2008 Tapatia Awards Results

Hi!

These are the results for 2008 Tapatia Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted, and thanks for those who didn’t for reading this. We had 24 voters this year, a substantial increase over last year.

After last year’s ballot tended more towards AAA voting for the first time, this year snapped back towards CMLL voting. 6 of the categories were won by CMLL related candidates and 3 by AAA. For the first time in the five year history of these awards, 1 category was won by a non Big 2 candidate, as the Oficials ran away with Best Unit.

2008 will be remembered as the year of Blue Panther vs Villano V; it took three different awards and a second in another category. Other trends include Mistico continuing his domination of Best Tecnico while Best Rudo has a fifth different winner in as many 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, 2007

This year’s results, after you click on the link.

1) Best Wrestler 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points
1 Blue Panther 9 1 1 2 176
2 Ultimo Guerrero 3 4 1 3 113
3 Sombra 1 1 5 2 1 1 84
4 Mistico 1 2 2 4 1 1 82
5 Averno 3 4 2 1 80
6 Mascartia Dorada 2 1 2 48
7 Jack Evans 2 1 1 1 44
8 Cassandro 1 2 41
9 Rey Bucanero 1 1 1 1 36
10 Zorro 1 2 28
11 Ephesto 1 1 25
12 Negro Navarro 1 1 19
12 Mesias 1 1 1 19
14 Chessman 1 17
15 Freelance 1 3 1 16
16 Black Terry 1 1 14
17 Atlantis 2 1 13
18 Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 12
18 Hector Garza 1 12
20 Virus 2 10
20 Aerostar 1 1 10
22 Valiente 1 8
22 Dos Caras Jr. 1 8
22 Solar 1 8
22 Alex Koslov 1 8
26 Mephisto 2 6
27 Gran Apache 1 1 5
27 Hijo del Santo 1 5
27 La Park 1 5
27 Fabi Apache 1 5
27 Black Abyss 1 5
32 Mari Apache 1 3
32 Marco Corleone 1 3
34 Bam Bam 1 2
34 Mini Damian 666 1 2
34 Hijo del Fantasma 1 2

Comments

Robert: I get the feeling it’s the year of El Blue so I’m tossing my vote his way. He brought his A game to every match he was involved in and was involved in the biggest feud of the year. No matter how big (Arena Mexico) or how small (Puebla) the crowd were you could always count on Panther to deliver assuming his opponent wanted to co-operate. Mistico was his closest competitor but injuries took away a medium-sized chunk of his year or else I may have been tempted to rank him over Panther. Of course you can’t have a Mistico without a guy like Averno who worked his magic with a bunch of CMLL flyers this year and really came into his own. I honestly think this was the year where we saw the gap between Averno and Mephisto’s abilities clearly shown. El Mephisto really has to work at his game to reach the level his partner is at. One of the wrestlers Averno helped along was La Sombra who actually produced the most MOTYC’s which is incredible for a teenager! He firmly established himself as the future of CMLL and I have no doubt he will climb higher than my #4 come next year. Rounding out my list is IWRG’s Freelance who attempts suicide in every match he is in. He’s the definition of a wrestler that never looks at any booking as a day off. It won’t make for a long career so he deserves the recognition while he can still get it.

2) Best Match 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points
1 09/19 Blue Panther vs Villano V 5 2 1 1 1 124
2 04/30 Valiente, Hijo del Fantasma, La Mascara vs Sombra, Volador Jr., Sagrado 5 2 1 1 120
3 12/07 Sombra vs Ephesto 3 1 4 1 3 1 111
4 06/13 Fabi Apache vs Mari Apache 2 2 1 2 2 82
5 07/11 Blue Panther vs Atlantis 2 1 1 1 51
6 08/17 Bam Bam vs Peqeuno Damian 666 1 1 2 1 50
7 03/21 Perro Aguayo Jr. vs Hector Garza 2 1 2 48
8 12/09 Incognito, Silver King, Rubi Gardenia vs Cassandro, Magno, Hijo del Santo 1 2 1 29
9 01/25 Dos Caras Jr., La Sombra vs Averno/Mephisto 2 24
10 10/16 Rey Cometa, Pegasso, Freelance vs Oficiales 1 1 1 23
11 01/27 Sombra, Mistico vs Averno, Mephisto 1 1 1 22
12 12/17 Joe Lider & Nicho vs Jack Evans & Teddy Hart vs Extreme Tiger & KENTA (undated) 1 17
12 05/04 Crazy Boy, Generico vs Shiima Xion, Joe Lider (DTU) 1 17
14 01/04 Pequeno Rey de Aires 1 1 15
15 11/04 Blue Panther vs Averno 1 1 14
16 10/09 Rey Cometa, Pegasso, Freelance vs Oficials 1 1 13
16 03/21 Mascarita Dorada, Tzuki, Bam Bam vs Mini Damian 666, Pierrothito, Fire 1 1 13
16 02/15 Abismo Negro vs Mr. Niebla 1 1 13
19 07/25 Mistico vs Hijo del Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 12
19 05/25 Alex Koslov vs Rey Bucanero 1 12
19 05/25 Fabi Apache vs Mari Apache vs Ayako Hamada 1 12
19 ??/?? Solar vs Negro Navarro (undated) 1 12
19 11/01 Black Terry vs Negro Navarro 1 12
24 02/01 Averno/Mephisto vs Ultimo Guerrero/Atlantis 1 1 10
24 05/09 Reyes de Aire 2 10
26 06/29 Flash & Stuka Jr. vs Euforia & Nosferatu 1 8
26 02/15 Mistico, Sombra, Volador vs Perro Aguayo Jr., Averno, Mephisto 1 8
26 03/11 Celestial/Electrico/Shockercito vs Fire/Mr. Aguilita/Mini Damian 666 1 8
26 03/16 Mesias vs Cibernetico 1 8
30 08/08 Alas de Oro 1 1 7
30 07/25 Gran Prix 1 2 7
32 12/01 Sangre Azteca vs Dragon Rojo Jr. 1 5
32 05/23 Averno/Mephisto vs Mistico/Garza 1 5
32 12/14 Flash & Stuka Jr. vs Euforia & Nosferatu 1 5
32 07/27 Bam Bam vs Peqeuno Damian 666 1 5
36 09/18 Black Terry, Cerebro Negro, Dr. Cerebro vs Oficials 1 3
36 03/21 Atlantis/Mistico/Ultimo Guerrero vs Averno/LA Park/Mephisto 1 3
36 11/02 Aeroman, Freelance, Zatura vs Oficials 1 3
39 12/07 Intocable, Rayman, Super Crazy vs Damian 666, Head Hunter II, Mr. Aguila 1 2
39 05/06 Bam Bam vs Pequeno Damian 666 1 2
39 12/12 Terrible, Texano Jr., Rey Bucanero, Misterioso II, Mr. Niebla, Villano V, Atlanits, Epehsto vs Shocker, Maximo, Dos Caras Jr., Marco Corleone, Blue Panther, Sagrado, Toscano, Valinete 1 2
39 01/11 Mascarita Dorada vs Mini Damian 666 1 2
39 10/03 Freelance, Fenix, Pendulo vs Black Terry, Negro Navarro, Hijo del Pierroth 1 2
39 03/16 Alan Stone vs Zorro vs Abismo Negro vs Mr. Niebla 1 2
Kinda Not Eligible Points
01/18/09 Alex Koslov, Rocky Romero, X-Pac vs Jack Evans, Teddy Hart, Zorro 1 12
02/19 Cassandro vs Mike Quackenbush 1 5
TNA X-Cup 4 Team Trios 1 3

