2019 watch later – luchablog

2019 watch later catch up, part 18 of ∞

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 thecubsfan

Látigo vs Atomic Star, mask vs hair
(MDA @ 11/17, 18:40, great, mluchatv)

Rating all of these matches on a linear scale is silly most of the time. It extra silly for this match. This match is heavy on the drama and low on the literal in-ring action; they spend most of the match everywhere but in between the ropes. If you’re looking for the Latigo from AAA, you’d probably be disappointed. If you’re looking for something that is all blood and crowd brawling, it’s a lot more your taste than it totally was mine. The effort was still great, they did the style they were going to the best of their abilities, and it only got better as the interlopers disappeared from the match. (The first six or so minutes are necessary to set the stage, but kind of a drag because Latigo just gets nothing for most of it. Ending it with an actual pinfall attempt helped a lot; Atomic Star was just beating Latigo to beat him, he had a plan on how he was going to win and Latigo was just too much.) The crowd brawling was really good, they did a wonderful job setting up a table spot and making you forget about it, and they had a lot of big spots even outside the ring. It could’ve used a bit more inside of it, going to the ref shenanigans quickly once they got back into the ring and not really giving time to tease much of a finish before then. This doesn’t quite reach the top tier of Naucalpan apuesta matches, it still is a spectacle.

La Metálica vs La Magnifica in a lightning match
(CMLL @ 11/17, 7:55, double underhook piledriver, good, thecubsfan)

There was no way this was going to be a match of the year level match and it probably isn’t something that belongs in the watch later pile. I was just curious if it was possible to have a good women’s match in 2019 outside of the usual people and this lightning match seemed like the most likely choice. I think it was good, it’s possible my standards have fallen and I’m more willing to overlook things like obvious spot calling to find something to enjoy. They do a lot, it looks impressive – Magnifica holds up Metalica a long time on a Devil’s Wings – and it all hangs together. There’s probably a better match to be had and Magnifica desperately needs a big gimmick to make up for her lack of charisma.

backbreaker looked better the first time

El Bandido vs Flamita
(KAOZ @ 11/28, not timed, not rated, Pasión Luchística)

This is just highlights. It looked great, worth noting it happened and it’s worth a few minutes of your time even if it’s probably not worth rating. The PWG version of this match in 2018 was great, and it seems like a good bet to happen in 2020. Hopefully, the crowd is into as the Torreon crowd seemed here.

Flamita vs Puma King vs Rey Horus
(MexaWrestling @ 12/07, 14:06, good, mluchatv)

There are some three-way sequences and some comedy that relies on this having three people that makes this fun. It justified having three people in the match, but this still felt like a little bit silly triangle match that would’ve been better with just any two people. It did make for an easier match and it was still enjoyable but it reads a little better than it turned out.

El Bandido vs Aramis
(MexaWrestling @ 12/07, 18:41, great, mluchatv)

I watched this originally on my phone while slowly pacing around auxiliary gym waiting for Will Ospreay to finishing sign autographs for a long line of people. (I was not in line, I did not get a Will Ospreay autograph.) It’s only rewatching it later where I could tell how bruised Bandido looked from colliding with an armrest near the end of the match. It was impressive that he finished with as much as they did give how ugly that looked. This match seemed great the first time, though it had lost something on the rewatch and then it just turned out they were better as it went on both times. It’s Aramis having his PWG audition match with Bandido after he’s already in PWG, basically. It’s also Bandido being the international star measuring post for Mexican indie standout Aramis, two years after Bandido was the Mexican indie standout being tested by international star Flamita in this same building. Aramis seems farther along than Bandido was at that point, better at stringing together matches to build to something than 2017 Bandido, but the massive leap Bandido took in 2018 is hard to replicate. Aramis & Bandido had some ideas which didn’t completely come together, especially early on, and Aramis either figuring out what his limits are or raising those limits to pull off all the creative stuff he tries is the obvious place for him to improve in 2020. The announcers were raving about this as the match of the year and it felt a little short of that because some shaky parts, but it is the best example of how far Aramis has already come.

Titán vs Soberano Jr. for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship and in a tournament final match
(CMLL @ 12/08, 28:01, excellent, thecubsfan)

An epic match which worked as well for the people coming to root on these guys as the tourists who wandered into Arena Mexico not expecting to see a thirty-minute match. (A thirty-minute plus match; the announcers said thirty-seven, which isn’t always accurate, but even I can pick up a couple of the edits.) This wasn’t the big move, two count, rest break, kind of epic that’s defined CMLL matches in this decade either. Soberano and Titan did get to those moves, but it never felt like that was the whole match. They might have done less dives than an average lighting match and they made them count when they got them in. The first two falls were as technical as CMLL title matches tend to get and they kept sprinkling in the battles of holds over time. There were no destroyers to get a quick reaction, but a lot of battling over smaller stuff to give mini victories. (Titan never used either of his normal finishes, using the double stomp that’s since become his finish.) This was a depth and variety of match that it didn’t seem like Soberano was capable of before, and he deserves credit for growing a luchador. Titan’s been the best CMLL luchador overall this year. He’s had great opportunities working with guys like Templario & Cavernario he’s delivered when giving those chances.

