Sinner and Saint vs. Moonlight Express, DDT x TJPW x DEFY Triangler DTD, November 10, 2024
I was left in an unusual position where I was left unsatisfied by a Sareee match, so I went looking for a palate cleanser. And since Sinner and Saint caught my attention for the second year in a row at this year's WrestleMania Week, it made sense to see them outside of that context-less context...by choosing a joint show where the premise allows DDT, TJPW, and DEFY to present dream matches. Hm.
In any case, let's see what Sinner and Saint is doing when they're not pretending to be Eric Young's goons in the Northern Armory in TNA. They key to Sinner and Saint's appeal is their coordination as a team on both offense and defense. They seem to be in constant movement, like they're controlled a hyperactive Marvel vs. Capcom player spamming assist calls. However, there is a method to their motion, and their teamwork more than makes up for their lack of size.
On the other end, MAO and Speedball Mike Bailey combine their athleticism in Moonlight Express, which held DDT's KO-D Tag Team Championship for 242 days in 2018 and 2019. They're a pair of strong individual performers who make a strong team together.
The match is fast, and it straddles the line between goofy, meaningless exhibition and gritty competition. When MAO and Bailey are in control, the match tips toward DDT's trademark goofiness, which is on brand for them. When Icarus and Williams are in control, the match swings back toward seriousness, which makes for an interesting dynamic.
The difference between the two teams also extends to how their members' work together. MAO and Bailey are coordinated, and they'll mirror each other's actions often. Here, they might dive on to members of the opposing team at the same time. There, they might each hit a slam on their opponent. Or, they might both give the middle finger and then hit a roundhouse head kick on Icarus at the same time. Icarus and Williams, on the other hand, use each other as offensive weapons. Icarus might throw Williams out of the ring to hit a dive on to their opponent.
The match is a sprint and a crowd-pleasing fireworks show that swings between silly rolling chair duels with folding chairs and blink and you'll miss it tandem measures. I think I want more of the seriousness that Sinner and Saint bring to the table than the light spirit that Moonlight Express bring.
The match and the show can be seen on TrillerTV.
