CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2018-03-30 

Recapped: 03/30/2018

Matches: 

Flyer & Robin beat Akuma & Templario
(10:34 [3:50, 2:55, 3:49], 2/3, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Dalys, La Seductora, Zeuxis beat Kaho Kobayashi, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit 
(11:41 [5:45, 5:56], 1/2, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL )

Dragón Rojo Jr., Felino, Kawato San beat Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther
(13:42 [4:00, 3:12, 6:30], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL )

Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas beat Johnny Idol, Okumura, Sam Adonis
(11:10 [3:31, 2:03, 5:36], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL )

Atlantis, Carístico, Valiente beat Kráneo, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush
(10:44 [2:15, 2:02, 6:27], 1 DQ /3, below average, VideosOficialesCMLL )

Matt Taven beat Volador Jr. © to win the NWA World Welterweight Championship
(15:34, 2/3, great, VideosOficialesCMLL )

1. Volador backcracker (2:13)
2. Matt Taven frogsplash (2:18)
3. Matt Taven Climax (11:03)

What happened: 

Seconds for the main event were Sam Adonis and Flyer. Taven won the title cleanly, though Tirantes slow counted Volador before the finish. The championship belt was referred to as belong to the National Wrestling Alliance, and the “Historic” concept appeared to be dropped. None of the announcers remarked on the change.

The rudos were disqualified in the first fall of the semimain for a totally unnecessary shove of Edgar. Rush & Kraneo had problems in the third fall, leading to Rush & Bestia attacking Kraneo and Kraneo splashing them both to set up the técnico win. Kraneo had enough of Los Ingobernables, yet didn’t shake hands with the técnicos or do anything else to definitely establish him being a técnico. Mije walked out after Kraneo splashed his teammates.

Princesa Sugehit & La Seductora are now feuding, after Seductora used the ropes to beat Sugehit in the second fall of their match for the straight fall victory. They kept brawling after the match with no title belt motions, so this appears to be leaning towards a hair match feud at the moment.

Thoughts:

The main event did the shocking ending in a perfect way in CMLL/Volador match psychology: Taven had already used the Climax (and it didn’t work), and they were going thru the usual sequence of Volador cutting Taven off for the one man Spanish Fly or the super headscissors. The only different was Volador cutting Taven off a little bit lower than normal. It still seemed normal until the moment Taven pulled Volador off the ropes, and the match flipped from Volador cruising to another win to the unexpected outcome. The only real tell, and only really noticeable for what it was in retrospect, was Tirantes extreme slow counting against Volador moments before the finish. Even there, it just seemed like Tirantes being Tirantes, not CMLL doing a little something to protect their top guy. (Maybe there was one more tell: Magadan suddenly doing wikipedia research on a guy who’s been to CMLL multiple times seems like a clue.)

That finish was executed really well. The rest of the match wasn’t that smooth. It didn’t rise to be detrimental to the match, but there were obvious moments where Taven wasn’t where Volador expected him to be (and maybe once the other way) and Volador had to adjust quickly. As patterned as Volador can be, he also was able to make those adjustments and keep on going. It still lacked the smoothness of Volador’s other big matches. The third fall usually is blown out a bit bigger when the first two falls are so blown off like they were here, and there seemed to be less going on overall in this match. Had Volador actually gotten that Spanish Fly and won the match, this goes down a good match which is barely remembered by the end of the year, and people argue the opener was actually the best match of the show. The finish came off as so well done to me that it bumps up the match a lot. Whatever it’s rated, this match is going to be more memorable for the outcome than the quality as long as this story goes some place.

The semimain was the quietest match on the show, with the crowd not really caring much about Los Ingobernables and only coming back partially alive when the técnicos finally got back in control in the third fall. It’s great the Kraneo turn seems to be finally happening. It just took a lot of a not greatly interesting match to get there.

The Peste Negra/Axis of Evil was exactly what you’d expect. A bunch of comedy, a lot of Okumura getting into chop fights, and maybe the only surprise being a clean finish with nothing coming out of it. Seeing Cavernario work as a técnico one show after trying to beat the life out of Soberano was strange. This crowd didn’t have much of a problem with it. The stereo casita spot with Casas to end the second fall looked great. Adonis was definitely the best of the rudos.

The tercera was helped by the crowd. They were way into the Pantheras thru the match, but most especially in the first fall run. Blue panther & Fellino did a lot more near fall spots than you’d get on a near fall, and Dragon Rojo diving to the floor is not an every show thing, but otherwise the crowd really carried the action. Blue Panther Jr.’s multiple quebradora spot is really popular. Dragon Rojo might have gotten shaken up on a The Panther splash but otherwise seemed fine.

The women’s match was alright. Just the idea of putting La Seductora in a feud is bizarre, but they must’ve been planning this for a while given her sudden high position. (Same as with Kraneo.) It doesn’t seem like it could possibly be good, and the looming series of not good matches definitely casts a show over this one. Otherwise, this was a bit better than the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, with a crowd who was much more into it.

The opener was really fun, especially on the opening match curve. Templario is superb. Templario and Robin had a great finish, Templario and Flyer had an amazing sequence, Templario and [X] is always a good time. Akuma is definitely not bad, he took the Robin finish great, but Templario is so obviously talented that everyone else is going to look second class. Flyer & Templario had obvious chemistry and would be a fine Copa Nuevo Valores final or a random lightning match.