Comments:

Alan:

1st:Hijo Del Perro Aguayo vs Hectar Garza(hair vs hair)-3/21/2009-Arena Mexico-OK, I know I am being biased based on when I became a lucha fan and this being the first show I ever attended live, but this waswas a well worked match in a great story line with awesome crowd reaction. Maybe not the best technical, or highest flying match of the year, but I think it was all around great. I’m sure it won’t win, but it hooked me, and i walked by a crying kid that I later realized was Hectar’s son. Can you name any other match this year that brought out that kind of emotion?
2nd: Mari Apache vs Fabi Apachi-6/13/2008-Palacia de Deportes-once again, maybe spoiled by being there. I don’t feel like this match transfered as well to TV, but it was the most brutal women’s match I’ve ever seen. Best story in AAA this year and shouldnt’ be forgotten just because they shit all over it after it happened. I missed the earlier years of this fued, but they layed it all out this night, and I was greatful to be there.
3rd: La Sabra vs. Ephesto-12/7/2008-Arena Mexico-Missed it when it aired but watched based on the reviews. It delivered and I suspect will win or come close here.
4th: Mascarita Dorada, Tsuki, Bam Bam vs Peq Damian 666, Pierrothito, Fire,-3/21/2008-Arena Mexico-Once again, biased by being there, but I think this was the best minis match of the year. Fire is (was?) highly underrated, Tsuki got killed (as always) and they put on an all around great show on a big card.
5th: Gran Prix-7/25/2008-Arena Mexico-Not going to be a popular choice and not going to win. But, it was everything I love in wrestling (mix of styles, great wrestlers from different promotions working together for the first time I get to see) and led to the spectacularly random Alex Shelley interview afterwards. I’d vote for it for that reason alone.
6th: Intocable, Rayman, Super Crazy b Damián 666, Head Hunter II, Mr. Águila-12/7/2008-Sala de Armas de Ciudad Deportiva-This clearly is an irrelevant match since i am currently one of a few thousand people to have seen it. Am I sad to be including a vote for a match with Head Hunter II in it? yes. But, it was great to see Super Crazy work a non-WWE match in Mexico, Intocable got insane heat from the PdM crowd and Aguila and Damian put on a solid show. Once again, I was biased by being there, but this was a fun match, combinging lucha spots, hardcore spots, and just all around fun.

3) Best Tecnico 1 2 3 Points
1 Mistico 8 1 3 49
2 Blue Panther 4 6 38
3 Sombra 1 5 3 26
4 Mascartia Dorada 3 3 21
5 Cassandro 2 1 12
6 Valiente 1 1 1 10
6 Cibernetico 1 1 1 10
8 Freelance 1 2 9
9 Marco Corleone 2 1 8
10 Aerostar 1 1 5
10 Jack Evans 1 5
10 Volador Jr. 1 5
13 Ultimo Guerrero 1 3
13 Fabi Apache 1 3
15 Super Fly 1 2
15 Solar 1 2
15 Abismo Negro 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Mascarita Dorada-Who was more over as a tecnico?
2nd: Cibernetico-Biggest star in AAA this year (even after leaving).
3rd: Mistico (I’d vote for Maximo as the second most consistently cheered tecnico in Arena Mexico if he could perform and move up higher on the card)

Robert: This award seems to be about as unfair as it was back when La Parka was a tecnico in AAA. Nobody can really contend unless Mistico stays out of action for an extended period of time and this year he was out twice but I can’t think of anyone who stepped in to claim that popularity. Panther was over big before he lost his mask and the crowd loved him even more after the mask loss but it never showed up in attendance. Even in full buildings the crowd would be split for whoever Panther wrestled. With Mistico – when he was around the buildings were pretty much full and the extra fans that came would be 100% pro-Mistico. CMLL could use a few more tecnicos like that. La Sombra is on his way and 2009 may be the year he gives Mistico a run for his money. The only wrestler in AAA that could even compete for this award is La Parka and he’s been in cruise control for years now plus he’s always in situations where he looks stupid which is not the goal of a tecnico.

