Thursday, August 27, 2015

Entrant Number Two in the Beyond Wrestling Greatest Rivals Round Robin

Thatcher is in for the Greatest Rivals event
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein
The second competitor has been announced for Beyond Wrestling's Greatest Rivals show on September 26, and he's another member of the hashtag-grapplefuck trio that has carried EVOLVE to polarizing results in the last year. Timothy Thatcher, the current EVOLVE Champion, will take the plunge and attempt to take home the tournament and the bragging rights that go with it. Of course, Biff Busick was the first name announced for the fray earlier this week.

Thatcher is one of the most polarizing individuals on the indies right now, and the dichotomy has everything to do with his heavily mat-based style. The style, based on a mix of shoot-style, World of Sport, and amateur wrestling, is one I dig and that I think is as exciting as the highest of highspot-based styles when it's done right, but some vocal fans find it boring. But then again, no style of wrestling is universally loved. Regardless, Thatcher has built a pretty solid history with Busick over the last two years across several promotions, and for better or worse, he's one of the best, if not the best grappler on the scene today.

Busick and Thatcher being confirmed for the event all but confirms that Drew Gulak will be one of the final two announced for the one-night slate. The fourth wrestler is still up in the air. I think it will probably be Chris Hero, but Tracy "Hot Sauce" Williams, JT Dunn, and Kimber Lee are all still in play as well. Another high profile option could be Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards, since his feud with Busick has also been a Beyond staple. Either way, this event is shaping up to be intense, and I can't wait to see how it plays out.