Hi!
These are the results for 2007 Tapatia Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted, and thanks for those who didn’t for reading this. Voting was up 8% this year! (That’s 1 voter.)
2007’s results were dominated by the Apache/Billy Boy soap opera. Elements of the feud received votes in many different categories, and surely had an affect on the closest race for best promotion of the year. This is part of the continuing trend away from heavy-CMLL ballots in the first couple of years.
Comments included in the ballots are listed after each award. If I missed yours, or if you have more to say after seeing who won, feel free to post in the comments
Full results from past years: 2004, 2005, 2006
This year’s results, after you click on the link.
1) Best Wrestler
2004: LA Park
2005: Perro Aguayo Jr.
2006: Mistico
2007: Gran Apache
Name 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6thTotal Gran Apache 4 2 1 1 103 Dr. Wagner Jr. 2 4 1 1 1 98 Mistico 2 2 2 2 3 93 Ultimo Guerrero 1 3 2 2 1 82 Averno 2 2 3 65 Cibernetico 2 34 Chessman 1 2 21 Billy Boy 1 2 18 Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 2 16 Valiente 2 2 16 La Sombra 1 1 14 Laredo Kid 1 1 11 Stuka Jr. 1 1 11 Virus 1 1 10 Black Terry 1 8 Freelance 1 8 LA Park 1 8 Dos Caras Jr. 1 5 Sangre Azteca 1 5 Tzuki 1 5 La Parka Jr. 1 3 Alan Stone 1 2 El Hijo del Santo 1 2 Fabi Apache 1 2 Mini Damian 666 1 2 Octagon 1 2 Ricky Marvin 1 2 Super Calo 1 2
James C. Dudzik: [Chessman] – nobody, anywhere, works this hard!, [LA Park] – he’s everywhere!, newsworthy, leyenda classico
Henrik: Ok, i know it’s all CMLL guys, but i’m biased, and CMLL luchadors in general are far more polished and professional than their AAA rivals! :)
Best Wrestler is a difficult one because no one has really been a stand-out in 2007. The usual suspects at the top end of the card – Mistico, Ultimo, Wagner etc have all been perfectly fine, but none of them have been particularly amazing over the whole year. Unfortunately, my man Volador has been pretty poor so he’s not even in the running this year, which is a big disappointment. Likewise for Black Warrior. I was tempted to go for my top guys from the midcard, those being Stuka, Valiente and Virus, who all had great years (with Stuka entertaining me most). And the mini’s were finally given the opportunity to show what they can do and almost all of them have been hugely impressive – so i think my top mini, Damiancito 333, deserves a mention at least. Then you have guys like LA Park and El Santo, who are two of the best luchadors in Mexico and would definitely be up there – but we just haven’t saw enough of them this year to justify inclusion.
Chui: This was pretty though to choose mainly because most of the guys were not working for the whole year because of injuries. And 2007 would go down more like a appendix of the 2006 than a year of its own. I mean, we saw more Mistico(/Casas) vs Averno(/Mephisto) but that was something that was carried over from the previous years, same for Mistico/Perro Jr, Apache storyline, Secta, etc. And most of the times, the quality or at least the impact diminished. At least Gran Apache got to do a bit of different things, teaming with Super Calo, then with Billy Boy as Alfa, and even with Mary Apache in the later part of the year. Apache was in several good matches, the 4 way mixed tag from GdT, and 2 or 3 of the Fuerza Aerea deal. I like Averno, but still, it looks as if Ultimo is the one who gets more from fresh matchups, he had great moments with Sombra, Volador (or was it 2006?) and even carried Shocker to be a tecnico again.
Robert: I decided to make my picks based on workrate rather thanf who is a draw since it’s so hard to compare the two things. The problem is it really hasn’t been such a strong year for workrate as the match of the year list shows. Mistico would be a lock for #1 if you combine workrate and drawing power but he was injured for a sizeable chunk of the year and had lots of mailed-in efforts in matches you really wouldn’t have expected it. So I had to move him down my list. Ultimo Guerrero would have been a logical choice for #1 but he also had an off year with a lot of mailed-in efforts as well. I expect more from him. So for #1 I went with El Averno who is everything Ultimo Guerrero should be. He brings his ‘A’ game to every match, even the ones taped for weekend television! Don’t discount him as a draw either as he is Mistico’s arch rival and together they have drawn many houses. For my #2 I went with Apache who is clearly the most underrated wrestler in the world. You can’t count on both hands how many tecnicos he carried in matches this year along with being the focus of the best storyline in wrestling. Freelance was my #3 and I have no regrets about ranking him there. He’s always a pleasure to watch and a true star in the making. Rounding out my list is Virus who really isn’t given a chance to be in a starring role but to me he is the king of the weekend shows as he always looks great when you see him pop up in random matches. He dragged Tony Rivera to a decent hair match, has helped Euforia/Nosferatu progress, is Valiente’s arch rival and in his one late year main event appearence on a Sunday show he proved he fits in with the top-level guys.
