UCW Wrestling's Ethan Axel Andrews vs. Danny Sticks: The Gentle Man vs. The Lunatic

     Every astrological sign besides Cancer is ruled by a planet. Cancer is ruled by the ever-changing moon, creating dramatic mood swings for those born under this "unfortunate but fruitful sign" and introducing the term "lunatic" to the English language.
     Underground Championship Wrestling newcomer Danny Sticks is a Cancer, the first UCW wrestler in history born under that sign, to my knowledge (federation founder Michael Bodyslam told me there were four former members born in July, but they all seem to be Leos, born after July 22). If you want to shake things up, set everything off balance, and leave everyone disoriented, just bring a Cancer into any workplace environment.
     Apparently, that last statement also applies to the "no rules" world of UCW Wrestling. In this chaotic federation, Michael Bodyslam saw fit to enforce only one prohibition (besides the rhetorical hyperbole of "don't kill your opponent"): weapons were not allowed. In all of these years of gritty UCW brawling, through 373 matches in two separate states (Wisconsin and Pennsylvania), we never saw a weapon utilized. Leave it to Danny Sticks, the fed's first Cancerian, to use a weapon -- in his debut match -- against Ethan Axel Andrews, the co-owner of the company.

     Cancers are the pariahs of the zodiac, the perennial outcasts who are doomed to a fringe existence far removed from mainstream society. In Biblical terms, Cancers are the sons of Cain (see "Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary" here), destined to be vagabonds and drifters all their lives, regardless of intellect, social status, etc. (Lest anyone believe that I am being too hard on this astrological sign, please keep in mind that I myself am a triple Cancer -- so I'm qualified to speak on these matters.)
     Therefore, I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised when rookie upstart Danny began beating underground wrestling legend Axel with a pool cue (during UCW match #374 -- the currently featured offering available here).

      Match #374 is a strange match on many levels, due to the personalities of the combatants (even stranger than the creepy encounter between Johnny Deep -- UCW's mischievous adolescent -- and Nick Diesel -- UCW's bondage master). Both of these wrestlers (Danny and Ethan) are water signs -- individuals with incredible emotional depth. You don't frequently see such males involved in combat sports (UCW is top-heavy with Taurus and Aries guys -- bulls and rams butting heads).

     Ethan Axel Andrews is an individual whose hair length is directly proportional to his sex appeal, and Ethan is smoking hot in this video (almost on a level with UCW offering #252 -- Ethan's sexiest look ever -- a "lost" match vs. Santos the Diabolic). Not only is Ethan's hair stylishly long in this vid, but he's also sporting a five o'clock shadow which is surprisingly attractive. Furthermore, Ethan is wearing matching wristbands, headband, and ankle-bands (and if there's anything that turns me on, it's accoutrements on the ankles of a sexy stud -- anklets drive me wild). I fully expected to be focused on Danny, the vulnerable young rookie, throughout this match -- but Ethan proved to be a major distraction.

     Ethan wrestles every opponent in the same way -- in a calm, cool, collected (sounds almost like an Eli Black tattoo), methodical manner. Because Ethan is a technician who wrestles within the rules, it's not always obvious that he hurts his opponents (via legal maneuvers) as badly as anyone in UCW. Ethan brings a personal trainer's mindset to the mat wars. Ethan doesn't view physical pain as a negative; he views it as a positive, character building tool. (In match #353 -- Jax Brigg's UCW debut -- Ethan hurt Jax badly enough to get the rookie to submit within the first few minutes. Ethan ignored the submission so that he could produce a video -- and Jax was Ethan's friend.)
     Ethan spends the first several minutes of match #374 torturing Danny, and you know that there will be immense repercussions in store. Danny doesn't have a personal trainer's mindset. Danny has a Cancerian's mindset. To us Cancers, everything is personal.

     Ethan once told me that if a wrestling opponent isn't fighting back, he'll hurt the wrestler even more. I was stunned. The concept was foreign to me, and it seemed out of character, coming from Ethan. To me, passivity represents intimidation. If an opponent wasn't retaliating against me, I'd be inclined to show mercy.
     Ethan doesn't share my perspective. As if to illustrate this, Ethan taunts Danny after he traps the young man in an excruciating backbreaker: "Your eyes starting to bother you? Your face? Your neck? Your spine? Tell me, what's hurting? Fight back a little harder than this." When Ethan receives no response, he begins to claw Danny's pectoral muscles.

