Marc Merino almost matches Maverick in size. Chained to the turnbuckle, this gravel-voiced valiant wastes no time in showing Maverick that he’s nobody’s bitch by offering up a double-handed shove that seems to surprise the master. 

“I dunno. You’re kind of big and scary. Should I let you off the chain...see what you got?” 

With the chain still in place, Maverick feels out his soon-to-be opponent’s power, wrapping his arms around the big guy’s neck and gently maneuvering him around. Maverick’s no fool. He’s going to assert his dominance while Merion is still in chains, cutting off circulation to his shoulders and walking him around the ring like a dog while delivering punishing kicks to the torso and back-bending chain chokes. 

You need a guy like Maverick to brutalize a warrior like Merion, and Maverick drags his play toy around the ring by his feet, astonishing us not for the first time with his pure, Herculean strength. 

The action here is slow, thoughtful, almost methodical. When two guys this big tangle, you want to relish every single second of wrangling ferocity with leisurely applied leg torture, camel clutches, Boston crabs, and a mind-blowingly brutal lower-leg attack involving a metal folding chair clamped over Merion’s leg like a fucking bear trap!

Total Run-time: 31 minutes