10 Best Wrestling Storylines Right Now
6. David Starr's Ingenious Grasp Of Politics
David Starr has deftly circumvented the politics that often compromise booking plans on the Independent circuit.
It can devolve into a logistical nightmare, when sharing talent that must be protected; PAC's 2019 return to the United Kingdom, to use a recent example, should have hit harder than it did, but the enforced f*ck finishes mired the celebrations and conditioned fans to expect a great match that meant nothing.
Ireland's OTT promotion has transcended the WWE gangrene in this part of the world by crafting stunningly told (and packaged) storylines that acknowledge the shifting landscape to its advantage with a meta approach. Starr, technically, is an import - a theme OTT has incorporated into its narrative to such expert effect that the home crowd is as rabid as those in the real sporting arena - but through his staunch refusal to sign with a conglomerate has become the face of independent wrestling. He is now the Import Killer, seizing the mantle from Jordan Devlin, and as OTT World Champion has created a new policy: he will only defend the title against homegrown talent.
There's a tremendous nuance to this. Starr is a true tweener, and this policy - that negates sh*tty political finishes but invites the necessary, imported talent, like Jon Moxley - can be interpreted as both honour and cowardice.