10 Times Wrestling GENUINELY Tried To Be Progressive
1. Golden Lovers
From dust, to love. Homosexuality and...gold, oddly enough are intrinsically linked yet again in an angle many are already calling one of the most important in pro wrestling history. Even Kenny Omega himself has acknowledged its potential reach.
Omega and Kota Ibushi's reunion has the relentless feel-good vibe of a glorious conclusion, but their long-awaited resolution was symbolised most by where it occurred. Closing out NJPW's 'New Beginning in Sapporo' card earlier this year, the tears and streamer-strewn hug between the once-and-forever Golden Lovers was a celebration of a never-fully-broken relationship at long last repaired.
It was in perfect contrast to the persistently fragile one that had just fallen apart. Cody Rhodes' cynical attempts to overthrow 'The Cleaner' as Bullet Club's leader had just about worked, even driving a drained and defeated Omega to shove the injured Matt Jackson to the canvas before the former Ring Of Honor champion's eventual turn.
Kota's save paid off literally years of torment and heartbreak between two men trying to find a new version of themselves away from the other. Omega's other-worldly glares and incomparable bombast as the world's greatest wrestler were masking an acute loneliness without Ibushi. Kota hadn't even maintained permanent residence in NJPW, so crestfallen that he was with Omega's newfound loyalty to Bullet Club that once - in gut-wrenching fashion - resulted in him losing an IWGP Heavyweight Title match to then-leader AJ Styles.
It's already one of wrestling's most layered love stories, before the countless star-grabbing tag and singles matches spinning off from it will surely render it one of the greatest in-ring ones too.