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thistledropkick · 9 months

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Last year, Kasai Jun was interviewed as part of the interview project DEATH, which interviews various people about death in order to find a better understanding of how to live and appreciate life.

I thought it was a fascinating interview, so I decided to translate it.

Please go visit the original interview - the photography accompanying it is absolutely gorgeous.

Also, please don't repost this whole translation elsewhere. If you want to quote an excerpt of my translation for something, please make sure to also credit the original team behind this interview and link back to the original interview.

Deathmatch Fighter Kasai Jun - 4/27/2022

“It’s not a deathmatch until you return home alive” The reason this 47 year old Charisma Wrestler continues to shed blood in the ring

Within pro wrestling, there is a genre called “deathmatch.”

An extreme set of rules that allows deadly weapons and has no disqualifications. Brawls with fluorescent light tubes, and dives onto barbed wire boards. Without hesitation, wrestlers stab their opponents in the head with fistfuls of bamboo skewers. When wound-covered bodies violently collide, shards of glass and sprays of blood shower the ringside seats.

Upon first seeing it, surely everyone thinks “Why are these people hurting each other like this?” “What the hell am I looking at?”

This is the world of the man known as “Charisma,” professional Wrestler Kasai Jun of the independent promotion Pro Wrestling Freedoms.

In November of 2009, he had a “razorblade board plus alpha deathmatch” against Ito Ryuji in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Kasai, 35 years old at the time, dove from the second floor balcony, a fall of 6 meters, onto a table, aiming for his opponent Ito.

Afterwards they continued to fight with various weapons, in a match that concluded 15 seconds before the 30 minute time limit. That year, this match was awarded the Best Bout award. And Kasai, the winner of that match, became a living legend overnight.

12 years have passed since then. Kasai is now 47 years old, and he continues to rule over the world of deathmatch wrestling. Under the weight of many literal life-or-death battles, Kasai’s body no longer moves the way it did when he was young. Even so, why does he continue to set foot in such a dangerous place?

We asked “Charisma of Deathmatch” - a man who makes the crowd go mad in the space between life and death - about his views on death and on life.

Desiring to truly feel alive

- Normally, people try to avoid pain and suffering. Kasai, why do you continue to shed blood in the ring?

Hahaha. From an outside perspective, you must really wonder “Why do you keep doing something so painful” huh? That’s a normal way to feel. But from the wrestler’s perspective, it’s completely different.

In your normal daily life, do you ever feel like “Ahh, it’s so glorious to be alive”? You’d almost never unconsciously blurt out something like that.

But in a life or death battle in a deathmatch ring, after you step down from that ring, that’s exactly what you feel. “Ahh, I’m alive. I’m so grateful to be alive.” Because of that, I can’t quit.

Mountain climbers and stuntmen probably feel like this too, don’t they. Stepping into a situation where their life could end, and returning home safely. I wonder if they’re searching for that feeling of being “truly alive.”

This feeling is passed on to the audience too. Fans often tell me “Watching Kasai Jun’s deathmatch gives me the strength to continue forward.”

They say things like, “I’m being bullied at school so I wasn’t going to go any more, but now I feel like I can keep going.” Or, “It’s exhausting to keep going to work, but after seeing Kasai persevere while shedding blood in the ring, I can persevere and keep going to work.”

Recently I can’t do this much because of covid, but in the past when I’d sell merch, fans would often say things like this to me.

Because of this, it seems to me that deathmatch wrestling is simultaneously a way for wrestlers to feel truly alive, and a way for those who watch it to feel more positively about living.

- Because of the sensational way “death” is shown in the ring?

Probably, yeah. Because it looks like we’re doing something really painful.

But don’t get me wrong. We aren’t in a particular hurry to die. And we aren’t wasting our lives either. What I always say is, “It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.”

[Note from me - this phrase (生きて帰るまでがデスマッチ) is a play on a well-known Japanese phrase 家に帰るまでが遠足 “The field trip isn’t over until we return home.” This started as something a teacher would say to students in their care, and Kasai has altered it into his motto towards both himself and other deathmatch wrestlers.]

- It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.

If you get in a ring where you might die or get seriously injured, and you do die, or you do get seriously injured, you’re no different than a rank amateur, right? But a guy who dives into a deadly dangerous situation and returns from that ring unharmed, he’s the absolute greatest and the absolute coolest.

Like a stuntman, right? If he returns home alive, people say “amazing,” but if he dies, he’s no longer a pro.

At 35 years old, his view on life did a complete 180 during a match

But, when I was young, I thought about it completely differently. I never thought “I’m grateful to be alive.” In the ring, I did dangerous stuff and defeated my opponents. I just thought of it as my job.

The more dangerous stuff I did, the more people said “Kasai is amazing!” That felt really great. Every time I stepped into the right I thought, if something goes wrong and I die I guess that’s how it goes. I thought “Deathmatches should be a memento mori.”

- What caused such a big change in your values?

That match against Ito Ryuji in Korakuen, in 2009. It changed my mental state by 180 degrees.

The truth is, I went into that match thinking “This is my last match before I retire.” Because it was my last match, I would do everything I wanted to do. Win or lose, I went into the ring thinking “I’ll retire.”

But during the match, my feelings completely changed. I thought “If I quit like this, I’ll be half-dead.” There’s nothing else I want to do, and I’ve never felt joy like this anywhere else. It was just too much fun.

So, after the match ended with 15 seconds remaining, I announced my decision to continue wrestling. “I was thinking of retiring but, I’m gonna keep going.” That’s what changed.

- Since your values have changed so significantly from when you thought it’d be good to die in the ring, what’s your “ideal death” now?

Spending the day with my family as I always do, watching tv with an after-dinner drink as I always do, getting comfy in my futon as I always do, and passing away. That’s the best death, isn’t it.

I’ve said it before but, people who say “It’s my ambition to die in the ring” are just trying to look cool. For a pro, it all comes down to returning home alive. And so, I believe that when the life of Kasai Jun the human being comes to an end, Kasai Jun the wrestler will die as well. I want to be a pro wrestler until I die. That’s how I feel now.