Thecubsfan: In a year with no breakout great candidate – Mistico missed time with injury, Dr. Wagner missed time with pointless feuds (the ones outside the ring, not the climax-less ones inside it), Averno’s continued his to a HOF foil career but needs a life outside of being Mistico’s dance partner, Ultimo Guerrero remained Ultimo Guerrero but outside a month of tag team wackiness didn’t reach another level, and Santo was mostly a fictional creature (or had fictional drawing power) – with no one great, might as well give to someone who was good all year. Gran Apache is unlikely to win many awards besides these, because most of his work was in the first half of cards and he’s not been promoted as a big star. He sure worked like one this year.
2) Best Match
2004: Averno vs Zumbido 09/03
2005: Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero 02/25
2006: Black Warrior vs Mistico 09/29
2007: Mistico vs Dr. Wagner 07/27
Name 1st 2nd3rd4th5th6th Total 07.27: Mistico vs Dr. Wagner 5 2 1 1 1 119 07.06: Mistico, Negro Casas, La Sombra vs Wagner, Euforia, Ultimo 2 2 1 42 01.06: Averno vs Mistico 1 1 2 1 32 02.09: Billy Boy vs Gran Apache [bull terrier] 1 1 1 31 02.16: Reyes de Aire 1 2 28 11.30: Four Way Mixed Tag 1 1 22 07.27: Alas de Oro 1 1 20 09.29: Stuka Jr., Valiente, Metalico vs Eufoira, Nosferatu, Loco Max 1 1 1 19 02.11: Mistico vs Black Warrior 1 17 03.10: Billy Boy vs Gran Apache [street fight] 1 17 05.06: Air Force vs Gran Apache, Super Calo, Alan, Decnis 1 1 13 09.03: Hell Brothers vs Naomichi Marufuji, Ricky Marvin, Kotaru Suzuki 1 12 11.27: La Sombra vs Hajime Ohara [NWA WELTER] 1 12 12.07: LA Park vs Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 12 12.14: Mini Warrior, Mini Damian, Pierrothito vs Atomo, Dorada, Tzuki 1 12 03.18: Billy Boy vs Gran Apache [hair] 1 1 8 03.25: Reina de Reinas 1 8 04.27: Women's Cibernetico [MEX WOMEN] 1 8 05.04: Marcela vs Princesa Sujei [MEX WOMEN] 1 8 07.13: Wagner & Ultimo vs Negro Casas & Mistico [CMLL TAG] 1 8 09.28: CMLL Cage of Death 1 8 10.24: Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Ultimo Guerrero [UWA HEAVY] 1 8 03.02: Perro Aguayo Jr. vs Mistico 1 5 11.24: Black Terry vs Cerebro Negro 1 5 07.15: Juventued Guerrrera vs Fuerza Guerrera 1 3 07.15: Kenzo Suzuki, Mesias, Sean Waltman vs Hell Brothers [cage] 1 3 07.15: Ozz & Cuervo vs Joe Lider, Crazy Boy 1 3 11.30: Zorro vs Mesias vs Cibernetico 1 3 12.25: Mascarita Dorada, Fantasy, Bam Bam vs Mini FdT 1 3 01.27: Freelance vs Avisman 1 2 05.13: Dr. Wagner Jr., Negro Casas vs Hirooki Goto, Jushin Liger 1 2 07.01: Alan, Alfa, Gran Apache, Super Calo vs Air Force 1 2 08.26: Ayako Hamada, Kaoru Ito vs Fabi Apache, La Diabolica 1 2
Robert: Honestly – it was a REALLY disappointing year for matches. Rarely a year goes by where I don’t have to update the ‘Top Lucha Matches Ever’ with a few candidates but this year I only added two matches – Mistico/Warrior and Mistico/Averno. So the choice for #1 was easy. Mistico/Averno was their usual great match with a little added drama as this was supposed to be Averno’s big win finally and it was also their first Arena Mexico singles main event since the famous title switch in 2005. I dropped it down to #4 only b/c I’m a huge mark for Torneos and this year featured two great Torneos with the Alas De Oro and Reyes Del Aire. It’s really a toss-up as to which you prefer since both were equally good. I went with the Alas De Oro mainly because it was unclipped and had a stronger opening section. My #5 pick was the great trios match the week after the Gran Alternativa. Amazing action with the two newbies trying to impress and Mistico/Wagner heating up their feud. Freelance/Avisman barely made my list as it was down to that or the tag title natch in Guadalajara with Rayman/Sagrado vs the fake Cien Caras kids. The Guadalajara match being good was a real shocker to me but Freelance/Avisman had more emotion and the blood put it over the top. Honorable mention also to the Androide/Rey Sagitario vs Difuntos tag match from Monterrey in March which falls into the same category as the Guadalajara tag. This list may end up changing down the road as I’ve yet to see the last two months or so of Arena Mexico matches from 2007.