2019 watch later catch up, part 17 of ∞

December 31, 2019January 6, 2020 thecubsfan

Brazo De Oro Jr. vs Súper Nova, Mexica, Hijo Del Ángel, Fly Warrior [Amos del Aire Nacion]
(NLL @ 10/31, 9:37, ok, HVSLuchaLibre)

This didn’t really come together; it’s a slower than it would seem early on and there are some disastrously botched spots. The Nacion Lucha Libre presentation doesn’t help (though they did work harder at trying to explain who these people were more than most.) Brazo de Oro is wrestling like a budget Soberano but there’s talent in that and what he shows and it seems like he’d be worth watching if he could find someplace to develop him.

Ángel de Oro vs Euforia
(CMLL @ 11/2, 14:26, great, thecubsfan)

Just a random enjoyable Guadalajara singles match. Euforia is really good and gets a strong Angel de Oro performance. Both change up the usual routines, pull out offense unusual for them, and Angel de Oro’s normal dramatic works well against the much bigger man. Euforia so smooth in his first fall ending sequence. Angel de Oro getting desperate at the end fits the moment and plays right into Euforia’s hands. There’s some fun crowd interaction early on, in a match where there’s really not much of a crowd.

this felt like it had more force into the moonsault than usual

Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario
(KAOZ/CMLL/ERLL @ 03/31, 18:24, excellent, Estrellas del Ring)

Cavernario & Titan are doing their usual exchanges to start the match, not surprising but solid because they know each other really well. They get to a point where it feels like the finishing stretch, only it goes, and goes some more, and then there’s a dive that makes it clear they’re not actually finishing that soon. The atmosphere of this match is hurt because the crowd is not big and not as into it as the luchadors, but this is them giving their Arena Mexico level effort in a match in front of a few hundred. I don’t think this is making my top 10 because that crowd reaction is missing and I’m worried that I’m overrating this (especially after later seeing some of this done better in Soberano/Titan), but it came off as top-level work.

Aramis, Imposible, Relámpago vs Cerebro Negro, Fly Warrior, Hijo de Canis Lupus
(IWRG @ 09/16, 17:25, good, mluchatv)

A typically crazy IWRG trios match – a little bit of crowd brawling, a few dives in the crowd, a little bit of dropping people on their heads. They saved the big head dropping to the end, making it a bit more meaningful. This still was one of those matches where no one’s really trying to get a pin until the finish, which makes it feel a bit like an exhibition and missing a little bit of seriousness.

Fly Warrior & Puma de Oro vs Fulgor I & Fulgor II
(MDA @ 10/20, 12:37, good, +LuchaTV)

I think I saw this one when it streamed live and liked it a bit more then. Not sure why the match didn’t change. Both teams have good teamwork spots, though the tecnicos are a little slower at setting up. Fulgor II survives nearly landing on his head to compete in the rest of the match (though it looked so bad that it made me check if that was when he took time off; it was not.) There’s a lot of fun midcard IWRG matches which are hampered by being isolated from going anywhere and this is one of those.

Kastigador vs Vengador, mask vs mask
(G21 @ 11/05, 34:53, excellent, +LuchaTV)

It’s difficult to keep the energy up in a match this long where it’s so high from the beginning, and maybe the most remarkable thing is how they manage to pull that off. Slipping in a break late helped with that, but these generally seemed better at their spots and working with the crowd then I’ve seen them otherwise. The crowd sincerely bought into this as an important match, reacting strongly to everything, and they give them a lot of dramatic near falls to react towards. The last spot may have been a big much but it was going to take a lot to get to an ending. This definitely feels like a big stakes apuesta match.

2019 watch later catch up, part 16 of ∞

December 27, 2019December 26, 2019 thecubsfan

Arez © vs Aramis for the RIOT Championship
(RIOT @ 11/02, 21:25, great, Luchamania Monterrey)

I was concerned when the martinete reversal spot kept going. These two pride themselves on being creative and different that they can detour themselves into absurdity. That spot wasn’t totally coming together either, which could’ve derailed the match. It really didn’t. (Though, in the long gap between writing this and posting it, that bit seems like the only thing remembered from the match.) They got a lot of time for the match to develop, giving them an occasion to try ideas and still pull it back a bit. This was a little slower-paced than expected, possibly because they were going long. It also allowed them to pull the crowd into it strong by picking it up in the last few minutes. The Aramis tope felt like a turning point that turned up the intensity. That got that intensity even while mostly eschewing the usual cliches – it’s not even just that they stayed away from doing shoulders, they stayed away from doing long chop/forearm exchanges. The attacks towards each man’s shoulders felt a lot more impactful as something different and played well into the submissions they were trying to win bye. I think the guys have an even better match in them if they keep progression but this is an easy recommendation to check out.

