Braden Charron balked at first when we mentioned the word audition. Braden is already a known quantity in the underground wrestling scene, and at first he seemed almost, well, offended that we wanted him to do a screen test with Angel, who, as a former state champion and the Arenas principal trainer, usually checks out talent before we enter their names on the roster. We need not have worried. Bradens ego was not as fragile as we feared. Hed fight anybody, he told us: Bring em. And once he caught a glimpse of Angels arrogance and cocky, know-it-all attitude, the new guy wanted nothing more than to step on the mat with him and knock that chip off his shoulder. Braden has some height and weight on Angel, but both wrestlers are similarly built: tough, hard-muscled specimens of manly power through and through. Angel has been put up against big opponents plenty of times, and hes met few men of any size he couldnt deck in under twenty minutes. Angel advances in a traditional wrestling crouch, only to find Braden ready to throw punches and play it rough. Brave man, that Braden or foolhardy. Angel
pushes the big guy to his knees and slips him into a paralyzing chickenwing. Braden tries to slug his way out, but Angel only tightens the hold. Angel clearly enjoys punishing and belittling the big man. I'm a veteran, he boasts. Youre nothing. Then he hoists Braden up over one shoulder and walks him around the mat, just to prove his point. This match measures up to the name rough and ready. Even a little blood gets shed in the ruckus. Despite differences in mass and training, Angel and Braden are well matched, engaging in an exciting give-and-take contest that features bearhugs, killer clutches, bodyslams, leglocks, Boston crabs, brutal headscissors, full nelsons, spine-rocking gut punches, and a climactic torture rack. Angel tests just how ready the new guy is for the stiff competition at Thunders Arena!