     To be sure, Ethan often appears to be deriving visceral pleasure via his domination of the rookie. Ethan's facial expressions are sometimes troubling, and the arrogant sneer reminded me of Ethan's "heel" incarnations in other federations.

     When Danny gains the upper hand, the action turns personal. Ethan's 28-year-old physical beauty as well as his narcissism are in full bloom during this match (one could not exist without the other). Danny reacts by trying to rip Ethan's face apart, stretching the handsome grappler's lips to the splitting point...

       ....trying to rip chunks of Ethan's long, luxurious locks right out of his scalp...

     ...and attacking Ethan's manhood...

     After that, Danny travels deep into hardcore "heel" territory, utilizing tactics that will not be depicted or described here -- actions that are as loathsome as any we've seen employed by Quinn Harper, Eli Black, or their ilk. Nothing that Ethan did at the beginning of match #374 could justify or excuse Danny's reaction.

     The title of this blog entry does not contain a typo; I purposely referred to Ethan as a "Gentle Man" rather than a "Gentleman." The compound word denotes gentility, which may also describe Ethan, but it wasn't the meaning I wanted to convey. Ethan is a Pisces, the gentlest sign in the zodiac. Only extraordinary circumstances (such as merciless bullying during Ethan's youth) could have motivated such a man to prove himself in the rough-and-tumble world of UCW (plus MMA, BJJ, and several other acronyms that I know but don't fully understand).
     I met Ethan about a year ago, and the Cancer/Pisces dynamic was in full swing. When I picked up Ethan at his Boston hotel, he was clearly unnerved by my presence. I could perceive (we Cancers are extremely perceptive) that Ethan was on the verge of saying, "Hey, I don't feel comfortable with this. Stop the car and let me out." If I had tried to reassure Ethan at that point, I would have only made matters worse, so I had enough sense to just shut up. Silence prevailed for a few minutes and then Ethan initiated a conversation. I allowed Ethan to control the discourse, and everything turned out fine.
     Pisces is the most compatible sign for Cancer (along with the third water sign, Scorpio -- another rarity in UCW) and Ethan and I eventually got along swimmingly. Ethan had a calming effect on me (a rarity for someone as naturally stressed as yours truly) -- even when I was negotiating my way through heavy traffic on Boston area highways during rush hour. The day I spent with Ethan Axel Andrews is one of my fondest memories in recent history.
     Now, getting back to Danny...the Cancer personality is the least defined in the zodiac. The thin-skinned proclivities of Cancerians have manifested themselves in a broad range of public figures, from the sensitive and vulnerable Princess Diana (who bore life's slings and arrows with unfailing grace and dignity) to the violent and vengeful O.J. Simpson (who didn't).
     In keeping with my philosophy that a picture is worth a thousand words, allow me to share with you Danny Sticks' Facebook profile pic...

     Now, I'll admit that I totally freaked out when I saw this photograph. After my last UCW review was boycotted by everyone connected with the fed (only former UCW wrestlers Damien Flawless and Jax Briggs "liked" my Facebook notification -- the article was ignored by Bodyslam and not shared by the UCW-Wrestling Facebook page), I was ready, for the umpteenth time, to quit blogging about UCW. I mean, UCW lost My Beautiful Precious Johnny Deep (MBPJD) and Jax Briggs (the guy who kept me blogging after Johnny left) -- then everyone, even Michael Hannigan, was snubbing me -- so I was ready to throw in the towel. Then I saw this photo of Danny, learned that he'd be in the next UCW match, and here I am, banging away at my keyboard again.
     A competent photographer photographs only what he/she loves, and the resultant image causes us to love the subject, too. Just study Danny's face in the photo above. Notice the sensitivity apparent in Danny's facial expression and the hint of pain in Danny's eyes, which only enhances his beauty. Ignore the tats -- or, better yet, observe the tats in context and imagine them as bleeding wounds on the young man's psyche.

     I'm still trying to adjust to the attitude prevalent among UCW wrestlers that what happens on the mat is irrelevant to personal relations. In the case of match #374, I'm grateful that such an attitude exists. Even though Danny pulled an O.J. on Ethan, Ethan and Bodyslam continued to host Danny at their Woodlyn, Pennsylvania home (and even treated Danny to dinner on the eve of the video's release).

     Although Danny Stick's behavior in this match is thoroughly reprehensible, let's not give up on him yet. Like Hunter Day, Danny is just another young guy trying to make his way in the world. Befriend Danny on Facebook. Download match #374. Let UCW know that we want hot guys like Danny (and Jax and Johnny, who we miss dearly) to stay with the company long-term.