The Most Unique Match of the Year Is Happening September 27

Will Thatcher be this cheerful after Gage is done with him?
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Timothy Thatcher and Nick Gage have made headlines in wrestling in parallel lines this year. Thatcher's rise from local big fish in a small pond on the West Coast to a nationally-known scion and head #grapplefuck lad has been impressive this year. As polarizing as he can be, Thatcher has still garnered enough acclaim to become the EVOLVE Champion. Gage started the year in prison, but since being released in the spring, he's become one of the hottest tickets around, not only in the deathmatch circuit, but in other promotions like Beyond Wrestling and Absolute Intense Wrestling. His style is anything but the refined, British-influenced grappling that Thatcher purveys. Instead, he looks to put his opponents down by hitting them as hard as he can with whatever he can find lying around the ring area.

One might not think putting them together would be a logical idea, but then again, Denver Colorado (the man, not the place!) is not one to think inside the box. So, at Powder Keg on September 27 in Somerville, MA, he has booked what is probably the most unique match not only of this year but of the past couple of years. Gage and Thatcher will share a ring with each other, and I honestly have no idea what to expect when that bell rings. Then again, expectation can be the enemy of enjoyment, and the unpredictability of seeing a pure brawler like Gage go up against an archetypical grappler like Thatcher is the draw right there.

Of course, Thatcher will be coming off three matches the night before at the Greatest Rivals Round Robin event, opponents being Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards, Biff Busick, and Drew Gulak. Gage will also wrestle at the event, taking on "The Product" David Starr. That last weekend in September could end up being memorable for both guys in their own way, and it's fitting that they'll cap it against each other.

Gage/Thatcher is only one of four matches announced for Powder Keg so far. Andrew Everett vs. Donovan Dijak, Chris Hero/JT Dunn vs. Michael Bennett/Matt Taven, and of course, Shynron vs. Ricochet are all on tap too. Following up the Greatest Rivals event with a show this explosive would put any other promotion on the map. For Beyond Wrestling, however, stacking a weekend in that manner is business as usual.