Zack Sabre Jr. VS. Kidd Bandit: Art VS. Science
Every year, Game Changer Wrestling puts on an event titled “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch”. This event is meant to celebrate all things LGBTQ in the wrestling space. This means that most, if not all, of the personnel involved are members of the LGBTQ community. It is one of my personal favorite events of the year; a wondrous showcase of wrestling and queer identities in the space. I always find a mix of some of my favorite wrestlers on the indies and a handful of new names to keep an eye on. 2025 marks the tenth Effy’s Big Gay Brunch event and it featured a match I was excited for ever since it was announced: Zack Sabre Jr. VS Kidd Bandit. Let’s start with a background on the individual wrestlers before dissecting the match itself.
Zack Sabre Jr. is an English wrestler who has wrestled everywhere from his home across the pond, to the indies of the U.S., to the country where he has arguably achieved the most success: Japan. Everywhere ZSJ goes, he brings his unique style and presentation with him, two things that seem at odds. His presentation is that of a carefree fun lover. His trunks are often a soft orange, his theme is an early 2000s punk guitar line, and his moves have ridiculous names (my personal favorite is “Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness”). However, his wrestling style is that of a grappler, a skilled technician able to contort the human bodies in ways it really should not. ZSJ’s movements are what you would expect from a man in an MMA fight. He approaches his opponent cautiously, grapples with them in a feeling out process, and moves his arms and legs in quick jerks that can be used to hit opponents or catch their strikes. Watching a ZSJ match is painful because it’s so easy to imagine the pain you would feel if you were getting twisted like his opponent. The awkward bend of an elbow, the wrenching of an ankle, the strain in the shoulder as it feels like it will pop out of its socket. ZSJ has wrestling down to a science. There is little to no wasted motion in ZSJ’s moveset. He is the definition of efficiency.
On the other end of the spectrum, is Kidd Bandit. If ZSJ is the definition of efficiency, Bandit is the definition of inefficiency. Every move has a flourish: a run up into a dropkick, a spin before an elbow, a corkscrew into a DDT. None of this detracts from her ability however. If anything, it enhances it. It is style and flair that captures the audience's attention. I often see more boring members of the wrestling community ask questions like “Why did she do that flip?” or “Was that somersault really necessary?” I find this line of questioning to be rather odd considering wrestling has almost never intentionally portrayed itself as realistic combat. There has always been an air of showmanship and glitz; and Kidd Bandit has that in spades. In an industry where the name of the game is standing out from your peers, being recognizable in a crowd, and cultivating a following; Kidd Bandit’s athleticism is a major boon. She backs all of this up with an anime and videogame inspired aesthetic. Her shirts are drawn in anime art style, she brings videogame props into the ring as weapons, and names her moves after anime attacks (including her submission, the “Reaper Death Seal”). She has style and personality and stands out because of it. Kidd Bandit wrestles like an artist painting on a canvas.
When it was announced that Kidd Bandit and Zack Sabre Jr. would wrestle at Effy’s Big Gay Brunch X, my first thought was “What a perfect clash of styles!” (my second thought was “Wait, is ZSJ gay?”, which was quickly answered by my third thought of “It doesn’t matter actually”). ZSJ takes wrestling so seriously, embracing the combative nature and making his moves as effective as possible. Bandit embraces the more ridiculous side of wrestling, showing off and striking poses before doing moves that are as close to anime as real people can get. What happens when art meets science? After watching the match myself, I am happy to say that it becomes a beautiful combination of the two.
