Bo Bearly vs Grizzly Jim (Bear Battle) - UK Wrestling Hub

If, like me, you are fascinated watching two people with personal history beat the shit out of each other, then you will be interested in this match-up between Bo Bearly and Grizzly Jim from UK Wrestling Hub.

They've actually fought each other plenty of times before in one of UKWH's earliest releases, their 3-way chain match with Leon Cyrus (check out my review of that here), and 8 different FFE Wrestling videos. With their long history and affiliation as tag team partners it should be no surprise that any battle between these two is sure to be a corker.

As with many battles between teammates the initial argument here is who's better?

The match has a very tense beginning

The Bearly Bros' trademark charm and wit quickly fades when the argument begins. After a brief but tense shoving match it becomes clear that these two aren't holding back against each other, much to our benefit as viewers. Within the first five minutes we're treated to a back-and-forth war in the form of sleepers, facial claws, head stomping, nut crushing, and arm bars.

Bo and Jim waste very little time between moves in the beginning of this match. It seems like they're much more invested in dishing out pain than winning the match the traditional way.

Jim in a spot of bother

As evidenced in the above gif, the cameraman captures a lot of the action very well and gives us some fantastic closeups at just the right moments. The setting, UKWH's classic small ring, feels like the perfect setting for a battle between these two bruisers—there's no escape.

It's difficult to understate how well these two lay into each other. There's a moment after the camel clutch where Bo picks Jim off the canvas with by his hair, Jim later retaliating by stomping on Bo's hand. The number of moves per minute used in this match is seriously impressive, even compared with some other studios. That's also without praising the sheer variety of wrestling on display.

Bo Bearly beneath a boot (are you tired of my alliteration yet?)

As you might expect, Bo and Jim are incredibly well-matched opponents. One Brother will spend some time inflicting hurt, but it won't take long before the other finds the opportunity to exact his revenge. It's evident this has become a match of endurance, and it feels like they both come to that realization as well.

A staple of UKWH matches is the level of grit. There's a kind of down-to-Earth straightforwardness in a lot of their matches which I sometimes miss in some of the larger studios. The small space, the single cut (yes!), and the history between them make this battle feel all the more personal. I sometimes find it difficult to get into a match when there's some long set-up involved, an overly complex narrative, or convoluted stipulations. UKWH shines in its simplicity, and this match is a testament to that.

Who comes out on top here?

Bo and Jim wear each other down as the match draws on. Each mini slugfest and every painful hold contributes to their exhaustion, but that doesn't diminish the effort. At one point Bo charges into his Jim on the turnbuckle and dislodges one of the ropes! I'm not sure if that was intentional on his part or not, but later on he uses that very rope to try and choke Jim out.

"You really wanna do this?"

Overall, Bo Bearly and Grizzly Jim excel in a stunning and exhausting battle against each other. I did have my reservations going into this considering how many times they've slugged it out: would this just be the same as the others? The answer is kind of. Not in a bad way, I must clarify. Many of those other matches are great and this serves as a wonderful addition to that collection. I think this is Bo and Jim at their best. The cherry on top, if you will. If you've enjoyed their previous work, you will definitely enjoy this.

This match, as labelled on UKWH's Watchfighters, is a legacy match, meaning custom video. I don't know how detailed the request was. Did they have a detailed script? Were the bears just told to have at it? Either way, I must thank the requester for enabling the creation of this match in all its glory.

Bo Bearly vs Grizzly Jim (Bear Battle) has a runtime of 28:23 and can be found exclusively on UK Wrestling Hub's Watchfighters here.