4) Best Rudo 1 2 3 Points
1 Zorro 6 3 39
2 Averno 3 2 2 25
3 Ultimo Guerrero 2 3 1 21
4 Perro Aguayo Jr. 2 1 2 17
5 Konnan 1 1 3 14
6 Negro Casas 2 1 13
7 Mr. Niebla 1 1 1 10
8 Jack Evans 1 2 9
9 Dr. Wagner Jr. 1 1 8
9 Ephesto 1 1 8
9 Mini Damian 666 4 8
12 Atlantis 1 1 7
12 Mephisto 1 2 7
14 Rey Bucanero 1 5
14 Negro Navarro 1 5
16 Gran Apache 1 3
16 Black Terry 1 3
16 Pirata Morgan 1 3
16 Chessman 1 3
20 Villano V 1 2

Comments:

Alan:
1st: Jack Evans-Most interesting rudo in AAA, and has the benefit (or disadvantage) of being part of Konnan’s group)
2nd: Ultimo Guerrero-I’d vote him #1 if it weren’t for the confusion of the Laguneros.
3rd: Hijo del Perro Aguayo-My favorite rudo, but injuries, and his departure from CMLL made this an odd year.

Robert: This was probably the easiest category to vote on. One look at El Zorro and you just want to punch him out. THAT is the perfect rudo. He even manages to keep himself strong in situations where his promotion books him either to be a total loser or even as a semi-tecnico. He may be the one guy around who would have problems if he ever tried to turn tecnico. I’d also like to toss in his rudo promos have always been fantastic which is something one could rarely say about Mexican wrestlers since Pierroth and Satanico stopped cutting their own. I went with Niebla as my second choice because quite frankly on two seperate occasions in two seperate promotions he made competely worthless wrestlers look like super tecnicos in feuds that got huge reactions. I’m of course refering to the dropped Abismo Negro feud in AAA and the on and off feud with Wagner in CMLL. His second appearence at Arena Mexico on 6/20/08 was probably the angle of the year and you just gotta watch the reaction to understand why I put him at #2. My final pick is beyond unfair but how can you not list Konnan? He booked himself at the center of every AAA storyline including the biggest of the year where he stole the ashes of the dead owner. Yes… HE STOLE THE ASHES OF THE DEAD OWNER. So the ranking is more Konnan’s body being involved in all the angles rather than Konnan himself doing anything to stand out. You could run the exact same angles and put Trueno from CMLL in the role and he’d be my #3.

5) Best Female 1 2 3 Points
1 Fabi Apache 8 2 4 54
2 Amapola 3 3 3 30
3 Dark Angel 3 2 1 23
4 Mari Apache 1 4 2 21
5 Marcela 3 1 17
6 Lady Apache 2 1 8
7 Princesa Sujei 1 1 5
7 Nikki 1 5
7 Mima Shimoda 1 5
10 Ayako Hamada 2 4
11 Hiroka 1 3
11 Estrellita 1 3
13 Cinthia Moreno 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Fabi Apache-Voted for a women’s match in the match of the year. Enough said.
2nd: Dark Angel-Spectacular when she isn’t almost breaking her neck.
3rd: Mari Apache-see #1

Robert: I didn’t think Fabi had as good of a year as she did in 2007 so I had to knock her down a spot. The entire Apaches vs Morenos feud never really did anything for me and when it did it was more due to Mari although I thought Fabi carried the singles feud with her sister. Nobody else in AAA even challenges for a spot in the top 3 so I went to CMLL where it was an easy choice between Marcela and Amapola – the two constants of the women’s division. Both had great years but Marcela was far more consistent in my mind and Amapola just plain gives me the creeps with her hair so short.

6) Best Unit 1 2 3 Points
1 Oficiales 8 4 1 54
2 Guerreros de la Atlantida 3 1 2 22
3 Hijos de Averno 2 3 1 21
4 Psycho Circus 2 2 14
4 Mini Familia de Tijuana 1 3 14
6 Foreign Legion 1 1 2 12
7 Real Fuerza Aerea 1 1 1 10
7 Perros del Mal 1 1 1 10
9 Los Apaches 1 1 7
9 Sombra, Sagrado, Volador Jr. 1 1 7
11 Pirata Family 1 5
11 Poder Mexica 1 1 5
11 Pesta Negra 1 1 5
14 Black Terry, Dr. Cerebro, Cerebro Negro 2 4
15 Mexican Power 1 3
15 Sombra, Mistico, Volador Jr. 1 3
15 Los Space Cadets 1 3
18 Euforia & Nosferatu 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Psycho Circus-Fun, wins constantly.
2nd:-Guerreros de Atlantida-Rey and Ultimo would be enough to finish first this year. If they teamed up with Atlantis more often they would win hands down
3rd: Poder Mexica-I think I’m the only person who likes this group

