Yesterday I wrote about having a contrast in appearance between two opposing wrestlers in order to develop a compelling storyline. This match between Joey Ryan and “Mr. Instant Replay” Matt Jackson will further illustrate what I was referring to. You may recognize Matt as one of the Young Bucks.
Check out how the two men present themselves even before getting in the ring. Matt is the cocky young show-off, perfectly smooth and clean cut. He flexes a bicep because he craves our attention and approval.
Joey stares intently into the camera, balling up his fists like he wants to punch somebody. His beard and hairy torso give him a masculine, mature vibe.
Placed side-by-side, the contrast in their looks (and presumably their personalities) is even more apparent. The younger man wears his long hair in a ponytail, which makes him appear vain or possibly even effeminate.
Matt is pretty, but Joey is ruggedly handsome. When Joey gets aggressive and stares down his opponent, Matt cracks a smile and looks away. The question of who is the Alpha Male has now been clearly established if it wasn’t obvious before.
The match gets underway and Matt takes control for some early Rookie Shine. Joey Ryan may be wearing flowery yellow trunks and may be suffering in a Hammerlock, but unnffff, there is no denying his masculinity with that husky physique.
These two really match up well, hot damn! And all this early dominance by the uppity kid is just a tease — a promise of good suffering to come. You just know Joey is biding his time, thinking up painful and humiliating abuse to unleash on the show-off to put him in his place.
The contrast in their looks and power is most obvious when Joey applies the bearhug. Now their bodies are pressed directly together, chest to hairy chest. This juxtaposition enhances Joey’s macho vibe in comparison to his suffering victim.
Joey even rests his thick, scratchy beard on Matt’s smooth chest, further emphasizing his manliness relative to his submissive victim. (By the way, if you’ve never been bearhugged by a hairy dude, it’s not to be missed…)
Meanwhile, Matt plays up his weakness and vulnerability to put over Joey’s crushing strength. He moans and groans, tossing around his ponytail and twisting his face into a grimace of gorgeous agony so Joey will seem that much more effective and macho.
Joey switches to a Bodyscissor to demonstrate that, not only can he crush and punish this kid with his arms, but his legs will work too. And Matt sells the holy hell out of the Scissors, making Joey’s legs appear more breathtaking and deadly than an industrial strength trash compactor.
This power imbalance, this comparison between the strength of the bearded brute and the vulnerability of his helpless prey, are exactly what make this match compelling and fun to watch.
By the way, this match comes from the old Cyberfights website. I see the home page is still available, but I don’t think they’re producing new content. Their on-line video store hasn’t been updated since 2011.
Does anybody know what’s happening with Cyberfights? If you know anything, please send me a message. I’m just curious — they used to produce some solid, back-to-the-basics pro wrestling from the next generation of up-and-coming stars such as this match between Joey and Matt.
The Young Buck actually pulled out the victory in the end.