Posturing and Strutting About

Tyler Cintron vs Steve Pena, Thursday Night Throwdown, 29 August 2019 (XWA)

The angle doesn't matter. What matters is the energy the wrestlers bring to the ring. I have felt this to be so for years, but I never put it into words. I analyzed match plotlines, sometimes indicting them for being worn out and hackneyed, knowing full well there are only six or seven plots in existence; what authors add are the details of character, setting, tone, and sometimes symbolism. That said, the differentiating factor in pro wrestling, including most underground wrestling, is the passion the wrestlers bring to the ring or mat room, what is sometimes called ring psychology, though most definitions of the term put it at the service of plot, while I'm beginning to think it can stand on its own, hence the magnetism of underground stars like Eli Black, El Fuego, Guido Genatto, Kid Karisma, Aryx Quinn, and Scrappy. With these guys in front of the camera, who needs an angle? And if the wrestlers are on the dull side - I won't name names - no plot, no matter how oddball or spectacularly deranged, can save them.

One of the ringside commentators at this 2019 show refers to Tyler Cintron's "posturing and strutting about."  I think that is part of what I'm talking about, though no amount of posturing and strutting will work without mental vigor. Tyler's ring magic is not so much what he does but the oomph he puts behind it. Not even beauty and muscle can make up for a lack of energy and aggressiveness. His opponent, Steve Pena, is equally fierce and moves with lightning speed. A match is at full tilt when both heel - Tyler in black trunks - and babyface - Steve in white - commit totally to the fight. In the case of a live show like this one, the audience can contribute to the buzz, but it cannot carry the match. I've seen audiences try to lift a performance, but if the wrestlers don't have it in them to blow the walls out, the match eventually turns into a dull rite like passing the offering plate in church. Cintron and Pena are sexy as fuck, but that appeal is only about 50 percent of what they're pulling off here. The rest is passion and grit.

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