Just when everyone is familiar to this year’s homework themes, things get changed up! Thanks to a strong desire to watch this three hour show, the homework departs from the Rock and WCW. This week, inspired by discussion on the We Need Wrestling podcast, we all watched the Despi Invitational. 

I enjoy Japanese wrestling and I’m familiar with many people but by no means am I an expert. I’m familiar enough to enjoy Forbidden Door and random Joshi shows. Also, this is a one off show and not part of any long term stories or angles. So I went into this blind. I listened to the WNW podcast discuss the show and their enjoyment, but that information left my head by the time I watched the same show for homework. I sat down with my dinner and a drink and I watched the show with no preconceived notions. I didn’t grab a notebook. I lived in the moment. And what a moment it was. 

This is, arguably, the best show we’ve watched for homework. I had the most fun with this show and would love to show it off to other wrestling fans in the future. This had it all. Wrestling is not one thing. Wrestling has many styles, many genres, and this was a showcase for them all. This was a love letter to wrestling and made it fun. 

Upfront apologies for anything I get wrong. I sat down to just lose myself in this and have fun. I looked up names for this write up but otherwise, I’m going by memory and my own interpretation. 

My understanding is El Desperado, Despi, has traveled the world and handed out invitations to those wrestlers he enjoys. Said wrestlers show up to the event but no one is told anything in advance. The audience is not told the card, and the wrestlers are not told who they will be facing. This leads to much fun speculation. Is this a one on one? A tag? A four way? Who will be the partner? Despi sits there with a shit eating grin like P.T. Barnum and he damn sure got your last nickel. 

Dragon Kid and Starlight Kid vs El Deperado and Mima Shimoda. 

The fun starts right away. Despi brings out Starlight Kid first. Then Dragon Kid. Are they fighting each other? Then Despi comes in for the match and finally brings out Mima. The first match, the opponents haven’t touched, and this already feels like something different and special. This was a great mixed tag opener and Despi’s team loses which is shocking the booker isn’t putting himself over. 

Daisuke Sasaki and DOUKI vs Elta and Violento Jack. 

At least I thought this was a tag match. Then they all turn on each other. Violento Jack looks like if the old M.U.S.C.L.E. Cartoon had a Mick Foley tribute character. All three pin Jack. This is fun. It’s a good second match. I think I know what this show is and I’m all in. Then they change it on me. 

Hiroyuki Takahashi and Jun Kauai vs. Minoru Suzuki and Takayuki Ueki. 

OMG, this is one of my all time favorite matches. Despi has everyone come out and then lays out the challenge. This becomes a barefoot Lego death match! I’m sorry, “legally distinct plastic blocks”. This was brilliant. Such a fun brawl. And everyone willing to be the butt of the joke running through Legos like old men. It’s like watching my dad cross hot sand. I’m going to see Suzuki live in a couple weeks and I kind of want to bring a bag of Legos. I would put this on for people who have never watched wrestling. “Wrestling can be this?” Wrestling can be anything. It’s an artistic form of expression. The only limits are the imagination. Seriously, I kept talking about this match and showing other people. 

Chris Brookes vs El Phantasmo vs MAO vs Masashi Takeda. 

Between the last two matches, anyone who is doing a death match or hardcore match in the United States over the next two years needs to steal liberally from these matches. See-saw spot with the ring board. The scooter spot. The plastic tubs! I’m marking out in front of my TV like I’m in the front row. This whole event has now joined my all time shows list. If I start dating a girl and I can get her into wrestling, we’re watching this show. I feel like I’m watching a band I’ve never seen and by the end of the concert I’m ready to buy their entire catalog. A brilliant hardcore match that goes to a satisfying draw. 

Zack Sabre Jr vs Hilary Sato. 

Holy shit. This is the most grapple fuck grapplefuck match that ever grapple fucked. I’m not a big fan of the No Catch Quarter Crews or whatever the hell they’re called in WWE but this was so well done it hooked and stretched me though the screen. I feel like I’ve been missing out on another genre of wrestling. This is the moment I finally became a fan. It’s like listening to that one single, or an acoustic version of a song that finally makes you like a band. Roll around, stretch ligaments til they burst, and have me engrossed the entire time. 

Danshoku Dino, formerly of Pheromones, comes out to say his team may have disbanded but he still needs a partner tonight. He chooses out host himself, El Desperado! Opening match and the main event. Grand opening, grand closing. These two face Dick Togo and Gedo of Bullet Club. 

I’ve compared wrestling to music very often in this write up. One of the things that’s more open in music now is embracing the LBGT history and current performers. Growing up in the 80’s a lot of artists were considered “eccentric”. No, they’re fucking gay. But people were too hateful to accept that. Wrestling can be pretty gay too. And I don’t mean that in the 80’s way. I don’t mean that in the playground insult way. I mean it in the happy way. Let’s have a grand old time, but with a bit of a homosexual angle. We all learned a while ago that comedy wrestlers are some of the best wrestlers because you have to be good at wrestling first to then loosen up enough for the jokes. I might have to throw in anyone doing an over the top gimmick like this. One has to really know what the hell they’re doing in that ring to then add so many hijinxs on top. Or bottom. 

I’m missing so many appearances, and spots, and random things happening throughout the show. This was a party. I’m glad I was invited, and I can’t wait for the next one.