Recapped: 12/20/2016
What happened: Everyone hates La Mascara, but he still got a DQ win over Volador. Mr. Niebla fouled Atlantis and unmasked him. Marcela wants a title match, Dalys agreed, but it’s CMLL so it’s not actually happening until they face one to three more times.
What was good: The tercera and nothing else. This is a broken record. The main event was rather annoying.
Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s channel if you dare.
Match 1: Black Tiger, Lestat, Millenium vs Ares, Fuerza Chicana, Policeman
Arena Puebla, 12/19/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- técnicos
- Black Tiger guillotine legdrop Fuerza Chicana (4:23)
- Lestat senton con giro Ares (4:39)
- rudos
- Fuerza Chicana Gori special Black Tiger (5:27)
- Policeman stand over double armbar Millenium (5:30)
- técnicos
- Black Tiger moonsault Policeman (4:30)
Winner: técnicos (1/3)
Match Time: 14:39
Review: [below average] The usual opening match that goes way too long early, combined with the guys you don’t really want to see going long at all. The second fall felt much longer than it looks up there, maybe because they showcased the técnicos, started a beatdown, teases a comeback, and then it just ended it anyway. I’m concerned about what’s going on in Policeman’s department if camouflage is part of the uniform. Tirantes didn’t pester Black Tiger too much for having Fuerza Chicana under the top rope, so he was either in a lenient mood or Tiger is a guy Tirantes actually likes. I have no idea why Tiger splashed his teammates. It almost felt like they were setting up a turn with the amount of miscommunication spots in the third.
Match 2: La Vaquerita, Marcela, Sanely vs Amapola, Dalys, Metálica
Arena Puebla, 12/19/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- tecnicas
- Vaquerita top elbow drop Amapola (4:15)
- Sanely reclined full nelson Metalica (4:16)
- técnicas
- Marcela tapatia Dalys (5:41)
Winner: tecnicas (1/2)
Match Time: 9:57
Notes: Marcela challenged Dalys to a title match after the win. Dalys did accept, and they tried to choke each other before it was broken up.
Review: [ok] ordinary women’s match, where things seemed to be done slow to be safe. Not that it always worked. The Metálico/Vaquerita exchange to start the second fall ended up with both hurting each other in a clothesline spot that looked messed up, so maybe they should not do that. The Dalys/Marcela exchange at the end didn’t feel sharp, but they got to where they wanted to in the end.
Match 3: Blue Panther Jr., Stigma, The Panther vs Hechicero, Puma, Tiger
Arena Puebla, 12/19/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- técnicos
- Stigma torito Hechicero (7:56)
- rudos
- Puma flying frontcracker Blue Panther Jr. (3:10)
- técnicos
- Hechicero conjuro Stigma (4:49)
- Puma double stomp The Panther (5:33)
Winner: técnicos (1/3)
Match Time: 16:39
Review: [good] they’ve been running variations of this match seemingly twice a week, but these six still made it seem fresh by mixing in different spots and reversals. The first fall running thru all the finishes made it too clear a surprise técnico win was going, with the other two falls being better at building up drama. The timing of most of the guys in this match is good enough to make the attacks feel natural and keep the pace going; moments like the second fall one where Hechicero was stuck waiting for Stigma to springboard in were rare. Match sped up nicely in the third fall, and I liked the how they set up the friendly fire spot and still found a way to allow the rudos win to make sense.
Match 4: Ángel de Oro, Atlantis, Johnny Idol vs Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Sam Adonis
Arena Puebla, 12/19/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- rudos
- Cavernario springboard pump splash Angel de Oro (2:17)
- Sam Adonis Cattle Mutilation Johnny Idol (2:49)
- técnicos
- Angel de Oro mercedora Barbaro Cavernario (3:17)
- Johnny Idol Michinoku Driver Sam Adonis (3:18)
- técnicos
- DQ Mr. Niebla [foul Atlantis] (5:59)
Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 12:06
Notes: Tiger joins the announcers for the rest of the show. Niebla took Atlantis’ mask after the match.
Review: [ok] the foul came a beat sooner than expected, so soon that the camera guy was too zoomed in and mostly missed it. The rest of the match was fine, with the advantage of having guys who haven’t been on these streams as much. It just generally was a Niebla brawl for a couple falls, without a lot to stand out about it. Weird second fall comeback, where Atlantis took out Niebla, and Cavernario and Adonis were stuck frozen for about 10 seconds waiting for the other técnicos to show back up.
Match 5: La Máscara, Marco Corleone, Máximo Sexy vs Ephesto, Mephisto, Volador Jr. in a relevos increíbles match
Arena Puebla, 12/19/2016
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL
- Team Volador
- Volador kick to the corner Marco Corleone (4:01)
- Ephesto kick to the backside Máximo (4:23)
- Team Mascara
- Marco Corleone top rope plancha Mephisto & Ephesto (3:00)
- Team Mascara
- DQ La Mascara [fake foul from Volador Jr.] (5:21)
Winner: Team Mascara (2/3)
Match Time: 12:44
Notes: Volador wears a Mephisto shirt and his team appears to be the rudo team, except the crowd gets on La Mascara all match anyway.
Review: [below average] The finish saw Tirantes go down, Volador help Tirantes up, Mascara go down faking a foul as Tirantes was standing up, and Tirantes blame Volador even though Volador was literally holding on to him and nowhere near Mascara when it happens. It was dumb and so was this match. The first fall ended with Marco running into a corner boot, and Ephesto lightly kicking Máximo from behind, and it was pretty clear there was no reason to take this match seriously at this point. The setup didn’t make any sense, there’s no real reason to have Volador be the rudo, but this was a time wasting CMLL main event and the time was definitely wasted.
