great match roundup, 2012 final edition

or at least it’s final until someone points out 5 more matches I should’ve watched.

My reviewing scale goes horrible -> poor -> eh -> ok -> good -> great -> excellent, though I reserve the right to cheat the scale whenever necessary. The point of this list is not to list every good match everyone had this year, or to rank anything, but it’s to give a rough guide of which makes are worth going out of your way to check out.

If you don’t watch a lot of lucha libre, but want to see the best it had to offer, you want the Excellent matches (13). If you’re looking for more, or someone in particular, check out the Great matches (34). If there’s a video online available for the match (and I’ve found a working link), it’s linked on the match name.

2012-01-22 La Sombra vs Volador Jr. for the NWA World Welterweight Championship excellent
2012-01-22 Black Terry vs Chico Che excellent
2012-02-25 El Hijo Del Santo & Villano IV vs Angel Blanco Jr. & El Hijo del Solitario part 2 part 3 excellent
2012-03-09 Ayumi vs Marcela for the CMLL World Women’s Championship excellent
2012-06-01 Aerostar, Fenix, Sugi San vs Argos, Semental, Toscano excellent
2012-07-27 Dinastía, Mascarita Dorada, Octagoncito vs Mini Charly Manson, Mini Histeria, Mini Psicosis
excellent
2012-09-14 Rey Cometa vs Puma King for the mask part 2 (live) Mexico TV SamuraiTV excellent
2012-09-14 Rush vs Terrible for the hair (SamuraiTV) excellent
2012-09-25 Titán vs Mephisto excellent
2012-09-28 Devil Rocker, Machine Rocker, Soul Rocker vs Fenix, Freelance, Samuray del Sol excellent
2012-09-28 Blue Panther, Máscara Dorada, Rey Cometa vs Puma King, Sangre Azteca, Vangelis excellent
2012-10-16 La Sombra vs Volador Jr. excellent
2012-11-15 Dr. Wagner Jr. vs LA Park regional (unedited) excellent
2012-11-16 Titán vs Averno for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship excellent
2011-12-20 Argenis, Atomic Boy, Fenix vs Dark Dragon, Tigre Cota, Tito Santana great
2012-01-05 Centvrión, Dinamic Black, Tritón vs Alan Extreme, Carta Brava Jr., Imposible 2 3 great
2012-01-13 La Máscara, La Sombra, Máscara Dorada vs Mr. Águila, Psicosis, Volador Jr. great
2012-01-31 Cancerbero, Euforia, Raziel, Virus vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Loco Max, Nitro, Skándalo in a cibernetico match great
2012-02-03 Ángel de Oro vs Mr. ÁguilaMáscara DoradaRey EscorpiónValienteVirusDeltaStuka Jr.PólvoraTigerGuerrero Maya Jr.EuforiaFuegoHijo del SignoTitánRaziel,Puma KingRey Cometa in Reyes del Aire great
2012-02-13 La Sombra vs Negro Casas for the NWA World Welterweight Championship great
2012-03-02 Ayumi vs Marcela in a lightning match TV version great
2012-03-02 Blue Panther vs Negro Casas for the hair part 2 part 3 part 4 TV version great
2012-03-11 Dinastía & Octagoncito vs Mini Histeria & Mini Psicosis great
2012-03-11 Argenis, Drago, Fenix vs Argos, Semental, Toscano great
2012-03-30 Volador Jr. vs Prince Devitt for the NWA World Middleweight Championship great
2012-04-24 Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., La Sombra vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto great
2012-05-28 Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Mr. Águila, Psicosis, Volador Jr. for the Mexican National Trios Championship great
2012-06-22 Titán vs Euforia in a En Busca de un Idolo match great
2012-06-22 Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Black Warrior, Mr. Águila, Volador Jr. for the Mexican National Trios Championship great
2012-07-15 Mr. Niebla vs Volador Jr. great
2012-08-12 La Sombra vs Averno great
2012-09-02 Negro Casas vs Ángel de Oro for the NWA World Welterweight Championship great
2012-09-04 Pólvora vs Titán for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship great
2012-09-14 Ángel de Oro, La Sombra, Titán vs Namajague, Shigeo Okumura, Taichi (SamuraiTV) great
2012-09-16 Centvrión, Dinamic Black, Saruman vs Carta Brava Jr., Imposible, Rayan Deportes part 2 great
2012-09-17 Marcela vs Amapola for the CMLL World Women’s Championship great
2012-09-23 Centvrión, Dinamic Black, Golden Magic vs Alan Extreme, Carta Brava Jr., Comando Negro great
2012-09-30 Centvrión, Dinamic Black, Saruman vs Alan Extreme, Black Terry, Temerario Infernal great
2012-10-01 Virus vs Fuego for the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship great
2012-10-07 Dinastía, Mascarita Dorada, Octagoncito vs Mini Charly Manson, Mini Histeria, Mini Psycho Clown (regional version) Intro (Regional, We great
2012-10-07 Atomic Boy & Fabi Apache vs Fenix & Lolita and Halloween & Mari Apache and Alan Stone & Jennifer Blake for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship
great
2012-10-14 Fantasy vs Mercurio, mask vs mask
great
2012-10-16 Titán vs Pólvora for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship great
2012-10-21 Dinamic Black, Golden Magic, Saruman vs Alan Extreme, Carta Brava Jr., Comando Negro great
2012-10-30 Pequeno Reyes del Aire match great
2012-11-13 Alan Extreme, Centvrión, Dinamic Black, Eita, Eterno, Imposible, Saruman, Violencia Jr. vs Boykot, Flemyzeer, Halcón Diabólico, Jhon Crazy, Kiuby, Mr. Leo, Rey Espacial, Rey Tabú in Copa Higher Power great
2012-12-14 La Sombra vs Tama Tonga in a CMLL La Copa Junior final match great
2012-12-16 Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Kráneo, Mr. Águila, Psicosis for the Mexican National Trios Championship great
2012-12-16 Dr. Cerebro vs Cerebro Negro hair vs hair great
2012-12-23 Fuego & Stuka Jr. vs Cancerbero & Raziel for the Arena Coliseo (DF) Tag Team Championship great
2012-12-25 Negro Casas vs Guerrero Maya Jr. for the NWA World Welterweight Championship ending great

