[2022-01-21-Enjoy] Darius Lockhart & Suge D vs Lee Moriarty & Pretty Boy Smooth

[corwo]

This is a fairly straightforward tag match, but one that gets a lot right. The early going sees Suge attempt to take down the much larger Smooth with repeated shoulder blocks. Suge’s facial expressions in particular are a real treat, as he’s very expressive and plays his role to a tee.

The dastardly heels spend the majority of their heat segment working over Smooth’s leg. Smooth does well to remind everyone of his bum wheel in subtle ways. It’s a nice contrast to the occasionally over-theatrical selling you get on the indies from time to time. Suge and Lockhart constantly try to land elbow drops on Smooth and we’re treated to some delightful stooging until the big man slips away to make a tag to his partner.

The real draw of the match is the eventual showdown between Moriarty and Lockhart, which is chock-full of exciting twists and counters that never feel overwrought. Suge and Lockhart take control once again and go after Moriarty’s arm. The limb work in this portion of the match isn’t quite so gruesome as when they worked over Suge, but they gel well and hit some double-team maneuvers, including a Styles Clash. Lockhart grabs Suge for leverage as Moriarty’s trying to make the tag, a clever bit of heel shenanigans, but Moriarty’s agility allows him to make it to Smooth. Things get scrappy quickly, and Suge impressively matches up to Smooth when they start throwing hands. All four end up in the ring, with Suge neutralizing Moriarty, and Lockhart rolls up Smooth for a cheap win.

While the finish could have fallen flat, I appreciated that the heels won on a fluke, as it leaves room for a rematch. Post-match, Lockhart cuts a promo saying that isn’t the win he wanted, and issues a challenge to Moriarty. If and when that happens, we’re in for a treat.