Matt Lott is in the studio for one of the final times, as he recaps Aaron Solow’s big title defense on the past episode. Tonight, Solow takes on the “King of Swerve” Shane Strickland, and the winner moves onto the season finale against Jeff Cobb.
Aaron Solow is feeling good coming into his next match, as he got a big momentum boost from making MJF tap out last episode. He isn’t feeling 100% coming into tonight, but he’ll be completely fine. He’s a fan of Strickland, and calls him the most creative guy he’s ever seen in a ring. Swerve is confidence, and Strickland has traveled over the world to prove he’s one of the most confident competitors in the business today. Dojo Pro is just another opportunity for Strickland. Solow calls Strickland one of the most gifted guys there is, and Strickland says it took him nine years to master the sport, but now look where he is. Solow will never face another competitor like Strickland again.
Dojo Pro White Belt: Aaron Solow (c) vs. Shane Strickland
This was an absolutely great match, and the best of the series so far. Both men were crowd favorites, and pulled out all the stops to impress. Things started off hot, with tons of great sequences. After the pace slowed down, it was Strickland hitting his big move, that being the Swerve Stomp. Solow surprisingly kicked out, which really got under the nerve of Strickland. Strickland went from being a fan favorite to hated when he grabbed a chair, and threatened to use it. The way the fans turned on Strickland in this was amazing. Solow superkicked Strickland, and sent him back inside to hit the huge DDT, which still wasn’t enough! Strickland had nothing left to do but tap when Solow locked in the cross-face and picked up another huge win, making it to the season finale next week. This was AWESOME.
Winner: Aaron Solow
Match Rating: ***3/4
Rob Johnston reminds Aaron Solow that he has one final test, that being against Jeff Cobb. Before Solow addresses that, he says that Strickland took him to the limit here tonight, and he’s feeling really beat up, however today Aaron Solow was better than Shane Strickland. Solow doesn’t want to share his strategy for next week, and he hopes Jeff Cobb saw this match, because Solow will once again be victorious, and take home the Black Belt.
Final Thoughts:
This was the best episode of the series so far, and that’s saying something since we still have the finale to come. Solow vs. Strickland was a great match, that featured an amazing turn of Strickland. Strickland probably could have won the match if he just went up top for another Swerve Stomp, but instead he let his anger get the best of him, and he wanted to use a chair to inflict more damage. Aaron Solow got an amazing babyface story here, and his run has been great, you could argue the best of this season. Next week we get a beaten down Aaron Solow taking on a fresh, dangerous heel in Jeff Cobb. This was the best match so far, so who knows what we’re in for next week.
Final Rating: 7.8/10
If you would like to watch Dojo Pro, you can purchase Season 1 for $19.99 here or watch it for FREE with your Amazon Prime membership.