Oficial evades capture, AAA in Irapuato

IWRG (SUN) 02/17/2013 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, The Gladiatores]
1) Araña de Plata Jr. & Chik Tormenta b Cristal & Seiya
Straight falls. Tormenta’s first match here in over a year (and over two for a normal IWRG show.)
2) Chico Che, Freelance, Hijo del Pantera b Apolo Estrada Jr., Avisman, Eita
Chico Che replaced Saruman, and Apolo Estrada cut him open in the first fall. Tecnicos rallied to take falls 2/3 and money was thrown in after the match.
3) Dinamic Black b Centvrión, Golden Magic, Carta Brava Jr., Alan Extreme
It was everyone for themselves. Dinamic Black beat Alan Extreme.
4) Pantera, Trauma I, Veneno b Decnnis, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Scorpio Jr. [super libre]
Super Libre rules, with chairs in play in the first fall. Tecnicos took 2/3, Veneno beating Hijo de Wagner in the third fall.
5) Oficial 911 COR el Ángel, Trauma II [loser advances]
Three way bloody mask ripping brawl. Angel and Trauma II did dives, then got into a fight on the outside, while 911 alertly crawled back in the ring for the countout win. Trauma and Angel were ticked, and both agreed to get along long enough to destroy 911. Referee Barba Negra and Black Terry had to pull them off. Angel & Trauma II meet on 03/03.

There’s going to be a few big lucha shows in March, but I’d love to be in Arena Naucalpan for this one. That crowd loves the Traumas and turns up for them in mask matches. The Oficials vs Traumas mask match from two Decembers ago was a fantastic scene and the Shadow Phoenix match last year was the same. Angel vs Trauma II should be memorable.

