Announcers are JCR, JCC and Tiger, who talking well before he's identified.
Match 1: Dalis la Caribeña, Dark Angel, Marcela © vs Amapola ©, Princesa Blanca, Zeuxis
Arena Mexico, 01/13/2012
rudas
Winner: técnicas (2-1)
Match Time: 13:40
Rating: very good
Notes: Dalis dances her way to the ring. Zeuxis can't get an entrance video. Or get her name spelled right in the graphic. I think Blanca changed her music again, but I've lost track. Lineup graphic lists Amapola as captain of the tecnica team and Marcela as captain of the rudas. We're off to a great start! Ref is Terror Chino.
1: Pairs are Dark Angel/Amapola, Marcela/Blanca, Dalis/Zeuxis. Angel & Amapola's battle is pretty active, Amapola dominating early until Dark angel can start finding her way free and moving into complete roll up from there. Dark Angel springboard headscissors Amapola and they have a bit of an intense faceoff before making tags. Marcela is much too fast for Princesa Blanca, but Blanca eventuality throws her off for a second, and later catches her running splash with upraised boots. Marcela headscissors Blanca, and dropkick her out of the ring, chasing her away with a roll. Zeuxis takes a random shot at Marcela before staring with Dalis. Zeuxis gets in a nice bridging cover, Dalis manages armdrags from the mat. They're too smooth together, looking a bit practiced. Kickboxer Dalis drops Zeuxis to her knees with a kick, poses, snap mares Zeuxis, and kicks her in the spine. Dalis goes the ropes, and Zeuxis breaks Dalis with a kick directly the right side of Dalis' face. Everyone on the apron reacts in pain to that one. It looked quite harsh. Dalis is of course fine a second later, once she can duck a clothesline. Kick, Gori stretch leaned forward into a pin, referee takes forever to walk over to count, and Zeuxis reverses it to a sunset flip in the meantime. One, Zeuxis reverse the cradle with perfect time to get Marcela to dropkick her. Rudas all in on both técnicas. Whip – Amapola backcracker on Marcela, Zeuxis backcracker on Dalis. Blanca slaps Dark Angel away, and that's the fall.
2: Rudas in charge. Amapola orders them to hang Angel in the ropes, facing out. Amapola nails her with a dropkick to the back, sending Sarah flying to the floor. Corner charges for Dalis, which build to a big Blanca chest slap. Rudas hold Marcela on the mat for Blanca to stomp, then wheelbarrow her into a Zeuxis frontcracker. Dark Angel jumps on Zeuxis back and punches until the other rudas can chase her off. Triple boot. Rudas just kick Dalis around for a bit, then set her on the ropes for Amapola's sit. They don't hold her, which proves to be a major mistake – Dalis moves out of the way, Amapola flies out of the ring, and the comeback is on. Dalis holds Zeuxis in the corner with a boot choke, Dark Angel leads Blanca into a Marcela missile dropkick, and Dark Angel lands a middle rope, from outside the ropes, plancha onto Amapola. Dalis gives Zeuxis a reverse suplex (!) with Blanca just barely out of the way and covers of the other pin.
