that always leave the eye wondering what’s happening next and then stunned when the maneuver finally hits.
All in all, mostly a showcase of what Marvin brings to controlling a match, but a strong showing from him on that front nonetheless.
Rating: ***1/4
