Two Dark Matches

Dimitri vs Matt Fletcher 1 (Wrestle4aFee)

Dimitri has wrestled Matt Fletcher five times altogether. I have grouped these two together because they are similar in tone and appear to take place at the same time - Matt and Dimitri wear the same gear in both, and both matches are staged in the same brightly lit ring after dark. The first consists largely - though technically not entirely - of Dimitri beating Matt up. Matt may be bigger and heavier, but he has a long ways to go to match Dimitri in meanness. In the second match Dimitri faces Fletcher's blowback, which is considerable, though promptly answered with typical-Dimitri imperiousness.

I prefer the second, but the first offers a wonderful closeup of Dimitri snuffing Matt out with his crotch (last GIF above). Dimitri's charm lies chiefly in his proclivity for ignoring his opponent's tap-outs in favor of knocking him clean out. Other heels like to shout and prance about. Dimitri's style is subtler, and all the more menacing for its subtlety. As he demonstrated in Wrestling with Pride 2, his accent and scorn generate more heat than most wrestlers achieve through outlandish theatrics. It's enough for Dimitri to sneer and take obvious satisfaction in hurting his opponents for fans to hate his guts.

"Dark match" is a pro-wrestling term for an untelevised match, often featuring big names, often scheduled after the main event. Its purpose is to give the live crowd something special that the folks watching at home won't see. I misuse the term here, but I think, taken differently, it refers to almost all of Dimitri's matches, which exude a sinister tone I find exciting. He's a villain I love to hate - though I admire his style, which consists of a subdued sadism matched with narcissism played in a soulfully melancholic key.

Dimitri vs Matt Fletcher 2 (Wrestle4aFee)

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