3: Zeuxis kicks Dark Angel around. Whip, Zeuxis hiptoss smoothly reversed to a backslide by Dark Angle, one two NO. She almost got her. Dark Angel swing misses, Zeuxis drops her with a back suplex powerbomb one two no, Zeuxis almost pushing Dark Angel away. Zeuxis lifts Dark Angel over her shoulders, but Dark Angel escapes to a 'rana. Dark Angel rolls to a celebratory pose, but Amapola is charging. Amapola clothesline misses, Dark Angel floating around to escape but not getting the DDT, Amapola slips out but Dark Angel pulls her back into a kneelift, step over headscissors! Dark Angel dropkick Amapola, charge again for a springboard - no, Amapola turns it in a faceslam, and harshly dropkicks her out. Amapola's turn to celebrate while someone runs in. Marcela clothesline misses, Amapola clothesline caught for the double underhook, Amapola escapes and double chops Marcela down. Corner whip, Marcela holds up and up and springs out to clothesline Amapola. Marcela runs past Amapola to the other corner, middle rope flying headscissors. Marcela kicks Amapola, lifts her over her shoulders and drops her for a side backcracker. Marcela look at the crowd, but Blanca is in. Charge misses, Blanca lifts Marcela up around her shoulders, airplane spin drop, and mad stomping. Blanca yells at the crowd. Marcela tied on the ropes, chop. Whip, quick reverse, and Marcela right in behind with a kneelift. Whip back the other way, and another hard knee lift. No one's afraid to hit someone this week. Marcela gets a running start, bounces off the middle rope, and drops down with a double kneedrop. One two Amapola breaks it up. Ref warns them, and Marcela sneaks out to tag Dalis. Dails yanks Blanca up by the hair, Blanca shoves her away, Marcela kicks her back in the ropes, Blanca bounces back into a side kick. High swinging kick Blanca ducks under and laps Dalis. Dalis slaps back. Slap fight is even , both miss a clothesline, both go for plancha and slide. Zeuxis and Dark Angel cover both one two three. Three! That never works! No wonder Dark Angel actually hooked the leg.
Zeuxis celebrates like the match is over, but Dark Angel knows the score. Captains charge both, pull off the finishers, and get three. So it's a draw, right?
Apparently not! Despite, you know, the rules, Terror Chino encourages Amapola & Marcela to keep on fighting. They don't seem confused. Announcers don’t seem confused. I see confused, I've got to admit. Marcela dropkick misses, Amapola does not. Amapola with a brief hesitation picking Marcela up, set up for the Devil's Wings, Marcela breaks free, Marcela punch misses, Amapola sets up for the backcracker, Marcela back elbows free, kick to the midsection, Michinoku Driver connects! One two three, both rudas diving back I but coming in just short.
Match 2: La Máscara, La Sombra ©, Máscara Dorada vs Mr. Águila, Psicosis, Volador Jr. ©
Arena Mexico, 01/13/2012
rudos
Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 12:09
Rating: very good
Notes: Dorada wears the Lyger half mask to the ring. Mascara brings his hybrid Brazo de Oro mask to the ring (also, Monito.) Sombra has his title, an extra mask, and an extra shirt, which he gives away on the way to the ring. Aguila has the Volador face paint on. Psicosis still is using Theme From Vipers, and Mije is with him. Some guy with devil horns on his green mask is last – oh, wait, I guess it's Volador, totally couldn't tell, it was hard to tell with the guy shouting his name and his music playing and all. Sombra's even announced as champion, so this here seems a bit of a prelude to the title match. Referee is Tirantes.
1: Sombra is too fast, too skilled for Aguila on the mat. They work thru a messy drop toe hold well. Aguila circles Sombra so he's got his back to the rudos, and Volador springboards in to wipe him out with a dropkick to the upper back. Sombra did not look ready for that. Rudo immediately on the offense. Mike walks across the ring to get Monito, but Volador turns him around and sends the mascot scurring back to his corner. Catapult/legdrop for Sombra. Corner charges for Dorada, and he's held up for Psicosis' senton. Psicsois thinks about a pin but does not. Rudo chant starting up. Volador running superkick causes Mascara's spit to go flying. Sombra back in, but Volador kills him with the headscissors driver and that's the fall.
Mije is very hyperactive with no Kraneo to keep him in line.
