Bend Me, Shape Me

Flip Gordon vs Anthony Henry, Nothing Gold Can Stay - 21 July 2017 (Limitless Wrestling)

Here's Flip Gordon's acrobatic take on ring wrestling.

And here's technical wrestler Anthony Henry's response.

Both wrestlers are hot and put on a great show to boot. But I prefer Anthony for his straightforward violence: he slams, punches, kicks, and bends an opponent's body against nature's design but leaves the flying and flipping to the gymnasts*. The best moments of the match - of any match - are when the two bodies are in contact. Key moments of this match involve Henry putting Gordon in a bind and Gordon stretching to grab a ring rope and break the hold. With a face and body this beautiful and this poignantly expressive of pain, why would Flip waste his time on moonsaults?

I agree with the ringside commentator who says he doesn't "believe in what Flip Gordon believes in," preferring "a person like Anthony Henry who's trained and versed in the ability to keep his opponent on the ground and beat him unconscious." Further, Anthony does a fantastic job of fucking with the high flyer's psyche with tiny nicks to the guy's ego that are almost as paralyzing as the ever so slight twists he applies to the joints of Flip's elbows and knees.

Hate spoilers? Then you should probably not look at the next GIF.

* Truth be told, two of my favorite current wrestlers are high flyers - Ricochet and Ospreay - but I like them best on those occasions when they keep themselves on the canvas, tightly locked into an opponent.