Fergall Devitt is a wrestler from Ireland who became a pro wrestler at the tender age of 18. In 2006 at age 25, he joined a Japanese wrestling federation and became known as “Prince” Devitt. He’s been wrestling in Japan and growing more popular and more beloved ever since.
He formed a popular Tag Team with Ryusuke Taguchi and won the Junior Heavyweight Titles. Here they are defending their straps against two tough guys in blue tights: Davey Richards and Rocky Romero.
One of the most appealing things about Prince Devitt, besides his boyish looks and unstoppable energy, is his hard six-pack mid-section. Whenever his shirt is off (which is all the time), his ab muscles seem to be in a permanent clench, which just makes them grow even harder and more defined.
Devitt frequently climbs the ropes and strikes poses that are sure to put that washboard in high relief, catching the light and shadow just right so you can count every ripple. However, his spectacular mid-section often catches the attention of his opponents, who focus their attacks on weakening and busting up that hard belly.
In Japan, the Baby-Face wrestlers are almost always Japanese. That’s what the fans prefer — Japan was isolated for centuries, suffered many foreign invasions, and the people often think of outsiders (especially Westerners) as suspicious, devious, or even sadistic. They’re all about “Us” and “Them.” This is similar to the way many American wrestling federations traditionally cast a foreign wrestler as villainous and untrustworthy — to play off the fans’ fears and to increase the humiliation of the home-town boy (by showing him being beaten up by a dirty cheatin’ foreigner).
The villains in Japanese pro wrestling are normally Westerners who have “invaded” the island to punish the natives and cheat their way to domination. This is the role of big Davey Richards and Rocky Romero in this match, who use a series of Double-Team moves and sneaky, devastating tactics.
The interesting thing about “Prince” Fergall Devitt is that he’s been adopted as a hero by the Japanese. Even though he is Irish, white, and Western, the fans have fallen in love with him and allow him to play the Baby-Face in Peril (as he does in this match.) This is rare in Japan and a mark of Devitt’s universal appeal.
The Japanese may identify with Devitt because he is small for a wrestler and therefore vulnerable and adorable — his billed weight is only 178 pounds. They may appreciate his wild, high-flying, dangerous move-set, frequently flipping his hard little body over the ropes and out of the ring like a Ninja. They may also be attracted to that hard little body itself, as streamlined and efficient as a well-made motor, and aesthetically pleasing to watch in action (Beautiful, fragile items are a big turn-on in Japan.)