AAA tapes tonight in Irapuato. It’s nearly the last taping which will air before Rey de Reyes. The first half of the SLP should air the day before the big show in Monterrey, but they’ve suggested both the SLP and the Rey de Reyes cards will be announced this week and so we should expect the big matches to be set up. AAA has hinted around about their top matches, but nothing is really locked in now. We’d expect Texano vs Mesias for the World title, but Texano’s open challenge could allow someone else (or multiple elses) to get the shot. Perro Aguayo and Cibernetico have been feuding heavily, but Cibernetico’s a guy not suited for singles matches and they might end up with a team vs team bit for this show. It seems like AAA might have set up a Fenix vs Daga match, and there should be something with Drago and Psicosis after their feuding, but those could be singles matches or one multiman deal. AAA has said there will be an announcement about the Rey de Reyes tournament itself, but nothing else about it, and some of those feuds could just end up as part of the tournament instead. It’s not as though AAA can’t pull a card together from the storylines they’ve thrown out, but they haven’t committed to anything yet. Tonight should change that.

They will also have matches! The trios title is on the line, and everyone expects the Psycho Circus to win the belts back from Consejo, with Toscano turning tecnico in the process.  Mini Psicosis defends his minis title versus Dinastia, and a title change there seems very possible, though Drago & Psicosis will figure into the finish. The main event is the odd ball team of Mesias & LA Park vs Chessman & Parka Negra. LA Park spent most of the fall/winter acting like a rudo and has a past issue with Mesias, but is on the tecnico side. Maybe everyone is just more friendly when they don’t have to deal with Doctor Wagner.

CMLL’s Arena Puebla show features the latest return of Mistico, La Nueva Era. Last time, he made it 1.5 matches before getting hurt, so the bar is very low.

Pimpinela, Ludark Shaitan and Dave the Clown all won titles at ICHIBAN’s show on Saturday. The show was promoted as giving half the gate to Astro de Plata for his medical bills; there’s no mention of how much that turned out to be in the recap. The show was also hyped as an AYM Sports taping, and they did have announcers and cameraman there, but no announcement about when it might air.

DTU’s benefit for Astro de Plata is to bring his family to their show this Tuesday, so fans can give them money directly. Another Astro de Plata benefit will take place on March 3rd.

Dr. Wagner Jr. beat Mascara Ano 2000 Jr. in the main event trios match of Saturday’s Arena Lopez Mateos show, which is pretty surprising for a guy leaving. Mascara challenged Wagner to a hair vs mask match, but Wagner said he was off to CMLL and couldn’t. A shame. Show seems to have drawn well.

The poster for next Sunday’s Arena Lopez Mateos show now has Luchador Sorpresa in Ultimo Guerrero’s spot, but still has a faded picture of Ultimo Guerrero with a question mark over him. There’s no text explanation. Weird way to handle whatever happened.

Extreme Rising announced a Super Crazy & Pesadilla vs Bestia 666 & Damian 666 match on their 04/04 show in Philadelphia.

Rob has highlights of AAA 12/12/2012

Bill has highlights of CMLL 03/11/1990

CMLL has a promo for next Friday’s show.

A lucha libre exhibit opens in Buenos Aires next month.

IWRG (SUN) 02/17/2013 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, The Gladiatores]
1) Araña de Plata Jr. & Chik Tormenta b Cristal & Seiya
Straight falls.
2) Chico Che, Freelance, Hijo del Pantera b Apolo Estrada Jr., Avisman, Eita
Chico Che replaced Saruman, and Apolo Estrada cut him open in the first fall. Tecnicos rallied to take falls 2/3 and money was thrown in after the match.
3) Dinamic Black b Centvrión, Golden Magic, Carta Brava Jr., Alan Extreme
It was everyone for themselves. Dinamic Black beat Alan Extreme.
4) Pantera, Trauma I, Veneno b Decnnis, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Scorpio Jr. [super libre]
Super Libre rules, with chairs in play in the first fall. Tecnicos took 2/3, Veneno beating Hijo de Wagner in the third fall.
5) Oficial 911 COR el Ángel, Trauma II [loser advances]
Three way bloody mask ripping brawl. Angel and Trauma II did dives, then got into a fight on the outside, while 911 alertly crawled back in the ring for the countout win. Trauma and Angel were ticked, and both agreed to get along long enough to destroy 911. Referee Barba Negra and Black Terry had to pull them off. Angel & Trauma II meet on 03/03.