Rising Sun

Two of my favorite wrestlers, El Generico, 6', 181#, and Kota Ibushi, 5'11", 190#, clash over the KO-D Openweight Title in this dozen-thrills-a-minute match from DDT (Dramatic Dream Team) last October. Both wrestlers are well matched in size and skills, both equally endowed with liquid grace and volcanic bang. The finish to this beauty is crazily unpredictable. 

Generico was in my peripheral vision for years before I saw him wrestle live, at which point I turned huge on him. Few men are his equals for holding the spotlight in a wrestling ring--CM Punk, Ricochet, and Chris Jericho are the only names that spring to mind at the moment. This is a highpoint match for El G, his most magnificent since his feud with former tag partner Kevin Steen, perhaps his most magnificent ever. I hope now that WWE has signed him up it won't be the last we get to see of his greatness. 

Concerning Kota Ibushi, I have kidded about his ultra-manga haircut, but the guy's metrosexuality (to use an ultra-dated term) is in fact part of his appeal for me--to say nothing of the creamy smooth muscled body and its apparent weightlessness in the air (which turns to sledgehammer force once it smacks an opponent). 

Together in the ring, these guys are something extra special, combining sportsmanship and violent intensity, drama and athleticism. Not usually a fan of the aerial acrobatic stuff of post-1995 pro wrestling, I nevertheless tip my hat to these high flyers, who keep the nonstop action as physical as I like it to be--with as transparent transitions between show-stopping moves and cartilage-snapping holds as you'll find anywhere.

Watch the entire 20-minute match, plus elaborate setup and interviews (Generico speaks English with a Spanish accent even with a Japanese translator), here.