The Need For Speed

"SpeedBall" Mike Bailey Vs Matt Riddle - OTT 3rd Anniversary 7/10/2017

JJZ: This was the very first match that came up when I started searching for Bailey. And I said "fucking A!" Besides a Riddle no-sell that I didn't like, this match over-delivered and I had high expectations going in. I knew with both guys having martial arts backgrounds that we'd have some nice square offs. Wish I was live for this one. I think this match is a great snapshot of current independent wrestling. Both guys wanted to put on a show and prove that they are the better worker. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

CJD: To quote one of my favorite co-workers, I never want to yuck someone else's yum. And after reading comments and reviews about this match the general consensus is definitely yum. So here's what I liked about this match. The sparring felt organic and unpredictable which the commentators did a good job accentuating. Bailey looked like he believed with every ounce of his being that he could beat Riddle's ass which I loved. And that finish, oof! But at the end of the day, you compared my match last week to a schoolyard fight, and I'll take a John Carpenter fight scene over a wuxia kung fu movie any day of the week. But I know most people love Crouching Tiger so who am I to yuck it? You often want more from a match, and this is just one of those cases where I wanted less. The yin and yang of pro wrestling fandom I suppose. There's a reason Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream... and I'd still recommend So Delicious Snickerdoodle over every single one of them!

Break Those Chains That Bind You

"Speedball" Mike Bailey VS "The Bulldozer" Matt Tremont - C*4 Wrestling A Better Tomorrow 1/18/2014

CJD: I know you're going to leave this match wanting more. But if you think of it as the best possible version of a Velocity main event adapted to the 2014 indies maybe your expectations will be better met? Because that's what I'm getting serious vibes of here, Bailey channeling his inner Akio and Tremont as a Kensington update of Jamie Noble. One thing I love about Tremont that's remarkable seeing him this young is how he never rushes. Even when something goes wrong he makes it seem deliberate, and any opportunity to add emphasis to a quiet moment he'll find. I'd love to see what these two could do together now, but I'll gladly take this throwback freak encounter for the time being.

JJZ: Well I didn't see this coming. Kensington Jamie Noble is a fucking great description. We got a couple of baby boys over here slapping, kicking, and spiking the diapers off each other. Tremont would have been perfect for ECW. I could easily see him throwing punches with Balls and Axl. If I had to describe this match to someone not familiar, I'd say it's like a kid took karate to fight off his bully and this is the showdown. And whenever the bully is about to end it he catches a kick to the face. I do want more Chris and I didn't watch Velocity. I did watch Felicity but that has nothing to do with this. This would have been a great TV main event. If only these two could have a 4 or 5 match feud with a couple gimmick matches. A submission match and a insert town name street fight. I want more!

CJD: Oh man I'd love to see these two in a taped foot VS taped fist match or a something-or-other-on-a-pole match. Tremont in ECW would have been fun but unfortunately I'd have to think he'd have ended up as the kid sidekick in da Baldies.You never watched Velocity?? They'd have some really good 10 minute matches on there. Guys like London, Regal, etc.

JJZ: Not on the regular. I'm sure I've seen some episodes. I just liked the joke. I've never watched Felicity either.

CJD: You dirty dog!

All About That Ace

Matt Tremont VS Ace Romero - Beyond Wrestling 15,000 Thumbtacks Match 9/24/2017

JJZ: I know playing forward a Tremont match will put a big smile on your face and wake you up no matter how sleep deprived you may be! Tremont is an all time great death match wrestler at this point. But this is the first time I've seen Ace in a death match and I think he did a fine job. He jumped right in like he'd been doing it for years. A lot of nice "OOOOOOO" spots mixed in with some "FUCKKKKK"s. I'll tell you what, I wouldn't want to be front row for this one. You know some fans took some tacks to the face. I would have liked this to be a little longer but with a death match you can't expect too too much. There was a little botch but the result made the move look a lot more painful. Enjoy baby!

CJD: Well you know I've got a weeks-old baby at home so you're right that I could use any wake up call I'll get! And this match was an upper for sure, that I watched with her in my arms at 2AM this morning before getting ready for work. Hopefully watching a deathmatch with an infant isn't considered endangerment. Tremont gives a great perfomance in this and makes a painful and difficult match look relatively easy. It doesn't look so easy for Ace but as you said give him credit for diving in head first. He really likes starting matches with that shotgun dropkick, doesn't he? I liked how they kept such a focus on the tacks, too many modern deathmatches try to escalate to the point where nothing feels painful by the end. That wasn't the case at all here. This didn't leave me wanting to see any more Romero attempts at deathmatches, but it did make me want more of the Bulldozer. And lucky for me I'll get just that next week!

I'm Just Drivin' Nails In My Coffin

Darby Allin VS Ace Romero - Limitless Wrestling 11/30/2018

CJD: It's been a while since I've played forward a wrestler I'm barely familiar with, and I'm more than happy to roll the dice with Ace Romero this time around. I know he's a big man who can move and not much else. This was a good intro as him and Darby work twice as hard to compensate for their size difference and the result is the most entertaining car crash sprint I've seen in a while. Allin's psychology is a bit odd but logical and Romero plays off it perfectly. There's some flubs along the way but I doubt you'll count it against this one.

JJZ: We are in the modern day Indy mix now my friend. The size difference makes for a natural psychology that Darby and Ace get to right away. Classic speed VS strength. Darby is flying around like a depressed finch trying to get effective offense in while Ace lays it in when he is able to get his hands on Allen. I would like to see Ace doing more dominating power moves in future matches and get away from his "I'm big but can fly" thing he does. Interesting crowd for this show. I saw people sitting with full winter coats and hats on to people in tank tops. Also saw some fans dressed in their Sunday best. It was curious. While Ace was a great crash mat for Darby I think Allen was the star of this match. I really got the sense he knew it would take a lot of high risk to win the match and he went to it.