2: Aguila wants to toss Mije onto Mascara for a plash, but Mije shrugs him off and drops a senton instead. Drop toe hold and dropkick to the face for Dorada, and Volador pulls Mije in. Mije doesn’t like this idea, but Volador still tosses him for the big splash. All goes well. Sombra held down, and Mije drops to middle rope headbutt to the midsection. Psicosis holds Mascara down to untie his mask. Whip for him, roll under a double clothesline, superkick to Aguila's back. Psicosis drops Mascara, Sombra springboards headscissors – uh, misses, and he powerbombs himself. Rudos go with it, Volador tossing Sombra out, then walking right into the Dorada floating headscissors. Mascara topes Volador into the front row. Dorada cradles Psicosis and Sombra pulls off a springboard version of his usual finish, spectacular enough to get the crowd back on his side. Monito celebrates with the técnicos. Replays show Sombra slapping his own head before setting up Aguila for the finish. Odd.
3: Sombra and Volador in. Sombra shirt off. Aguila suggest Volador should do the same. Volador wants a handshake. Sombra says no. Dueling flipping runs, Sombra springboard into a back spin headscissors, Aguila in with a headscissors, Sombra hopping in, Volador over, under, Mascara waved by, spinning armdrag for Aguila. Headscissors sends Aguila flying thru the ropes. Psicosis dropkicks him – match has really sped up – and Dorada gets him with a tope rope plancha. Psicosis kicks Dorada backwards into the corner, Psicosis dropkicks him in and hangs him in the ropes, Dorada knocks him down with a leaping club to the chest. Dorada covers, but Tirantes won't count - too close to the ropes. Fair call, I think. Dorada stand Psicosis up and slaps. Whip, reversed, clothesline misses, Dorada back with a headscissors. Psicosis out, Dorada points at him, backs up, and goes out with a great slingshot tornillo. Aguila in the ring, pointing up, running – slingshot tornillo, more Pegasso style. Máscara up top – quick plancha onto Aguila. Volador up, - tope con giro as Mascara goes around the side of the ring. Who's left? Sombra up top, moonsault to the floor on Volador, landing right on his feet. Psicosis in – superman plancha onto Sombra! Sombra lands at the feet of the front row, and someone decides to rest their cup on Sombra's head. Sombra knocks it away and looks at the person; security is rushing in as they cut to a long shot. Mije and Monito in, Monito with a spar, Mije rolls out, and Monito lands a plancha! Aguila in, but Máscara tells him to hold up, he's got to take of his shirt. Aguila strips off his shirt. Aguila and Mascara slap fight, Aguila shoulderblocks, Máscara rolling dropkick sends him out. Volador in on him, Mascara flips Volador to the apron, Volador swing kick from there. Volador climbs up, but Sombra cuts him off with some forearms from the apron. Sombra up top as with him as Mascara is out. Both men on the top rope – tope rope 'rana! Psicosis rushes in to attack Sombra from behind, but Sombra shoves him off. Sombra charge Psicosis in the corner, but Psicosis tosses him off and pulls him down into the layout frontcracker. Dorada uses Tanahashi's Sling Blade on Psicosis! I guess he picked up something from Japan. Aguila Canadian Destroyer on Dorada! (Tirantes does not rule it a DQ – I guess because Aguila is doing it and we've forgotten that storyline.) Dorada leaps on Aguila’s back, headscissors cradle, into the campana – and Volador backcrackers him! This match has just reached Awesome. Volador gets up, just in time to be missile dropkicked by Dorada. Both the other rudos after him and shoulderblocking him out, Sombra missile dropkicks them out, then running – huge tope con giro may have touched Aguila on the head on the way over. Volador pulls himself up in the ring and tells the rudos to get Sombra up, but Mascara is up for him. No problem, clothesline ducked, superkick hits. Volador calls for the backcracker, but Dorada surprises him. Fireman’s drop, and Dorada says that's it. Dorada heads to the corner, but that’s Mije corner, and he grabs Dorada by the leg. Dorada kicks him down and heads up, but now Psicosis in and crotching him. Volador and Mascara up, Volador swings and Mascara and misses, preferring to instead stomp Monito down for entering the ring, while Máscara lays out Psicosis with a loud superkick. Mascara waits for Volador waits for Volador to turn around – casadora into a campana, Volador gives immediately.