This was a first round match in the inaugural Style Battle tournament, but you can absolutely ignore that because it was stupid and I’m not going to talk about it.
Of main importance is that this is one of the better Sami Sprints during this peak run, finally working with someone on his own level instead of having to devote his energy to both his own performance and towards elevating someone else to his level (Walter, Alex Colon, Adam Cole, take your pick really). Like most of the best things ever, this is not all that complex. Sami is smaller than Brodie and has to chop him down. It’s not quite as guttural or severe as Sami vs. Walter from two months prior, but it hits all the same notes.
What this lacks in pomp and circumstance, it makes up for by being a little more thoughtfully put together, in addition to all the hard shots and cool head drops. Walter was a baby bull, but Brodie’s at the peak of his powers and adds in all these wonderful little touches to accompany Sami’s. Everything has to be a struggle for a guy like Sami Callihan, so Brodie helps him out. He’s always shoving him away or blocking moves two or three times before Sami can hit them. He’s especially good at fighting off any application of the Stretch Muffler. By the final third, anything Sami gets in, even just getting his hands on Brodie and moving past his superior reach, feels like a victory. The result is an actual victory feeling like that much more of an accomplishment. Sami gets him down and gets him in the Muffler and kicks him in the head, mainly in the left eye, until Brodie surrenders. Sami chops down another tree, hard work overcomes a natural gift. Simple pro wrestling.
This shit almost never has to be hard or complex or, god, wasteful, and at this point, nobody understands that better than Sami.
***1/2
HANDWERK 