Written by Brian Thomas McNamara
Wrestling is fundamentally a storytelling medium. It tells the classic, broad strokes story of good versus evil eight times a night, 300 days a year through strikes, grapples, contortion, gymnastics and brute strength. But when all the high flying and submission holds are used to tell a nuanced story, wrestling becomes art. And on March 25, The Young Bucks and Golden Lovers performed a beautiful story about friendship, love and heart break.
This match is part of a longer-form story that includes Kenny Omega’s classic bouts with Okada across 2017 and 2018 and his departure from the Bullet Club. In particular, though, the match focus on the relationship between Kenny and his best friends, the Young Bucks. When Kenny’s old tag partner and former friend – and heavily implied but most likely never to be explicitly stated, Kenny’s boyfriend – Kota Ibushi returned to the company, the two quickly formed a tag team and began competing again. And the Bucks became jealous.
As a match, it follows the typical three-act structure of a high profile NJPW match. A slow first third, a heavy hitting second and an all-out thrill fest of a third. However, you have four men who are incredibly talented and incredibly comfortable with each other so even the “slow” bits have vicious dropkicks and improbably moonsaults. The ring psychology around Matt Jackson’s injured back and Matt’s increasing anger and want to beat Kota himself are so well played. One of the more compelling aspects of the match is Matt’s ability to distinguish himself from his brother Nick – a much needed separation of personalities between the two.
There’s so much here: double superplexes, a shoulder mounted German suplex over the ropes, Matt Jackson’s refusal to give in. False finishes abound, but they almost don’t matter. It’s about Matt Jackson trying his best to win this war and get back his friend. An elbow drop through a table that seems so casual, effortless and yet bespeaks Matt’s resolve to keep Omega out of the match so the brothers can isolate Kota to show Omega he was wrong to leave them for Kota. And it culminates with Matt using his weight belt as a whip against Kenny, which Kenny can’t bring himself to use on his former-but-could-be-again friend.
But what is the match about? It’s about friends drifting away from each other as they enter into relationships. Kenny and the Bucks were inseparable for the past few years. However, now his old boyfriend’s back and Kenny is spending less time with the Bucks. His friends have called him out on it, and so they can settle it the only way you can – in the ring, by dealing with the problems in the most blunt fashion possible. It’s about betrayal, loss, forgiveness in Nick Jackson and increasing heartbreak for Matt. It’s about how leaving your friends for a new relationship isn’t cool, but your friends can’t be jerks about it either. It’s a coming of age teen romance with knee strikes. It’s a stunning and complex story to be told as the marquee match for an American show from a Japanese promotion.