When I was young, I thought the best time for a wrestler to retire was when he could still move, when people would say “It’s a shame, because there’s still more he can do.” But if that’s true, I’ve already missed my best time to retire.

Since I’ve come this far, maybe it’s better to keep doing this until my death. Since around the time I turned 40, I started thinking this way.

Gaining years = leveling up. I’ll reach my peak just before death.

- Since you’ve been doing this for so long, it’s inevitable that your body has become weaker. Kasai, how have you dealt with aging?

The word “elderly” is a concept created by human beings, isn’t it? Since that’s the case, I believe it’s something we can absolutely overcome. I don’t think increasing in age is the same as becoming elderly.

Look, it’s true that my physical stamina has decreased and my muscles have gotten weaker than they were when I was younger. But my will and my spirit have continued to grow. Instead of just breaking even, I think I’ve leveled up. 47 years old is level 47. I now see growing older as a positive, like leveling up every year.

Because of that, my peak has yet to come. I’ll reach my peak just before I die. I’ll be at my strongest just before my death. That’s the ideal I envision for myself.

There was a time when I felt insecure about my age. When I hit my mid 30s, I hated that my body was becoming weaker.

But then, while drinking at home and watching a documentary on TV about (rock musician) Yazawa Eikichi, I realized something. “If you think about it, uncool young people are uncool, and cool guys are cool even if they’re old.” Since then, my way of thinking changed. I started calling getting older “leveling up” at around that time.

[Note from me: Suzuki Minoru also refers to getting one year older as “leveling up” in the exact same way. They are friends, so I assume Suzuki got it from Kasai.]

- I'm surprised that a pro athlete who uses his body as a weapon would think of aging in that way.

Pro wrestling and deathmatch are unique among sports. Unlike say, track and field, or swimming, it isn’t a competition where every second counts. I can’t move the way I could when I was young any more, but through my facial expressions, pauses during matches, and so on, I have many ways to express myself.

A guy can be handsome, macho, with great muscles, and completely suck as a wrestler. In contrast, a guy like me who’s ugly, short, and middle-aged, can get support from the fans. It’s a completely different genre, and that’s what makes pro wrestling so interesting.

- What about your emotional struggles? In your documentary film you said you were having some difficulty maintaining your motivation, which you described as “Deathmatch Erectile Dysfunction”

Yeah, well, that can definitely be a problem. When you’re young, you’ve just got piles of hopes and dreams and things you want to do. But as the years go on, and as you accomplish those things, you can kind of get lost.

What’s helped me increase my motivation has been the existence of people who make me think “I absolutely don’t wanna lose to this guy” or “I don’t want this guy to take all the best stuff for himself” In my case, for example, that’s been (fellow PW Freedoms deathmatch wrestler) Takeda Masashi. Or, although he’s from another organization, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s El Desperado.

That’s why for the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve been asking people to “stimulate me.” I want intimidating people to keep approaching me. Well, on the other hand, if they take the most delicious part for themselves, that’s a problem.

A fear of death led to a “selfish life”

- Incidentally, perhaps it’s too late at this point, but do you worry about being injured or dying?

I said it already but, “It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.” Since I’m a pro, I have the skills required to do this without death or injury.

But, it’d be a lie to say “I’m not afraid.” Even now, for several days before a match I get so stressed that I can’t sleep. Despite how I look, I get plenty scared. Much of my life has been driven by a strong fear of death.

- How do you mean?

It sounds silly, but when I was in grade school I believed in “The Prophecies of Nostradamus.” Have you ever heard of it? “In the year 1999, all of humanity will be destroyed.” Every night I shook with fear in my futon, thinking that my life would end at the age of 24.

Propelled by that fear, I concluded, “If the earth is gonna get destroyed anyway, I should quit studying. Instead I should use the rest of my remaining lifetime to do stuff that I like.” I completely quit studying, and instead spent all my time watching pro wrestling, which I loved.

Conversely, my fear of death also led me to become a pro wrestler. After graduating high school, I got a job in Tokyo as a security guard, but I gave into temptation and visited brothels daily. One day I happened to be reading a magazine with an HIV checklist inside, and almost every item applied to me.

At that time, I still thought “AIDS = death” so I thought “Oh, this is AIDS.” “Oh, this is how I’ll die.”

Luckily, when I got tested the result was negative, but after preparing myself for death, I thought “I really should do what I want” and knocked on the door of Big Japan Pro Wrestling. My life has always been influenced in this way.

- I get the impression that many wrestlers die at an early age. Since then, your fear must have increased.

Nah, that’s not really true. I’m surprisingly practical about the deaths of others. I just accept it, like “That’s the kind of life you lived.” I suspect my fear of death isn’t a fear of death itself, but a fear of becoming nothing.

- A fear of becoming nothing.

I’m no (actor and spiritualist) Tanba Tetsuro, but if after you die, you go to the spirit world, and cross the Sanzu river, that’s not all that scary is it? I wouldn’t go so far as to say “it’s fine if I die” but there’s some kind of hope or meaning. But if “After death, you become complete nothingness” “After death you feel no joy or sadness” I think that’s really scary.

But these days, I don’t experience that fear of death as much as I used to. If after this interview a dump truck hits me and I die, I wouldn’t have any regrets. I could say I did what I wanted to do.

Pro wrestling is a business where you depend on your popularity with an audience, but I’ve never tried to flatter the audience to get sales or support, or thought about how to increase my popularity. Ultimately, Kasai Jun puts himself first. I’m my own number one.

To die without regrets is to win at life

- But, if someone wanted to imitate your way of life, I think most people would be profoundly afraid of not getting by financially, or of being rejected by society. Why do you think you remain stoic in the face of such fears?

What’s there worth imitating about me? If you’re selfish like me and you can change it, you should want to!

But, this is probably related to that “fear of becoming nothing” I mentioned earlier. Ever since I was little, I’ve thought stuff like “This whole world isn’t real” and “Maybe all of this is just a dream.”

Nothing in this world is certain. Since that’s the case, all you have are your own body and your own feelings. In short, I don’t believe in anything but myself, so I put myself first.

- So in order to “feel truly alive” you throw yourself into the painful world of deathmatch wrestling, which leads us back to where we started.

