You've had a number of incredibly memorable matches, right? Perhaps even some that you've secretly replayed over and over again in your mind because they were so enjoyable. Everything about them was right: the opponent was perfect, the action was hot, and the outcome left a strong, positive memory for you to cherish for years.

A recent encounter with a new opponent got me thinking about the opposite: how many matches do we engage in across our wrestling lifetimes that leave no meaningful impression on us? Those matches that, in hindsight, seem like mere transactions: two bodies colliding for an hour or two - and then quickly forgotten.

My new friend and I had finished an hour of sweaty battling and at the end I remarked "You've had a lot of opponents. Which were most memorable for you?" As we all are apt to do, he pulled out his phone to MF and proceeded to scroll through his past opponents - a list of about 100 acquired over a decade or more - making comments about this one or that one.

As he named each one, he made a really brief comment: either positive or negative. But there were a significant number that he said he had no memory of! They were...utterly forgettable.

Several days later, I interacted with a headless torso on Twitter who messaged me indicating that we had met for a match 20 years earlier. "Did I remember him?" he wondered. Even after he had supplied his face pic, I had only a vague memory of the match. Naturally, I turned my curiosity inward. "I wonder how many of my own former opponents would rate the matches I've had with them as being unremarkable?" A good number I suspect.

So, I decided to write this and ask the wisdom of the MF group: What makes for a memorable match? Why do remember some way more than others? And, in the end, does it matter either way as long as both leave reasonably satisfied?

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Last edited on 9/25/2022 1:17 AM by osakarob
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25

evilfighter (11)

9/25/2022 1:33 AM

I have hyperthymesia, I can recall everything about my past, including my past opponents: the year, the month and sometimes even the day we wrestled, what was the gear, the action, what people said and what they ate after the match. "I don't remember" is a phrase I never say. šŸ˜Ž

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osakarob (79 )

9/25/2022 1:46 AM

(In reply to this)

Is it a Blessing? Curse? Both?

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evilfighter (11)

9/25/2022 1:52 AM

(In reply to this)

Don't know, both good and bad episodes are vivid in my memory, like they happened just yesterday.

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AussieBoxer (44 )

9/25/2022 1:55 AM

I remember all of my fights, if not the real names of all of my opponents.

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HudsonOH (36)

9/25/2022 2:13 AM

I have a light case of "hyperthymesia." Never knew there was a term for it! But I knew it was a recognized phenomenon. Can say it is a curse in many ways but a blessing too, especially at work.

I remember everybody I ever wrestled and everything that happened, but some are more repeatedly reflected on than others. The memorable matches that come to my mind first always involved having spent time getting to know the opponent first and finding some connection other than just wrestling and fighting. My "unmemorable" matches that I still remember were swift encounters on short notice and did not involve a connection on another level. I will also confess that the memorable matches that come to mind first are those where there was some physical attraction and sexual tension. While I wrestle and fight for reasons other than the erotic, having that heady cocktail of eroticism and aggression makes for quite the memorable impression even if no consummation.

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BamaJDon41 (10 )

9/25/2022 2:21 AM

I think a match will be memorable if you both really want to be there that day, and you both fully are there and both focused on each other and the match. And it will be memorable if you find that you got everything you hoped you'd get from that opponent. There's no way that can happen every time. And the more frequent one's matches the less likely it can happen.

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osakarob (79 )

9/25/2022 2:28 AM

(In reply to this)

Thank you ScottsdaleAZ and BamajDon41: Both of your replies are profound. I'll think deeply on what you both noted but my immediately reaction is "Yes! Absolutely! those seem to be the keys to a memorable encounter."

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JasonFL (23)

9/25/2022 6:01 AM

Ok, side note ā€”

Please tell me that your last paragraph, with its summation, rhetorical questions, and last sentence-question beginning with ā€œAnd in the endā€¦..ā€ wasnā€™t meant as an homage to a certain late 90ā€™s-early 2000ā€™s columnist that like to write about Sex and a certain City?

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osakarob (79 )

9/25/2022 7:28 AM

(In reply to this)

And just like thatā€¦Iā€™m a plagiarist? šŸ˜‚

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JasonFL (23)

9/25/2022 7:38 AM

(In reply to this)

Not in the least, Carrie!

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surrey71 (21 )

9/25/2022 2:06 PM

In life thereā€™ll be some matches you remember fondly and always some youā€™d rather forget.
Thankfully the vast majority of matches Iā€™ve had from here I will have great memories of, but thereā€™s a couple of opponents Iā€™d rather forget!