Mistico/Warrior wins this category for me simply because I went into it expecting the two to work the exact same match as their mask match or one of the many rematches I had seen in Arena Neza and Guadalajara. Right away they showed they came to work as Mistico began the match by stealing Black Warrior’s tope of death. The crowd was the hottest I had seen in ages at Arena Coliseo and the two pulled out all the stops. Amazing finish only made it even better.
Henrik: Again, this has not been easy, as there have been loads of fun little 10 minute sprints, but very little in the way of real quality top-end matches that you’d consider MOTYC’s. The big card stip matches have been lacklustre, 1vs1’s in CMLL have become a bit stale and need freshened up a bit with new rivals and feuds, and obviously the new style that has creeped in over the past couple of years has hindered matches from having the time to build up to an epic. There’s also one or two matches that would probably get in my list, but i’ve not had a chance to see them yet (eg. Volador V Mephisto) and matches which would almost definitely be inclusions but were butchered for TV (Mini’s July Cibernetico and Reyes Del Aire in Feb to an extent). I also feel that CMLL has suffered from not having Santo come in for his usual month, as things always seem to pick up when he’s there, and you always get some great matches out of it.
It’s also difficult in the sense that it tests my memory as a lot of the matches i only saw at the time on XEJTV and haven’t saw since – so i’m going on vague, rather than fresh & detailed memories. But i remember the match the week after the Torneo Gran Alternativa with La Sombra and Euforia stepping up as being tons of fun and i don’t think anything else has surpassed how much i enjoyed that one. Obviously Mistico/Wagner deserves to be in there somewhere, and i’m also going to give a mention to the Tuesday Coliseo minis match from Christmas day which was amazing and a real showcase for the depth in the minis division.
3) Best Tecnicos
2004: LA Park
2005: Mistico
2006: Mistico
2007: Mistico
1st 2nd 3rdTotal Mistico 6 5 2 49 Dr. Wagner Jr. 1 6 2 27 Cibernetico 2 1 3 19 La Sombra 1 1 5 Marcea 1 5 La Parka Jr. 1 5 Billy Boy 1 5 Mascarita Dorada 1 5 Laredo Kid 2 4 Charly Manson 1 3 Fabi Apache 1 3 Chessman 1 2 Negro Casas 1 2 Tzuki 1 2
James C. Dudzik:
La Parka Jr. – even one-armed he is all a technico is supposed to be
Mistico – nuff said
Cibernetico – regardless of what people think of him, that thousands chant his chant seems to be what being a technico is all about
Henrik: Fairly straightforward here. Mistico still seems hugely popular despite the reaction to him at Arena Mex sometimes.
Chui: None, they all suck.
Robert: Mistico is still the most over wrestler in all of Mexico in my mind so he didn’t lose this category just b/c the fans closest to the microphone boo him constantly. He lost this category b/c Mascarita Dorada in only two months has won over a crowd that has been trained over the past few years to not give a crap about the mini’s division. He oozes charisma and knows how to play his role perfectly. Add in the spectacular highspots and it’s no wonder he is super over, even with the promotion itself attempting to bury him from the start by putting him opening matches. Rounding out my list is Tzuki who only made television about 6 times this year but showed he still has it in every appearance. The Kids Day mini’s match in particular was a classic exhibition in how a little guy can get over even without doing a billion flying spots.
4) Best Rudo
2004: Hector Garza
2005: Perro Aguayo Jr.
2006: Ultimo Guerrero
2007: Gran Apache
Name 1st 2nd 3rdTotal Gran Apache 6 2 34 Ultimo Guerrero 3 4 1 29 Mesias 2 1 1 15 Averno 3 1 11 Dr. Wagner Jr. 1 2 11 Perro Aguayo Jr. 2 2 10 Konnan 1 1 1 10 Abismo Negro 1 5 Atlantis 2 4 Mr. Niebla 1 3 Mini Damian 666 1 2 Cibernetico 1 2 Scorpio Jr. 1 2 Amapola 1 2
Henrik: Whilst i think that Averno has been superior all round, when it comes solely to being an asskicking rudo, Ultimo is still king. He killed Que Monito goddammit! :D
At the expense of such established names like Atlantis, Perros, Black Warrior etc, I included Damiancito 333 but i would rather have included Halloween too, and feel bad for leaving him out! These two guys have entertained me possibly more than anyone in CMLL on the rare occasions i’ve saw them this year. Mini’s or not, they’re two of the most charismatic rudos around these days and the only reason they’re not right up there is because over the course of the full year, they haven’t made TV too often.
