NJPW: 3 reasons why El Desperado is an ideal wrestler for new fans

THE WRESTLING 

For the most part, El Desperado’s strongest talent lies in several powerful throws and the fewer heavy attacks that set them up. His more common moves like the cannonball, spear, and shoulder tackle all stop or weaken his opponent to transition into throws like his death valley bomb, a spinning facebuster, a sunset flip powerbomb, a back-to-back piledriver, or his Guitarra de Angel finisher, which is a move that begins as an overhead backbreaker and ends as a powerbomb.

The bulk of his physicality focuses on power-based and brawling-type moves, a strong style of wrestling greatly imposed onto him through his involvement with Suzuki-gun as a whole, but his training with Minoru Suzuki (and likely his tagging with Zack Sabre, Jr.) has also enriched that arsenal with a few key submission holds.

Aside from being one of a few wrestlers to still consistently use the stretch muffler (the form and ferocity of which should be immortalized in marble), he also utilizes a few other submission holds that have been modified to visibly complement his character without sacrificing their purpose.

He also – on occasion and almost certainly when fighting other luchadors – pulls out a few aerials, from the top-rope frog splash to a somersault suicida typically done through the middle rope and into the crowd.

To a new fan, El Desperado displays a variety of move types that are technically impressive and fundamentally effective against different opponents, but as one watches through his in-ring history, it becomes clear that just as much as they’re used to fight, they’re also used to send messages.

Also, he does the splits.