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mochablk (23)

9/25/2022 5:19 PM

I guess in some aspects, they're all "memorable" due to the fact that I was thankfully and humbly able to wrestle. Were some better than others? Yes. I think chemistry is key. I do believe that getting to know your prospective opponents is healthy. At least for me.

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wrestledad60 (0)

10/23/2022 7:08 PM

(In reply to this)

Getting to know the other guy was the best advice I was ever given. After one really bad experience I had a guy tell me ask questions unashamedly. If the guy is a good fit for you then they wonā€™t be offended and it often opens the door for even more helpful conversation. So I ask a lot of questions before I meet guys to wrestle.

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edscissors (31 )

9/25/2022 11:09 PM

I remember every Meetfighters person who's been kind enough to meet me, and almost 100% of them with pleasure. Just one had slightly dubious personal hygiene so my memory of that meeting is, I am afraid, not quite so positive.

I can never aspire to the record of some of our friends here who have past opponents numbered in hundreds. Now there, I can quite understand if over the years some meetings might have faded a bit in the memory.

In my professional life I taught: mostly French. Many hundreds of pupils over the years. I always tried to give the best I could to each pupil at the time ... but years later, do I remember each one? Sadly, I'm afraid not. Maybe a handful of really brilliant pupils over the years (whom it was a privilege and a joy to teach), and just a few (very few, I think/hope) disasters ... but absolutely masses of really nice pupils who did just fine but who have left me only a vague memory. Maybe not utterly forgettable?

It'd be nice to think that my pupils might remember a teacher who tried hard for them. And I hope my Meetfighters friends will remember a considerate, honest - and hygienic! - person.

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bayareawrestler (22)

9/27/2022 8:32 AM

Iā€™ll never forget our matches!

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osakarob (79 )

9/27/2022 3:25 PM

(In reply to this)

Thank you, Bayareawrestler. One of my strongest most visceral memories is my first match with you. It was the perfect blend of trepidation, fear, and powerful attraction to you. You exuded a raw alpha male personality.

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doyouevenwrestle (61 )

9/29/2022 12:02 AM

being redundant and simplistic:
my most memorable matches have been those where everything aligned just right as you mentioned. the initial approach, perfect opponent, good build up, and hot action and satisfaction of a good wrestle
I can remember everything about them.
On the flip side I've also had what I call "filler matches"; just a match to fill the need to wrestle until the next. Maybe not even against someone I'd approach if I had a choice. But I still remember what happened and why it wasn't memorable. Have to remember those things to avoid meeting again

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osakarob (79 )

10/06/2022 12:52 AM

(In reply to this)

I like the term ā€œfiller matchesā€. šŸ˜‚
It acknowledges that men, in general, have testosterone filled urges to scrap. And sometimes we are less concerned with who the opponent is.

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doyouevenwrestle (61 )

10/06/2022 3:51 AM

(In reply to this)

that made me think as well. but I was reviewing my opponents and I've only wrestled 3 of them with zero appeal whatsoever JUST to scratch the itch to wrestle. every other opponent has had SOMETHING I'd like that's made me pick them

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WrestlingFL (65)

9/29/2022 12:06 AM

I can say this.....I will not forget our match and the connection. And more so, looking forward to meeting again........

John

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dirtybarefet (0)

10/01/2022 1:51 AM

So i remember every boy i've wrestled just like i remember every girl i've fucked and theyre kind of the same cause i cum with everyone i wrestle so its like fucking.

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Hardmatch (99)

10/03/2022 6:58 PM

With very few exceptions (thankfully), I have enjoyed something about all of my past matches and can remember all of them in general. That is the blessing of a good memory. Obviously there are always a handful that stand out over the others.

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SalzPeter (117 )

10/11/2022 4:31 AM

For me the location makes a big impression.
For example, a match with a fellow in scenic Lake District or in the heart of New Orleans is always going to be more memorable than say downtown Manhattan or the suburbs of Berlin.
Recently, I had a great fun match at a Coach's cottage in New England and I will always remember that and hope I can meet and wrestle more men in unusual settings.

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osakarob (79 )

10/11/2022 4:41 AM

(In reply to this)

Thatā€™s a really interesting take on this question, SalzPeter. I hadnā€™t really thought about how location might positively influence our matches. But itā€™s a truly brilliant point. Perhaps itā€™s the reason that so many guys remember a particular ring match as well because the ā€œlocationā€ is quite a rare opportunity for most of us.

Thanks for the really interesting point. Iā€™ll try to recall some of my past matches to see if the surroundings influenced my memories of them!

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In it to Win it (6)

10/30/2022 6:55 PM

Whether or not you fulfill their fetishes

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