I never got around to making a comprehensive ‘best matches of 2019 in Tennessee’ article. I can think of a few contests right off the top of my head that would’ve qualified (Brett Ison vs. Allie Kat, Nick Gage vs. AJ Gray come to mind right away), but no concrete list. That said, this particular bout between Ison and Derek Neal from a Crux Wrestling Tuesday Night Twitter Fights event in October definitely would’ve been in my top 10 discussion.
It was so unexpected, which is precisely what we’ve come to expect from Crux Wrestling – just a random Tuesday night down at the Gypsy Joe Arena in Tullahoma in Tennessee yielded one of the greatest ‘war of attrition’ type matches between two tough sumbitches I’ve seen in a long time.
If you have 10 minutes to spare, check out the match courtesy of Neal’s YouTube page and then scroll down for my match review:
*Chef’s kiss*
This match told the simplest, purest story you can tell in a wrestling ring. Just a pure test of wills in a straight up fight. Two guys that didn’t have a lot of time to prepare (the match was made the night of) going through the early feeling-out process at the beginning of the match to see who would flinch first.
Neal seeing the opportunity and trying to take out the arm that Ison throws the Iron Elbow with was a stroke of brilliance. Both guys fervently throwing strikes showed just how desperate each man was to get the knockout. They were trying to see who was the most durable, and ultimately, all of the major blows got ’em to the double knockout finish.
Usually, you might be critical of a main event that would end the night in such a manner, but they pulled it off in a way that didn’t cheapen the bout at all. I feel like everyone in that room walked away satisfied, and despite the finish, both guys were looking pretty credible moving forward.
It’s the type of showing that demonstrates why Brett Ison has become a staple of Tennessee wrestling. And, it’s a solid indicator of why people are starting to take notice of Derek Neal. The King’s Road Slayer recently won the H.O.S.S. Tournament down at New South, the flagship tournament down in Northeast Alabama. He’s made waves at Paradigm Pro Wrestling, and is poised for a solid run throughout 2020.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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