The match starts with a perfect example of this clash of styles. Kidd Bandit bows, showing respect for Zack Sabre Jr. and both of their Japanese influences. ZSJ takes the opportunity to give her a pat on the head, a sign of disrespect and already playing mind games. After this, the beginning of the match plays out how many ZSJ matches begin: with a feeling out process. The two grapple for a bit, not taking any big swings, but getting to know one another. In this moment, they have a standoff, another microcosm of the larger story: ZSJ takes a fighting stance with one hand up by his face and the other at his side while Bandit goes for a flashier stance, hopping on one leg with both arms outreached. Kidd Bandit makes a few attempts to close the distance with innovative takedowns; each one is met with a counter from ZSJ into a multi-layered hold. It is in these little exchanges we get to see more from Kidd Bandit’s style. Rather than going for efficient strikes or cutoffs to escape holds, she reverses them, trying to set up her own elaborate and innovative holds. It’s reminiscent of a main character trying their best to mimic their mentor’s techniques, but lacking the understanding behind it. She does the reversals into intricate submissions, but doesn’t have the efficiency or precision that ZSJ displays. This sets up another part of the story to the match: the experiential difference between the two. Bandit has only been wrestling for about 4 years at the time of this match, while Zack has over two decades of experience under his belt. Bandit simply doesn’t have the time and experience that Zack does.
However, the match isn’t as much of a wash as you might expect given the differences. For however much of an underdog she is, Kidd Bandit’s innovation and athleticism is simply unmatched. It’s an unknown factor that Zack Sabre Jr. can only prepare so much for. It’s in these moments of innovation that she is the most in control: a cartwheel reversal of a submission, a slight delay for a flourish on an axe kick, and a quick spin to add force to a strike. The situation becomes dire for her when she tries to go back to the fundamentals. The simple forearm strikes, the lock ups, the Irish Whip. In these moments, Zack is able to use his experience advantage and superior technical ability to dish out serious pain. In particular, Zack focuses on Bandit’s legs: stomping her ankles and barring her knees. ZSJ has identified Bandit’s key strengths are her striking and her movement. By attacking her legs, he removes the base of power for her strikes and limits her mobility. Bandit seems to have a more erratic approach to offense, striking and twisting at whatever is in front of her. It’s a solid strategy when you’re the underdog, get your hits in wherever and whenever you can. However, it leads to more damage spread out across the opponent, rather than exploiting their weaknesses or hampering their strengths. Once again, this is an element of the art vs science story of this match.
Despite being the senior, Zack Sabre Jr. displays an incredible amount of respect for Kidd Bandit. He asks her, “Are you gonna give up?” knowing that she won’t. When met with the expected, “How dare you ask me that?” Zack replies, “Then get up.” Zack sees the potential in Bandit, the talent and heart she has shown in the few short years of her career. He’s interested in what Kidd Bandit can bring to the table and wants to see more. Mixed with this intrigue is a bit of frustration, as if Zack is angry that someone with 18 years less experience is giving him such trouble. He slams the mat when Bandit gets to the ropes after a Single Leg Boston Crab. As the match goes on, we also see Bandit’s innovation and athleticism dwindle as her energy fades: she grabs the rope to break a hold rather than counter it, she gets caught mid reversal in a new submission, taking too long to get in position for a Phoenix Splash. Despite the technical wizardry and innovative offense, it is nothing nearly as flashy that ends the match. What ends the match is Zack reversing a kick from Kidd Bandit into a quick roll up, with Bandit flailing the whole time, showing signs of life. The end of the match is conclusive, but not definitive. Bandit didn’t tap nor was she out for the three count. Zack won through better fundamentals, but it was clearly more of a fight than he expected.
So do we have the answer then? In a battle of art vs science, did science win? Well, not exactly. During the match, Kidd Bandit showed she was able to hold her own with a former IWGP world heavyweight champion, a feat not managed by anyone else on this show. After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. shows even further respect by helping Bandit to her feet, embracing her, and raising her hand. From this, it's clear that for as much as this was a fight between art and science, it was also a conversation. How the two ends of the spectrum come together to form the beauty that is professional wrestling. Zack Sabre Jr. proved once again that he is the most calculating and devastating technical wrestler ever. Despite losing, Kidd Bandit proved she can hang with the titans of the industry and has a bright future ahead of her. This match has already earned a spot on my “Top 10 Matches of the Year” list.