Robert: I really hope enough people have jumped on the bandwagon by this point and Los Oficiales can be rightfully crowned the best unit in Mexico. Thanks to a sudden surge in the amount of IWRG footage available we all got to see them in plenty of great matches where they carried some shitty opponents (Pendulo, Multifacetico), got to work with some fantastic opponents (Freelance, Rey Cometa) and had good matches turn into shockingly great matches (vs Capitan Muerte, Cyborg & Xibalba). It’s the best example of three guys who are on their own doing different gimmicks were pretty much nobodies and together they’ve become a staple of IWRG shows. You always know you’ll be entertained by them and if you even want to look at it from a ‘mark’ perspective – they held both trios titles available in IWRG. Can’t beat Los Oficiales! I racked my brain for a #2 and couldn’t pick any of the regular CMLL groups since they break up too often and any group they have usually only teams for two or three weeks at most until the bookers forget they are an actual group. So I went with the smaller version of the Perros Del Mal who managed to stay together all year and always be entertaining while destroying the tiny tecnicos like Tzuki, Dorada and the not-so-tiny but annoying as hell Bam Bam. There is rarely anything more fun than seeing them being tossed around and taking huge bumps to put the little dudes over until finally grabbing them and getting their revenge. My #3 was the Infernales who didn’t quite get the Arena Coliseo Tag Titles but for my money were the team that looked the best in the tournament and the eventual rematch. It also helps that they stay together in trios matches whereas the actual champs Flash and Stuka Jr. are often in different matches.

7) Best Promotion 1 2 3 Points
1 CMLL 10 10 80
2 IWRG 8 6 5 68
3 AAA 4 1 8 39
4 CMLL Puebla 1 2 7
5 DTU 1 5
6 Todos x el Todos 1 3
7 NWA Mexico 1 2
7 UWE 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: CMLL-wish they would have been able to keep things going in the second half of the year, but Perros/Garza, TNA involvement, and Panther demasking were more than AAA delivered this year.
2nd: AAA
3rd: IWRG-would love to vote for Perros, but they ran one show last year and have shown no signs of staying power.

Robert: Yes… they have their major flaws but perhaps… no… for sure due to the pure amount of footage available CMLL is my pick here. If you hate their Tuesday show – it’s okay, Fridays can be fun. If you had both Tuesday and Friday – there’s always Sunday! So it’s hard to go wrong as even when they make beyond bonehead decisions there is always a match or two so good that it cancels out your frustration at the lack of direction the company has. If anything it’s the same story as it is every year… you should just be frustrated at the fact CMLL can’t get their shit together b/c if they did they just might be unstoppable. Meanwhile IWRG had added exposure this year which turned everyone onto the solid product they were presenting. Naucalpan shows have always been solid with the same formula being used since the late 80’s but with added TV slots and national exposure via TV Azteca we got to see some interesting storylines (Fantasmas vs Jr. Capos anyone?) and more big name talent being brought in to give the shows a little something extra. Combine that with the amazing undercard talent and the fact they are actually allowed to take their time while wrestling and everything seemed cozy for IWRG. Until they lost their TVC show… and then their TV Azteca show… and then stopped bringing in big names. Oh well. Meanwhile another CMLL branch in Puebla benefitted from finally being exposed to the world via PWT! Erm… I mean TVC Deportes! The TV show opened everyone’s eyes to the great undercard talent which is the best thing the city has going for them that puts them miles ahead of Guadalajara and Monterrey. As for AAA… well… I could have ranked at least 20 other promotions/territories INCLUDING DTU and AAA still wouldn’t have even been considered.

8) Best Rivalry 1 2 3 Points
1 Blue Panther vs Villano V 11 3 1 66
2 Fabi Apache vs Mari Apache 2 2 3 22
3 Bam Bam vs Mini Damian 666 2 4 14
4 AAA vs Foreign Legion 1 2 1 13
4 Hector Garza vs Perro Aguayo Jr. 2 1 13
6 Freelance vs Los Oficiales 1 1 1 10
7 Mistico vs Averno 1 1 8
8 Vampiro vs Mesias 1 1 7
9 Abismo Negro vs Mr. Niebla 2 6
9 Oficiales vs Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro/Cerebro Negro 2 6
11 Mictlan vs Dragon Rojo 1 5
11 Mistico vs Perro Aguayo Jr. 1 5
11 Air Force vs Pirates 1 5
11 Apaches vs Morenos 1 1 5
11 Perros vs CMLL 1 5
16 Solar I vs Negro Navarro 2 4
17 Cibernetico vs Zorro 1 3
17 Crazy Boy vs Joe Lider 1 3
19 Zorro vs Mesias vs Chessman vs Cibernetico 1 2
19 Sombra vs Ephesto 1 2
19 Super Fly vs Electroshock 1 2
19 Stuka Jr./Flash vs Euforia/Nosferatu 1 2
19 Mistico vs Guerreros del Atalntida 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Hectar Garza vs Perro Aguayo, Jr.-once again biased based on when i started watching lucha. But, this was the only majore fued I think CMLL actually managed to pull off well this year. Great build up to the turn on Garza, followed by a slowish build to the hair match which was pulled off nicely.
2nd: Fabi Apache/Billy Boy vs Mari Apachi/Gran Apache-Once again, I voted for a women’s match for match of the year. If this fued had ended after June 13 instead of having Billy Boy turn later, it would have been a spectacular ending
3rd: Laguneros vs Villanos-I feel like the 75th anniversary show main event needs to at least get mentioned and this is the best way to do it. I know the follow up fued didn’t take off and they dropped it for a few months, but I found the concept interesting. Didn’t get to see much of the first round of it since i was in the states for those months, but I think it could have been/should have been executed better. That being said, I like the idea of rudos from an area coming to a tecnicos defense once had been wronged. And I can’t come up with a whole lot else to put at #3 in the category.

