CMLL Line - 12/25/01 (#14)

That title match color doesn't work at all with CRZ's color scheme. I'll try to find something better, next time around.

Competitors Key:

Finish: () indicated a pin/submission/elimination by the LOSING team.

Rating: Bases on the quality of the finish, ring work, internal/external storyline, consistency and my whims. Also, various other (random) factors that I can't think of right now. 0-100 for matches.

Momentum Key: A number indicate that side is in control, E is for even, M is for Mixed, * for Interference

Match By Match: 

First Match: I guess Damien's music is Linkin Park's One Step Closer. YES! ESSA! REY! This is BY DEFAULT a great match. It's always weird how there's like seven young guys who are all about flying around the ring and then Negro Casas, who's about a million years old. Maybe not really but still.

After group meetings, the rudos threaten to walk, but come back. Damien ambushes Rey with a chop and it's off. Rey fires back with forearms, whip, reversed, go behind, Damien elbows out, brief celebration, turns around right into another Rey forearm. Rey off the ropes, Thesz press but Damien turns it into a short powerbomb. Damien puts on an armbar on Rey's left arm and kicks that side. Rey fires back with a kick and forearms of his own to turn it into a wristlock, then runs to the second rope and hits a springboard spinning 'rana. Damien is quick up and charges, but Rey waves him by the first time and drop toe holds him on the second rope the second time. Rey gets some spin and does the Tiger Mask dive fake out, spinning through the ropes and kicking Damien in the face! Springboard legdrop to the back of the neck and Damien is out of there, staggered in pain on the floor while Halloween checks on him.

Aguila - wait for me to screw up and call him Essa - has finnaly taken off the champs he came to the ring with so he might as well take over for his time. Averno's in for the opposite side. Aguila off the ropes - let's take a replay of the legdrop. It is good but odd timing of it. Back in the ring, Aguila seems to be about to go for the WWF LH flip out escape but Averno reminds him he's not in the WWF (anymore) by reversing to a powerbomb, but Aguila manages to flip off the lift and on to his feet. Averno charges and gets powerslammed, one two no. Stomp, axhandle, let's look at Halloween, Aguila with a spinning headscissors to take Averno out.

Memphisto is quickly in for his partner, chopping Aguila before he sees him coming. Chop agian and again. Yell to the crowd. Whip, leapfrog, Aguila slides under, jumps up and hits a spinning back heel kick. Memphisto rolls to saftey.

Damien's back in and clotheslining Aguila. Damien falls to the mat to do something (the WORM? Nah) but we look at Halloween again. Back to action, where Aguila reverses an armdrag and hits one of his own, taking Damien out.

That leaves Halloween for the rudos - his chop is avoided and Aguila hits. Double hand chop. Whip and Halloween's slid (slud?) to the floor. Aguila teases a dive, but handsprings off the ropes into a back flip into a spinning pose. He's happy with running the table on the rudos, and tags out. Maybe he can fix his elbow pads so it's actually on his elbow now. 

After a conference among the rudos (hey, when did everyone switch corners? Maybe this is the reverse angle), Halloween agrees to come in to face Hombre Sin Nombre, complaining about midsection pains all the way. Halloween wants Damiem to be allowed in, they shake, hug and kiss - Nombre and me are equally disturbed about that. Nombre with a headlock, off the ropes, shoulderblock, no one going. Off the ropes and a clothesline seems to work now. Whip, reversed, HSN ducks the clothesline, escapes the tilt-a-whirl but runs into the spin kick. Atlas muscle pose from Damien. HSN picked up and chopped hard. Twice. Whip, clothesline misses, flapjack gets turned into a dropkick and Halloween's out.

Damien back in, charging, being waved by and kicked in the leg, knocking him through the ropes (almost getting choked on the way out.) HSN runs - tope on Damien knocks him halfway up the entrance.

Averno and Rey back in - Averno with a corner whip to the tecincos corner (did Negro Casas go for coffee?), charge in to a boot, charge in again to a drop toe hold, landing him face first on the second turnbuckle and rebounding in the middle of the ring - Aguila FIREBIRD SPLASH! One two three! Rey runs on top of the Aguila/Averno cover to take down and roll up Memphisto - the count is off camera but I guess it's one two three, or someone counted out both Halloween and Damien, because they end the fall right there. (4:28) Rey legdrops Memphisto for fun anyway. This is my tag team of 2002! Looks like Casas and HSN were taking care of Halloween and Damien outside the ring. Replay of the tope from a couple different angles - and the PERFECT 450 splash. Better than Juvi at any rate. You know, I'd pay great a deal of money to see that match.

