Pro-Wrestling Death Match Live!
Last Saturday, I joined Rey Rey, Brian, and their friend Sam for pro-wrestling in Zhubei City in Hsinchu County. I met them by taking the TRA train and a YouBike to the sports center where Puzzle Pro-Wrestling was hosting a DEATH MATCH show, with their talent competing against several wrestlers from Japan.
What is a death match you may ask? It's an extreme genre of pro-wrestling that usually ends with the wrestlers fighting with weapons and seeing red. It originated in the U.S. with the Texas Death Match, but became famous in Japan, where they added barbed-wire ropes, timed explosives, and glass tubes.
I first heard of this match back when I was in 7th grade, reading Mick Foley's first autobiography, Have a Nice Day, where he detailed winning the King of the Death Match Tournament in 1995, defeating Terry Funk and nearly slicing off his remaining ear (he had lost his other ear famously in a match against Vader in Germany the year prior).
I'm normally all about the in-ring psychology and move athleticism of pro-wrestling these days, but once in a while the extreme stuff can be fun. I could not say no to attending a death match live.
It was a wild good time, with the 4 of us chanting and shouting like crazy, high-fiving and beer toasting the people sitting with us. It was great seeing the usual Puzzle wrestlers, the visiting Japanese wrestlers, and even one luchador from Mexico! Which is where I also purchased the Rey Mysterio mask last year that I am rocking in the photo below.
Video highlights:
After the fun, we all had separate routes home, but since I was in Zhubei for the first time, I decided to go to a nearby bar for a drink. The bartender was very chill and happy to chat while I had two drinks before heading back to the train station. The bike ride home was very peaceful, the ultimate calm comedown after such an epic show.