Robert: Technically the Panther/Villano feud began maaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago and the main portion of this feud started in 2007 but it really exploded in 2008 leading to their mask match and the confusion that stemmed from it. It was interesting to see the two old-school luchadores trying to continue an old-school feud but still working the current CMLL style which can be hard to do. Panther had to fly for the first time in his career! Of course the big moment of the feud was the mask match which delivered on all accounts and provided the most shocking result of the year. The feud is already going full steam ahead in 2009 so they may have a repeat performance a year from now! CMLL’s only other big feud took my #2 spot. It was a bit rushed with the turn coming in February and the hair match just over a month later but it was a really fun time period with weekly off the charts main events including Mistico, Corleone, Averno and Mephisto. Garza and Perrito had a great dynamic together and their hair match was tons of fun. My #3 is another feud that began last year but peaked this year with back-to-back title and hair
matches. These guys work brilliantly together and the two singles matches were both very different showing they can mix things up when needed. Probably had the best feud ender of these three feuds. All I have to say is: RUNNING POWER BOMB FROM THE RING APRON ONTO THE RAMP. Feud… OVER!

9) Most Improved 1 2 3 Points
1 Sombra 4 1 2 27
2 Dragon Rojo Jr. 3 1 1 20
3 Hijo del Fantasma 2 2 1 18
4 Aerostar 2 1 13
5 Gato Eveready 1 1 2 12
6 Ephesto 2 10
6 Nosferatu 2 10
8 Zorro 1 1 8
8 Freelance 1 1 8
10 Volador Jr. 2 6
11 Hector Garza 1 5
11 Psycho Clown 1 5
11 Violento Jack 1 5
11 Terrible 1 1 5
11 Elegido 1 5
11 Los Oficiales 1 5
17 Bam Bam 2 4
18 La Mascara 1 3
18 Rey Hechicero 1 3
18 Alex Koslov 1 3
18 La Parka (Jr.) 1 3
18 Texano Jr. 1 3
18 Flash 1 3
18 Valiente 1 3
18 Hijo de Pirata Morgan 1 3
26 Mistico 1 2
26 Mascara Dorada 1 2
26 Teddy Hart 1 2
26 Sangre Azteca 1 2
26 Kenzo Suzuki 1 2
26 Hijo del Faraon 1 2
26 Villano V 1 2
26 Averno 1 2
26 Pirata Morgan Jr. 1 2
26 Mr. Niebla 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Dragon Rojo Jr.-The gimick change seemed to get him going.

Robert: I was a pretty big fan of Barrio Boy Alan, especially when he turned rudo. He would have easily been my #1 pick but then he disapeared! Thankfully someone named Gato Eveready came along and became my easy pick for the most improved wrestler. For as good as I thought this Alan fella was, Gato Eveready seems ten times better. He can wrestle… he can fly… the crowd loves him… if he were in any other promotion he’d be in line for a huge push, especially since his gimmick can be one of those staples of a promotion. It’s a shame the promotion he is in sees his gimmick as an embarassment to “serious wrestling”. Push or no push aside, Gato Eveready brings the goods every time he is on television. My #2 is Hijo Del Texano who really began to shine after turning rudo in 2007 but it was in 2008 where he started to get some main event work and really showed he has the potential to be CMLL Heavyweight Champion one day and perhaps the rudo who leads a group and every tecnico is chasing down to have a hair match with. I put Mistico at #3 which could be a little favortism but I thought his first half of the year was fantastic after a very slow end of the year in 2007 and after returning from his shoulder injury late in the year he stepped up his game big time including adding plenty of new moves to his already large repertoire.

10) Most Underutilized 1 2 3 Points
1 Billy Boy 4 4 32
2 Aerostar 3 1 2 22
3 Hijo del Santo 3 15
4 Sangre Azteca 2 2 14
5 Rey Bucanero 2 10
5 Super Fly 2 10
7 Freelance 1 2 9
8 Valiente 2 1 8
9 Virus 1 1 7
10 Asesino Negro Jr. 1 5
10 Misterioso II 1 5
10 Euforia 1 5
10 Extreme Tiger 1 5
14 Sombra 1 3
14 Nosferatu 1 3
14 Felino 1 3
14 Alan Stone 1 3
14 Tzuki 1 3
14 Caligula 1 3
14 Mascarita Dorada 1 3
14 Hooligan 1 3
14 Estrellita 1 3
14 Laredo Kid 1 3
24 Gran Apache 1 2
24 Stuka Jr. 1 2
24 Kenzo Suzuki 1 2
24 Negro Casas 1 2
24 Mini Abismo Negro 1 2
24 Messala 1 2
24 Dark Angel 1 2
24 Ephesto 1 2
24 Loco Max 1 2

Comments:

Alan: 1st: Hijo del Santo-I know its mostly his choice, but I haven’t seen him in a year in Mexico. That’s a shame.
2nd Tsuki-He’s aging, he’s banged up, he can’t quite go like you want him to. But I want to see him get tossed around in every minis match and he doesn’t.
3rd: Ephesto-Ignored for 9 months, shined when given a chance.