Robert: I immediatly disqualified any rudos who attempt to be cheered. Out went Ultimo Guerrero, Atlantis, Averno, Mephisto, Perrito… well… pretty much every rudo in CMLL. Apache wins b/c he broke up a marriage (temporarily), stole a baby, convinced Billy Boy’s best friends to turn on him and finally got his other daughter to return and join him to battle her own sister. He is a true evil genius! El Mesias is pretty much the best thing to happen to AAA in a long time and if he leaves full time for TNA it will be a huge blow. Not only can he work with all the limited top tecnicos in the promotion, he also has incredible promo skills and the crowd loves to hate him. Scorpio Jr. rounds out my list since he had a great year with the first batch of Guapos and then with the re-formed Guapos. He also brought Guapito into our lives which should have made him wrestler of the year but I resisted…
5) Best Female
2005: Marcela
2006: Dark Angel
2007: Fabi Apache
Name 1st 2nd 3rdTotal Fabi Apache 8 2 46 Amapola 1 4 3 23 Dark Angel 2 1 2 17 Marcela 1 2 3 17 Ayako Hamada 2 1 8 Tsunami 1 5 Mari Apache 1 1 5 Cinthia Moreno 1 3 Lady Apache 1 2 Princesa Sujei 1 2 Estrellita 1 2
Chui: Although Marcela and Amapola are quite good, they don’t seem to catch the fans’ imaginations at all, they’re probably in a very bad situation in which even if one thinks they can have a good match, one will always think that the regular undercarders could be delivering a better match. Fabi, on the other hand, got over pretty well with the AAA crowds and even with the reduced lucha internet community, and even worked quite well as a ruda carrying lesser tecnicas.
Robert: If only Amapola would have had an off year, I could have snuck Diana La Cazadora onto the list! okay, not really.:) Marcela/Amapola are mainstays on this list as long as they stick around. Head and shoulders above everyone else in CMLL. However both of them don’t get to be in a starring role like Fabi does in AAA. In addition to being part of a great storyline, she has improved big time in the ring and works flawlessly with the men when she has to. She ain’t hard on the eyes either!
6) Best Unit
2006: Los Guerreros del Atlantida
2007: Real Fuerza Aerea AAA
1st 2nd 3rd Total Real Fuerza Aerea AAA 8 1 1 45 Triad de Terror 2 3 2 23 Guerreros del Atlantida 1 4 17 Hell Brothers 1 1 2 12 La Secta/Black Family 1 3 11 Perros del Mal 1 1 1 10 Guapos VIP (pre & post split) 3 9 Los Payasos AAA 1 3 Vipers 1 2 High Society 1 2 Nuevo Infernales 1 2 Gran Apache & Super Calo 1 2 Mini Familia de Tijuana 1 2
Henrik: 1 and 2 speak for themselves. I’ve avoided AAA in these choices so far, but i gotta at least give a mention to the Air Force who gave me my insane, innovative highflying fix that i don’t get so much with CMLL. They have been about my only reason for watching AAA now and again (along with Oriental). I guess most folk would include Los Perros De Mal, but i just find them really boring in all that they do. And the biggest disappointment is the Pandilla who now suck since Sangre Azteca got phased out and promoted up to a full Guerrero, and Dr X seems to wrestle about 1/4 of the matches of slugs like Nitro. Again, if we got to see them more, Los Guillereros and Los Romanos would be in my considerations too, and Pequeno Familia deserve a mention. I used to think that Mr Aguilita kinda sucked and dragged them down quite a bit, but he looked the best i’ve saw him on Cadena Tres this Saturday past.
Chui: Although Marcela and Amapola are quite good, they don’t seem to catch the fans’ imaginations at all, they’re probably in a very bad situation in which even if one thinks they can have a good match, one will always think that the regular undercarders could be delivering a better match. Fabi, on the other hand, got over pretty well with the AAA crowds and even with the reduced lucha internet community, and even worked quite well as a ruda carrying lesser tecnicas.
Robert: Fuerza Aerea gets the nod here as they were on FIRE during the first half of the year. The unit kinda got put on hold due to pushes to both Laredo Kid and Super Fly but they rebounded strong late in the year in a feud with La Secta which I haven’t seen but have heard great things about. AAA would do best to always have a Fuerza Aerea stable around, even if it means introducing new flyers every few months to replace the injured ones. Guapos are up next b/c they always had entertaining matches before the split. Each guy complemented each other and with Guapito on the outside it only added to the entertainment value. This might actually have been my favorite Guapos version of all-time included the CMLL incarnations. Triad gets the third spot for me for all their hard work at carrying various tecnicos and doing jobs while still remaining strong players who are credible main eventers.
