Aramis & Mirage vs Arkángel Divino & Black Destiny
(02/10 @ Tr3S Caidas, 10:15, good, Arena Clandestina; match starts at 4:25)
An action match that got smoother as it got along. Arkangel Divino had a couple of moments early on where he looked shockingly lost. He came back to nail his last few moves. Aramis was the shiniest luchador here, getting in his flying well, showing surprising power for a skinny guy and selling the reverse rana big. Mirage & Destiny were their normal good but also sort of average selves.
Látigo vs Dragón Bane
(02/10 @ Mexa Wrestling, 8:07, good, Estrellas del Ring)
They decided to make the match with just the hot spots. It didn’t really work out well because people weren’t as excited for those spots and a couple of them didn’t go well. Latigo seems like he can build matches better than this. Not sure about Dragon Bane. It did have a few fun highlights. I really liked the finishing spot even if it seemed like 90% of the crowd didn’t understand it was the finish.
Belial & Impulso vs Ricky Marvin & Zumbido
(02/10 @ Mexa Wrestling, 24:25, good, Estrellas del Ring)
It is weird mentally that Zumbido appears to be lighter than Ricky Marvin this time. They work as a team for the nostalgia if not for the style. Zumbido’s out to prove he can once again be the Zumbido of the early 2000s. Ricky Marvin has no interest in that time’s Ricky Marvin and wants to destroy anything that vaguely resembles it. Ricky Marvin going after joins is fn, though they have trouble making it go anywhere and he doesn’t always seem to be in the right spot for the counters. This match seems to peak well before they get to the finish and could’ve been better cut down a bit, but there are still some solid moments.
Hijo de Voltrón © vs Decnnis for the Europa Welterweight Championship
(02/10 @ FMLL, 17:05, ok, thecubsfan)
Voltron is the Carlos Colon of Guatemala, having been at the top of the local promotion for a couple of decades. I don’t know if he’s the guy running things behind the scenes, though the evidence suggests it strongly. Being the top of Guatemalan wrestling doesn’t seem to be mean much – there’s maybe a 100 people here for this match – but it does mean one of his sons get to wrestle former AAA superstar Decnnis. This is a very AAA weapons infused brawl, with Decnnis attacking with a drink carrier early and the first fall ending due a second swinging a chair and lot of heel referee work. Hijo del Voltron seems fine, which is no sure thing given his role. Decnnis is a good base for them when they’re not swinging chairs. It does stick out that Voltron looks worse on his own; the cartwheel splash he does to end the second fall looks ugly and he’s got a slow motion tope later on. There’s no special charisma there either. He’s fine but the thing that makes him a star is his name. Decnnis works good enough as a base that it’s too bad he doesn’t turn up in Mexico doing that a bit more.
Virus vs Demus in a super libre match
(02/16 @ Revolucion Lucha Libre, 10:48, good, +LuchaTV starts at 27:36)
I was really left wanting it to not as easy it did. The brawling portion of the match is as enjoyable as when they actually get to the ring, though neither feels fully developed with the time they get. It is neat to see Virus take a fight over the rail, so unlike CMLL, and Demus is in his element here. Still felt like this could’ve been more.
Bam Bam vs Demus
(02/16 @ WWCI/XMW, 5:52, good, mluchatv)
Demus matches sure aren’t long. (It occurs to me later that a reason might be because both of these matches were happening the same night.) This seemed like a fair end since it appeared he comprised Bam Bam to a permanent end. “Esto es criminal” was the right and proper call for Demus guiding Bam Bam’s tope into head and back first landing on the chairs. Bam Bam seemed something like 75% of what he used to be (in skill, in size he was more like 150%) but he did contribute a lot of blood in his time in. This was a quick entertaining match if not more.
Drako & Impulso vs Fly Star & Toscano
(02/16 @ WWCI/XMW, 6:18, good, mluchatv)
Again, another match that’s on the short side, but completely believable in ending when it did because someone just got taken out in the end. Toscano is still really solid, though age has caught up with his looks. Impulso stood out for his reckless disregard, right down to the finish. Drako lands one of the better butter splashes. This was too short to be a lot but there’s enough here to like.
