This match (#316) reminded me of how few times we've seen Johnny Deep smile in UCW Wrestling presentations. Usually, we've seen the mischievous teen boy getting the stuffing beaten out of him, his fresh face contorted in agony. Furthermore, UCW has never seen fit to give Johnny a tag team partner. It always seemed as though the brash, young Tauran had no allies among the various eccentrics in the UCW locker room -- until this "lost video" was released.
I could rhapsodize at length concerning the emotionally uplifting, inspirational qualities present in Johnny's smile, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is Johnny away from the mats, chatting with fellow UCW wrestler and new found friend, C.J. Devastation (who has been teaching our young hero the fine art of occupational massage therapy).
C.J. plays a major role in this video's conclusion; we'll get to that in a moment (or two). First, I'd like to discuss Johnny's opponent in this encounter, Ethan Axel Andrews.
I am convinced that Ethan Axel Andrews suffers from multiple personality disorder a la "Sybil" or "The Three Faces of Eve." Present in Mr. Andrews are two distinct personae: Ethan and Axel.
Ethan is the young man who visited me during a road trip to New England last December. Ethan is the son every father wishes he could have raised. Soft spoken, polite, and witty, Ethan is the product of a respectable, middle class family in America's heartland. A Wisconsin transplant now residing in the Philadelphia area, Ethan is attracted to the urban hipster lifestyle, making frequent forays into Manhattan to catch Broadway shows starring old thespian friends. Ethan's childhood experiences and progressive political views have motivated him to become an anti-bullying crusader in sports entertainment's gay subculture.
On the other hand, Axel is the narcissistic egomaniac who is billed as a "street punk" in Rock Hard Wrestling videos. Axel is the ruthless aggressor in BG East videos, who has been called that federation's "most hated villain" by Kid Leopard himself. Manifestations of the Axel persona usually occur outside the realm of UCW competition, but there have been some notable exceptions over the years. Unfortunately for young Johnny Deep, his opponent in this video is Axel.
However, even the dark side of Ethan Axel Andrews isn't as evil as Johnny's recent opponent in UCW video #336, Eli Black. Watching that match was like viewing the slow murder of a beautiful young dude by a rabid psychopath. By contrast, this match is like watching a particularly rough fraternity hazing. Johnny suffers, but the clearly outmatched rookie suffers only as long as he refuses to submit to the seasoned veteran (and 50% owner of the fed, by the way). Still, given Johnny's highly competitive, stubborn-as-a-bull nature, he's in for quite a lot of punishment.
During my long conversation with Ethan Axel Andrews in December (we spent the better part of a day together), I asked him about wrestlers suffering pain during matches. Ethan was very nonchalant about the whole idea; "Basically, you know when the body isn't supposed to bend a certain way," he explained to me.
Well, either Axel didn't know or didn't care that Johnny's left leg wasn't supposed to be bent backwards and locked in that position for several excruciating minutes. Clearly frustrated that the bumptious teenager steadfastly refused to submit (and defiantly raised a shoulder during subsequent pin attempts), Axel then reverted to his ugliest tactics. Standing Johnny against a wall, reddening his flesh with open handed chops, Axel knocked the young man to the mat. Then, sneering like a "bad German" in a seventy-year-old war movie, Axel dragged Johnny to his feet, calling the young man what we in polite society refer to as "the B word."
By contrast, Johnny never used such language, in this or any other UCW video. Even when beating people up, Johnny manages to say cute things (e.g., "What am I going to do with you?" while carrying Eli Black around in a back-breaker).
Speaking of back-breakers, when Axel applies one on Johnny, I sense that the end is near. Johnny begins looking directly into the camera during this ordeal. That's never a good sign.
Johnny's inevitable submission requires him, under terms agreed upon during the prematch banter, to give Axel a full body massage. The scene resembles a put-upon pledge forced to humble himself at the feet of an unbearably conceited upperclassman -- until C.J. Devastation shows up.
"Hey dude, what the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be training," C.J. lectures Johnny.
"Yeah, I know. He kicked my ass. Now I have to give him a massage. That was the bet," Johnny replies, sounding sheepish and forlorn.
"Well, how about we get some revenge on him?" C.J. proposes, immediately brightening Johnny's spirits.
I won't reveal the ending of this video, but I will mention that C.J.'s final words to Axel are, "Don't mess with my boy next time."
Seeing how grateful Johnny is for C.J.'s friendship, I couldn't help but wish that Johnny and I were more than just pen-pals.
In order to purchase this video, you must click on the the "Custom Video" tab and scroll down to the "Lost Video Collection" at UCW Wrestling. You might also note that, on the home page of the site, the latest video is also a Johnny Deep feature -- an oil match against Asian star Hiro. According to "Ringside At Skull Island" blogger Joe, fan response to this video has been "just crazy." (Ringside At Skull Island: "I Got You Now"). Furthermore, I should also mention that Johnny has another oil match -- against Axel -- in the UCW Video archives (match #277). Enjoy!!!
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