Nick Gage vs. Timothy Thatcher (GCW 4/5/18)
Easily one of my most anticipated matches of WrestleMania Weekend. There is something, what’s a word that means more than endearing, about this type of styles clash. Thatcher is the current poster child for the old school grappling style. Grinding down opponents with flawless, tried and true technique. Trained under Billy Robinson don’t you know. Most “technical wrestlers” are pretty wrestlers. They aim to dazzle. Thatcher aims to hurt. Gage…well Gage is the premier deathmatch wrestler in the States. Pretty clear he also aims to hurt. When Gage gets into the ring the intensity in the building immediately ramps up, every time. He’s going to come at you with fists flying trying to take you out. Those two elements, technique against raw intensity, butting heads is fascinating.
The match itself gives a delightful taste of how these two can intertwine in the ring. Gage doesn’t need to work a deathmatch to bring you into his world. Go watch the Jonathan Gresham and David Starr matches, Gage brings out a brutish side from technicians. Gage is like Maximillion Pegasus except for the opposite on every moral level. Even though Gage seems content to try and muscle his way through Thatcher, the beautiful boy himself is trying to throw Gage from the ropeless ring. Almost anticipating that if he doesn’t go buck wild, buck wild will go on him. Or something like that. The game plan when in the center of the squared circle that Thatcher employs probably can get the job done. Suffocate Gage on the mat, eventually find an opening, and snag a submission.
Once Gage accidentally gets tossed to the outside though, they invoke horror movie time symbolism. Bloodsport is about the sport of professional wrestling, keep it in the ring and see who’s lights go out first or who has to cry uncle. To engage on the outside, which Gage absolutely does, is to change the entire context of the fight. No longer is it sporting. Throw technique out the window, raw force is now the way to go. Tables are tossed, bodies are dropped.
When they do enter back into the ring, the emotions now running higher than ever, it isn’t long until they are both slugging it out. You know it is only a matter of time before one of them gets caught.
In a rare moment for me, the thing I wish for most of this match was more. More of everything. What we have here is a demo. You get an idea of the general ideas and how things interconnect but you know that the final product has more depth.
Spandex Are Still Cool 