Recapped: 04/16/2016
What happened: LA Park and Cibernetico went to a draw in the first match in the tournament. Xtreme Tiger picked up a win in his second tournament match over Ultimo Guerrero. Rush cheated to defeat Argos & Caristico, though Dragon Lee suffering a knee injury during the match seemed a bigger deal.
What was good: The main event is the one match worth watching.
Where can I watch it: It’s on YouTube and on Azteca’s website, if you’re not in the US.
The show begins with a recap of the LA Park angle from last week. The open is now focused on the 12 people in Liga Elite, instead of just everyone who was mentioned.
Edgar continues to be the sole referee for Liga Elite matches. He wore a CMLL logo shirt the first two weeks, but is wearing an Elite shirt now. The CMLL logo on the stage is covered up. The CMLL logo is still visible on the sign boards on the upper deck on the announce desk, but you’d have to be looking for them to see them. After the second match, when Rush goes over by the announce desk, the CMLL logo is bizarrely blurred out.
Match 1: Xtreme Tiger vs Último Guerrero in a Liga Elite match
Arena México, 04/13/2016
Winner: Xtreme Tiger (guillotine double stomp)
Match Time: 13:50
Review: [good] Ultimo Guerrero dominated match with Extreme playing the underdog and getting the big win at the end. This wasn’t as forced into the wrong style as the Cibernetico match, but UG was definitely showing off all the big things he could do before he went do to defeat. Some of those spots where really good, like the dive catch. Tiger made his superbomb looked super. The action was good, but it never felt like it had much of a flow – there was a lot of turn taking for moves. Extreme Tiger is one of the greatest luchadors of all time for actually going to the top rope with UG and actually pulling off his intended maneuver.
Senorita Cometa talks to a vendor.
Match 2: Argos & Carístico vs Dragón Lee & Rush
Arena México, 04/13/2016
- Dragon Lee & Rush
- Dragon Lee hanging double stomp Carisitco (1:07)
- Rush corner dropkick Argos (1:20)
- Argos & Caristico
- DQ Rush [unmasking Argos] (2:40)
- Dragon Lee & Rush
- Rush foul Caristico (5:03)
- COR Argos (5:23)
Winner: Dragon Lee & Rush (2-1)
Match Time: 9:23
Notes: Argos is wearing a shirt with a tiny CMLL Logo. Caristico unmasked an Argos-like mask to show off his new normal mask. Rush enters last, dropkick Carisitco. Dragon Lee adopts his brother’s attitude during the match. Rush rips off Argo’s shirt, then his mask for the second fall DQ (in a fall without not much to it.) Rush shoves down the referee for calling the DQ.
Senorita Cometa interviews Cibernetico between the second and third fall – or, more, Cibernetico just does his promo really quick.
Caristico rips Dragon Lee’s mask in the third fall. He’s also limping after catch Caristico’s dive, and it gets more noticeable as the match goes on. Rush tells him to sit the match out on the apron (only for Argos to harshly dropkick Dragon Lee to the floor – Lee disappears the rest of the way.) Argos accidentally takes out his brother on a tope con giro and never returns, then Rush accidentally dropkicks the referee. Caristico springboards into a Rush foul, and Rush covers for the win. Argos is counted out, though no one pays attention to it. Rush walks over to the announce desk and spits at Shocker for good measure. The CMLL logo on the announce desk is blurred out here.
Review: [ok] There was some good fun early in this match, but it came to a slow end with Dragon Lee getting hurt. He probably would’ve gotten to do more, but it’s just weird to see Lee in a match where is only role is to be a rudo and take Argos offense. Rush came off great in this and outshined Caristico, but there really wasn’t a lot to the last couple of falls.
Highlights of the undercard matches are shown. Zeuxis & Dalys now have matching outfits. Raijin has new gear, still is trouble catching dives.
Match 3: LA Park vs Cibernético in a Liga Elite match
Arena México, 04/13/2016
Winner: DRAW (double pin)
Match Time: 13:32
Notes: LA Park has guns that shoot fireworks. Odd. Cibernetico rushes him on the ramp. Cibernetico tears up Pakra’s mask early on as he beats him around ringside, and is the rudo of the two. Parka tries to use a camera cord to choke Cibernetico, which takes quite a while and gets him in trouble with Edgar. Same thing when Park takes off his own belt and smacks Cibernetico with it. Edgar takes the belt away to boos. Edgar doesn’t appear to be counting out people in this match (or any of the Liga Elite matches.) Cibernetico was hurt after taking a LA Park plancha to the floor near the end, with the doctor and commissioner checking on his side/hip him as if he might be stopped. (It looks like he fell on that side near the finish.) Edgar actually helped Cibernetico back in, and they immediately went to the finish. Cibernetico threw Edgar into LA Park’s way to knockout Cibernetico, Cibernetico yanked off Park’s mask, Park fouled Cibernetico, Park cradled Cibernetico and a dazed Edgar counted a double pin. LA Park was on his side, and Cibernetico had a shoulder up at the time of the pin.
Review: [good] Cibernetico’s frequently been better expected in his Elite run, and this was another match which turned out to be much better than it looked on paper. This was helped by LA Park putting in a huge performance in his latest return to this building – this was one of those nights where it was easier to understand why people put up with all the trouble of using LA Park in the first place. Ciberentico help up his end too. I don’t think anyone expected he’d be doing dives off the ramp and top rope superplexes in his post AAA career. I’m not sure he’d fit in as Most Improved, but this feels like a different guy than we’d see in AAA. Maybe Best Adjustment. This was really on not far off the best matches of Liga Elite so far. The finish takes it down a bit; it’s a typical LA Park screwy finish, but they’re not physically able to do a double pinfall and it didn’t look good.
