They Can Smell Your Weakness

This fast-paced, high-intensity match from June 6th features two favorite wrestlers, Ricochet, 5'10", 170#, and Alex Shelley, 5'10", 215#, at New Japan Pro Wrestling. As in most of my favorite matches, this one's drama is self-contained: everything you need to know about these two men and their beef with each other is evident in the match itself. Ricochet has a large contingent of supporters in the audience, but they obviously respect Alex too. The combatants are not divided into babyface and heel. Both are good looking and strong wrestlers, who combine heroic and predatory traits in near-equal proportions. Their methods are similar too--systematically wearing the opponent down and taking advantage of every chink in the man's armor that the events of the fight come to reveal, even if an attack might make them seem unsporting. These two performers play up the agonized struggle in grand style, wringing as much emotion as possible out of every move, mixing aerial oohs-and-ahhs with stiff blows and tight, grinding old-school clenches.