[2022-02-12-DEFY-5th Anniversary Show] Jonathan Gresham vs Cody Chhun

[corwo]

The match starts friendly, but with Gresham not taking Chhun seriously. There’s an incidental eye poke early on. Gresham grows increasingly frustrated as he can’t escape the constant wristlocks from Cody. Things begin to get chippy when Gresham keeps a leg lock on through a five-count, and the referee has to separate them.

Gresham works over the arm and leg, bending Chhun’s limbs in unnatural ways and generally being smug while he’s in control. Chhun largely sticks to basic offense, such as arm drags, but his execution is top-notch. Both competitors struggle over control of the other’s arm, but their bum limbs come back to haunt them. Gresham’s recently started doing a spot in the corner where he and his opponent take turns evading chops, which I don’t love. It always comes across as hokey to me.

There’s a splendid moment where Chhun goes for an arm drag and his bad wheel gives out. Both go for hip tosses and end up going over the top rope in a stalemate. They end up in the ropes once more, and Gresham accidentally pie faces him, but Chhun gets revenge this time, clocking him with a punch. Gresham is a master of escalation, and when this match heats up, the atmosphere is molten. After a series of back-and-forth counters, Gresham catches Chhun with a headscissors pin for the win. Superb stuff all around.