Robert: This is probably the 10th straight year Virus has been in my top 3 for this award which can’t be a good sign for the poor guy. He’ll just never get a break it seems. He finally seemed to break through this year working some semi-main events but that only seemed to be when the cards were thin to begin with. He’s got the ability and he’s got the charisma… I just don’t think CMLL thinks it’s credible to have him working opposite guys like Corleone, Dos Caras Jr. and Shocker. Don’t ask me why – I don’t book the company! If I did I’d have him teaming with Euforia and Nosferatu as the new Infernales and they’d be regularly semi-main eventing and contending for some trios titles. Sadly, I’ve already penciled Virus in for my February 2010 voting. My #2 is Mascarita Dorada. At first I thought he’d get a huge push. Then I thought CMLL would waste him after his debut was in an unaired Arena Coliseo opening match. Then he began to get some TV time, was very impressive and he even got a few big wins while establishing a crowd connection which made me very happy. But nothing seemed to change since then. He took a backseat to the Bam Bam/Pequeno Damian feud and sometimes goes weeks on end with no DF bookings. CMLL needs to committ to him as the star of the mini’s division. He needs a title and a big feud heading into the summer. He can do for the division what Mascarita Sagrada did in the early 90’s and incorporate them into the main storylines as well as make them attractions when CMLL tours instead of just undercard filler. He’s definitely not being underutilized like Virus but there is just so much more to what CMLL can do with him. My final choice is Aero Star who seemed to be breaking out from August to October but then his push absolutely died a horrible death. He has the ability to be the small tecnico who works the big matches and blows everyone away with his flying to distract from how awful the main events usually are. He shouldn’t be wasting away in undercard matches. If anything Konnan should realize this after working with Rey Jr. for so long. Aero Star’s style is what is missing from AAA main events. He certainly deserves it more than Super Fly who has been beyond killed off by this point. Honorable mention in this category to Efesto who is stuck in the shadow of his Triad partners.


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29 thoughts to “2008 Tapatia Awards Results”

  1. My first comment is the most obvious one…

    Alan’s votes should be disqualified for wishing harm on little innocent adorable Tzuki. Why do you hate the world, Alan? WHY???

    My second obvious comment is Daniel didn’t vote.:)

  2. 24 votes and some varied opinions make this one of the most interesting tapatias. I still think the Panther/Villano match sucked.

  3. I can’t believe I forgot Los Officales. And Estrellita representative here. If it wasn’t for the Fabi/Mari hair match, she would have been number 1.

  4. @Rob: I am sure there are many valid reasons to disqualify my votes, but I would certainly never wish harm on Tzuki. I merely pointed out that he often gets killed in matches, I happened to think he might be dead in this particular match, and that he took his beating so well it helped get this match on my list.

  5. Hey Cubs,
    Not sure it matters, but the 7/25 Gran Prix seems to be listed twice (once as CMLL World Gran Prix). Wouldn’t move it up the list much though anyway.

  6. I was just kidding around, Alan. I love seeing Tzuki get tossed around too… but only if he always comes back and wins at the end! We may get a double dose of him on Saturday if he showed tonight @ Arena Mexico he’ll be on Cadena Tres and it’s possible he might be the sub for Nino De Acero on Friday for a match set to air on Galavision.

    Some other things I noticed about the awards…

    – 7/25 Gran Prix is listed twice but it doesn’t really matter since it won’t jump up in the results.

    – I didn’t vote for the Pequeno Reyes Del Aire so now I’m curious as to who did. I could have moved it into the top 10!:(

    – Has Asesino Negro Jr. even wrestled this year?

    – From 2004 to 2007 I’m pretty sure I would have been the one to put Chessman as #1 for WOTY. Good to see Chessman still has his hardcore fans out there.

    – Very pissed at myself for overlooking Billy Boy in the most underutilized category. Good to see he won. Maybe Konnan’s cousin is reading this and can tell Konnan who can then go on F4D and tell us all how Billy can’t work the mic!

    – What are the odds that the same person who voted Extreme Tiger for most underutilized being the same person who voted a DTU match for MOTY and Crazzy Boy/Joe Lider for FOTY? Oh… and of course VIOLENTO JACK for most improved! I think he finally graduated grade 11 so technically…

    – It’s awesome how Ultimo Guerrero is 3rd on the rudo list and 13th on the tecnico list. And CMLL still wonders why Guerrero doesn’t draw when put in a position to do it on his own as a rudo…

    – Fredo: Just admit you put Corleone on your ballot for WOTY and let’s put this feud behind us all.

    Awesome turnout of voters. I’m glad to see the # went up and hopefully next year it can go up even more.

  7. Reading through list I totally overlooked Nosferatu/Chamaco Velaguez Jr when voting for most improved.

  8. Oh, forgot to mention that next year I think two awards should be added:

    – Seperate awards for tag teams and groups.

    – Best show/event of the year.

  9. I shamefully admit that I never got around to voting, so I ask this from an uninformed place.

    Were “lucha” matches from outside Mexico eligible? Because I wonder why no votes for Skayde vs Pantera or Skayde vs Turbo from CHIKARA.

  10. @Rob: I agreed with your comments about factions. Once I got past Los Oficiales, I struggled to pick the other ones.

    I’m surprised that Nosferatu wasn’t mentioned more often. This proves that everyone seems to have short memories and forgot this guy was Chamaco Valaguez Jr. He went from being, “Ugh! This is Chamaco Valaguez’ son? Really?” to “Holy Shit! I can’t believe its Chamaco Valaguez Jr. under the hood!”

    I didn’t pick Corleone. Sorry he was 7th, but thecubsfan refused to let me include him in as a tie with Black Terry. Marco lost the coin flip, so Black Terry was 6th!

    For best tecnico, I almost included Antonio Pena’s ashes at 3rd.

    Glad to see Asesino Negro Jr. and Nikki voted in this year’s Tapatia Awards!

  11. unfortunately i missed the voting due to circumstances i couldnt control. the only difference that my votes would have contributed would be that we’d see Olimpico up in the Most Underutilized category. and we’d see Nicho in most improved because he actually showed up for work more times than he didnt, which is an improvement from years prior.

  12. I too couldn’t get into Panther/VV. Didn’t give it a single vote.

    For my money, the kids day match was as good as it got in 2008 — though I’m still waiting to see the IRWG Los Officals match.

    And I love Jack Evans as much as the next guy, but #7?

