The Spectacle of Excess Posts
February 23, 2019 /

Stories That Are True To Our Hearts: Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi

The Golden Lovers – neither of whom have officially self-identified as queer, or straight, though Kenny’s made a lot of references to dating both men and women – have, over nearly a decade, made queer romance the center of their professional personas in a way no tag team ever has.

There are very few wrestling romances with happy endings, let alone queer romances. However, the Golden Lovers have avoided this cliche, treated their relationship with total solemnity and sincerity – even when they were on opposite sides of the ring.

Read the postStories That Are True To Our Hearts: Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi
February 14, 2019 /

We’re Gonna Get to Know Each Other Pretty Well: The Road to R-Evolution, Part 2

(Part 2 of a series putting together Sami and Kevin’s timelines in 2013-2014: Part 1 is here). Putting together the beginnings of Kevin and El Generico’s story is like assembling a crazy quilt: scraps of cloth in a dozen different colors and shapes that sometimes don’t fit together quite right anymore because some of the pieces have gone missing. So many snippets and loose ends, such a challenge to piece them together. 2013-2014 are a…

Read the postWe’re Gonna Get to Know Each Other Pretty Well: The Road to R-Evolution, Part 2
February 10, 2019 /

Post-colonial problematics: Eddie Guerrero

Wrestling is haunted and one of the things it’s haunted by is racism. The convenient shorthand of racial stereotypes have always had currency in wrestling. The way Eddie Guerrero handled this in all his markets was to lean in.

Read the postPost-colonial problematics: Eddie Guerrero
January 20, 2019 /

On the Enigma of Jabroni (or, The OED’s Crack at a Wrestling Definition) Part I

On January 9, 2018 at 9:00pm GMT, the Oxford English Dictionary entered the word jabroni into their grand log of linguistic posterity. My initial excitement quickly faded into what I can only describe with an Office Space gif— via GIPHY —when I realized the OED had completely phoned in their etymology, which conflates two words with a glaring missing link and neglects crucial, well known instances of its use.  It’s readily apparent that the whoever’s…

Read the postOn the Enigma of Jabroni (or, The OED’s Crack at a Wrestling Definition) Part I
January 12, 2019 /

Capitalist Realism, Kentucky Depression and Anxiety? An Analysis of Best Friends through the Writing of Mark Fisher

January 7, 2019 /

Fractures and Faultlines: A Sami and Kevin Refresher for the New Year

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are going to be back in action again in the next few months, and everything is going to be great. That’s what Kevin thinks, at least, and we know because he’s told us so. When Sami Zayn went out with injuries to both of his shoulders in May 2018, Kevin spent the next five months reminding us of his best friend, Sami Zayn over and over again. If Sami were…

Read the postFractures and Faultlines: A Sami and Kevin Refresher for the New Year
December 28, 2018 /

A Phoenix from the Ashes: Tetsuya Naito and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship

This is a story about one of the greatest feuds and rivalries in wrestling, the story of the relationship between a man and one who hurt him so deeply he carried the grudge like a live coal for years until he could achieve his bitter vengeance. It’s the tale of a relationship full of abuse and degradation, leading to utter annihilation. It’s a story of hatred and revenge. Strange as this may sound, it may…

Read the postA Phoenix from the Ashes: Tetsuya Naito and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
December 5, 2018 /

How Much Heart: The Artistry of Blading (by new contributor Kid Mankind)

It makes a busy wrestling blog proprietor’s day when a stranger shows up out of nowhere offering a shrewd critical take on the art of blading. Please enjoy this piece by new contributor Kid Mankind, and be forewarned: there is blood. There are three ways to bleed in a wrestling ring. There is an accidental split of the skin – maybe a baby face landed a lucky hit on someone’s nose, maybe the jagged edge…

Read the postHow Much Heart: The Artistry of Blading (by new contributor Kid Mankind)
November 26, 2018 /

Two Roads Diverged: The Road to R-Evolution, part 1

It’s February 2013, 2:12 AM, and Kevin Steen is sitting in front of a red curtain and a sign with red block letters taped to it spelling out “The Kevin Steen Show.” A Kane mask, pilfered from the Highspots warehouse, perches on the sign and glares down at him. On one side of Kevin is a wrestler who goes by Cheeseburger, who is kind of supposed to be Kevin’s co-host, but who will spend most…

Read the postTwo Roads Diverged: The Road to R-Evolution, part 1
November 15, 2018 /

The Opened Heart: On Mustafa Ali’s Character Arc

Creating a sudden heel turn is easy: all you need is a steel chair. Or a kendo stick. Or a window. In a pinch, in fact, you need nothing but two treacherous hands and a darkened heart. Admittedly, for a heel turn based on betrayal it helps to have a friendship to betray, and those are harder to come by. Those take time to build: months or years of effort, dozens or hundreds of happy…

Read the postThe Opened Heart: On Mustafa Ali’s Character Arc