Cavernario © vs Forastero for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
(CMLL @ 11/02, 15:39, great, thecubsfan)

Cavernario/Forastero stands out because it’s leaps and bounds better than all the other Forastero matches, strong enough that it’s not impossible to imagine why CMLL might think Forastero was worth so more shots. He shows a lot more aggression against a rudo than he has against those tecnicos, bitting at Cavernario’s face and hitting hard with big boots. He pulled out the double jump springboard dive not seen much, and definitely not seen with the tecnicos. Maybe a lot of it was Cavernario, who is smooth and quick and held the match together over two botched spots late. Maybe a big chunk of it was a crowd very loud for a match they had no real reason to be very loud about. This still had a lot more thought and effort into it than those rest of those matches and it’s so confusing.

Tromba vs Sádico
(MDA @ 11/10, 15:00, good, LuchaTV)

Early on in this match, it seemed disappointing that this wouldn’t be three falls. The submissions holds they were doing look good but couldn’t end a match that early. And then the match ended because it actually was three falls. Sadico continues to have a few gems every year despite being unheralded. He and Tromba had some elaborate and interesting sequences, especially the one on the outside in the second fall that led into a german suplex. It didn’t always pay off quite that well, and the crowd wasn’t really into this, which made it hard to rate it for higher. It’s an easy match to like because they had a lot of ideas, they just couldn’t quite get them all to work. The ending was odd; there was a submission spot that seemed like it could’ve ended to a ref stop, it didn’t, but the match ended unrelated about thirty seconds later. This was more interesting than good and wanted me to see more of Tromba.

Soberano Jr. © vs Templario for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship
(CMLL @ 10/06, 14:32, great, thecubsfan)

There have been a few Templario/Soberano singles matches this year and danger of them being repetitive. They did mix it up here, trusting they could get some counter spots and submissions over in the first couple of falls. It seemed successful for this crowd, made the match feel a bit different than those others, and got made those usual big spots feel bigger. They did end up doing destroyers, but they did other moments not expected from them. I’m watching this the same weekend as the Audaz/Templario match and there’s a substantial difference there in inventiveness. The finish was designed to make everyone unhappy and has to be considered a massive success. Still, this is worth watching even if you’ve seen a lot of these guys already.

they’ve pulled this off better but this was still cool

El Bandido, Flamita, Neza Kid vs Dragón Bane, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Súper Nova
(Invasion Indy @ 11/15/2019, 12:54, good, mluchatv)

This one mostly fell around the “fun but not totally vital” matches. These names being involved are slightly hampered by Neza Kid & Super Nova being the focal point. There’s entertaining stuff but it doesn’t really peak. The brief Flamita & Dragon Bane tiff was worth watching. It also remains amusing to see Freelance do very specific Freelance things while pretending (?) to be someone else. Not sure if the Neza ring is small, the wrestlers making big movements, or me just noticing it more often, but there were a lot of awkward falls onto the bottom rope.

not sure why I couldn’t find a better GIF from this one

Drone vs Guerrero Maya Jr. in a lightning match
(CMLL @ 10/13, 5:29, ok, thecubsfan)

Two of the good but never pushed CMLL tecnicos getting to face each other. Instead of having an ok match with a semi-competent rudo, they opted to have an ok match with each other. Drone had a nice moonsault but looked sloppy, Maya looked sharper but not really into it and the match didn’t go long. There are worse lightning matches but this was very much part of the middle 90% of them, destined to be quickly forgot.

2019 indie catch up, part 6 of ∞

May 24, 2019May 21, 2019 thecubsfan

Volador Jr. © vs Bárbaro Cavernario for the NWA World Welterweight Championship
(CMLL GDL @ 03/05, 9:27, good, thecubsfan)

I think Volador’s problem is overexposure. Here I am seeking out more Volador matches to watch. Who’s the real villain? This is a lightning match in three falls form, with two finishes that never are one and selling near doom two minutes in to the third fall. You do get most of the dives, though Volador thankfully cuts Cavernario off from the most dangerous one. It is really just one more Volador match, which might be good and I’m jaded or might be only ok.