    ~rl

  13. I put Marco on my ballot at #5 for WOTY. I did so because he has done exactly what was asked of him in his spot, he won Liz jr’s hair, and delivered in his big matches, and has become a draw. I don’t think he was WOTY, but I felt he deserved the consideration *I* gave him.

  14. @ohtani’s jacket: Well at least you can occasionally see the fun in watching current flyers and of course as long as you enjoy the CMLL mini’s you’ll always be one with the current fanbase.

    Just don’t turn into one of those guys who’s motto is “everything new sucks, every old rules” who also votes for wrestlers that haven’t worked in over a year.

    @Nikita: I don’t think anyone was disagreeing with you.:/ The Marco reference was tossed in b/c of Fredo’s outright hatred of him for some unknown reason. I had Marco as 4th on my best tecnico list and quite honestly the feud with Lizmark Jr. surpassed all my expectations. PUNCH vs SUPERKICK. It was fantastic.

  15. @Rob: Rob, you just described about 95% of all wrestling fans with that comment.:)

    I don’t hate Marco. C’mon, other than Mark and thecubsfan, no one else thought that was Marco posting comments on the site prior to his appearance on the audio show.

    @Nikita: You can vote for whoever you want….even that evil Marco Corleone…OOPS! I really don’t hate him.

  16. Alfredo: I think Chamaco Jr looked like a guy with potential in his match on the Adios Cien Caras show. But really nothing else.

    ROB: Who got a vote who hasn’t wrestled in over a year?

  17. I didn’t even vote b/c I feel that I don’t watch enough Lucha to vote. And I probably watched 45 out of 52 episodes of AAA, everything FSE aired, but few CMLL/Televisa episodes.

  18. Fuck. Yeah the IWRG match with Dr Mortus was from 2007. I don’t know if I’d count Assesino Negro Jr as an old guy in the “everything old cool” sense. But if it would make you happier replace him with Leon Blanco who also is a big mobile guy who doesn’t get used as much as he should be.

  19. Voting for Asesino Jr. and “everything old cool” are two different things. If you’re a fan of Asesino Jr. and think he’s underrated, I have no issue with that. But he didn’t fit the criteria since he never worked a match in the entire calendar year. I’d love to vote Enemigo Publico as the most underrated wrestler but he’s only worked one match in the last 6 years. I just find it hard to believe that someone who watches Lucha as much as you seem to can’t come up with a list of at least 3 guys you find underrated without tossing in the name of someone that hasn’t been seen on TV for what has to be 18 months unless I’m forgetting a late 2007 match.

    That leads into the point about everything old being good and everything new blows. It’s a constant bitchfest when it comes to any current wrestlers (especially CMLL guys) who weren’t around ten years ago or longer.

    Sombra bad.
    Negro good.
    Volador sucks.
    Canelo rules.
    Mistico is garbage.
    Solar is the king.
    Ultimo Guerrero is the worst.
    Black Terry is the best.

    I just wonder what’s going to happen to that group of older fans when the guys they enjoy who are all in their 40’s by now start to retire and/or die? Will you guys just stop watching any and all Lucha Libre?

    The style has changed for sure and whether it’s for the better or not can be debated till we are blue in the face. The fact is… it changed and it’s not changing back. So you gotta judge current wrestlers based on what the current style is. To say Volador needs to be shot or has no talent at all is ridiculous. Volador is the perfect wrestler for the current CMLL style. Would it be better if he stopped the constant flipping and spent 20 minutes on the mat to start every match? Perhaps for you but then that would easily make him the worst wrestler in the world who needs to be shot.

    The part that I find hilarious about all this is most of the older guys that get praised for being the only good things left in Mexico all got the same criticism from the older fans and even their fellow wrestlers that guys like Sombra, Volador, Mistico, Guerrero and Averno are getting these days. This is certainly not the first time the style in Mexico has been changed dramatically. El Hijo Del Santo wasn’t exactly loved when he first appeared on the scene. Negro Casas was thought to be too small and too wild to be any sort of star. Black Terry never reached past mid-card status because people thought he looked stupid when bumping like a pinball on UWA undercards. There were older fans in the early 80’s who thought the wrestling style had changed too much and thought everyone sucked compared to guys like Alfonso Dantes, Coloso Collosetti, Adorable Rubi and El Santo. Heck, Alfonso Dantes openly stated how much he hated everyone on the EMLL roster while still working there and said none of them could even lace his boots at all. If the internet existed back then I’m sure there would have been a group saying “Alfonso is so right! Negro Casas, Santo, Negro Navarro, Signo… those guys suck. Why can’t they just work like it’s the 60’s again? Why doesn’t someone shoot Santo every time he tries to do his second dive per match? That’s total garbage.”

    If you hate the current style, that’s fine. But to dismiss every wrestler as being talentless compared to the veterans is totally unfair. They aren’t trying to work the same style as the when these same veterans were in their prime.

    I honestly wish I could find that quote Jose had that was pictured on the smarkschoice front page. Something about Negro Casas understanding his crowd and wanting to appeal just to the little old lady in the front row rather than work perfect wrestling psychology to entertain the online smarks. I’d paste that quote after every review I read that has something like this:

    “Heavy Metal was fierce with his grappling. He hung on for a second or two before making his move, which is one of the basic elements missing from lucha today. And he’d pause ever so slightly before wrenching a hold or throwing a punch, just to give it that extra effect.”

    I can guarantee you that of the 10,000+ fans in attendance that night, not a single one of them was thinking the above. They were waiting for Volador to do his flip and hit his dive perfectly.