That’s right. I guess you could say that pain is the only thing I believe.

But when I was young, I did understand the fear of not making enough money to survive. When I was around 30 and my son had just been born, I was seized by that fear.

Really, I was broke, and I couldn’t even pay into the National Pension Fund like I was supposed to, so I went to the ward office and said “I do intend to pay, so please wait a little.” I thought to myself, “Living is so expensive and so difficult.”

- A deathmatch fighter scary enough to quiet a crying child, with such an everyday problem.

Three years after my debut, when I was around 27, I was badly injured. I quit Big Japan, and after a year’s absence, I transferred to a different group called Zero-One.

Zero-One was founded by ex-New Japan Pro Wrestler Hashimoto Shinya, and the pay was good compared to Big Japan, and they held a lot of shows, so I could wrestle frequently. The environment there was very pleasant.

But, due to the policy of the organization, I couldn’t do the deathmatches that I love. During that time as a “salaryman wrestler,” I survived, but I think deathmatch fighter Kasai Jun, pro wrestler Kasai Jun, was completely dead.

“I really should do the pro wrestling I want to do,” I thought, and I quit Zero-One, and persisted with the pro wrestling that I love. Maybe that’s why I feel like I can now “die without regrets.”

Ultimately, if you live your own life as you wish, and think “I have no regrets” when you die, you win. Maybe people today have lost sight of the essence of what it means to live. It’s fine to work hard at your job, but if you’re spending every day miserably, is that kind of life really okay with you?

I’d rather live for 20 years and laugh every day than live for 100 years and never smile. If you’ve lived for 100 years and never laughed, that’s the same as being dead, isn’t it?

写真：本永創太 ~ Photographer: Motonaga Souta

執筆：鈴木陸夫 ~ Author: Suzuki Atsuo

編集：日向コイケ（Huuuu）~ Editor: Hinata Koike (Huuuu)

#kasai jun #jun kasai #pw freedoms #pro wrestling #deathmatch #my translation #This is definitely the longest thing I have ever attempted to translate!#I've got nobody checking over my work or anything like that so as always apologies for any typos or errors that I didn't catch

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selamat-linting · 2 months

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harry du bois could have been a great pro wrestler. inexplicable facial hair, huge bicep girth, insane pain tolerance, ability to run around all day and not get tired, homosexuality, drama skills, and he got good poor little meow meow energy. he even treats his suffering as a performance art! and if anyone doubt his mic skills, just remember that in pro wrestling, it doesnt matter if the promos are coherent or true. it just have to be captivating. he might not be a pipebomb guy but he could do a great cream of the crop style of promos. kim kitsuragi's there to be his manager anyway :)

#disco elysium

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bayleymania · 5 months

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As a general rule, if you're a professional wrestler, you're just.... allowed to commit crimes, provided your victim is another professional wrestler. There will never be legal ramifications for your actions and your boss seemingly can't fire you, even if what you did was clearly illegal and also televised to millions of people.

Be it petty vandalism, public intoxication, public indecency, assault, battery, breaking and entering, larceny, grand larceny, destruction of private property, hacking, theft of an emergency vehicle, animal abuse, racketeering, kidnapping, arson, attempted murder, successful murder, desecration of a corpse, cannibalism, or just about any other type of crime, so long as you only do it to another pro-wrestler, you're not gonna suffer any legal or employment related consequences.

Kayfabe is fucking weird

As long as you do it to another pro-wrestler AND there’s a camera there to tape it all and then televise it or share it on social media. These people are committing crimes on live tv and we are just letting them!

This is such an incredible way to illustrate what wrestling is and how kayfabe works. Send this to any person who ever asks you what wrestling is.

#ask

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babblingeccentric · 1 year

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Strawhat Real World Jobs

Yes Oda did give out alternate jobs for all the strawhats in an SBS but I will die before I accept Zoro as a cop and I have a few other quibbles and elaborations I'd like to put forth for Modern AUs. I want you to keep in mind that I'm writing this from a distinctly US American point of view so some of the job cultures may be slightly different to your locality.

Luffy- Firefighter: this one is correct. Luffy needs a job that is highly physical with low organization and intelligence requirements (sorry) This man is not going to college. He isn't a hero but there's no other legal way to get the adrenaline rush he needs. Also firefighters have a higher tolerance for fistfighting than other jobs, but not as much as construction. I think he could do construction labor if needed but I also think he would get bored. He would also be a PR nightmare as a professional athlete or wrestler. Could make it as a YouTuber but only if someone else edited his videos. Honestly YouTuber Luffy is your best choice if you want to preserve the feel of canon in a modern world.

Zoro- Cop: I'm sorry Oda but this is dumb as shit. Zoro would get asked to serve an eviction to a struggling mother of three or clear out a homeless encampment and quit on the spot. Or he would get into fights with other cops and get walled out and have to quit. He could still be a swordsman as a professional Kendo fencer? Athlete? Idk what they call those but he'd go on the pro circuit and absolutely decimate. He'd teach at a dojo in the off seasons. I'd also see him as an athletic trainer. I think Zoro could make it through college

Nami- Nursery School Teacher: While Nami is canonically very fond of children and quite good with them this feels like kind of a cop out. I think meteorologist suits her skills really well and I think she could kill it in the looks contest that weather anchors have to play.

Sanji- Stylist: I love this one so much. Idk what the original was but a stylist in the US refers to either a personal stylist which is a person who picks rich people's outfits or a hair stylist which is a person who cuts and styles hair, usually women's. Both jobs are associated with flamboyant gay men. He goes to his job and he gasses up women and calls men ugly for eight hours and then comes home and cooks Luffy dinner because he got texted a picture of the most fucked up eggs you ever did see that morning.

Ussop- Graphic Designer: I honestly have no notes. Yeah Ussop can hold down a steady job, and yeah it should be art focused. What is art but lying anyway?

