Money Shots

Chris Basso vs Nick Armstrong, SuperClash (Riot City Wrestling)

I've never been to Australia, but I love Australians based on what I've seen and heard of them - Mad Max, Nicole Kidman,. Eric Bana, Heath Ledger, Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchett, the Hemsworth brothers, Naomi Watts, the list could go on. They party like crazy, they fight and fuck like crazy, they go over the top on everything. 

What I've seen of pro wrestling in Australia I like, too. It's heavy on ballsiness and feuds like the one between Chris Basso (with the beard) and Nick Armstrong (with the Billy Idol hair) that stretches back to the beginning of their careers. I particularly like Basso in this main event from June 15th in Adelaide, in which he takes on Armstrong for the championship belt. 

Talk about crazy - the ending has got to be seen to be believed! (No spoilers here.) The match has lots to recommend it: an interfering brother, a knocked-out ref, out-of-ring punch-outs, and terrific camerawork. My fantasy vacation would be a pro wrestling tour of Australia, where regional wrestling is not just alive but dazzling.

The match has to be seen in its entirety for context, but here are money shots that capture the gist of my pro wrestling fetish - those sharp, snappy moments that make me go all tight in the pit of my stomach and send shivers up my spine - under spectacular Vegas-pink show lighting that highlights and glamorizes bare skin.

Visit Riot City Wrestling here.