2021 Ongoing MOTY List: Gacy vs. Troy

29. Joe Gacy vs. Desmond Troy WWE 205 Live 6/29 (Aired 7/2/19)

ER: What the holy hell is happening on WWE's D programming? Here we have a 205 Live match between a stud amateur wrestler and a CZW asskicker, neither within 50 pounds of 205. Who's in charge of anything these days? Did somebody know that this match happened? How did Joe Gacy vs. Desmond Troy happen? This match is the kind of match that makes trawling WWE's unnoticed programming a worthwhile effort. This was an out of nowhere style clash and showcase for a guy making his debut and a guy making his re-debut, and it ruled. It started with some nice armdrag work and athleticism, with Troy showing off eye catching leapfrogs and floating kip ups while Gacy slammed into him as hard as possible with a shoulderblock. Gacy kept hitting harder the longer this went, getting impressive impact on standing clotheslines and even more steam with a few feet of headway. Gacy's clotheslines really move Troy and Troy is no pushover, and it builds to Gacy throwing a forearm shiver that would make Ron Simmons flinch. The more Troy got rocked with Gacy's gravity, the more he upped the wrestling. Troy had some absolutely insane gutwrench suplexes, lifting Gacy from deep bends and throwing him far, then throwing him into his own knees. When Troy hits an overhead belly to belly, it looks like Scott Steiner hurling an eyes-closed job guy to his doom. I dug these two slamming into each other and the way both were believably being thrown or slugged, it created a feeling that anything could happen. A match where someone gets realistically stopped by a punch to the chest is a match that should be celebrated. Here it is. 

PAS: Really fun match which didn't feel like a WWE match at all. Gacy hits super hard, and I loved how Troy wouldn't take a back bump for every shot, sometimes he would just get stunned or staggered. WWE style is heavy on constant bumping so it is cool to see someone get their bell rung. Troy had crazy athleticism, his double leg was super fast, his leapfrog was super high and I loved the gutwrenches. Gacy was much more of a brawler, and this almost had the feel of a Buzz Sawyer vs. Red Bull Army New Japan match. The back handspring into the lariat felt unnecessary, but that Lariat was nasty enough to end any match. Really got me excited to check out more Troy, so of course this was his last match, and he was cut a month later. What an idiotic company.

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST