“Are you a banana laffy taffy? Because I fucking hate you.” – Mat Fitchett of the Besties in the World, Sep. 2018
Nothing is quite like seeing the Besties in the World enter an arena for the first time. Or the 10th time. Or the 100th time.
For those of you unfortunate enough not to be familiar with the tag team genius of the Besties, I want you to perform a quick experiment. I want you to imagine that you will perform choreographed hand gestures to the sounds of Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply”, and I want you to imagine that you will love every second of it. You can’t imagine this, but I guarantee you, you will do these things. And it will be glorious.
But a lot of things about the Besties are … non-traditional to say the least. They believe that the power of friendship will translate into well-synced tandem offense that will take their opponents by storm … and they are right.
They believe that in-ring antics will confuse, befuddle and anger their opponents into making mistakes … and again, they are right.
And they also believe that the Total Taker belly to belly piledriver / powerbomb combination is the most devastating move in professional wrestling … and they are most definitely right about that.
The Besties’ success in Kansas City is not news for long time fans. In a previous promotion, they rather brutally ended the reign of a veteran, savvy team made up of industry legends, and held those titles until the day the company closed.
But there was another team always lurking right behind … one nipping on their heels throughout their entire campaign. And while their attitudes may have changed for the better (somewhat), their viciousness … and will to win … has not. Nor have they forgotten the opportunities they feel they earned.
“Someone wants to call me out, that’s fine. Just don’t pretend you didn’t type it out when I see you again. I come from the real world where there are real consequences for the things we say. Wanna talk or fight? I’m not hard to find.” – Hoodie of the Left Coast Guerrillas, Aug, 2018
The last time KC saw Hoodie of the Left Coast Guerrillas, he didn’t have any backup. Jeremy Wyatt took advantage of the stricter rules set that he uses to defend his Gateway Heritage Championship to spoil his return to the City of Fountains.
So what does Hoodie do when faced with a setback? What he has always done to go from good to great. He turns to family.
Anaya and Hoodie share a brother’s bond that is hardened by years of strife and overcoming challenges. In their minds, nothing they face can be as daunting as what they have already overcome.
Together they are a monstrous, brutal force of nature that overwhelms their opponents with power and explosive bursts of quickness. They are savvy, experienced competitors that know how to employ rapid tags to save their energy … and use their full blunt force, preferably on an unfortunate opponent’s jaw.
Perhaps more importantly, Anaya is as tough as nails, and the familial bond he shares with Hoodie pushes the sibling rivalry … when neither of them wants to be the one to admit defeat, they simply refuse to lose.
With familiar opponents in a familiar city but an unfamiliar banner adorning the ring, the Guerrillas will do what they have always done: make a statement that this block may be new, but it is still theirs. And they will protect it by any means necessary.
KEYS TO VICTORY
BESTIES IN THE WORLD
- Be creative. Innovative offense is their best chance to neutralize the size disadvantage, and disorient the Guerrillas.
- Use “rope a dope” techniques to try to get the fired-up Guerrillas frustrated, and set traps to do damage when it succeeds.
- Use the environment creatively. The low ceilings at Kanza Hall may seem to benefit the more power and brawling based Guerrillas, but there are unique aspects about the space, including railings and a stage, that they can use to their advantage.
LEFT COAST GUERRILLAS
- Don’t get cute. The Guerrillas are as strong and hard hitting as any tag team out there, and the shortest path to victory may be the distance between fist and face.
- Tag frequently. The Guerrillas can neutralize any cardio disadvantage by constantly keeping a fresh man in. They need to avoid being cut off in the ring and keep up the pace.
- Use the home town advantage. Hoodie has claimed KC as his home, which means Anaya is defending his family’s home as well. This makes Journey Pro their hometown federation, and that crowd energy will be theirs to call upon.