Second Fall: Halloween is in and so is Casas! Casas with a chop but Halloween ask for me. He gets more and wants even more. And hits one of his own and Casas is leveled. Casas is shocked! Casas whipped, shoulderblock knocks Casas down. Again. Chop and Casas is feeling it. Whip, reversed, and there's the Casas big boot which takes Halloween down for sure - he rolls out

Damien in, Damien kicked, Damien gets a swinging neckbreaker. Chop in the corner to stun Damien and buy time for Casas to back up - running big boot. Damien leaves and Casas tags out.

Hombre Sin Nombre and Averno in - HSN with a takedown, off the ropes, Averno drops down so HSN back flips over him (!) and hits Averno with a dropkick. Whip, reversed, leapfrog, HSN slides under, 'rana. Off the ropes, Averno hiptoss blocked, HSN hiptoss takes Averno over the top rope.

Memphisto in. HSN off the ropes and right into a clothesline. Damien and Halloween - Damien spreads the legs and drops the headbutt low, much to the tecincos unhappiness. Corner whip by Halloween, Memphisto charges in with a clothesline, Averno charges in with a clothesline, Halloween goes on all fours, and Damien hits the assisted high hipcheck. Damien pounds HSN with hard clotheslines in the corner, bulldog out. 

Rey in, Rey powerbombed hard by Averno! Memphisto gives Casas a big boot just as Damien collects a one two three on Nombre. Where did Aguila go? Must've got knocked to the floor somewhere in this. Averno gives Rey an across the shoulders backbreaker drop and Memphisto helps cover, one two three. Casas is sat on the top rope. Averno is holding back Aguila, and Damien is collecting Casas - I don't even know how to describe this. It's like a vertical suplex, but Damien hooks the legs, then drops down to his knees to put stress on Casas's neck. Damien covers - no count? - but holds up as Halloween directs traffic. Averno slams Aguila and Memphisto hits a flying senton - one more count, one two three. (2:32) Halloween and Damien hold Casas up to the camera and beat him up even more. Tijuana's duo ties it up one on one. Replay of the bulldog on HSN. Replays replays replays. You know why the tecincos lost? They let Casas in! There was a count on Casas, so I guess the other ref lost track of how many people were beat.

Third fall: The rudos are bating up Casas and Rey still as Aguila and Hombre Sin Nombre recover on the floor. Casas gets a snap mare from Averno and rolls out, while Rey gets a press slam and a dropkick to the face by Halloween. Aguila and Hombre Sin Nombre try to make a save but Memphisto and Averno cut them off and stop them. Averno hits Nombre with a series of knees, then Averno and Memphisto both hit open hand slaps to knock them out of the ring.

Averno and Damien with a double whip on Rey - double double leg slam (that almost makes sense). Rey's pulled up by Damien and Halloween to a battering ram position, flipped up to a double backbreaker rack position, and flipped down into a flap jack. Memphisto and Averno get set, off the ropes, double dropkick to the face! Rey's dead, y'all. His corpse does manage to roll out of the ring. Rudos celebrate in the ring.

Aguila jumps in the ring - and immediately gets taken down with kicks from Memphisto and Averno. Memphisto pulls Aguila by around his hair. Hombre Sin Nombre comes in and gets chopped by Memphisto. Look at the fans, and then look at Casas reverse a running bulldog into running Damien into the ringpost. Back in the ring, Averno and Memphisto with a double whip, double takedown, roll to his feet, double whip, double flapjack. Aguila rolls out.

Somehow, with Damien and Aguila down outside, we've settled back to a regular match. Halloween's back in the ring, Averno and Memphisto wander to their corner, Casas comes in for the tecincos and Hombre Sin Nombre and Rey are back in their corner. Casas and Halloween circle, then Halloween hits chops that stagger him. Casas pulls himself up and hits a chop, a big boot and a dropkick that finnaly takes Halloween down and out.

Memphisto in, Rey comes in. Exchange of chops ends with a Memphisto whip, charge into a Rey big boot. Rey corner whip, charge in, flipped to the apron, Rey lands a forearm - spring board 'rana! Rey goes for a div, all the rudos run for the lives, and Rey does the fake out.

