Gauntleted, Part 1

On the 8/18/11 episode of Impact Wrestling, they held a “Gauntlet” match to determine the top contender for the championship belt held by Brian Kendrick.  A Gauntlet match is a series of quick matches where the winner stays in the ring and the next wrestler jumps in to face him.  Obviously it’s best to be placed near the end of the group, preferably last, so you can enter the ring fresh against an exhausted opponent and easily defeat him.

Gauntlet matches are used to showcase a bunch of wrestlers in a short time, giving each man a few minutes in the ring so the fans at least remember his name and finishing move.  The feuds and drama between different wrestlers can also be presented or re-heated by ensuring they face off in the Gauntlet.  It’s also a chance to introduce young talent to the fans, which is exactly what they did with Jesse Sorenson in this Gauntlet.

Sorenson entered the arena and walked down the aisle in a high school football letter jacket and carrying a football to drive home the point that he’s an All American Boy Next Door — the stereotypical wrestling Baby Face.  He’s young, handsome, and fit — everything we wrestling fans love to see punished.  Then they dressed him in a pair of shiny, eye-catching, cherry red trunks that keep you interested in his every move.

Sorenson performs well in the Gauntlet, generating fan interest that could keep this young stud on the radar screen for a while.  He would certainly be more interesting to watch than yet another Ric Flair — Hulk Hogan “Will-He-Have-A-Heart-Attack?” blood bath.   It seems young Sorenson knows a deadly Neck-Breaker move where he embraces the opponent’s neck from behind, bends him over to the left, then WHIPS him to the right and down to the mat, nearly twisting his head off like a bottle-cap.  It looks devastating and convinces the fans that this Sorenson may be a bit of a bad-ass.

Every good wrestler needs an enemy to feud against.  It seems Sorenson’s first nemesis will be Kid Kash — this tattooed veteran at ringside watching Sorenson suffer at the hands of Tony Neese (a miniature Chris Masters.)   Several times during the Gauntlet we see Kid Kash watching with interest, seemingly eager to get his hands on the rookie’s red trunks.