letterboxd took down pay per views so i’m forced to adapt… one of pro wrestling fandom’s great rewards is multiyear storyline payoff; so much media is based on instant gratification these days and it’s a treat to watch someone develop their character in real time over dozens of matches and months before truly Earning that (yes scripted) win. hangman page spent 2023 til now in the psychotic heel underworld, committing arson, killing his lifelong mentor, injecting his nemesis through the cheek w/ a mysterious hypodermic needle, etc, normal stuff - his redemptive journey was so gripping because he never made it clear if he’d step back into himself.
page and ospreay are true prima ballerinas at the top of their athletic craft and the combat was fluid and hard-hitting, the near-falls were nail-biters, they whipped out every trick in the book to make it seem like a full 50/50 toss up. page’s bisexual lighting cactus pants with pink fringe on the ass were gorgeous. that final pin was cathartic as fuck, as is seeing a wrestler cry