Chopper- Grade School Teacher: This one is just so cute. He's got a childishness to him that makes kids like him and he has a soft caring personality that makes him good at his job. He can also be strict when he really has to. I agree Chopper would be a great elementary school teacher

Franky- Pilot: I guess? The thing is I think flying a plane for a job is both stressful and boring and I honestly don't think it suits him as well as say mechanic. I think Franky would be great as a mechanic souping up hot rods and doing weird custom jobs and he would be very entrenched in the local car scene. I also do just love mechanic characters

Robin- Flight Attendant: We all know this is just for Frobin reasons. And while the idea of a hand sprouting from your fold down tray to serve you your in flight meal is charming Robin deserves better than being Franky's beautiful assistant. Also I don't wish customer service upon her after all her suffering. I think she would be a great lawyer. She's smart, she's eloquent, she's poised- she'd kill it in the courtroom. She does corporate law for Crocodiles unethical company for a ridiculous sum before quitting to start her own firm and defending Luffy's numerous aggravated assault charges cause she likes him.

Brook- Detective: I'm not really sure why they picked this but I now want a detective story where Brook runs around solving mysteries (wait isn't that just skullduggery pleasant?)

Jinbe- Train Station Attendant: This is really cute, but we all know he'd be a retired yakuza boss. Maybe in some wild world where none of the strawhats turn to crime. I think he would be a local institution and know a lot of people and ask them about their families and such

#strawhat pirates #one piece headcanons #one piece strawhats #straw hat pirates #mine #i kinda ran outta steam with jinbe #sorry jinbe #My writing

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nervousspacerobot · 23 days

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Who are your favorite characters from the TF Marvel comics, and why?

SHIT OKAY

1. Ratchet my beloved. He's tragic and deserves happiness, and I love him so much. He deserves better. He cares so much, but god he suffers. They do so much for him with writing and linking his character to both Megatron and Optimus. I love him so much he deserves a few parties.

2. Optimus. DEPRESSED MAN! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! STOP DYING PLEASE! He also cares so much, but he is so mentally ill. This Optimus is so depressed and gets major trauma from the early run of the comics. He's not the best in this one leadership wise, but he's still Optimus and I love him.

3. Bumblebee. Yes yes it is cliche for me to love Bumblebee. Yet another yellow robot. But I love him so much. He's a little guy who gets himself in trouble a lot. He starts off with the worst self esteem issues known to man but, we can see his character grow and develop, and he really comes into his own. He also yells at god, so that resonated with me a bit because of my own personal struggles.

4. Shockwave. MENACE! HE IS A MENACE! He's on par with Megatron with villainy. He's a certified threat. Honestly, he's a bigger threat than Megatron sometimes. He's written so well, and I like how he insists on his logic, yet we can see his emotions clash with this insistence with later issues.

5. Starscream. Pathetic asshole. Tries to be god. His hubris is his downfall.

6. Blaster. Coolest dude there is. Good leader. He honestly should be in Transformers more. He's confident and level headed and so well written.

7. Roadhandler. Autobot Micromaster. Becomes a pro wrestler. Great with kids. Good role model.

8. Skullgrin. Decepticon Pretender. COOL NAME! Becomes an actor. He's the best.

9. Grimlock. BASTARD! ASSHOLE! He's so funny to me. He's on par with Starscream in treachery. He's the stupidest guy I ever met. And he's stupid. (He's not that stupid.)

10. SCROUNGE! Scrounge, I love you. You were in one issue.

#robot answers #my favorites can change and I like more than this I just can't put more #transformers marvel

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unchartedthelostlegacy · 7 months

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"What's it like inside your head? Air raid sirens? You always look constipated, china."

Nadine was stretching her arm over her head, and gritted her teeth. Behind her, Chloe walked into the room, slipped by her, and flopped onto the bed.

"You're not funny."

"I can make fun of constipation," Chloe said with a laugh. "As a sufferer myself."

"Didn't need to know."

Nadine stepped over to the clock radio. It was on her bedside table, a dependable model she had used since...studying at a university in America?

It was some miracle it wasn't melted shrapnel by now.

"You don't...actually have air raid sirens going off in your head?" Chloe's voice was nervous.

Nadine clicked the power button. The energy of Ukhozi FM filled the silence.

Why exactly had she let this clown into her life again?

Chloe had to be reminded to help with weekly cleaning like she was a kid. She forgot to turn off water and lights sometimes. Nadine had exhaled through her teeth numerous times, remembering that people who grew up in different countries, countries where load shedding and saving resources wasn't as common, had different habits. And also didn't apparently clean the fucking bathroom ever.

But Chloe wasn't going to get away with the constant. mocking. commentary on her facial expressions. Nadine owned her face and she did what was natural to her with it. The angry black woman trope bullshit could go fuck itself.

"Why...don't you run over to the shops for bread for tomorrow, Frazer?"

Nadine finally sat, not looking behind her.

"Because you're mad at me," Chloe mumbled. "And you won't let me back in."

"You could just pick my locks and get back in. Don't be ridiculous."

"You're doing that deep breathing and jaw clenching thing, mate. I'm not stupid."

Yes you are were the words Nadine so badly wanted to say.

"Go on, the bakery's not far," she said instead, keeping her voice level.

Behind her, Chloe must have punched the mattress, or at least elbowed it, or maybe just thrown her back against it violently. She heard Chloe's sharp exhale of breath.

"I'll go in the morning. When it's actually fresh."

No she wouldn't. She'd forget.

Nadine took a deep breath (guilty as charged) and ran her fingertips under the openings of her socks. She always slept in socks. They went on right after she dried her feet after showering. Chloe had made some sort of stupid comment about that too.

"You...know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Chloe swallowed.

Nadine felt a hand against the small of her back.

"You could say 'you're annoying, Chloe, I need some quiet time by myself'. Instead of sending me off on some bollocks errand. Use your fucking words, mate."

"You wouldn't listen."

Nadine said it with a scoff. She pulled her legs, finally, into bed. She sat cross-legged and reached for the wireless earbuds in the drawer.

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep," Chloe whispered with venom.

"Ja? I'll kill you wide awake."

The hand on her back gripped into her T-shirt's fabric. "You really don't think I'm worth speaking to anymore, Nadine?"

"Nothing I say gets through that thick skull anyway," Nadine snapped, "Why bother?"

