Day: January 16, 2005

While I was watching one man wrestle outside of his pants, Scott was – watching one man wrestle outside of his pants. Harmonic converagance at the IWA-MS show, which also saw a big day for Trik Davis and another day in the life of New Jack.

Quick thoughts on tonight’s ELL-MEX show – I figure if I do it now, I’ll remember all of ’em. I took pictures, but didn’t finish my roll, and forget to use the flash half of the time (and wasn’t even bothering to get out of my seat on the other half), so I’m expecting they’ll look like crap and I’m debating if I’ll even develop them.

The main event was had two good falls – and then the third fall was a five second low blow DQ finish, which even slightly seemed to surprise the wrestlers. I dunno if they HAD to end at 10:00 and that’s why it happened, but it was quite an abrupt end.

(Like the Aurora OELL show, there were long breaks between matches where there should be no breaks, and they didn’t start on time – both shows were lacking in production and it’s frustrating. Show should’ve been done by 9:30.)

After playing “American Made” for a guy who wanted everyone for a guy who was shouting “MEXICO!”, they continued played the first WWE: the Music album, which I found weirdly entertaining.

I had to bolt at 10:00 – or at least I thought I did. I figured it’d take only 20 some minutes on the blue line to Union, but I didn’t figure in walking/running to the train and waiting for EL train time, so I got to the building for the 10:30 train at…10:33. And the next (last) train out wasn’t till 12:30. Started my trip in at 4:30, got home at 2:00 – I have an experience colored on having used 9:30 hours on the trip in addition to the (reasonable) $10 ticket.

At least I know for next time (when the show surely will not end any sooner with more people on it), so I’m either driving directly or I’m parking somewhere on the O’Hare half of the Blue Line. Union Station has a beautiful ceiling, but it can be all kinds of creepy when someone wants a piece of you for trying to figure out what the Jet/Steeler score, and having to step over homeless people sleeping on the warm floor for the night.

And I know that *probably*, it’s not worth the effort for local only cards, unless I can find a less stressful route of doing it; driving downtown is stressful for me, and waiting around for trains is annoying. Maybe if I can find some place safelooking on the Blue Line to park…

The good thing is that I insanely overprepared (which adds to the stress, of course), so I killed time before, after, during by…
– buying and reading Blink cover to cover (it’s good, but not the GREAT book I’ve been led to believe.
– listening to the last Modest Mouse and Shins albums for the fifth time this week
– battling thru three dungeons in FF2 GBA.

I was completely anti-social on the night. AWESOME.

the other matches

Almost as a rule, the rudos were good and the tecnicos were not. SWAT Kat was good, but many of the tecnicos seemed flat. They weren’t spectacular,

One: Someone please buy Jose Guerrero a belt, or make him wrestle in pants that fit when he wrestles. It was embarrassing and it took over the whole match, because everytime he moved, his pants slide down and we all got a unhealthy view of butt crack. When a guy is constantly mooning the crowd, it’s tough to get into the match. Tojo Yammatato Jr. had us all scared when he grabbed Guerrero by his legs (and pants) and pulled him off the ropes (the Fit Finley bomb move), because we all figured they were coming off completely that time for sure. They managed to stay 70-80% on until the (reverse) tights pull finish, which completely unnecessary but hilarious.

Two: I’m blanking on the name of the rudo here, but I think he did a okay job. He struck me as not getting the style let – just little things like using kicks to the gut as transition moves instead of open hand slaps, and using too many flat back bump moves (snap mares) instead of more lucha rolling bump moves, but that may be Azul’s fault equally. I appreciated the Swantons near the end – if you’re going to be a Hardy Boy clone (and he sure was dressed was like one), you might as well live it out completely. Azul, the tecnico, came off to me as a bland guy in an Atlantis/Demon outfit. The kids flocked to him after the match, so maybe they know more than me. The match was 70% rudo, and never really got around to telling a story, but it was better than the opener.

The rudo here actually got to same train station at 10:36. I felt bad for him – it’s The Right Thing To Do to stick around for the whole show, but I bet he wasn’t thinking that much at the moment – and wanted to give him ‘dap’, but as I pointed out before, anti-social, plus he was chatting with his girl, and was in process of finding alternate transportation back out to the ‘burbs.

Three: I missed the beginning of this discussing, and never figured out names, except escaped bumblebee convict Reo was one of the two rudos, and Fuerza Aera Jr. was one of the tecnicos. I know I know the other tecnico’s name (and I probably know the rudos name), but I’m blanking on it. This was fine and inoffensive but I didn’t really get into it.

It’s a wacky system where they can choke a guy out for two minutes with a steel chain, have the referee see it, and not get DQed. Also, it’s a wacky system where the guy isn’t dead from being choked out with a steel chain for two minutes.

The finish to the match was pretty nice, though: Fuerza Aera Jr.’s gets untied by rudos, Fuerza’s partner comes into break it up but accidentally knocks off Fuerza’s mask in the process, so he tosses the mask to the rudos, and the referees DQ them for pulling the mask. I still think it’s pointless to do screwjob finishes on these sort of shows, but if you’re going to do them, it’s a lot better if you do them where the tecnico wins.

Four:Main was Discovery (who I’ve now seen FOUR times, what the heck) and SWAT Kat vs El Dorado and Infernal. Infernal’s Calagry Flames jersey still rules, even if he had to give it up to a kid immediately upon entering the ring. (I’d rather root for the Flames than the stupid Blackhawks, SCOTT.) Dorado is the only one I haven’t seen and he was fine. The third finish was so weird – SWAT Kat and Infernal were fighting two seats away from Todd Gerth when all the sudden the match was over. So strange.

Overall, the show was about the level of the OELL show. At least I didn’t have to pay as much for a ticket, but I’m sure I used that money in other ways.
This was not quick. Huh.