Kamakazi Kid Vs. Marcellus King at Fire Star Pro Wrestling "Path to Glory"
A Video Experiment
I shot this video of The Kamakazi Kid versus Marcellus King using an experimental technique that had long been on my mind. I shoot pictures and video for a wide variety of events, including local professional wrestling shows. I've wanted to experiment with using a small secondary camera to shoot "B Roll" video while taking pictures.
I mounted a Kodak Zi8 to my Nikon3100 DSLR to see what kind of footage I could capture alongside my primary goal of taking still photos. The results weren't what I would consider professional quality. I would never use video of this quality for a client's project. However, the video does capture some decent amateur footage, and as a highlight reel it fills in some of the action between photos for the reader. I will be experimenting more with this technique in the future. Enjoy the video and my coverage of the match.
The Mid Atlantic King
Marcellus King is two time Heavyweight Champion in the South East. A former Heavyweight Champion of Pro Wrestling Evo, and Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion of CWF. As a ringside cameraman, I've known King for a few years. He has the style of a giant wrestler. He may not stand as tall as say, Kevin Nash or The Giant, but he does have that almost supernatural strength that categorizes giant wrestlers such as Andre the Giant or brick-built beasts like Goldberg or Batista.
King used to tell his fans that he wasn't a mean guy, he's just here to win whatever it takes. When I first met Marcellus King, I used to refer to him as the "Gentleman Giant". He was brutal, savage, and full of aggression in the ring, but a friendly enough guy outside. That is not Marcellus King, the self-proclaimed "Mid-Atlantic King" now. He comes to the ring to hurt his opponents; to humiliate them. It isn't enough to win. King is here to destroy. He doesn't care about the crowd's opinion. He wears the hatred of the fans like it's a fancy cape.
Size Matters
At Right:
Kamakazi Kid isn't tall per se, but he's taller than your average masked wrestler, most of whom use high flying luchadore tactics in the ring. Kamakazi doesn't fly quite as high as his smaller bodied counterparts, as he has more of an average sized wrestler's build. Still, you can see that Marcellus King towers over him and has a dominating size advantage.
Marcellus King is Bad News
Below:
King spent most of the match brutalizing and taunting the Kamikaze Kid. When he wasn't raining punishment and insults on Kamikaze, he would turn his anger toward the crowd. Marcellus King's stint as leader of "The Cirkus", a heel faction of Pro Wrestling EVO, turned him into a mean spirited and dirty competitor. At the previous Fire Star Pro Wrestling event, King pulled a child out of the crowd and used the little girl as a shield against his opponent.
CHIKARA Tactics
If you've never seen CHIKARA Wrestling, I suggest you check it out. CHIKARA stands out in professional wrestling for it's more playful and character driven take on pro wrestling. Many CHIKARA wrestlers have flamboyant masked personas and wrestle using a variety of "super powers" you won't see in more main stream professional Wrestling. It's not unusual for a CHIKARA wrestler to hypnotize or paralyze an opponent using mystical techniques or to use invisible weapons in the ring.
The Kamakazi Kid shocked the crowd by "pausing" the action inside the ring. While the referee and Marcellus King remained frozen, "Kazi" (KA-zee) changed things around to his advantage. I was impressed by the unexpected use of what I can only think of as CHIKARA tactics from Kamakazi Kid. It was a huge hit with the crowd and led his path to victory.
Above:
King was in full on Beast Mode, largely dominating the match with his brutality. He tossed Kamikaze into the corner like he was pitching a fastball. Kamakazi Kid hit the corner with such force, rather than slumping down to the canvas, he bounced over the ropes to a dangerous landing on the floor. Definitely one of the scariest near-misses I've seen as a camera operator.
Kamikaze Kid's "Path to Glory"
The event was Fire Star Pro Wrestling's first Heavyweight Title Tournament, called "Path to Glory". It certainly was the road to glory for "Kazi". Despite Marcellus King's brutality and taunting, the Kid used his remote control well, defeating King and advancing to the finals.
Although another opponent later got a hold of Kamakazi's remote control and used it against him, Kamakazi Kid was able to battle his way through to become FSPW's first Heavyweight Champion.
Check out Fire Star Pro Wrestling
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