"Oh it's fucking--ON--"

Nadine felt the grapple around her neck. Oh no. Not both of Chloe's poorly defined arms. Scary. She slammed her elbow into where she knew Chloe's open armpit was and half-turned, flattening the woman into the sheets with her upper body.

"Don't go becoming a pro wrestler," she said into Chloe's red-angry cheek. "Horrible form, that."

"Did you--"

Chloe fell silent, and Nadine felt her ribs fill with a gasp. And then she, also, heard the telltale vibrating clatter of Chloe's phone.

The treasure hunter must have left it on the counter. Or on the bathroom sink. Or on top of the fucking fridge. Nobody left their phone in more baffling places than Chloe J. Frazer.

"Look at that, your boyfriend's calling," Nadine said, releasing her pressure-point grip. "Bet you never told him he looked angry."

Chloe slapped her across the face.

It was so quick. Nadine didn't know how Chloe had sat up that fast, or where the wind-up had come from, but clearly those arms were better defined than Nadine gave them credit for.

Because at least one of her ears was ringing and her cheek was Soviet nuclear submarine's core levels of hot.

As she blinked, holding the side of her face, Chloe's words on the phone in the kitchen blending together, Nadine took another deep breath.

She should have gone out for the bread herself. A walk did wonders when you were, yeah, okay, angry.

#chlodine #chloe frazer #nadine ross #uncharted #the lost legacy #uncharted: the lost legacy #fanfic #angst #established relationship #arguments

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supakixbabe · 2 months

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Two men. — no, kids! Two kids had a dream, maybe even a vision. They wanted to be “Pro Wrestlers.” They wanted to be different. Break the chains and shatter the norm in pro wrestling. They wanted to build a legacy, and after realizing what they could do. What they could accomplish; they were never complacent — always hungry for more, as everyone should be. They built friendships along the way and eventually, they started a YouTube channel. They started with YBTV, then created BTE. They had other one’s here and there, but those were the main. They shared their journey - ups and downs. They let the fans in. They saved so many fans suffering in life by just being themselves and putting on 5-6 star performances, and they built an empire from scratch.

ALL ELITE WRESTLING.

But they’ve never ONCE been given their flowers by people, and if they did receive something… It was gone later down the line. And it will always sadden me to hear so much hate and harassment thrown their way.

The revolutionized pro wrestling, and what thanks do they get? Nothing. Hate. Harassment. Bullied. It’s unfair but these men handle it with so much dignity and self perseverance, and I am so blessed to be a long time fan.

I love, adore, and support the Young Bucks. Always have. Always will. They took a risk and it paid off. I have taken risks because of these men, and so far, it’s paid off.

Blessed. Humbled. And Appreciative of two strangers - who have felt like family because wrestling is a family - but they will never get the recognzition they deserve until they are dead.

And it breaks my heart.

Bucks, if you cross this anytime in your lives, just know… A LOT OF US appreciate, love, and thank you for changing the world of pro wrestling. 🤍

#wrestling #matt jackson #aew #the young bucks #nick jackson #young bucks #the elite #being the elite #nicholas jackson #matthew jackson #all elite wrestling

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blowflyfag · 4 months

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Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 1995 THE YEAR IN WRESTLING. March 1996

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR RANDY SAVAGE: 20,036 votes

This wasn’t supposed to be an eventful year for Randy Savage. The “Macho Man” was going to devote himself to his broadcasting duties and compete in the ring only occasionally, right?

Wrong!

It didn’t happen, and that’s why Savage has won Comeback of the Year.

Savage stunned the wrestling world when he left WWF for WCW but not as a wrestler/broadcaster, but as a wrestler, period. The rumors immediately began: Was he back to form an alliance with his old WWF friend Hulk Hogan, or was he going to begin a vicious feud with his old WWF enemy Hulk Hogan?

At first, it was neither. His primary focus was on defeating another old hated foe, Ric Flair. Although Savage suffered his first WCW loss to the “Nature Boy,” at The Great American Bash, he beat Flair in most of their matches around the circuit and beat him decisively at Bash at the Beach. In the process of those matches, and several against Big Van Vader, Savage proved that ring rust had not at all eaten away at his legendary skills.

“Randy’s probably in better shape now than he’s ever been,” said Sting. “I’ve really been impressed. What impresses me most though, is his enthusiasm. After all these years, he still gets excited about matches.”

In tag team matches, Savage looked just as sharp, teaming with Sting and Hogan for several memorable encounters. Both Savage and Hogan have admitted there was some tension between them on those occasions, but most observers believe it is a tension that worked to the team’s advantage.

“They both were trying to prove to each other who the stronger part of the team was,” said Broadcaster Gene Okerlund. “That made the team more dangerous.”

For Savage, though, no comeback will be complete without a World title, which means friends won’t necessarily be friends for long. He might have to go through the “Hulkster” to get that WCW World belt.

“Savage came so far this year, so you can’t expect him to play second banana to Hogan,” wrote Perry Christopher of Dayton, Ohio. “I’m sure he has a lot of respect for Hulk, but he won’t let anybody keep him away from the World title.”

There’s no more coming back for Savage. He is back. Unless of course we create a new award: Comeback Broadcaster of the Year.

RUNNERS-UP

THE HEAVENLY BODIES: 9,863 votes

First runner-up: For most of the year, the Bodies were completely overlooked in the WWF. Then they decided to go back to their roots. Within three days, they won both the Smoky Mountain and USWA tag team titles. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray gave notice to all those who were beginning to believe they didn’t belong in the big-time anymore.

SAVIO VEGA: 7,931 votes

Second runner-up: At In Your House I, Vega rescued his old friend Razor Ramon from an attack by Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie. That brought acclaim to a wrestler who, until early-1995, hadn’t done much for a long time. In June, he advanced all the way to the finals of the King of the RIng. In Puerto Rico, he used to be TNT. In the WWF, he has star potential.

THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR: 5,784 votes

Third runner-up: One of the most popular wrestlers of the early-1990s, Warrior hadn’t competed for two years when he defeated The Honky Tonk Man in Las Vegas back in July. Since then, he has wrestled a series of matches in Europe for the Catch Wrestling Association. It’d be no surprise to anyone if he capped his comeback with a move to a major federation.

