Recapped: 03/21/2016
What happened: Caristico defeated Ultimo Guerrero in the main event. Cavernario beat Mistico in the semimain and demanded a title match. Team Japan defeated Panthers/Stigma in a rematch.
What was good: Pretty much everything was good, and the main event was great.
Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s YouTube channel and will air on 52MX in a couple weeks.
Match 1: Astro & Asturiano vs Espanto Jr. & Fuerza Chicana
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- rudos
- Espanto powerbomb Astro (5:20)
- Fuerza Chicana half crab Asturiano (5:20)
- técnicos
- Astro springboard twisting splash Fuerza Chicana (3:57)
- Asturiano el Pulpo Espanto Jr. (4:20)
- rudos
- Fuerza Chicana Rosa DDT Astro (1:27)
- Espanto Jr. backcracker Asturiano (2:01)
Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 11:41
Review: [good] fun match, and a sign the luchadors would be working harder due to the loud crowd reaction. Astro has a lot of promise and showed a lot of it here, working well with Asturiano. He also died wonderful to Fuerza Chicana’s DDT. Asturiano also looked good, and Espanto Jr. was less annoying the usual. Their finish looked equally brilliantly.
Match 2: Astral & Eléctrico vs Mini Joker & Saurón
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- rudos
- Saurón Joker front cracker Astral (3:55)
- Mini Joker deep cradle Eléctrico (4:20)
- técnicos
- Eléctrico springboard elbow drop Mini Joker (2:47)
- Astral springboard splash Saurón (3:05)
- técnicos
- Eléctrico & Astral springboard splash Mini Joker (4:39)
- COR Saurón (4:59)
Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 12:24
Review: [good] fun exhibition match for the two CMLL minis, who got to show off what they could do with rudos who were willing to work with them. Mini Joker was good most of the match, though his first fall finish didn’t got he way he wanted and he and Eléctrico seemed to get lost for a while in the third fall, but he got thru the técnicos moves well the rest of the show. Saurón is hilariously fat, but he can move well considering and caught the headscissors at the end of the match smoothly. Eléctrico and Astral got cheered for their usual antics, which doesn’t seem to happen much in Arena Mexico.
Match 3: Black Tiger, Hombre Bala Jr., Súper Halcón Jr. vs Espíritu Maligno, King Jaguar, Metálico
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- técnicos
- Super Halcón hanging DDT King Jaguar (8:23)
- Hombre Bala rope flip Spanish Fly Espíritu Maligno (8:49)
- rudos
- Espíritu Maligno guillotine double stomp Hombre Bala (5:50)
- técnicos
- Black Tiger running oklahoma roll Metálico (3:19)
Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 17:58
Review: [ok] A little bit off in parts and a little bit routine, but still entertaining. Bala has good dives, which would be nice to see if he was regularly scheduled high enough to do dives. The Spanish Fly didn’t work quite as well. Puebla guys were willing to do stuff, and Espíritu was great at playing along with Metálico. Tiger a win on Metálico was a little surprise.
Match 4: Blue Panther Jr., Stigma, The Panther vs Fujin, Okumura, Raijin
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- tecnicos
- Blue Panther Jr. nudo lagunero Okumura (0:20)
- rudos
- Fujin frontcracker, Raijin wheelbarrow suplex Blue Panther Jr. (1:11)
- Fujin cradle Falcon Arrow Stigma (1:27)
- rudos
- Okumura brainbuster The Panther (6:40)
Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 8:11
Review: [good] fun fast match from the moment they started, with the quick first and the nearly as fast as second fall. Raijin & Fujin aren’t just ahead of the usual NJPW trainees on moves, but they show more personality than most people at this stage. They’re probably better of not having masks. There were a few iffy moments in this match, but this was smoother than last week and the dive train was fun. Panther’s dives looked great, and the finishing run was really well done. Everyone was just too hurt to save Panther at the end.
Match 5: Dragón Lee, Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr. vs Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Felino
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- Peste Negra
- Mr. Niebla splash Volador Jr. (2:50)
- técnicos
- Volador pin Mr. Niebla (1:57)
- Dragon Lee Spanish Fly Felino (1:57)
- Peste Negra
- Felino sunset flip powerbomb Dragon Lee (5:32)
- Cavernario cradle snap suplex Mascara Dorada (6:21)
Winner: Peste Negra (2-1)
Match Time: 11:08
Notes: Felino replaced Negro Casas. Cavernario demanded a title match.
Review: [good] Cavernario showed his range, doing goofy spit spots that cracked up Volador and raging against Mascara Dorada a few minutes later. His eventual match against Mascara Dorada should be all sorts of fun, though the crowd seemed less excited when Dorada in compared to the other guys. Volador seemed to be in a really good mood and enjoyed the match, but still worked very hard – everyone was working hard. Dragon Lee may want to drop the running Spanish Fly, it just doesn’t seem to be going well and he’s got other really good moves.
Match 6: Carístico vs Último Guerrero
Arena Puebla, 03/21/2016
- Caristico sunset flip cradle (3:37)
- Ultimo Guerrero powerbomb w/feet on the ropes (2:48)
- Caristico La Mistica (7:42)
Winner: Caristico
Match Time: 14:07
Notes: Money thrown in. Caristico praised UG after the match.
Review: [great] a return of a classico, Caristico and Ultimo Guerrero match which could’ve taken place any time between 2006 and 2010. It benefit from being the first match between them in years, making the formula fresh again, but they executed their match very well and the crowd was clearly there to see the bigger match. They went above and beyond the usual Monday main event singles match and definitely gave the crowd the match they came to see.
