10-21 Máscara Dorada, Mistico, Valiente vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora, Rey Escorpión for the CMLL World Trios Championship (Puebla) – very good, borderline great, probably a great if I saw it earlier in the year or (more definitely) if the anniversary match wasn’t already on the list. Místico was better in this match in points, but but the trios title defense from the Anniversary just felt like a more epic match. This one ended a few minutes before I was ready for it and didn’t break out much new, just did what they usually do very well.
11-03: La Sombra vs Volador Jr. (Puebla) – A three fall match where they weren’t very interested in the first two falls, and where the third fall was just dives and kicking out of finishers. The downside of CMLL singles matches were way there were many with no story except for guys doing big moves so the other guy could kick out for about seven minutes, and this is strongly in that group. There was no build to them kicking out, and there was a lack of drama as they did the kickouts – there’s no struggle to do the moves, they’re always going to be set up for the next trademark move, though at least there was a moment where Sombra was able to hit two moves in a row. It’s numbing often and it was numbing here.
11-11: Negro Casas vs Rush and Shocker (Puebla) – GREAT. A video game threeway in terms of involvement; this wasn’t one of those matches where one guy sits out for a minute while the other two have a normal, but all three guys getting involved frequently. It was the right style for this matchup, which needed to be a brawl and stayed that way the whole way. Shocker was up to the challenge of the other two, and kept up with their intensity. Match was shorter than I’d like but it was good action for the time. Rush’s pose just before the foul was hilarious.
11-17: Aero Boy, Astro Rey Jr., Titán (CMLL), Latin Dragon, Magnifico (Chilangamask) – Finally, science proves an unblocked chair shot to the head is less painful than a Canadian Destroyer, so everyone can just stop doing unblocked chairs shots to the head now. (I’m not sure “cumulative damage” exists in Mexico, quiet.) This was truly a secret Titan/Aeroboy/Latin Dragon three way with guest appearances from the other two. Elimination matches are fun and all, but the logical person in me wants everyone to switch to one fall to a finish for multiman matches so everyone can do all the pinfall break ups they want without looking like they don’t understand the rules of the match. Also, people who really don’t want to get pinned will no longer have to take weird countout eliminations. If I could actually write about the match itself for a second, it was a fun multiman match with exactly what you’d want out of a match like this – big moves and some dives. It was good with all five guys but the three man back and forth was the best stretch. I’d want to see a Titan/Aeroboy match after seeing this, which is good since they did one of those.
11-17: Rey Cometa vs Impulso, falls count anywhere [Chilangamask] – Rey Cometa had Impulso scouted! Get your knees up on his big dive to the outside and win (and hurt your knees, but a win is a win.) I liked the stuff in the ring even though it was their dives which were the bigger selling point; the experienced major promotion guy came off as such, and Impulso looked good just for being able to hang with him. The chops in here where fierce, as was Cometa’s reversal of the satellite armbar into a Michinoku Driver. Good match.
11-17: Belial vs Ricky Marvin – EXCELLENT. Belial had no chance at winning this. Ricky Marvin knew this, Belial knew this this, everyone on the crowd knew this was a mismatch. Still, Belial wants to win this, so he surprises Ricky to start and goes after him hard until Ricky stops him and slows him down. Belial gets in a few more shots, but Ricky out does him every time is more frustrated at the referee for not ending this than by anything Belial can do. Belial just continues to survive, then throws bombs every chance he gets, bombs the crowd believes once or twice might actually finish the international star. Belial pushes Ricky farther than he thought he would have to go on this day, and so Ricky has to murder him at the end. It was a good way to die.
