for the longest time i've never understood the obsession with chop exchanges. to be honest, part of me still doesn't get it, because most of the ones i've seen feel so incredibly boring. this one between eddie kingston and tomohiro ishii, though? fucking masterpiece. i actually cheered at the end
like, when you get a master babyface like eddie doing it, with him really selling the effort to knock ishii down and the pain he's going through, it actually works! i get very into the idea of two guys going "yeah alright tough guy, slap me as hard as you can. go on" when it's done like this. but it feels like almost every other chop spot i've seen is completely missing that element of realness, of struggling to overcome
almost every chop spot i've seen is from AEW or an american indie, so maybe it's just a difference in how it's done in north america vs japan, but every other exchange i've seen just feels lifeless by comparison. like they're just taking turns, and nothing more, up until the part where either one person starts firing chops off in rapid succession or they both start exchanging shots in rapid succession. it always feels like a complete waste of time, and i've just never understood why it gets so many people in the crowd worked up
i am really starting to get behind the idea that american wrestling needs to allow more space for slower, very physical matches. not necessarily technical but just like... well, big meaty men slapping meat. is that just king's road? am i referring to king's road? i never actually figured out what that is
