10 Wrestling Moments That Had No Right Being THIS Good

8. The Parking Lot Fight

Roman Reigns Shocked
AEW

Every single pro wrestling match held in front of a no fans or distanced fans was in some way bittersweet, with the exception of the first Stadium Stampede - and that match worked to such a euphoric extent as a result of its barely-canon levity.

It was impossible to work a proper, serious match in the context of the pandemic without wondering how much better it objectively would have been, had a huge, packed house received it.

At least until the Parking Lot Fight of September 16, 2020.

Best Friends and Santana and Ortiz beat the ever-living sh*t out of each other in an environment arranged so perfectly that it did not require wrestling fans to get over. The environment was perfect; blocked in an uncontrived way that avoided the need for laborious plunder set-up spots, the organic quality of it allowed both teams to fuse a shockingly brutal fight and exhilarating wrestling match without compromising the best qualities of either genre. The tailgate of a pick-up trick doubled as a rope off which Trent blasted Ortiz with an awesome tornado DDT on concrete; the hood of a car doubled as a turnbuckle off which Santana blasted Chuck Taylor onto another; shoot glass windshields doubled as the best, most gruesome table spots ever: the match was incredible.

Seamless, inventive brutality, tone of pure animosity, iconic, feel-good finish.

 
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!