> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.vjarmy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# A Night At Sukeban
- URL: https://www.vjarmy.com/a-night-at-sukeban/
- Published: 2026-05-21T14:27:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-21T14:29:10.000Z
- Description: If wrestling is fake, then explain this.
- Author: Dan Dickinson
- Tags: Wrestling

*Sukeban World Championship Fight* 
*May 19 • Hammerstein Ballroom • New York, NY* 
*Show #79*

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6930.jpeg)

Sometimes you go to a wrestling show that [isn't entirely a wrestling show](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/style/sukeban-wrestling.html?ref=vjarmy.com),

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6877.jpeg)

and Norman Reedus is chilling about four feet away from you, for some reason, and he's *really* into everything that's happening,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7062.jpeg)

and the first joshi you ever met – actually, maybe the first wrestler you ever spoke to? – is the champion,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7084.jpeg)

and the crowd is losing their minds over every move,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6933.jpeg)

and someone you just saw bleed all over [Death Vegas](https://www.vjarmy.com/death-in-vegas/) is here, as the only person not being repackaged under a different gimmick specific to the in-company universe Sukeban tries to present,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6905.jpeg)

and when I say the crowd is losing their mind over every move, I mean *every move*, even a basic arm drag,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7046.jpeg)

and Yuu may have retired in Japan, but "Crush Yuu" is still performing in Sukeban, and that makes you happy,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7008.jpeg)

and there’s a surprise unannounced yo-yo performance, so when the guy behind you tries to start a "THIS IS WRESTLING" chant, you quietly appreciate it,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7077.jpeg)

and Norman Reedus is taking more pictures than you are, which is kind of unnerving because *that’s your thing*,

0:00 

/0:31 

1× 

and there’s a quick two song concert by Molly Santana,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7017.jpeg)

and there are no work rate purists in the crowd,

0:00 

/0:35 

1× 

and there’s a DJ playing loud techno throughout each match, but the match is not choreographed to it, so it's a bit like a New Jack match happening at a rave,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6994.jpeg)

and the show ends after 75 minutes with little fanfare, just a giant low-speed brawl involving everyone who was on the card,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6938.jpeg)

and that’s okay – not every show needs to run past midnight,

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/53/7a/537a8df0-a25f-4592-ba2a-1d40c8d47705/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7071.jpeg)

and besides, the vibes (sponsored by Nike) were immaculate.