VOTES FOR OTHERS (29,450)

Some of the top vote-getters who did not capture a runner-up spot include: Chris Benoit, Marty Jannetty, Kamala, Raven, and Dick Slater.

#macho man #macho man randy savage #randy savage #wcw #world championship wrestling #pwi #pro wrestling illustrated #magazine scan #magazine transcript

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pin-crusher2000 · 3 days

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Earth 66

1) Story you would write for Chris and Jon if it’s up to you?

2) Story you would write for the Grayson-And’r kids?

3) Between Chris and Mar’i , who’s likely to wake up before the other and make breakfast for them?

4) Favorite Pro Wrestlers for both New Young Justice and Young Titans? (If they’re into that)

5) If Chris and Jon were a wrestling tag team, what’ll be their theme song?

Good questions @paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 :D

Aftermath Zod: after the battle & death of his father, General Zod, Chris decided to stay in his room suffering from depression after betraying his family & earth working as a sleeper agent. Jon goes into his room to check up on him & tells him they would always be family no matter what. (Chris is a little jealous that he isn’t the bio son) they both hug, crying into each others shoulders.

2: Young Fight Club: taking some ideas from Victor Zassz hosting a underground fight club for kids, however the host is either: a OC named Knuckle, a 14-16 year old thug who runs a kid gang kidnapping children to fight, OR OR in a au, Colin Wilkes who is a villain after so much mistreatment from the foster care system. (Here he has no venom powers, just beefy muscles) (both has brass knuckles or gloves that can hurt metahumans)

Jake & mar’i decides to look upon some missing kids posters & mange’s to find a underground fight club; Jake, wearing something gangster looking (XD) decides to be undercover fighting others (other tough looking kids) & mar’i sneaks away to save the missing kids.

The final battle ends with Knuckle/Abuse getting his butt kicked by Jake & mar’i; he ends up with drawings on his face & his underwear pulled up from his butt.

3: hmmmm Chris, definitely thanks to his mom & dad, but mar’i does cook too. (With either partner wrapping their arms & hands around the other’s stomach, with a kiss on the cheek.)

4: (only doing the members that might watch wrestling)

Jon Kent: John Cena, Undertaker, Seth Rolllins, Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hottie, Daniel Bryan, Kane.

Hunter Trevor: Roman Reigns, Sheamas, CM Punk, Edge, Cody Rhones.

Hector Hall: Chris Jericho, The Shield, CM Punk, John Cena, The Rock.

Jake Grayson: John Cena, The UnderTaker, Brock Lenser, The Rock, Roman Reigns.

5: definitely Too Cool’s “you look fly today.” Fits them perfectly XD or maybe the Superman theme with both running around the “stage” with white shirts, jeans, & shoes, plus a red blanket for Jon & a blue blanket for Chris wrapped around their necks.

Thanks for the asks! Let me know if you got more! :-)

#chris kent #jon kent #youngtitans #jake grayson #mari grayson #newyoungjustice #hunter trevor #hunter prince #hector hall #hawkboy #colin wilkes

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menonlywrestling · 3 months

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HAIR PULLING - Part 2

Nasty cheating Heels will always go for the hair, if they get into trouble during a match. And sometimes they just do it cause it turns them on to humiliate their opponents. Their favourite being pulling jobbers up by the hair before the three count, so they can brutalise them some more

#beefy muscle #gay wrestling #big beefy bears #beefy daddy #wrestling singlet #pro wrestling #vintage pro wrestling #gay bear #suffering pro wrestlers #bloody wrestling

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wrestlingarsenal · 2 months

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No padded mats for this poor chump! I always loved it when they tossed their soft jobbers out to the hard floor, then Suplexed or Body-Slammed them on the concrete deck to bust their backs. It was easy to fantasize that the sadistic fucker was truly harming his jobber, especially when the jobber sold it like the worst pain of his entire life.

#classic wrestling #shirtless male wrestlers #suffering male #tossed out of the ring #suplex #dangerous pro wrestling

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thesupreme316 · 1 year

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darius martin x female reader. the reader works for aew as a part of the creative team and one day she makes a mistake in the match card which causes sammy guevara to yell in her face and give her an anxiety attack, however darius is there to comfort her and *almost* attack sammy bc he's in loooove with the reader. ends in a relationship?

Favorite Girl (Darius Martin x Fem!Reader):

Genre: Fluff, Angst, FriendstoLovers

Summary: When you suffer from an anxiety attack, Darius knows what to do to calm you down.

Word Count: 1,785

Supreme Speaks: hehe, sooo this is a long one (probably the longest I've ever written). anywhoosies, I hope @hooks-martin and everyone else enjoy it. I put images in this imagine (something I might start doing for the rest of my fics) ALSO, i hope everyone is doing well and remember you are loved and appreciated.

Warnings: slightly proofread, mentions of anxiety attacks

Taglist (if you wanna be a part of it, lemme know): @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @triscillal @sheinthatfandom @diabloguapos @wwenhlimagines

Growing up, you always wanted to work in television production. And you always wanted to be a wrestler. So when you were deciding your future career goals (and figuring out you weren’t that athletic), you decided to combine the two and wanted to become a promoter or producer in a wrestling company. After just graduating from college and working the independent wrestling scene since you were 16 as a manager, you soon got calls to work backstage at different companies. Then at 22 years old, you were signed by All Elite Wrestling.

At the fastest-growing pro-wrestling promotion, your roles in the company include creative writer and creative producer. So basically, you help out with storylines and the gimmicks of wrestlers and personnel. Even though for the most part wrestlers create their promos and “scripts” by themselves, they still have to ask for the okay and help now and then. As you are the mentee of your boss, Tony Kahn, you are hit with tasks every day: getting coffee, talking to talent about their storylines, approving promo topics, running meetings about how storylines should go, and explaining to Eddie Kingston why he cannot stab Claudio.

