Recapped: 08/04/2017
All matches aired live from Arena Mexico
Drone, Fuego, Pegasso beat Disturbio, Sagrado, Virus
(15:34 [5:25, 4:20, 5:49], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
Better than the usual opener but still a bit shaky. First few minutes of the match were very slow, not as if Virus was ding tricky mat work but as if they were dedicated to standing the corner of the ring while something else was happening elsewhere that was distracting the crowd. It got better with Virus’ nifty reversal into a mecedora, and they picked up the action a lot I the second and third fall. There was a lot more action than usual in those falls, but some shaky moments too. A lot of seemed to be around, Sagrado, though it didn’t seem like he was always that responsible for it. Drone had an up and down match too.
El Gallito & Microman beat Mije & Perico Zakarías
(12:18, Gallito submits Mije + Microman headstand splash Zacarias, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
Lots of fun, and better timing than the last match. They ended it just as they started to run out of steam, and did a lot before it that entertained the crowd. The dives were wild, and not well caught, but they all lived. They do keep adding in a few new bits and aren’t even sticking to a set match at this point, which is probably unnecessary but nice to see. Crowd loved them.
Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón beat Rey Cometa, Soberano Jr., The Panther (17:53 [2:07, 3:07, 12:39], 1/3, great, via VideosOficialesCMLL )
Chalk up another exciting NGD match. They got the advantage of being able to all out for a big show – it was Brillo Cometa level match – and some técnicos who were going just as hard as them. The Dinamitas are improving in every match, with the monkey flip spot looking much better than last week, and they’re not losing track of playing off the crowd while getting in all their moves. Soberano, Panther and Rey Cometa looked just as spectacular, and they keep taking it higher and higher in the third fall. They might have gotten a little bit too long for the fans in the building, but I enjoyed it, and this was the right night to do an epic match with these guys. They came off as guys to watch in front of a big crowd.
Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone beat Hechicero, Pierroth, Rush
(10:40 [5:29, 5:11], 1/2 DQ, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL )
What Happened: Diamante Azul and Rush feuded, and Rush unmasked Diamante Azul at the end. Diamante Azul demanded a singles match with Rush next week, and a mask versus hair match. Rush was non committal to either, though the singles match is obviously happening.
Review: Another Rush & Pierroth match, though the crowd was more into everything than usual. Hechicero and Angel de Oro were really trying. Rush was not really trying. Diamante Azul seemed invested but not particularly good – he came up way short on his tope in the first fall. I don’t particularly want to see another week of this.
Carístico, Niebla Roja, Volador Jr. beat Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
(11:54 [2:40, 3:06, 6:08], 2/3, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL )
What Happened: Gran Guerrero & Niebla Roja feuded, with Gran getting away with ripping of Niebla Roja’s mask in the second fall.
Review: [good] the better performance, both in work and results, that Niebla Roja really needed in this feud. It may be too late, the crowd really saw them as the third most interesting airing and the challenge for the Anniversary match didn’t get the reaction they’d want for that sort of thing. Maybe they’ll still get there, maybe something else (Azul/Rush) will get added in, but this feels not that big. Volador & Euforia worked well together and Carístico had a better match here than he’s had for the last week.
Sam Adonis beat Blue Panther, hair vs hair
(15:15, 1/3, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL )
- Sam Adonis Michinoku Driver (2:14)
- Blue Panther nudo lagunero (0:44)
- Sam Adonis Michinoku Driver w/ropes (12:17)
What Happened:
After a ref bump, Adonis used the Michinoku Driver to put down Blue Panther, and grabbed the ropes to hold on outside of Tirantes view. Adonis bragged about his win and threatened to unmask and shave all the legends. There were no seconds for the match and no one was obviously set up as the next person to go after Adonis, though there was a lot of talk about the Gran Prix on the show.
Review: [good] So, I just wrote about how CMLL was at least aware not to have Tirantes referee important matches, and here’s Tirantes refereeing an important matches. He didn’t appear massively screw up anything, but he did make himself the center of the show at times. The crowd want to kill him as much as Sam Adonis and he took some spotlight away from what they were trying to do.
What they were trying to do did work. This was the best match they’ve had, with some of the stuff that looked a little rough in earlier matches coming off smooth here. The crowd was wildly behind Blue Panther and against Adonis, the kind of one sided reaction that’s unusual for both CMLL and professional wrestling right now. This might be Blue Panther’s last main event singles match for all we know, and he did it in a way where the crowd was into all of his near falls and comebacks. Sam’s adapted to this environment well. They keep running that Gran Prix promo between matches, and Adonis is going to go from being just another guy to fill out the team last year to probably the biggest star on the World team to the Arena Mexico fans. This is an unexpected success story.
