recapped: 11/11/2016
What happened: Mascara Dorada said goodbye to CMLL. Ultimo Guerrero won an unsatisfying main event. Stigma and Okumura might have issue or they might have just been doing a random one night feud.
What was good: The Dorada match and the moment after is worth watching. I liked the tercera.
Where can I watch it: It’ll be up on my channel soon enough. If you’re in Japan, you can watch it on NJPWWorld on demand.
Match 1: Flyer & Magnus vs Akuma & Espanto Jr.
Arena México, 11/11/2016
- rudos
- Espanto middle rope reverse franksteiner Mangus (4:35)
- Akuma sit down powerbomb Flyer (4:52)
- técnicos
- Akuma half crab armbar Flyer (2:24)
- Magnus send con giro Akuma (2:44)
- (ref stop on Espanto; injury)
- técnicos
- Magnus casadora cradle Akuma (1:13)
Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 8:49
Notes: Espanto and Flyer were hurt at the close of the second fall. Flyer tried a ramp running rope climb, slipped, and fell badly in the ring. Mangus and Akuma had a singles match for about a minute instead. Espanto’s injury wasn’t clear right away, but a replay after the match explained it: Akuma and Espanto went for a double sliding dropkick, only Espanto’s right leg rolled up underneath him, and he appeared to suffer a left bad lower leg or ankle injury. The match was held up between the falls because they had only one backboard; Espanto had to be loaded into the ambulance before they could take care of Flyer.
Review: [ok] This was going along good until half the match died. Espanto and Akuma were working hard and doing crazy things, there was a good pace to the whole thing, and then it just fell apart. Flyer’s fall look really bad (and it looked worse that he just had to lay there for minutes because they only had one backboard.) Wish Magnus & Akuma got the chance to try something on their own; they had time, even with the injury break.
Match 2: Soberano Jr., Star Jr., Stigma vs Okumura, Sangre Azteca, Skándalo
Arena México, 11/11/2016
- técnicos
- Stigmatica on Okumura (3:48)
- técnicos
- DQ Okumura [mask pull on Stigma] (7:05)
Winner: técnicos (1/2)
Match Time: 10:53
Review: [ok] A generic second match, one I wouldn’t have bothered watching. A few highlights spots, but mostly the usual stuff thrown together in an uninteresting way. The second fall felt like it was going really long until it became clear they were just not going do a third fall. It didn’t really work and the idea of more Stigma/Okumura is not enticing (though better than more Stigma/Skandalo.)
Match 3: Fuego, Rey Cometa, Stuka Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Hechicero, Pólvora
Arena México, 11/11/2016
- técnicos
- Rey Cometa torito Hechicero (6:40)
- rudos
- Pólvora counter dropkick Rey Cometa (2:13)
- Dragon Rojo top rope counter dropkick Fuego (2:45)
- rudos
- Hechicero conjuro Stuka Jr. (4:49)
Winner: rudos (2/3)
Match Time: 14:14
Review: [good] Two teams that worked well against each other and kept the match entertaining the whole way. The first ended creatively, the rudos nicely turned things around in the second fall and the dive train in the third fall was fun. Hechicero meshed well with Pólvora and Dragon Rojo, but he meshes well with everyone. Dragon Rojo & Pólvora look better of late. Crowd really didn’t like the técnicos but they performed well.
Match 4: Carístico vs Mephisto in a lightning match
Arena México, 11/11/2016
Winner: Carístico (La Mistica)
Match Time: 8:55
Review: [ok] Mephisto and Carístico have never had a lightning match before, but this was exactly what you’d expect. A little mat wresting, a few Carístico dives, some near falls, and a Mistico win at the end. It could’ve passed for the shortened version of a bigger match, but it didn’t have the intensity and heart of anything bigger. It was like robots doing a programmed match. Even when Carístico almost killed them both with a misaimed Spanish Fly, they just got up and kept going on unaffected by the near death experience. This was trying to do what worked a decade ago but with the feeling behind it, and it was hard not to notice.
gif: 536/742
Match 5: Atlantis, Diamante Azul, Máscara Dorada vs Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas
Arena México, 11/11/2016
- rudos
- Negro Casas scorpion Mascara Dorada (3:07)
- técnicos
- Atlantis casadora Felino (2:55)
- Diamante Azul german suplex Barbaro Cavernario (3:00)
- técnicos
- Mascara Dorada casita Negro Casas (4:14)
Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 10:21
Notes: Post match, the ring filled with luchadors to congratulate Dorada on his farewell. Dorada was overwhelmed by the moment at one point and dropped to the mat, but they (led by Negro Casas) lifted him and cheered for him one more time.
Review: [good] By no means the best match Dorada’s had in the winding down of his CMLL stint the last few months – that was the one with the dive spot – but this was a good way to end. Negro Casas was obviously thrilled to work with Dorada one last time; it surprised me that he (and not Cavernario) was the one to take the ramp running headscissors and the giant dive, but the smile on his face revealed Casas was happy to do it. And happy to be pinned by his own move on Dorada’s way out. Dorada looked spectacular in a normal trios match, which is appropriate. The post match scene is what’ll really be remembered from this show; it wasn’t any grand presentation, but it came off very heartfelt. I can understand that they didn’t want the last thing people saw tonight to be someone leaving this company to go work for another one, but it was always going to be tough to follow this.
Match 6: Último Guerrero vs Rush, Volador Jr. in a seeding battle royal match
Match 7: La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush vs Marco Corleone, Máximo, Volador Jr. in a tournament semifinal match
Match 8: La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero in a tournament final match
Battle Royal went 2:48, with Volador tossing out La Mascara and Ultimo tossing out Volador a second later. The first trios match went 3:55, with Tirantes taking his required absurd bump, Rush fouling Volador and faking his own foul for good measure. Rush tried the same thing in the 4:02 length main event, but UG blocked the foul and cleanly beat him with the Guerrero Special. The three matches combined went 10:45.
Review: [below average] We can just review these all at once: the matches weren’t any good, the luchadors didn’t try all that much, this concept didn’t work at all, and the fans were confused and unhappy and there didn’t seem to be point to any of this except to get three extra people booked. That about covers it. They weren’t blowing spots, but they were doing anything either and this was a flat ending. The concept probably wasn’t going to work regardless of the match quality – people didn’t understand it, it would’ve been easier just to grab a fourth trio and make it a normal tournament – but the match quality would’ve ruined this even if was good. This show ended well earlier than normal, and these guys could’ve had entertaining six-ten minute matches if they wanted to do something. What they wanted to do was to get done with this as quick as possible, and that was the only thing accomplished.
