Diamante, Pegasso, Rey Cometa vs Cancerbero, Euforia, Raziel: This was going well until the end. This was a different match than usual – the rudos didn’t get that much sustained offense, though they got spots in to stop the técnicos runs and cycle another in. Two fall matches usually feel like three fall matches with them just by passing one of the finishes, this was something else. Good work for while it lasted. Everyone was about normal, but Pegasso seemed to be having a pretty good night (besides maybe the one spot I took over there.)
TRT
Ángel de Oro, La Máscara, Valiente vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Tiger: It is so weird that Terrible licking Valiente’s mask is now a regular thing. How do these things happen? TRT seem to be adding other new bits to their repertoire. Tiger and Angel de Oro match up well, perhaps there’s something they can do with them there. It was nice to see Valiente taking it to these guys, but this was more about TRT getting another definitive victory.
Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto: About as interesting as the rest of the show. Again, técnicos were perfectly fine, the Avernos were not really into it. I’m hoping the title match is a change, because this feud has been underwhelming up to now.
Bengala & Camaleón vs Camorra & Cholo: I like Cholo, but sometimes I remember why he’s stuck in the openers. He doesn’t quite move at CMLL speed, though he does have an amusing comedy presence about him. Speaking of comedy, new bright idea for the openers: all those bits that are always used as near falls except they never actually work should actually work in here. No one’s really going to go away from CMLL shows complaining they did not see enough of back/frontcrackers, so maybe sub in something a bit different. The second fall here, where the técnicos almost get the win on ramming the rudos together (and the announcers think they do) would be a perfectly fine opening match finish. They’ve got three finishes, do something goofy for just one of them.
measure twice, moonsault once
Goya Kong & Marcela vs Tiffany & Zeuxis: Fine! Nothing extraordinary that I’ll remember by the time I watch the next show, but a well performed entertaining match. All those matches with and against Martha Villalobos probably gives Tiffany good ideas on how to work with Tiffany; she had some entertaining bits here.
Eléctrico, Fantasy, Último Dragoncito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeño Olímpico, Pierrothito: Nice hidden gem. Quite a lot of big moves thru the match, the action kept going at a fast pace thru, and some smartly designed stuff at the end – it kind of made the finish a bit underwhelming. Fantasy seems to be smoother with more regular work, or maybe that’s just impression of things. He was good for a guy who didn’t look ready to go; they didn’t lose that much by not having Bam Bam around.
Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Tiger: Fine. Bufete del Amor has started to gel as a team faster than I would’ve guess, but CMLL is surely helping them out by booking them together so much. Even though this is a new matchup, there’s still stuff that it feels like we’ve seen a lot of – Bucanero and Máximo! – but at least the teams as a unit feel new.
Fabi Apache & Mascarita Dorada vs Mini Histeria & Sexy Star: good built to a Dark Dragon vs Mascarita Dorada match that I don’t believe is ever happening or even really planned. Sexi said she did not want to wrestle for these fans, and the woman kept true to her word! This was ominous start.
the show in one gif
Cibernético, Daga, Fenix vs Dark Dragon, Dizzy, La Parka: Another poor outing. Fenix looked more unready for this level in this match than he has since appearing. He blew both dives he tried and had plenty of other spots not go right or nearly go wrong. Daga’s debut did not look as spectacular as Rocco’s either, though he was much better than his partner. Cibernético looks liked a man with no working knees, which is actually normal. Dizzy, only here to make up the numbers, seemed more in mind to try and catch someone’s eye to make it on TV. That didn’t help the match any. The conditions may have played a part in this, but there needed to be some adjustment made to the slippery surfaces if that was the problem, and these guys just kept trying to do their matches. Better to do less spectacular stuff and actually pull it off than mess up anything. To top that off, we get the AAA classic “tecnicos win, immediately get killed to make sure the win didn’t mean anything.”
shake?
Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans vs el Hijo del Perro Aguayo & Halloween: Match wasn’t itself anything special – though probably the best thing on this show – but they continue to get this story over well. Perro being befuddled about losing was amusing. Lots and lots of replays.
El Mesías & Zorro vs Héctor Garza & LA Park: They went twenty three minutes, put Garza thru table thing (sort of) and then made it all about Joaquin and Konnan and LA Park. This was not a good use of anyone’s time. It was not a really much of an interesting match up to that, a lot of killing time and trying not be killed in a ring that wasn’t working out well for anyone.
Fuego, Metro, Sangre Azteca vs Misterioso Jr., Namajague, Shigeo Okumura: Extremely técnico focused, which is odd for a debut of a rudo. Not too odd for CMLL, they don’t usually think that way. Namajague did not come off as a rookie to me – he was very demonstrative and expressive, doing the little shaking and reacting you wouldn’t expect to see from a new guy (or a new guy to a masked gimmick), but more what you’d see from a veteran.
Virus never stops
Virus vs Loco Max: that felt like a long way to go to get that finish. Loco really had little he could do the match; for a guy who’s been in so many midcard singles matches, he did not seem like much of a singles match luchador here. If there was a story here, and I’m not sure there was, the idea was Virus was going to eventually win and Loco picked how he lost instead. But maybe the story here is this is a better trios feud than a singles one.
Kraneo tiiiimber
Hijo del Fantasma, Máximo, Super Porky vs Kráneo, Olímpico, Psicosis: The typical match you’re getting between these two teams, with four to five minutes cut out of the first fall to make the time work. You can see this one more complete on many a show, and at a higher gear. Máximo did do a heck of a leap to sell the fake low blow. Was Porky trying to plank here?
Atlantis, Marco Corleone, Rush vs Pólvora, Rey Escorpion, Último Guerrero: They showed the replay graphic for about five minutes thru the first fall and post fall, because they forgot to turn it off when they got back to live footage. Pompin screwed up the count in the third fall. That’s what this match was. Rush may say he respects no one, but he sure has some nicer feelings towards Escorpion (who does as much damage to Rush as anyone) than Pólvora (who was shrugged off and destroyed.)
Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto: técnicos were trying – Máximo in particular looks more motivated than he has anywhere outside of Japan – but the rudos seemed disinterested. They weren’t making the técnicos look bad, but they weren’t doing much on their own. I don’t know if three matches in this feud is going to be so great.
