Wrestling is a largely imperfect form of art. There's almost always something to nitpick if you look hard enough. And I usually will. I only gave one match five stars all of last year. This is that match.
Pro Wrestling at its core is about personalities. A great wrestling personality can convey itself in front of an entire arena without needing to utter a single word. Both of these men did that here. They jumped each other right from the get go and proceeded to beat the shit out of the other man for the next twenty or so minutes. There's no fancy moves, there's nothing that awes you from an athletic sense, there are no impressive counters and there are no breathtaking near falls. This isn't to say any of those things are bad, but this match didn't need a single one of them. This match had the single coolest spot in all of wrestling for 2017. That spot was just a man getting pelted in the face with a case of beer. When this whole wrestling thing is done right all it really takes is a man dressed up as a skeleton hurling beer to make the fans go crazy. And it's all it takes to make me go crazy too.
Now some might wonder why I don't criticize the fact that the match had an obvious fuck finish because neither wrestler wanted to lose. I have two answers for that. First off, this match didn't really need a clean finish. I don't think it gains a single thing from someone actually winning or losing it. They showed up, they hit each other a bunch and they left. It never felt like an organized sporting event that needed some kind of decisive winner or loser. Second, it feels even more pro wrestling for neither man to be willing to lose. In a match that really encapsulates the aesthetics of professional wrestling and what makes it so cool that might even be a more fitting end than an actual finish. They knew they can do it again and keep getting paid, so why end it here. It's wrestling at its finest and would make Onita proud.
I can't ask for anything else out of a wrestling match. This hit all my hypothetical checkmarks. You will see a lot of technically skilled and athletic wrestling matches from 2017, but I can promise you you won't see one as dedicated to the spectacle that is professional wrestling as this one.
*****
You can watch the match here.
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