80s Lucha DVD set, disc 2 (part 1 of 3)

Again, part of this project is you have to buy the DVDs, so I won’t be giving links to any of this. You’re also supposed to post your thoughts (which I’m doing, just not in the right place) and rank them all (which will require me finishing 8 more DVDs at a slightly faster clip.

This batch includes
Atlantis vs. El Satanico (1984)
Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (1/27/84)
Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (2/3/84)
Atlantis y Lizmark vs. El Egipcio y El Faraón (2/17/84)

smooth fast plancha

Atlantis vs. El Satanico (1984): The great thing about not paying attention (and ripping these all to video files without the menus) is I don’t know what’s on any DVD until I grabbed the list off the DVDMB, so I was surprised and thrilled to see Atlantis & Satanico list first. The not great thing is I can’t remember what weird scheme I was using to rate these. (Out of 100 but not actually posting it anywhere? Hmmm.) This was a great fight. Satanico, arrogantly beating the upstart técnico was good, but Satanico bumping around the ring like a crazy man for every one of Atlantis’ shots was better. No one’s taking dropkicks better than Satanico does early here. The best when Satanico is selling and Atlantis is walking around like an hombre barely in control of his body moments for he is so full of rage. Satanico’s the master of the small touches too – Satanico’s foul in the second fall was so subtle that I had to rewind multiple times to even spot it – subtle fouls are a thing that don’t exist in 2014 – but really perfectly done.

I guess you need someone to put you in this sort of hold before you can foul them (maybe Guerrero Maya?)

I think they were still figuring out how/when to use the replay, as they seemed to slow motion replay a full minute of the first fall. (Then again, the match hadn’t stated as of yet, so maybe they knew better.) Seeing guys who I’m familiar with from watching more recent lucha is the most disorienting. A lot of those guys were fully formed by the time I started watching, changing little for a decade and a half to follow. These are two very differnet guys who are wearing the same clothes. I was wondering why Atlantis wouldn’t switch in the spinning backbreaker for the side one he was doing, and then realized he might have not known how to pull it off yet. Atlantis’ blood is shocking – it’s just not what I’m used to him from the last decade of CMLL, and his chest is suddenly covered in it. Both guys get color, though the pictures loses it for a while.

black & white + Satanico makes this look like a Three Stooges short
this hold, a lot quicker than usual
Satanico being Satanico
Rocca might still be selling this today

Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (1/27/84): Really loved the mat work, especially in the first two falls. They had great different sequences (again, to 2014 eyes) that seemed back and forth while making the holds feel competitve. It was a total techincal match until the last few minutes, so much so that I was only half sure Cota was the rudo and Rocca was the técnico because Rocca would smile and Cota always had a sour expression. Cota also had some awesome dropkicks. It’s possible everyone in the 80s had awesome dropkicks, but Cota was on point here. Also delighted to see Cota use Zayco’s finish (or really vice versa), but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who possible cares about that. It felt like it slowed down a bit in the third, with a fair bit of catch and release submissions and the cameras missing half of the finish, but I was still eager to keep going for the rematch.

non-spin Zayclone!
quite a dropkick
different head drop

Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (2/3/84): Definitely felt like a slightly different match the the week prior; both guys seemed wary and distrustful of each other after that finish, and they brought in enough different spots that it avoided feeling like a repeat. They weren’t working as cleanly – there were less holds and more moves – but it didn’t feel like it built up to a strong pitch before the finish. Rocca’s cradle to take the first fall was great. Cota being an active in the final double pin made that spot better than usual; Rocca didn’t pin himself, he was pulled into it. Last week’s one just had a bit more to it.

high backdrop onto hard ring
Rocca hits all the buckles
springy bounce armdrag

Atlantis y Lizmark vs. El Egipcio y El Faraón (2/17/84): It was really hard for me to get into the match with nearly no sound, but the brawl prior to the match with the Infernales and the brawling during the match was very good. Lizmark can throw a punch. Egipicio was a strong rudo. Finishes in the third fall were weak.

Lizmark has a strong right hand