MOTW 122: AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura

"M.O.T.W. #122: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura" - ink & digital illustration

Today marks the 122nd edition of our Chris Things Art 'Match of the Week' illustration series! And this week we travel to the Montreal for a shockingly recent 'Fed' match that kind of blew my mind.

This wonderfully refreshing #ProfessionalWrestling bout between two dudes I've been a fan of for a long time took place just last week, on January 24th at Saturday Night's Main Event from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Well the first thing I've got to say is this match exceeded my expectations in every way! It felt like both guys really had something to prove in likely their final ever bout against one another. And thankfully the chains seemed to be off to allow them to do just that!

I was delighted by the amount of time & focus this one got. The wrestling was wonderfully physical & felt very much of the same quality of their previous New Japan classic. We had some totally vicious moments & also a great ebb & flow story with the working over of Shinsuke's leg threaded throughout. And dude, those knee strikes!! This felt straight up like the AJ & Nakamura who I used to love watching in New Japan - not the dulled down, more 'showy' versions that we've been accustomed to in more recent years. And man I was just overjoyed to see it!

Montreal just happens to be one of my favourite cities in the world & I must say, these fans were SO GREAT! Really elevating things with their infectious enthusiasm, it was great to see the joy that great pro wrestling can bring.

This whole thing was just so well done & so satisfying in many ways. As a long-time Shinsuke fan I think he also showed everyone here that he is still the fantastic wrestler that everyone remembers whenever he is given a chance to do so.

This rocked!

ENJOY!!

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