10 Bizarre Wrestling Epics That Didn’t Live Up To The Hype
1. The Draw In The Downpour
The photographs that emerged from those lucky enough to attend the rain-drenched battle between Minoru Suzuki and Kazuchika Okada were amongst the most stunning wrestling pictures ever taken.
From some instantly iconic shots, their fight - the centrepiece of an event put on to celebrate Minoru Suzuki's 30th professional career year and his 50th birthday - looked to have transcended the industry altogether.
In his (to-date) last night as 'The Rainmaker' just weeks removed from his dramatic IWGP Heavyweight Title loss to Kenny Omega, Okada's soaked profile captured mid-sell from a Suzuki strike was just one magnificent takeaway from an assumed classic. Others followed; droplets pouring down as they brawled in front of ringsiders in ponchos, the pair screaming at one another as spittle was lost to the squall, sweat and tears of battle washed away to a leaking sky. Each one was more artistic than the last.
Violent, mesmerising and beautiful, the match immediately like an important part of wrestling history - akin to turn-of-the-19th-century checkpoints somehow caught on primitive camera obscuras.
New Japan World's eagerly awaited upload couldn't quite deliver what the pictures promised. The half-hour clash was enjoyable, but the inclement conditions took as much as they added to the fray. In 'normal' conditions, the pair have reached the gold standard several times, they were permitted a silver in the storm.