7) Best Promotion
2004: CMLL
2005: CMLL
2006: CMLL
2007: AAA
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total AAA 8 4 1 54 CMLL 5 8 1 51 IWRG 2 7 20 Arena Neza 1 1 7 Todos X el Todos 1 2 AULL 1 2 Arena Coliseo Guadalaja 1 2
Henrik: 3rd: Arena Neza! (ok, i’ve never saw it, but i never saw anything outside the big 2 in 2007 and i figure CMLL Guadalajara is ineligible) :
Robert: This wasn’t a tough choice at all. CMLL is far too inconsistent and had a pretty horrible first half of the year. They have all the talent in the world but the booking is beyond awful at times and the television is often poorly put together. In fact sometimes the weekend shows only hurt the promotion rather than help. AAA sorta tailed off at the end of the year with pointless guys being brought in and a never-ending main event feud that ran it’s course at Verano De Escandalo. But you can’t discount the amazing first half of the year they had. January through June was pure gold, especially May and June. IWRG made strides to try and overtake AAA and CMLL but when you get past the homegrown talent, the depth of the promotion is really weak and they tended to REALLY overbook things for their television show. The only other territory I even considered was CMLL’s Guadalajara branch.
8) Best Rivalary
2004: El Hijo del Santo vs Perro Aguayo Jr.
2005: Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero
2006: Mistico vs Black Warrior
2007: Billy Boy vs Gran Apache
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total Billy Boy vs Gran Apache 10 1 52 Mistico vs Dr. Wagner Jr. 2 5 2 29 Mistico vs Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 2 11 Cibernetico vs Mesias (Hellbrothers vs Legion) 2 2 10 Mistico vs Avenro 1 3 9 Atlantis vs Dr. Wagner Jr. 1 5 Guapos vs Belo Grecos 1 1 5 LA Park vs Dr. Wagner Jr. 2 4 Real Fuerza Aerea AAA vs Secta del Mesias 1 3 Real Fuerza Aerea AAA vs Gran Apache/partners 1 3 Black Terry vs Cerebro Negro vs Fantasma de la Op 1 3 Bam Bam vs Mini Familia de Tijuana 1 2
James C. Dudzik: Dr Wagner jr. vs La Park – Park wants them all, but I think he wants this guy the worst
Henrik: Not exactly a great year for feuds. In fact, a pretty terrible year as far as CMLL goes. So much so that none of my picks were part of sustained, heated money making feuds, and it might probably be stretching it to even call them real ‘feuds’ in the first place. Anything half decent that developed kinda faded away after a couple of weeks without any kind of blowoff. (I’m struggling so much, i’m tempted to include QueMonito V Ultimonito!!).
Mistico/Wagner was fun and refreshing for the brief time it lasted though, and Bam Bam V Pequeno Familia would have been great if we got to see it all, instead of getting a minute or so highlights on DeporTV. Stuka/Jeque was the biggest disappointment from my point of view as i was expecting another Stuka/La Flecha but it turned out to be nothing like on the level of that. But at least we had Leono V Mogur, Mr Mexico and Loco Max!!! :-p
If i watched it, i’d imagine the Billy Boy/Alfa & family/Apache feud would be up there as from what i’ve heard it sounds like pretty fun if OTT soap opera stuff. But i haven’t really followed it closely so can’t really include it. And we never really had the Airforce feuding with La Secta much in 2007 compared to 2006.
Chui: CMLL refused to have feuds, there were some month long affairs done in the lesser shows (Leon-o wining hairs, Universo dropping his title, etc), but the main feuds didn’t took of at all, High Society sunk, Perros kept being boring, Guerreros were sort of dismembered and no one noticed… they did a few teases, but no real feuds. I thought that the Terry/Fantasma/Cerebro feud was well done but didn’t work for me at times, mainly putting Terry over, which seemed to be more like wanting to give a dozen of noisy fans their way rather than build up to anything, I think Fantasma taking Cerebro Negro’s hair would have meant more than him eventually taking BT’s, well, I might have to reconsider it once the feud gets resolved, but for now, it didn’t make it for me, although it shows that CMLL is in need of some juice.
Robert: Does the winner really need an explanation? I’d be STUNNED if Billy Boy/Apache didn’t win. Whoever put that story together needs a raise so we know Konnan won’t be getting any extra cash.:) Imagine if certain people would have been a little less selfish and the Alfa unmasking angle had occured during a main event match instead of the opener of a big show? Everyone involved in that feud needs to be main eventing at this point but with the selfishness that runs through AAA’s booking staff, they seemed destined to always be opening match guys in an opening match feud even if the crowd cares more about it than the constant senseless main events. Same goes for Bellos Stone vs Guapos which was a great blood feud and should have been pushed as the main attraction for Guerra De Titanes. The three-way IWRG feud was built up well and in fact still rages on to this day. Lots of secondary participants such as Freelance were tossed in to keep things fresh and hopefully one day we get the match everyone is waiting for – Terry losing his hair to Fantasma.
