Kenny Omega vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo is 2023’s match of the yr

The concept there may very well be “good” wrestling debate might be excessive comedy to any non-wrestling fan, given the notion that they in all probability have for creatures like us (not all that incorrect both). It’s changing into fairly farcical within the wrestling world as nicely nowadays, given the break up between AEW and WWE followers. Everybody’s of their trench, and Marvel Lady ain’t coming to bridge the divide.

There was no higher show than the lead-up to final evening’s Dynamite primary occasion between Kenny Omega and El Hijo Del Vikingo, making his US tv debut. By some means, a match that was solely about introducing the youthful Vikingo to American audiences generated an exhausting and really bewildering dialogue about why this match mattered or not as a result of it didn’t have any construct or story aside from, “El Hijo Del Vikingo involves the States.”

The place this “debate” began is anybody’s guess, however most certainly it got here from essentially the most New York-pilled followers the web can discover posing as AEW followers or not even bothering. Anybody who follows even the slightest little bit of wrestling exterior WWE had at the least heard the identify of El Hijo Del Vikingo, and had heard he was setting the luchador world alight along with his galactic work at such a younger age (25). Most knew that Omega was speculated to face him in Mexico in 2021 however his accidents received in the best way of that. Whereas a majority in all probability hadn’t seen a variety of his matches, or perhaps even one, they’d nearly actually heard the identify and knew in regards to the buzz being generated.

No matter followers didn’t find out about VIkingo’s introduction to American audiences ought to have been answered by the truth that his very first match was towards one of the best wrestler AEW has, and fairly presumably nonetheless one of the best wrestler on this planet, in Omega. If that’s who the corporate needs to place Vikingo towards largely sight unseen, it’s clearly a sign that this child fucking rips. And boy does he!

The primary shot of this spotlight package deal is simply killer. The digicam pans again to indicate Vikingo isn’t ready round to get issues began, and goes for a suicide dive exterior the ring whereas nonetheless in his full Viking regalia, which makes it appear like he morphed right into a pterodactyl in the course of the run-up to it. The match by no means actually misplaced any tempo from there, with each males pulling off some unfathomable execution of strikes that may have induced wrestlers from even 15 years in the past to stroke out. Vikingo particularly confirmed off what had been producing headlines and whispers and pleasure throughout borders just by phrase of mouth. Like, what the fuck is that this?

(This contained the spotlight of the match for me, Tony Schiavone on commentary merely giving up on making an attempt to understand something he was seeing with an understated, “Jesus…”)

For individuals who care about such issues, or extra precisely are simply ready round to yuck another person’s yum, the match itself advised a high-quality story of Omega struggling to return to grips with the pure athleticism and bravado of his a lot youthful opponent, however utilizing his expertise to lastly come to grips with the unholy drive he was coping with and eventually overcome him. It wasn’t only a collection of flips and dives signifying nothing, as it’ll assuredly be derided as by these carrying Randy Orton t-shirts.

It’s one more notch within the unmatched belt of Omega, who has wrestled precisely two singles matches this yr (the opposite being towards Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom) and each of them will definitely end in everybody’s high 5 matches of 2023. The Wrestle Kingdom match has in all probability already made itself at house atop most everybody’s record. Whereas Omega nonetheless hints at retiring, he did so once more proper after this match, and rumors swirl about his contract standing with AEW, he’s nonetheless placing on one of the best matches anybody’s seen for the sixth or seventh yr operating.

All of the prematch horseshit did was present the rising divide between WWE followers from the remainder of wrestling followers. If AEW or anybody else wanted to see some half-assed construct jammed into the bloodstream resulting in a match that can in all probability look quite a bit like ones we’ve seen earlier than and never reside as much as what it may very well be, everybody can simply tune into regardless of the fuck Triple H has Asuka and Bianca Belair doing earlier than Mania. However as a result of WWE followers are so unaware of something exterior the New York realm, and actually fairly happy with that, they needed to sneer at one thing that may by no means occur in WWE and guise it as criticism of some imaginary “construct” to justify their willful ignorance and inflexibility.

The entire level, from the very announcement, was to offer El Hijo Del Vikingo a platform to announce himself and make folks need to see extra, whereas additionally giving Omega one other likelihood to enthrall in a means solely he can. They usually did that. If there are followers on the market nonetheless grumbling about it “simply being a wrestling match,” that’s their loss.