You were a friendly face amongst the talent and other backstage hands as you were the delicate words to Tony’s rough actions. And then with you being one of the youngest members of AEW’s personnel, everyone saw you as their little sister; The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Ricky Starks, Renee Paquette, Dustin Rhodes; even Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston adore you. As you walked into the arena for AEW Rampage, you were stopped by your best friend, Skye Blue (who helped you with the drink tray as you had held two bags).

“Girl, you look like an intern from New York,” Skye said giggling.

You sighed, “I might as well as be one. Tony has been moving at level 100 this past week. Ratings and pressure from the locker room have been getting to him lately.”

“What do you have to do today?”

“Umm, finalize matches on the card, talk to Max about his rap, create an outline for the creative meeting, listen to MJF rant for ten minutes again,” you were cut off by your cell phone alerting you about a text, you read your screen and continue to talk. “And talk Eddie out of murdering someone.”

Skye laughed, “Sounds like a full day. But I’m surprised to hear that your day doesn’t include one person.”

“Who?” You asked as Skye stopped in her tracks. “What?” She just raised her eyebrows and winked in response. Your eyes widened as you realized who she was talking about. “Shut up!” You started walking faster to the backstage table for producers.

Skye was talking about Darius Martin, one-half of the incredible tag team Top Flight. Ever since you arrived in AEW, you’ve been interested in Darius. He and his brother Dante were the first friends you made in AEW. They even invited you to join their friend group with Hook and Anthony Bowens. Darius was everything you wanted in a significant other: smart, kind, insanely funny, athletic, and most importantly reliable. He was there every time you needed something, it didn’t matter whether it was 3 PM or 3 AM, he was always there.

But somewhere down the line, you were convinced not to pursue a relationship with him. You didn’t wanna ruin the friendship that you had with him, especially when you couldn’t tell if he liked you back.

As you sat your stuff down at the production table, Skye sat the coffee cups down. “Why don’t you ask him out? It’s clear that you like him.”

“There are multiple reasons.”

“It better not be because of me and his brother.” She said raising an eyebrow, to which you gave a small smile. “Y/N!” Another reason why is that you knew Skye and Dante were exes (and you did not complicate their relationship). “Okay, you need to understand that what happened between with me and Dante was between us. I don’t care that you like his brother, it’s not like you’re breaking the girl code. Besides, you have to be a complete idiot if you think that Darius doesn’t like you.”

“I know that for a fact.” You said through your teeth.

A voice from behind you spoke up, “Know what for a fact?” And just from the honey and smoothness in their voice, you know for a fact that it was Darius right behind you. You turned around to his beautiful brown eyes gazing into yours. Honestly? You almost either jumped in his arms or melted right then and there.

“That Tony likes his coffee lukewarm.” You blurted out quickly.

Darius shrugged and said “Ew, lukewarm coffee, I knew he was a weird dude. Anyways, are you ready for the hangout tonight? We were thinking Dave and Busters, they don’t close until 1.”

“Yeah, but I might have a meeting afterward, so I might be late.”

“That’s okay, we’ll wait for you.”

“Really? For little old me?”

“Anything for my favorite girl,” Darius said with a smile. To you immediately looked down and started blushing (automatically feeling butterflies from the nickname). He gave you a quick hug (and what you could have sworn was a kiss on the crown of your head) and told Skye bye before leaving. Looking back up, you see Skye with a shit-eating grin. You quickly dismissed her and sat down, getting ready to tackle the day.

Hours later, you completed everything on your to-do list and found some downtime. You found yourself texting Darius with a wide-ass grin on your face.

Just as you were about to respond, you were met with a booming voice, “What the fuck is this shit?” You looked up to see Sammy Guevara walking over to you with an angry face. He put his phone in your face with the phone reading Sammy Guevara vs Eddie Kingston.

Looking back up, you said, “What’s the problem?”

“Why am I wrestling Eddie? That literally makes no sense! Eddie has no business in the ring with me!” He said standing over you. You quickly got up to put distance between yourselves as people turned their heads to see what was going on.

You stuttered out, “Tony made the match and told me to confirm with the production crew.” It was true. Tony wrote the matches on tonight’s card and gave it to you. At first, you admit, it was strange and you questioned him; but he brushed you off as he was busy with other things (so you decided to let it be).

“No! No, Tony would never be this stupid! You are horrible at your job! I don’t know why he has a kid doing this job!” He got closer, yelling at you. You started to slightly hyperventilate as you don’t do well in high-pressure situations (and certainly not when someone is yelling two inches away from your face). Due to your anxiety, you hated confrontation and tried everything to avoid it; including taking responsibility and moving on. Your eyes started to water as he continued yelling, “Oh you’re gonna cry?!”

You quietly said, “I’m sorry”

“I bet you are! You better fix this or-“

“Or what Guevara?” Another voice spoke up. You turned to see an angry Darius marching up to Sammy with Dante, Hook, and Anthony not far behind him. As soon as he got in Sammy’s face, Darius pulled you behind him (essentially shielding you). He pushed Sammy which caused him to get back in Darius’ face, “You ain’t gonna do shit, you better back the hell up.”

“I-”

“You’re not gonna scream at her, she was just doing what-“

“No! She’s screwing up tonight! My-”

Darius raised his voice, cutting him off, “She was doing her job! Now either you accept your match or you take it up to Tony when he gets here. But you’re not gonna yell at her, not while I’m here.” Sammy glared at you before stomping away, curse words and all. Darius immediately turned to you and hugged you, softly caressing your hair. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” You shook your head as tears fell down your face and as your body was shaking due to your hyperventilation. He quickly ushered you to his locker room, where he sat you down and gave you a water bottle. You took various sips as he went through the 5-4-3-2-1 method with you. As you got down to the final step, your breathing slowed down and your tears dried. “Name 1 thing you taste.”

“The lint from your shirt mixing with this water.” You said, making him laugh. “Thank you for helping me and calming me down.”

“Don’t thank me, I’m supposed to do that. Truth be told, I want to fight him.” Darius said, rubbing your arm.

“Well, good thing you didn’t. But again I appreciate you so much.”

“Of course, I got your back. As a friend or something more.” He said, his voice drifting off.

Your eyes widened as your head turned toward him. “Darius, what?”

