What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Roderick Stronger

Dojo Bros VS Biff Busick/Drew Gulak - Beyond Wrestling 9/15/2013

JJZ: As you know CJD, I have certain feuds that I truly love and don't rush watching all the matches because I want to enjoy them as they come to me. Point in case. Biff Busick and Eddie Edwards' feud from Beyond Wrestling. I could easily buy the DVD from Smart Mark and burn through all their matches. But I haven't yet so when I'm searching for a Roddy match and I see Dojo Bros vs Biff/Drew, I was a 5 five year old on Christmas morning. Chris. I was fucking giddy when I added this match to my watchlist. So here we got Eddie bringing in his PWG partner Rodderick Strong and Biff brought in his friend/rival Gulak. Side note, I know Eddie's more popular tag team partner was Davey Richards in the American Wolves but I always thought his partnership with Strong was the better team. So I know I'm supposed to be playing a Strong match forward and this feels more like a Biff or Eddie match but Roddy still shines bright like a Diamond in a mine in this one. With the names in this match you know it's gonna be stiff, aggressive and technically sound. Which we got in spades. This was a great match that added to the amazing feud between Biff and Eddie and I love that both Drew and Roddy worked it like they would do whatever it would take to help their partner win it.

CJD: There's a lot to this match and it made me feel a lot of feelings. At its best moments it reminded me of an early 90s All Asia Tag Title match with Kobashi & Kikuchi, character driven, hierarchy based, pure octane fun times. At other times I thought it was a bit of a bit of cluster, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. But it never came even close to taking me out of it. Basically this is a really ambitious match that loses its way a bit here and there, but it hits way way more than it misses. Gulak is the odd man out in story, in the psychology of the match, but also is hesitant at times and maybe plays the unfamiliar partner/teaming rival card a little too often. It works and boy does Biff's star shine bright as a result but I didn't think this was a great Gulak performance, which surprised me. His style isn't perfect for this kind of match but I know just a few years later he'd find much better ways to slot himself in it. Side note I did love Chuck Taylor's reaction to everything he did. The Dojo Bros were great in their role and I give Beyond a ton of credit for making this Eddie/Biff rivalry feel so monumental. This is a match I'd love to revisit down the line so despite any criticisms I might have, for a match this long that's a big stamp of approval.

Thinking about it more, I want to add that I did love the way Gulak wrestled in the home stretch, and this finish was big time rewind material. I guess all I'm trying to say is this was a really good match???

JJZ: Glad you liked it. I didnt think it was a classic but a good chapter in a great story.

CJD: That's the perfect way to describe it.

Brotherhood's Our Rule We Cannot Bend

Biff Busick VS Trevor Lee - XWA 1/17/2015

CJD: I feel like I've seen a different match between these two on the indies before, and maybe even played it for you and the gang. Still having seen them work together before this felt very fresh. It had a wide variety to what they did similar to your Dijak match, but the ground they covered was very different. Lee is a different kind of heel and Biff is such a fundamentally sound babyface. He's the type of talent you can put in any situation and he'll make it work for him. Which isn't to take anything away from the grimey individual across the ring from Cameron NC. I started this match, got interrupted, and was so excited to finish it I watched it on my phone during my lunch break. It might honestly be the first time I've ever watched a match on my phone. That's the power of Biff Busick!

JJZ: To paint a picture here, it's 10:34PM on a Wednesday night. Both of my kids are asleep and my beautiful wife is sleeping on my chest. I'm drinking a lager and typing this with my left hand. Also I fucking love me some Biff Busick. Also imma big fan of Trevor "Robin Hood" Lee. This match was a three course meal cooked by a 5-star chef. Jesus. Strong start with a balanced middle and a strong finish. Not you typical Biff Busick match imo. I know they worked aroud the building but still a little more of a slower pace than I'm used to with BB. Lee looked like he was wise beyond his years in this one. In fact both guys looked liked stars baby. I enjoyed the finish and could not see it coming at all. That other match between the two might be something I need to seek out ASAP.

Feast Your Eyes

 

Biff Busick VS Donovan Dijak - Beyond Wrestling 6/28/2015

JJZ: So Dijack is a wrestler that had to grow on me. And the seed started to crack when I watched a match of his from Beyond Wrestling against one of my favorites Biff Busick. I fucking LOVED that match. So when I had to play a Dijak match forward I right away looked to see if those two had any other matches. I came across this and man oh man did I enjoy this too. This match is very different than the other one I watched from them. That was just heat from bell to bell. This match was more of a three course meal. More traditional style wrestling match. Nice feel out to start, building to the highspots and a good closing stretch. I couldn't figure out who would get their hand raised in the end. But my favorite part of the match is the ambiance. A small ring that is too close to the floor in an obscure gym somewhere with around 100 people in attendance. Overhead lighting that was way too bright. Interaction between the wrestlers and the crowd. It was so independent wrestling and I so loved every single second of it.

CJD: Dijak was a slow grower for me too and I still think there's untapped potential there. But he did improve tremendously since those first Keith Lee matches I saw him in back when and judging from this match and the other one you mentioned Biff brings out the absolute best in him. This match was awesome. I didn't know Dijak could grapple like that, the early hold for hold stuff was really quality. Then some of the holy shit moments, like the dives and getting shit canned (is shit canned one word or two?) were all that much more impressive in that intimate setting. These two have that magic physical chemistry that makes for great rivalries. The comments mention they've had at least one more match, and I'm definitely adding that to my To Watch list. What a finish too, I loved seeing the fans react. This was a treat, great find man. I love when wrestlers help build the psychology of the match in the small moments. There were parts of this match in between lock ups that told you everything you needed to know about who the wrestlers are and what their strategy is. Nice little touches that put an already great match over the top.