Recapped: 12/16/2016
What happened: Ephesto beat Guerrero Maya. That’s it.
What was good: The tercera is the only match worth watching.
Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s channel.
Match 1: Fantasy & Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- rudos
- Pequeño Olímpico modified figure four pin Fantasy (4:46)
- Pequeño Violencia bow and arrow Último Dragoncito (5:15)
- técnicos
- Fantasy middle rope Spanish Fly Fantasy (4:40)
- Último Dragoncito standing octopus Pequeño Violencia (4:55)
- técnicos
- Fantasy kneebar Pequeño Violencia (2:20)
- Último Dragoncito grounded ocutpus Pequeño Olímpico (2:53)
Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 13:03
Review: [below average] Pequeño Violencia appeared alive and trying during the early portion of this match, but later he couldn’t bother to bother to the way to the ropes. This was an actively boring match where they did very little and used some not great looking submission to win (Olimpico’s thing in the first looked like a mess.) Not sure if they realize they can change the “one guy beats one guy, other guy beats other guy” formula any time they want to.
Match 2: Magia Blanca, Príncipe Diamante, Sangre Imperial vs Cancerbero, Raziel, Sangre Azteca
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- rudos
- Sangre Azteca low blow dropkick Principe Diamante (7:28)
- técnicos
- Magia Blanca moonsault Raziel (3:13)
- Sangre Imperial half nelson cradle Cancerbero (3:22)
- rudos
- Cancerbero motocicleta Sangre Imperial (3:57)
- Raziel one legged tapatia Magia Blanca (5:41)
Winner: rudos (1/3)
Match Time: 16:31
Review: [ok] not any better than usual. Magia Blanca is the best of these tecnicas, but doesn’t stand out in any other way. Sangre Imperial seems like he’s trained for 7 months, or maybe 7 days, but definitely not 7 years. The comeback was rough, with Sangre Imperial getting lost and running thru a kick. (The set up made no sense, with the rudos just basically letting go of Imperial for no reason so he could start doing stuff.) The third fall noticeably improved when he was eliminated. Sangre Azteca’s refusal to change in any way is frustrating, and made the hamstring bump he tried in the corner dangerous. Principe Diamante is enough of a draw that he actually gets to do a dive in a segunda.
Match 3: Blue Panther Jr., Pegasso, The Panther vs El Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- rudos
- Forastero senton con giro Pegasso (4:41)
- Sanson & Forastero sliding kicks the Panther (5:05)
- técnicos
- Blue Panther Jr. German suplex Sansón (2:57)
- rudos
- Cuartero inside springboard Blue Panther Jr. (3:59)
Winner: rudos (1/3)
Match Time: 12:01
Review: [good] not quite as good as previous ones, but still far better than anything on the show. The New Generacion Dinamitas (or #NGD as they keep going with on Twitter) are getting smoother as a team, and just seem in another universe compared to the rudos on this show prior to them. The Panthers brother match up with them and can the pace high. The best work was in the third fall, but tehre weren’t really weak moments (outside of Pegaso’s vertical frog splash), and this was a good regular TV match. The whole flying armbar sequence in the third fall was great, and I kind of hope The Panther makes that his version of his father’s flash armbar. Probably can’t do it nearly as easily.
Match 4: Blue Panther, Drone, Fuego vs Bobby Z, Rey Bucanero, Vangellys
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- técnicos
- Drone rope flip moonsault Rey Bucanero (2:04)
- rudos
- Vangellys powerbomb Drone (2:30)
- Bobby Z powerbomb Fuego (2:30)
- rudos
- Rey Bucanero inside cradle Blue Panther (3:40)
Winner: rudos (2/3)
Match Time: 8:14
Review: [ok] The cameras missed La Comandante tripping up Blue Panther for the loss, and then Blue Panther lost the match because he was tripped (!?!?!) so this didn’t end too well. First two falls were interesting in usual random Blue Panther style. Drone getting in a quick dive on Rey Bucanero and pinning his cousin without anyone else really getting involved was a unique way to end the first fall and the rudos coming back with a powerbomb at the same time looked cool. Third fall just looked off, from the rudos offense to some of the dives at the end. There was at least effort, it just didn’t come together.
Match 5: Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Ephesto
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- Guerrero Maya Jr. huracanrana (3:58)
- Ephesto shoulderbreaker (2:16)
- Ephesto pin (5:45)
Winner: Ephesto (2/3)
Match Time: 11:59
Review: [ok] a little disappointing, though I’m not sure what I should’ve expected. Ephesto in a singles match means a slow pace, but there wasn’t much logic even at that speed. Epehsto dominated the first fall, with Maya wrestling like he was a big underdog who could only hope to sneak in a roll up, but only for that fall. The other two falls were more random moves back and forth, with Ephesto obvious positioning himself in spots just so Maya could counter him into a move at time. It wasn’t very subtle, and there was no building to bigger spots, they were all just about the same. Finish looked all messed up. Ephesto got his knees up on a moonsault and covered Maya, but Maya had a shoulder up the entire time. Everyone reacted like it was supposed to be the finish, but it was a random finish (and a hard to defend one anyway.) I couldn’t tell you the point of this.
Match 6: Dragón Lee, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. vs Hechicero, Luciferno, Mephisto
Arena México, 12/13/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- rudos
- Mephisto’ Devil’s Wings Volador (4:00)
- técnicos
- Volador backcracker Mephisto (1:08)
- técnicos
- Stuka torpedo splash Mephisto (2:34)
Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 7:42
Review: [ok] the three minute back and forth with Dragon Lee and Hechicero was fun for me, since they’re guys who were good against each other two years ago and we hardly see against each other of late. It was also good for everyone else, since it took up about 40% of the match time and they could just speed thru the rest. The remaining first fall was short, the second fall was short, and the third fall wasn’t long. The técnicos do enough of flashy moves that the tourists were still sent home happy, but nothing special here.