Darius slightly chuckled, “I really thought I was obvious. Y/N, I really want us to be more than friends. I don’t ever want you to feel disrespected, especially when I’m in your life.” He grabbed your hands. “You should never have to feel anxious, especially when I would do anything for you. I will always be right there for you.”

Your eyes sparkled and your heart thumped at the words. “I didn't think you liked me like how I like you. But, would you really do anything for me?” You asked.

He nodded his head, "Anything for my favorite girl." Your heart fluttered at the familiar nickname yet again.

“You promise?”

“Here’s my promise,” Darius said as he leaned in and gave you a long yet soft kiss. “Y/N, I will do anything and everything for you. I promise to make you the happiest woman on Earth and I promise to give you my all. If you accept me as your boyfriend.”

Giggling, you said, “Of course, I would love for you to be my boyfriend.” Darius kissed you again as knocking occurred at the door. In rolled, Hook, Dante, and Anthony checking up on you guys. While Darius was explaining your newfound relationship, you got a text.

That night, you walked away from the arena happier and more relieved with your new boyfriend in tow.

#aew #all elite wrestling #darius martin #darius martin x reader #darius martin imagine #aew imagines #all elite wrestling imagines

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romiswired · 2 days

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HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Ueno (c) (DDT Judgement 2024 - 5 Hour Special in Korakuen)

Watch and learn.

Whenever I see someone like HARASHIMA taking someone like Yuki Ueno to a whole other level in a pro wrestling ring I usually smile because there's hope for wrestling as a sport and as a struggle. In fact, wrestling has been falling apart in that aspect at least in the West because many people just reject the idea of in-ring storytelling or are not trained well to see it with their own eyes and without some guy screaming shit on a microphone.

This match is in essence the perfect way to prove pro wrestling is more than just wrestling, and the perfect example of a wrestler who, in an attempt to build his opponent as a credible threat, shines in a performance of his own. Guys, HARASHIMA is like 50 years of age, he shouldn't be wrestling at this level and he shouldn't be a guy who could have one KO-D title reign right now and no one will complain. Ueno on the other hand is the New Ace in DDT, and he has grown as a wrestler in comparison to where he was standing in 2020 and 2021, where his matches (while good) didn't seem to hit me like his recent work does.

I think that's because Ueno has comprehended the absolute truth behind pro wrestling and the secret for it to be good: It needs to be a struggle. You need to suffer because suffering is the only universal thing any person can understand. After all, it hits us the same, and while Ueno suffers like hell in this contest, I can't help but focus on HARASHIMA's subtle but excellent character work. He's now the veteran making sure the young guys have what it takes to carry with the company, he's no longer DDT's Ace like he was before and as he reaches 50 years of age, there's an eternal struggle with the fact the only rival he can't beat is time itself.

That written fate he's doomed to live is the thing that resonates in his body and just makes him continue wrestling at this pace, even if his body is hurt and he can't do the same things he was able to do years ago. HARASHIMA's current work can be compared with the likes of Hiroshi Tanahashi's 2018, where he understood the assignment and saw the potential hidden in one last big run as the Ace of the Universe. HARASHIMA is not having a big run, but nonetheless, people support him in this match because he's that damn good and because that's the dynamic that follows. You can't hate a good Old Ace vs New Ace match.

Don't get me wrong, Ueno is a solid contender for Wrestler of the Year in my books, but he's not the protagonist in this match, and I will dare to say he's the antagonist because there's something cocky behind his attitude that I can't seem to get out of my head. I don't know if it's the shitty smile, or the idea Ueno does not take this match seriously for the first 10 minutes, but I can't seem to believe Ueno is essentially the hero in this one, and it's harder to even consider that option when the literal HERO of DDT is standing across him in the ring.

I don't know, maybe I'm a sucker for true and honest babyfaces. Maybe I want someone to make me hope for a better future. Maybe I relate to HARASHIMA's struggle in this match because I'm also attached to my past and parts of me yearn to go back, but time will not allow me to do so, therefore, I have to live in the present and face the wrath of the almighty Father Time, who is always reminding me I'm growing and things are getting hard by the hour.

I'm still an 18-year-old who's learning to live and love again, and I'm not the most fitting person to understand or sympathize with HARASHIMA's struggle as a 50-year-old veteran who's just fighting with his heart and soul for one last big run where people realize he's still their Ace, but god damn if there isn't something so contagious about his resilience that inspires me and makes me want to be like him. A hero for his people. An inspiration for his peers.

Needless to say, this is my Match of the Year, and I don't think any match will hit me as this one because of everything that happens in between. Just last week I saw a match that people considered the best match of the year and I gave my honest opinion on it and how it was not better than this one. I decided to rewatch this one to see if I was just biased with my opinion: But I was right. The reason behind its superiority is the basic premise of selling.

Wrestling matches just work better when you give a fuck about the fundamentals and continuing a narrative in the ring.

HARASHIMA's selling in this match is top-tier, and I think I've been saying that for the past 5 years, but I can't talk about this match without praising Ueno's explosiveness and delivery in some of his moves and offense. There's this joke about him being an Ibushi clone, but that's not right because he's plainly better. He was not that good years ago, but he has improved more than any other young wrestler who's aiming to be an Ace in a Japanese company. I will not say I'm talking about Kaito Kiyomiya.

I don't usually pray for people to watch a match, but please, go out of your way to see this one. I don't know how many times I need to repeat DDT is the best wrestling company in the world today but if I have to do it 100 times for you to watch this one and engage in the same spectacle as I did, I will get on my hands and knees for you to live this experience and see how a true Match of the Year looks like.

Is it better than Bryan Danielson vs Will Ospreay?

Absolutely, and as I said, it's not better because it has more moves and sick spots. It's good because it has selling and two wrestlers who are cooperative with the other and are not trying to get their shit in for the sake of it. Neither Ueno nor HARASHIMA is an Ospreay-type wrestler who just wants to get over and pop the crowd in the emptiest way possible, but two athletes who understand the importance of telling a story in the ring and the obligation wrestlers have to look vulnerable when needed. That makes the match so good. It's honest, and that's something needed.

#ddt pro #yuki ueno #harashima #ddt judgement #ddt wrestling

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