9) Most Improved
2004: Olimpico
2005: Maximo
2006: Black Warrior, Marco Corelone, Mistico (tie)
2007: Super Fly & X-Pac (tie)
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total Super Fly 1 1 1 10 X-Pac 2 10 Nosferatu 1 1 8 Valiente 1 1 8 La Sombra 1 1 7 Alan Stone 2 6 Billy Boy 1 5 Hirooki Goto 1 5 Kenzo Suzuki 1 1 5 La Mascara 1 5 Laredo Kid 1 1 5 Mr. Aguila 1 5 Rey Bucanero 1 5 Super Calo 1 5 Marco Corelone 2 4 Averno 1 3 Black Warrior 1 3 Espiritu 1 3 Stuka Jr. 1 3 Texano 1 3 Decnis 1 2 Fantasy 1 2 Guapito 1 2 Kid Tiger 1 2 Olmpico 1 2 Rey Cometa 1 2
joe lavaia: come on, [Kenzo] has gotten a bit better from his CMLL days
Henrik: Nosferatu should come as no surprise and has been discussed previously. He’s not great, and is still the weaker memeber of Los Nuevos Infernales, but compared to the piece of shit that was Chamaco Valaguez, the transformation is astonishing. I’m finding this category pretty difficult as i don’t think there are many if anyone else who improved considerably in 2007. You could maybe argue for Valiente for example, but that’s not so much improvement, as just being elevated and in the spotlight more. I think you could possibly argue for La Sombra who came in around springtime, looked a bit shaky and was botching things quite a lot. But fast forward to the final quarter of the year, and he’s looked far smoother, consistent and more polished. He also doesn’t die so often anymore. I also saw a couple of matches of his from Gimnasio Nuevo Leon which i think were from 2006, and he has improved loads since then (which is only natural, considering his age).
After thinking about it for what felt like ages, I’m gonna go with Stuka as my other choice – but by ‘improved’ i’m talking about someone who was already great, becoming even better. He has really come into his own in 2007, and stands out in every match he’s in. He’s fun, exciting, always works his ass off and his execution/timing is usually nigh on perfect. Even if you put him in with 5 stiffs, he can still make that match watchable. shame about the Jeque debacle.
Robert: If you had showed me this list a year ago and told me I was the one that put it together – I’d have literally died laughing. It’s amazing when guys have a great resurgence like what has happened to Mr. Aguila. From 2006 until early in 2007, Aguila was a shell of his former self. Gone were the big dives and crazy flips. Instead we had a guy who wouldn’t even bump and saved his big dives for MAYBE once a month. His weekend show performances in particular were beyond embarassing. His turn-around seemed to come in July, after he was done appearing on that silly circus show. He started to sport a new look and seemed to really start taking his work more seriously. Perhaps it was with the added responsibility after Halloween left the promotion? We’ll never know but it’s been great seeing Aguila look the best he has in his entire career over the last half of the year. My #2 is the opposite of Aguila… Nosferatu is a guy who was never any good… until this year that is. With the help of his partner Euforia but mostly Satanico and Virus, he has turned from worst wrestler in the promotion Chamaco Valaguez Jr. to a great undercard powerhouse who is even capable of being a great catcher when called upon. The transformation has been remarkable. There are times I even envision a Dos Caras Jr. vs Nosferatu feud for the heavyweight title at some point down the road! Quite the contrast from a year ago putting together the list of worst wrestlers in CMLL who are still better than all the TNA X Division guys and lumping Nosferatu in the same category as Emilio Charles Jr. and Leono. Finishing up my list is Kid Tiger who was good in 2006 but GREAT in 2007. He is a no-brainer future star for CMLL and not only b/c of his blood like other rely on. He’s transformed from a green flyer into a solid all-around tecnico. Once he puts on a little more weight so he can shed his shirt (which I’m convinced is all the promotion is waiting for), I have no doubt that he will be working his way up the cards.
thecubsfan: X-Pac went from random ex-WWE-er living off his past work to a valuable AAA veteran. If only they found a better way to use him post-Laredo injury besides Random Legion Goon #2. Missed oppurtinty for sure. Alan Stone is quickly becoming the best of multiple worlds. I thought the goofy Aliens were fun, but Guapito is a far higher level.
10) Most Underutilized
2004: Olimpico
2005: Hooligan & Volador Jr.
