10 Wrestling Matches To Entice New Fans

5. Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Katsuyori Shibata - G1 Climax 2013

Shibata Ishii
NJPW1972.com

A little bit of writer bias here, but this hard-hitting (a quite libellous understatement) match between Katsuyori Shibata and Tomohiro Ishii is perfect. No, not perfect in that flawless sense, but perfect in that it combines everything that makes pro wrestling magnificent, New Japan Pro Wrestling in particular.

There is no pretence. Just two men looking to prove their toughness, two pillars of fighting spirit in a world increasingly plagued by posing and posture. This 2013 match is violent without resorting to gimmickry, intense without a drop of blood in sight. It is a sprint, a fast-paced competition between bulls. From the perspective of the viewer, the 2013 G1 Climax 23 match between Shibata and Ishii is an exercise is joy.

There are few things more joyful than getting caught up in the momentum of something, of being swept along with whatever you are experiencing at that time. Shibata vs. Ishii was the perfect escape route, a 12-minute match with no fat, no complications, nothing but a series of 200mph car crashes and escalating daring.

Get in, beat each other up, get out.

The swell of anticipatory realisation from the crowd mere moments from the bell tells you all you need to know.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.