Damien back in and tries to lunge at Rey from behind, but he doesn't dive far enough and Rey evades him. Damien quickly up and slamming Rey. Damien poses, not realizing that Aguila's snuck back in the ring. Damien turns around, and right into a kick. Forearm, lifted on to the top rope, Aguila puts Damien on his shoulders. Aguila waves to Rey - high springboard Thesz press! Aguila is playing the role of Kidman, I guess. They both pick up Damien, double whip, double chop missed, Damien's double DDT hits! Atlas pose by Damien, then he goes back work - a wristlock on these guys doesn't seem like the best of idea. They're back up and Damien tries to stun them with kicks, then runs to the ropes (not the corner) - easily to the second, a little trouble to the third, double springboard armdrag! Rey and Aguila Roll through and up - double rights miss and Halloween nails both with one missile dropkick. Damien and Halloween communicate, then set up - off the far ropes but Hombre Sin Nombre pulls it down and they spill out! Now Rey and Aguila are back in the ring, running - DOUBLE SOMERSAULT PLANCHA!

Memphisto attempts to try to get back control for his time by clothesling an unprepared Casas. Celebration. Whip, reversed, Casas dropkick to the knee, La Majistral one two three! Hombre Sin Nombre with the flying reverse top on Memphisto one two three! Damien and Halloween are counted out! Casas's team wins! (4:20) Celebration, and some replays.

Second Match: Apolo has "AD" painted on his now bald head, which is really funny for some reason. Demon tries calmly come in the ring before the match and gets kicked in the face. Apolo got armdragged and ended up getting crotched on the bottom rope, but the refs didn't notice (or tried not to.) Capos with their usual fine team moves in the second (beatdown) fall. After Demon got splashed, Cien and Mascara did a cool double leg submission thing but didn't realize they got the pinfall while putting it on. MY2K went after V5's mask in between the second and last fall, when the beatdown went on. Cien snuck in a low blow during the beatdown. V5's mask got pulled up as far his mouth but he managed to keep it on while being beat up. Apolo snuck in another low blow on Demon on the outside. MY2K almost got V5's mask off at another point in the beatdown. Capos had a triple pose/submission hold on Blue Demon before they started their comeback. The tecinco stopped the rudo ref from counting the pins after some illegality (a face rake) and DQed the tecincos. Odd and not very effective the first time through. Replayed showed what I missed the first time - it wasn't a face rake, it was a full mask pull on V5. The two sides fought more after the replay

Third Match: Pierroth wishes everyone (or maybe just Veneno) a happy Christmas. Viva Puerto Rico! Tecincos come out to the Loony Toons music. I give them NO chance. La Fiera started to comeback but was beaten down and put in the hold, with Veneno and Pieroth Jr. kick the exposed chest. Everyone took turns hitting sentons on Tiger until Violencia finnaly decided to end it. Tigre has a cool way to do a spinning headscissors. Pierroth decks Brazo De Oro on the outside before the final fall starts.

Fourth Match: Mid match makes it distracting. Atlantis and Wagner have an issue and teased fighting after the second fall but Wagner kept backing off. Wagner tried faking a low blow early in third fall but no one bought it. And then he did it again and still no. And then he and Atlantis were fighting on the floor and Wagner's punch missed and hit the ringpost. I was kinda hoping that Hombre Sin Nombre dropping the Jalisco gimmick would mean that he'd drop the reverse topes but I guess not. He did have to learn it so he might as well use it but I still don't like them. Warrior and HSN hit stereo topes. Scorpio distracted the ref while Wagner hit the low blow and that was that.

Spectacular moments was all Mr. Aguila (plancha! Shooting Star Press!) and Buccanero, Magica, Dr. X and a fan dancing. Okay, there were midgets and Boricuas too.

Fifth Match: Porky went right after Tarzan Boy before the match, but went alone so that wasn't too smart. The Jalisco here is the "dad" of the one who has no name now, just to get it straight. Tecincos stopped a triple team before it could start to turn it around in the first fall and leave Tarzan Boy alone with Super Porky. Guerrero's Del Infernal have a group circle dance to pump themselves up - that doesn't sound good but it's true. Porky doing the Atlas pose (after a double splash) is disturbing. Nice team work by the rudos in the second fall. Tarzan Boy worked in between falls on opening up Porky. Porky ended up turning the tables and Ultimo and Magica just kinda stood there while their partner was being beat - odd. I'm sure we weren't supposed to see them. After the break, Porky beat up Tarzan more to get him ready for the hair match. 

Closing Notes: 

1. Perhaps, one day, the Atlantis/Wagner feud will go somewhere 
2. Hope all the Aguila stuff is a sign he's going to be around for a while, but the booking didn't seem strong that way
3. Weird how all three Infernals (Satanico, Memphisto, Averno) go back and forth from rudo to tecinco with no trouble 
4. This was the last tapings before the PPV - weird to see no Shocker.
5. Rey's going be able to go great, where ever he ends up going in the new year.