Mat Matters: My ‘Big Little’ thoughts

Arin De Castro

Ivar The Micro cruising his car around the ring.
Ivar The Micro cruising his car around the ring. Photo: Discovery Channel

The reality TV show Big Little Brawlers just finished its season finale. This was a series that I have been covering for the past six weeks since I started my internship here at SlamWrestling.net — although, technically I started creating pieces way before my internship had even started. It was a great opportunity to cover the show so I took it.

I had interviewed Ivar The Micro before the show’s debut, and then after its second episode, I interviewed the show’s couple, Pinky and Syko. It was all a great experience.

But does that mean that Discovery’s Big Little Brawlers should get a season two? Let’s dive into the good and the bad of the show.

What was good about the show?

The show definitely had some moments and good stories to follow. I really enjoyed following Ivar the Micro and his dream of participating in a match as a wrestler. Andrew the Giant’s weight loss journey provided the show a lot of funny moments. The show also did a good job visually. Every match that was shown on the show, I was able to see almost every move. The setting of where the person(s) were clarified clearly. Big Little Brawlers also emphasized the risk it was for micro wrestlers and how it can be dangerous for them, which is not something I really thought about while watching Hornswoggle when I was younger.

What stood out the most is the sheer volume of people they featured. There were eight main members that the show followed, which is impressive considering how long the season ran for.

Of course, in reality TV there needs to be drama, and it provided that in many ways: family drama, rivalry drama, comedic drama. The best of them was the rivalry of Lil Show and Hot Rod, pitting experience against the up-and-comer. At first, it seemed like Lil Show was trying to become a mentor for Hot Rod, especially after an accident which led to Hot Rod getting concussed, but the season finale revealed that Lil Show had backstabbed him, which is something they can follow up on if there is a new season.

Micros listen to Jack.
Micros listen to Jack. Photo: Discovery Channel

What was bad about the show?

The show had head scratching moments in terms of comedic relief and editing as a whole. Some endings to some episode were cut off without any smoothness to it, making the show not have the impact they thought it would have going into the next episode. There were also moments when the voiceovers seemed very different from the voice of who it was supposed to be. This can either be because they had to re-record it with different microphone quality, or it was not the same person to begin with. On a major station like Discovery, it was jarring — this wasn’t a homemade YouTube video.

In terms of comedic relief, it seemed like they didn’t know how to implement it. The scenes seemed forced in between a dramatic heated argument, and would just completely ruin the flow of the episode. It led to me just not wanting to finish the episode sometimes.

Another problem with Big Little Brawlers is that sometimes it seemed like they added that reality show magic by overdramatizing some of it, particularly, when it was between Pinky and Syko. It just seemed like there was always a problem in their relationship or they were a lot more mad at each other than it seemed like they were.

Does it makes sense for Big Little Brawlers to have a second season?

The good and the bad can’t be the only thing to determine whether or not it should get a second season. Like Grey’s Anatomy, it should have ended long before it did.

For Big Little Brawlers, is there anything to really follow for the hypothetical season two? The answer is yes!

The show can still follow the Hot Rod and Lil Show rivalry, it can still follow Andrew the Giant and his weight loss journey, the show can continue following the relationship of Pinky and Syko. We would probably see less of Ivar because he has accomplished his dream, but there are plenty of other Micro wrestlers that can fill the time. Lid’l Lexi, who is on her journey of becoming a wrestler, is intriguing. Just about any member of Micro Wrestling likely has a great backstory to share.

The show also had better ratings than AEW Rampage, so there is an audience for it.

What do others think of the show?

There is not much feed back from other websites, however, IMDb has ratings for the show at a 8.7/10 stars. This is very high for IMDb. Google also says that 93% of viewers liked the show. This is a good sign for the potential renewal of the show.

Should Big Little Brawlers get a second season?

I vote yes, for what that matters. But they must make the improvements on editing, comedic relief and flow of the show. The new season would also need an extension of episodes. Six episodes seemed too short and it felt like there could add at least four more episodes. The extra episodes can cover more of the people or whatever happens on the road. The following season should also cover another road to the next Microfest. Hopefully the show does get a second run, because I’m just going to miss our favorite Micro wrestlers.

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