A few weeks ago, I gave Otis and Ivar their flowers for an incredible match. Tonight, Ivar and Chad Gable had such a good match, I briefly considered buying out my local florist. Even that many flowers would not be enough.

Gable is one of WWE’s most underrated wrestlers. He is a hidden gem — he has all the technical skills, physical prowess, agility, and sociability to be a main event star. Like anybody, however, Gable’s impressive arsenal can become stale if he is not pushed outside of his comfort zone. Ivar was the perfect opponent to push Gable, and Gable did his part in making his opponent look good.

Both men displayed innovative offense and committed themselves to giving the New Orleans crowd a never-before-seen display of pure wrestling capability they had not shown before. Ivar’s splash to the outside was amazing to see from somebody his size, and Gable’s blockbuster was a wonderful surprise. Neither man sacrificed execution with these new moves, and their match was not only astonishing, but entertaining to watch and a clear testament to both men’s hard work and experience.

Ivar and Gable’s match was not preceded by any lengthy promo exchange, so when these two performers were able to tell me a story of grit and resilience through their movements alone, I was thoroughly impressed. Gable’s early attempts to pick up Ivar for one of his signature suplexes did not just fail, but gave Ivar an opening to pummel Gable. At first, it may have seemed like a testament to just how big Ivar is — not bad, but nothing amazing. Towards the contest’s ending moments, however, when Gable was at the end of the line with little left to lose, he mustered up all of his strength to pick Ivar up from the mat and get a near-fall on a beautiful German suplex. In this in-ring microcosm of a feud, full-circle moments like this serve as a reminder that yes, wrestling is storytelling, down to the tiniest of choices.

At first, I was a bit deflated by the finish of this match. Valhalla’s interference was less than welcome, but in a match as deadlocked as Ivar and Gable’s was, perhaps it was wholly necessary in order to have a believable ending. As Valhalla charged Ivar’s Doomsault with her Spirit Bomb motions, I slowly came to accept that a finish like this was necessary for cementing Valhalla and Ivar as a legitimate team, and a legitimate threat. If they want to be taken seriously by literally anybody else besides the Alpha Academy, they need to pick up wins while also reinforcing their team dynamic. As tired, corny, and played-out outside interference is, it is necessary for the Viking Raiders’ upward mobility.

Written by Angeline Phu