    So explain to me why Negro kicking someone in the face to get the crowd of old ladies angry with him in 1997 is genius but Volador doing a new flip and crazy dive to get the crowd full of young fans to cheer him on is stupid and means he should be shot since he’s only proving he can’t do anything else?

    Maybe I’m just venting b/c I read OJ’s recent review and he busted out this gem…

    “Cubsfan pulled out a quote recently from El Santo’s final interview, where he said: “back in my day, we wrestled on the mat – using holds that could kill a man – and now all they do is flying and clown stuff.” It’s the same lament you hear from every generation, but after watching Mendoza, I’m inclined to believe it.”

    I used to love reading OJ’s reviews but lately they’ve gotten beyond cynical when it comes to discussing current wrestlers compared to older veterans. It’s like hanging out with my grandfather every Friday to watch the Leafs and having to sit through an hour straight of him telling me why everyone in the NHL sucks these days b/c they can’t score rushing in off the wing. No matter how many times you explain to him that hockey has changed, the goalies wear bigger equipment, there are more set plays, etc. – he will still counter by saying a pass is just too flashy and a way to show off instead of just hammering the puck into the net like LaFleur used to do. Meanwhile LaFleur wouldn’t last a week in the new NHL.

    BTW, LaFleur = Solar.

  20. Your grandad sounds awesome.

    I appreciate what you’re saying, but I can’t convince myself I like something just because it’s the status quo and gets pops at Arena Mexico.

    I’ve made an effort to watch everything in the DVDVR threads and have been supportive of the Minis, Arena Puebla locals and even Sombra/Ephesto, which I voted for in the MOTY category. I wasn’t a fan of the Blue Panther/Villano stuff and I’m not overly high on the Casas Brothers. The older guys you’re talking about only make tape (or should I say media files) a few times a year, I don’t think it’s a big deal if people enjoy it as an alternative. It doesn’t bother me when you run those workers down, and judging by the voting, the lucha you like is the popular vote, so I’m not sure why you’re upset.

    If Sombra or Voldor are in a match I like this year, I’ll say so. Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for it.

  21. Rob:

    “Just don’t turn into one of those guys who’s motto is “everything new sucks, every old rules” who also votes for wrestlers that haven’t worked in over a year.”

    You’ve invented a strawman who simply doesn’t exist.

    I’d like to believe that your a guy who thinks
    Histeria good
    Joe Lider sucks.
    Skayde rules.
    Crazyboy is garbage
    Noone honest would take that and accuse you of having a generational bias and not understanding the future of the sport.

    You making that accusation is equally dishonest.

    There is no one who is dismissing every current generation wrestler as talentless or praising every veteran. It’s a strawman.

    I also don’t see why your categorizing Canelo Casas and Ultimo Guerrero as guys from different generations but whatever.

    I voted for Assessino Negro Jr because I missremembered the IWRG match I saw as being from 2008.

  22. “I just wonder what’s going to happen to that group of older fans when the guys they enjoy who are all in their 40’s by now start to retire and/or die? Will you guys just stop watching any and all Lucha Libre?”

    There are plenty of luchadores under 40 I like, but if lucha libre turns into something I stop enjoying then I will stop watching it. Why is that surprising? Your argument seems to be, “The new style is something you don’t like, but it is the new style so you had better learn to love it.” My counter argument would be “The new style is something I don’t like, so I am going to watch things I do like.” The second argument seems to make more sense to me.

  23. I wanted to say something, but I’ve forgotten and I’m too scared to read the rest of this thread.

    Though I see now it wasn’t on purpose, don’t really have a problem with a guy not listed as wrestling being voted for Most Underutilized – it can work as a vote about promotion not using people enough, and it can work as a vote for not enough promoters using a wrestler. (See: the Hijo del Santo votes.)

    It’s funny, the one wrestler I did catch as not working during the period was Ryan Taylor.

    The other thing is – we get nothing from Guadalajara except for Coliseo and whenever AAA blows thru. Nothing from Arena Victoria in quite a while, and I refuse to believe the only regular shows are CMLL ones, that doesn’t fit with any other metro area. Maybe it just exists in my imagination, but I’m sure there’s some small building where the Flashes and Asesino Negros and Makabre and everyone else who’s had a falling out with Dantes and CMLL and one point or another turns up and plots for the day where the current management is out and they’re back in power.

    Not going to list anyone’s ballot unless they request it, but I do recall that the very first ballot I received was the one with the DTU vote for the best promotion. I was so totally thrilled to read that vote – voting for awards is a heck of a lot more intersting with people who have very different perspectives and opinions on what’s great lucha libre. I was totally thrilled to be up to 24 votes this year, but it’s still only 24 votes. If there’s not a wide span and weird outliers, than I’ve screwed up and pushed different opinions away and that’s suck.

    I kinda felt like Nosferatu’s being improvement year was 2007. He wasn’t bad this year and probably improved, but the previous year is the year he put on the mask and it apparently gave him magically non-sucking powers.

    I saw someone, somewhere question why there was no Best Mini award. I don’t have a good answer – it’s been off before because minis weren’t getting on TV, but that’s not an issue these days – and it’ll be on the ballot next year for sure.

    odessa: CHIKARA matches were not eligible. It’s a weird gray area.

    LLL: You should’ve voted.

    ohtani’s jacket: you’re watching 1978 lucha libre and you’re worried you’re out of touch with today’s lucha libre fanbase? This was a joke that clearly flew over my head, and I love you.

    and then I’m just going to skip on by the latest iteration of the long running argument. FWIW, if I ever get around to posting my review of the anniversary show, you’ll probably read about how much I totally hated it at the time. It also got my fifth place vote, so I don’t claim to hold a reasonable opinion about anything.

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