Over the past few months, I have adopted a “no problem” approach when it comes to wrestling. Indifference isn’t cool. If you frequent these opinion columns, you will find that I can do it with passion here. It’s a more optimistic nihilism. This isn’t a problem, so why not raise your hands and enjoy the ride? Finding great joy in the absolute ridiculousness of wrestling has brought wonder to me, even if the stupidity is really annoying.
So, when NXT women’s champion Stephanie Verker appeared on “WWE Raw” after WrestleMania, she wrestled WWE Women’s World Champion Iyo Sky for no reason at all.
It’s a great snack to be able to see two women in the ring *fighting. *The line didn’t even have a title. As the commentary said, the contest was for “pride rights.” For example, how sick is it? We live in two of the best performers (men or women) in the ring that are alive today. This is fun! This is what you should expect to be wrestling!
Personal bias aside (I’m a fan of both), their match was wrestling masterclass. At a glance, you can see how well they understand each other. Their match was a balance between basic wrestling and spotfest. Their lockup and grapple were beautiful. Each counter and each rope ride looked very natural. When they decided to innovate, they made those springboard arm drag and barricade crossbody look effortless. What makes “chemistry in the ring” accurate is at best subjective, and at worst, elusive in the audience’s eyes. I think Stephanie Verker and Iyo Sky are a microcosm of what “chemistry of the ring” is.
The simplicity of their match was a breath of fresh air after a weekend filled with power plays between behind the scenes political rumours and talent. In an industry full of people who seem to be out for themselves and those who seem to be out for themselves, it’s so refreshing to see two women wrestling purely because they love wrestling. They were not just pure love for the game, but you could feel it in the way they moved towards each other. This is as pure as wrestling gets.
There are minor complaints about the disqualification finish, but I wanted to continue as much as I could just because I was obsessed with the match. But in the end it makes sense. “La Primera” defends her title against Roxanne Perez in upcoming episodes of “NXT” and is currently in a program with former title holder Julia. As for Rhea and Sky… Ripley didn’t start the program completely, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
Either way, this is certainly true. Stephanie Verker and Iyo Sky are currently the two best wrestlers in WWE. I’m going to watch the match again.
Written by Angeline Phu