2006: Blue Panther
2007: Euforia, Stuka Jr., Valiente
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total Euforia 1 1 7 Stuka Jr. 1 1 7 Valiente 1 1 7 Sangre Azteca 2 6 Angel 1 5 Black Warrior 1 5 Dos Caras Jr. 1 5 Estrellita 1 5 Gran Apache 1 5 La Sombra 1 5 Rey Bucanero 1 5 Ron Killings 1 5 Virus 1 5 Bam Bam 1 3 Billy Boy 1 3 Chessman 1 3 Laredo Kid 1 3 Los Exoticos (Pimpinela/Cassand 1 3 Los Fuerza Aerea 1 3 Neutron 1 3 Rey Cometa 1 3 Sombra 1 3 Super Fly 1 3 Aero Star 1 2 Caligula 1 2 Histeria 1 2 LA Park 1 2 Latin Lover 1 2 Misterioso II 1 2 Mr. Niebla 1 2 Tigre Blanco 1 2 Tzuki 1 2
James C. Dudzik:
Angel – I know he was on tour, but so was Decnis, and he’s been everywhere
Latin Lover – again, regardless of what one thinks of him he seems way over with the crowds
Henrik: Bucanero’s the obvious pick and i’d imagine most of us will go with him. Maybe not strictly ‘underused’ as he is ‘misused’ but i’m sure that is covered in the criteria here. But at least things have been put right again in recent weeks, so it’s cool. As for the other two spots, where do you start? You could pretty much pick from about a dozen mini’s and if it was possible, a single pick of “the mini’s” would probably be more apt. But, as with Bucanero, it looks like CMLL have saw the light and are giving the mini’s an opportunity and more focus, so that’s ok too.
Due to the improved TV coverage, no-one in the midcard finds themselves not being used and being off TV anymore. And out of this group, the one guy who was criminally misused, Virus, is now back home where he belongs as a rudo, so we can’t even include him this year. Blue Panther could maybe be a shout, as he is wasted as a tecnico and really needs to be back on the rudo side too.
Otherwise, the only guys you could really pick are the opening match undercarders. And of those individuals, Neutron, Sombra and Tigre Blanco are the obvious choices. All 3 of them should be at Arena Mex segunda level and making regular TV. Why they aren’t is unfathomable when you see some of the guys who come in and are working higher up than them. And obviously there are Los Romanos and Los Guillereros, who we have saw just enough to know they’re great, but nowhere near enough to be content with the coverage they get.
Chui: I think Killings could have been an interesting babyface for AAA, not saying he would have been a modern time Vampiro Canadiense, but the hip-hop under/counter culture is much stronger than the Dark/Black one in Mexico, and he would have been a perfect fit instead of the Mexican Powers (who appeal that kind of crowd). Chessman is more like missutilizided, but since that category doesn’t exists, I list him here. Misterioso II got a decent push in 2006 and nothing in 2007, who knows, maybe they have give up with him.
Robert: As usual this is the category with literally HUNDREDS of possible choices. I stuck with CMLL picks since AAA’s underutilized guys are at least still used and put over on television. CMLL is a completely different story as the guys I listed can go months without being seen. Caligula is one of the best wrestlers in the world who just happens to have a gimmick that the promotion doesn’t seem to want to put on television… even though they paid a guy to come up with it. This is a veteran wrestler who could be working wonders with La Sombra, La Mascara and Valiente to help mold them but instead is stuck working with guys like Trueno, Sombra De Plata and Molotov who really have no hope of advancing. In a perfect world he loses his mask and becomes an Apache type rudo but of course that is way beyond CMLL’s comprehension. Had Mascarita Dorada not come along, I probably wouldn’t have included Bam Bam in this list. But with a new lead mini tecnico and a great supporting cast, poor Bam Bam is really not left out in the cold. The logical thing to do is move him into the regular sized division and feud him with Virus but CMLL and logic do not make good friends. Bam Bam is really meant to be in the Leono role. Imagine how great the weekend shows would be with Bam Bam in Leono’s place? My #1 is one of the best flyers on the roster who also happens to be one of the best wrestlers on the roster. Yet he is only given a match higher than the tercera if someone no-shows. Perhaps he was meant for the push Valiente is getting these days and Valiente just happened to get over faster so he was moved ahead of Stukita? Stuka Jr. had a period from June to August where he was absolutely stealing the show in every match of his that made television and there is no excuse that he shouldn’t be pushed b/c he is a rookie… he isn’t. Hopefully CMLL smartens up in 2008 and moves him up at the same pace Euforia/Nosferatu and Misterioso II are destined to be moved. A Stuka Jr./Volador Jr. regular tag team seems like a no-brainer. Another possible reason he could be being held back is that CMLL doesn’t own the gimmick. Here’s a suggestion… send back whoever is supposed to play Grey Shadow and give the gimmick to Stuka Jr. who has been serving the promotion well since 2005.
I’m actually surprised that the Apaches more or less dominated (4 awards) the voting, I thought their undercard status would prevent them from any real mention.
