Plot, Character, Style, Theme, Spectacle, and Lyricism


 








Two good ... no, make that awesome ... wrestlers, PAC and BUSHI, lock up in this video of a New Japan Pro Wrestling match on June 9th. BUSHI, 5'6", 183#, new to me and to this blog, is a Japanese wrestler fond of and experienced in Mexican lucha libre. He's been in pro wrestling for five years, previously under the names Tetsuya Shimizu and T28. UK wrestler PAC, 5'8", 171#, a familiar face (and physique) to these pages, has been dubbed "The Man That Gravity Forgot" for his jaw-dropping aerial acrobatics. 

What I like about this match and, in general, other NJPW matches I've watched online is the mix of elements in a single match. Both these guys are renowned high-flyers, yet they don't overload the bout with a continuous round of moonsaults and shooting star presses. Instead, they start off low on the mat with basic grappling holds and then open up to classic catch-wrestling theatrics in and out of the ring, well before they show what they can do off the top ropes. 

I feel like I'm getting a full meal in a match like this (lacking only the dessert, which perhaps only gay underground wrestling supplies). My basic food groups are met: action, aggression, body contact, justice, glimmering physiques, and grace. PAC dominates the first half of this nine-minute contest. BUSHI turns the tables at the halfway point. Rapid reversals in the last two minutes make the outcome unpredictable. Last, there is a solid finisher to put this baby to bed. Call me a happy man.

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