End of an Age

KENTA vs Tyler Black, ROH End of an Age, Chicago (Ring of Honor)

June of 2009 was the peak period of my KENTA and Black idolatry. They were handsome, aggressive, and agile. Their matches seemed significant and urgent. Like now, back then I preferred long strenuous holds, sweaty grappling, and stiff punches over aerial gymnastics and high kicks, but I savored the fleeting moments of body contact, expanding it in my imagination. Despite a thirty-pound weight difference, the wrestlers make this a strong give-and-take battle with a nail-biting windup. I did not follow either one's journey at WWE except for a disastrously nothing live show I attended in 2012 (note my bilious review here).

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