No More Fun for You
High-flying, super-kicking Tucker, 5'7", 194#, challenges man-mountain JDP, 6'2", 282#, in this championship match for Pro Wrestling Ulster (shot in May and telecast the following month). Thanks to Dale for messaging me with the YouTube link via Skull Island's Facebook page.
Ah, the Irish! As a kid I boned up on Native Americans and Italians, joined by African Americans and Jews in my early twenties, but for the past twenty-five years my hard-ons have mostly favored the Irish, especially those whose faces constantly flicker between existential sorrow and righteous rage. (I generalize, of course, but then I freely admit to a number of unflattering traits attributable to my Germanic roots--a heart that sometimes pumps ice water through my arteries, especially on view in my grim sense of humor and response to constructive criticism; ugly eruptions of schadenfreude; and an unhip taste for kitsch and sweet white wine.)
The match, which starts at the 9:45 mark, is gripping. My standout moments are easy to spot:
- the wrestlers' good-will hug at the start (9:58),
- the little kids who try to help Tucker back to his feet at 13:29,
- any number of shots that demonstrate how well packed Tucker's trunks are (let's just go with, at random, 16:22 for an example ... fourth photo above),
- not one but TWO knocked-out refs (at 17:16 and at 25:25),
- JDP's DDT (17:25),
- Tucker's leaping takedown at 20:56,
- a feckin'-unbelievable piledriver at 26:21, followed by Tucker's 10-second parade of facial expressions (26:32-42 ... last photo for just one of them),
- and a tasty bit of referee malfeasance at 27:40.
Joe first off, thank you for reminding me of Tucker and the PWU. I hadn't checked in for a few months and boy have they come along!
ReplyDeleteIn earlier times Tucker was one hella of a hard chav - he took the knocks and beatings that would make you squirm! Now he's back full-grown, bearded, stacked and packed!
Secondly Irish wrestling has really exploded in the past 3-5 years with several great new promotions - which is absolutely fantastic. Its not a surprise given the number of Irish wrestlers around the world from the Dunne Brothers in the UK, those Big Aussies as well as plenty of Irish-Americans and Canadians!! The Irish love to fight for sure - but also to wrestle. A fact often overlooked back at home. We make natural fighters, grapplers, brawlers ...
Lastly I am genuinely amazed at this "German-Irish" love-in. Several well known German folk have expressed their love of all things Irish to me. I laugh it off normally and joke about it. It certainly confused me! But now you said it, maybe there is something there after all. Maybe its the soft green eyes, fair skin and blonde hair ... and an easy manner .. "Fionn Galls" (fair haired or blonde strangers) as we called them in Norman times!
My still-favorite ex is Irish-American. Hot hot hot, even now. And brooding, and talented, and tough, and fun to fight. I think, typically (stereotypically), Germans and Irish share similar senses of humor, cheerful pessimists who expect the worst, are the first to spot it, and then mock it for not being as bad as it might have been. Based on what little I've seen, I'm with you on the Irish wrestling explosion.
DeleteWell packed indeed. I love this Tucker dude. I would've been unable to leave my house for a week if there would've been a low blow to Tucker's easy target. He could've sold it so well too and I would've lost my mind in the best way possible.
ReplyDeleteYep! TWO easy targets, since Tucker should have taken the opportunity and torpedoed JDP's cushy gut multiple times.
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