I also considered Scorpio Jr for the top wrestler spot, but he also went missing for a big chunk of the year (had the voting count for 2006-2007, he would be a sure top 5 pick for me), maybe he was fitting for the underutilized thing, and misused as well since I think him losing his hair was not done at the right time.
Biggest shock was Fuerza Aerea taking the best unit, I never actually consider them a unit, more like a group of guys who team together and share the flying style, but not much into the combos or interaction others like Guapos and Triada deliver.
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11.27: La Sombra vs Hajime Ohara [NWA WELTER]
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Anyone actually saw that?
Stupid double posts…
I don’t think AAA last quarter was a drop for them, actually, business sunk for every company (the TJ Blue Demon vs Espectro Jr with Mistico risking his mask in the semi bombed bad, and ArMex was mostly empty), but AAA kept things more or less going, the Aguascalientes show had a crowd that gave Toluca a run for its money, Peña Memorial was sort of OK, and I think GdT ended the year in a high note.
The first coupel of months for 2008 look pretty bad, seems Konnan finally got his way in putting his buddies on top, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, it could also be Chessman’s breakthrough.
BTW, I didn’t include Chessman in any category save the misused one, he took some awesome dives for sure, but his strengths were not properly exploited through the year.
well great work cubs, i dont agree with the results but it’s ok, 2008 wrestler of the year: mascrita dorada?
interesting results. i completely forgot about the Wagner/Casas vs. Liger/Goto match from Toryumon. that was a great match, and if i had remembered would have grabbed my 4th place vote. how am i the only one who voted for Tsunami in best female? is it because she isnt in AAA or CMLL? she completely dominated yet again this year. maybe she’ll get it next year.
Best promotion was won by CMLL 53 to 52.
I don’t think Tsunami not being in AAA or CMLL prevented voting for her, in my case (and I bet I speak for most), I simply didn’t watch any of her matches.
I had a ballot listed wrong for promotions – swapped AAA and CMLL votes.
Generally, people haven’t voted for the individual awards without seeing matches, so that’s Tsunami’s problem. I’m sure there are great people we’re missing because they haven’t been picked up by a TV outlet (or at least one that’s seen by a lot – surprised at the lack of IWRG related votes), but those outlier votes make this much more interesting.
what happened to the vote totals for category 6?
thanks as always cubs.
That should be fixed now. Still amazed about how much Fuerza Aerea ran away it.
CMLL was definitely promotion of the year in Mexico. They did well at the box office at Arena Mexico, and always deliver a big mask for the Anniversary show. They came through with a good Anniversary show, and their top stars are perhaps the biggest draws, and most recognized names in Lucha.
Yet, my family and friends who have watched Lucha with me hate CMLL, and like AAA. But I still say CMLL had an overall edge.
Best rivalry to me was Cibernetico vs. Mesias. The Apache stuff is Randy Savage vs. George Steele mid-card comedy.
Most underutilized to me is Misterioso Jr. I say that because to me, underutilized means you’re ready for the main event, but not given the chance. Based on look, promos, and workrate, Misterioso should be in the main events by now. Stuka should break into the main this year.
ArMex drawing shrunk compared to late 2004-2006. Their top stars are far from being the biggest draws, in fact, with Santo, Park and Wagner being independent, they are really lacking in that department.
2004-2006 is another topic.
In 2007, CMLL still draw about 400,000 fans to Arena Mexico. They still drew over 500,000 fans in Mexico City. No wrestling group can draw so many fans to any one venue or in any one city in the world. I believe CMLL is the number two promotion in the world.
Saying Wagner is indie is just nitpicking. Who cares if he can work for FMLL or WWA when he feels like it? He’s CMLL.
And still, it is not enough for them to be voted #1 for the awards. AAA drew as much for their tv tapings, and commanding prices 3 or 4 times higher, so their gate were bigger. CMLL only had two full houses, even with the kids entering for free (OK a dime) and several 2×1 shows.
Wagner owns his own gimmick. He works for CMLL at times but he’s not CMLL. CMLL guys are Mistico, Averno, Mephisto, Olimpico, Euforia, Terrible, La Mascara, Sombra, Maximo etc. They can not claim to have the top draws in the country.
Love how you leave Atlantis, Ultimo Guerrero, Hector Garza, and Rey Bucanero off the list of top CMLL names. Perro Jr.?
I’m sure tonights ArMex show did well with Averno, Mephisto, Atlantis and Bucanero.
Personally, I like AAA too. I just don’t like the violent CZW stuff Konnan is doing. But I think CMLL is slightly stronger in workrate, box office, and overall image.
Atlantis, Ultimo, Garza and Bucanero own their gimmicks… you could see them in any but hepromotion if they wish to. Aguayo too, of course.