Galactar, Rico Rodríguez, Silver Tiger vs Imposible, Súper Nova, Yoruba
(Revolucion Lucha Libre @ 03/09, 14:04, good, Estrellas del Ring)

I think a Hector Godfrey one might be longer but there are days where it is not worth the time to go thru 6 different versions of the match to see which one is complete. (Maybe I should go back to not linking to more than one video per match from him?) All these micro-promotions with their interchangeable rosters may not do a lot for me but they were working great for this crowd, who totally got into the brawling parts of the match (and post-match.) Super Nova’s fire helped with that crowd reaction. Yoruba’s tope was really good. On the other hand, Imposible did so little in this match that stood out that I was sure it was Emperador Azteca in the match until I looked at the lineup. Doing two different chop standoffs in the last minutes kind of slowed the match down too much for me besides being repetitive. Still, this was better than the random collection of people would respect.

Lilith Dark vs Ludark Shaitan
(IWRG @ 03/10, 7:40, good, Internetv Deportes)

Didn’t think much of this early; Lilith messes up an early exchange enough for Ludark to cut her off, and there’s another awkward moment shortly after. This match also made me wonder if the chop exchange spot has become the Guerrero/Malenko roll up sequence of a new generation. This turned with some hard hitting corner dropkicks, Lilith had a nice looking suplex and Ludark totally killed her in the end. Not the strongest recommendation but still a bit worthwhile.

i was people would stop switching camera angles during moves

Aero Boy & Súper Crazy vs Black Taurus (Indie) & Dragón Bane
(Lucha Libre Real @ 03/15, 8:05, good, Estrellas del Ring)

Fast paced if obviously edited match. Aeroboy & Taurus is a matchup I haven’t seen a lot of despite them both being around the indies for the last few years. They seemed to work well together, even if a thing here or there looked off. Super Crazy did not seem particularly thrilled with young Dragon Bane when Dragon Bane wanted to do something on the ramp. Crazy really didn’t do a lot besides lock the finish in, but he really locked the finish in.

Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs Alas de Oro, Alas De Plata, Diamante
(FILLM @ 03/16, 11:55, good, Estrellas del Ring)

A solid NGD trios match, not really slipping from their CMLL effort levels. The técnicos didn’t do anything special for me but their timing was good on offense. Rafael el Maya looks like he got walloped by a foot for the ref bump here. Might have been a trick of the camera angle but it still was impressive. I’ve noticed an Estrellas del Ring pattern of cutting the first fall to 20 seconds in these matches. It is not a pleasant pattern.

this started bad but ended up properly painful

Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs Esfinge, Titán, Tritón for the Mexican National Trios Championship
(18:16 [3:51, 3:02, 11:23], 2/3, great, thecubsfan)

A very fun trios title match that builds in stages. It’s just a normal weekday match between these two teams for a while, then they go past that to do some of the usual title match bits, and then they find a bigger higher dramatic level in the last section. It doesn’t feel like anything special at first but has the time to get there, in a way to seen with most of these Guadalajara title matches. The técnicos get the necessary one big near fall moment, but that’s not the end of it, they keep attacking. The OneAtos team wearing matching gear – that I can’t even remember if they had before – was a nice touch to make it feel like a bigger match. The finish is pretty definitive on which team is on a different level, though they had to work to get that win. This might be the best Guadalajara match all year.

maybe the smoothest he’s pulled this off

2019 indie catch up, part 5 of ∞

May 9, 2019May 21, 2019 thecubsfan

Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Juventud Guerrera vs Fuerza Guerrera & Rush
(MDA @ 02/17, 17:30, good, mluchatv)

I really didn’t think this match was anything I would want to see: Rush in an indie setting without an opponent to push him and Fuerza Guerrera at this point in any setting are not something I’m excited to see. It definitely overachieved. Fuerza Guerrera looked a lot better than his recent CMLL appearances. I’m not sure if the brawl allowed him to pick his spots better, if he was more fired up to face Juventud, or if he just didn’t have to deal with Octagon. Rush carried a lot of the action for his team, hammering Juvetund so much at times that Fuerza couldn’t get in his own shots to continue the feud. Juventud survived a near death experience to be a good rudo and worked very hard to make this work. This match ending with a faked foul is unsatisfying and still appropriate for a Fuerza Guerrera match.

Aramis vs Hijo de Canis Lupus
(IWRG @ 03/03, 12:05, great, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Significantly the better of the two Aramis singles matches in this group. I’m writing about this one first but it took place second on the same day, which might be part of it. They didn’t have to save anything for another match, and it shows with them doing pretty much everything they can do over a long period of time. Hijo de Canis Lupus strikes me as a more complete wrestler than his brother, and working more of a power style works a better compliment to what Aramis does. Aramis is still the best of this bunch.

Ángel Tormenta, Rokambole Jr., Villano V Jr. vs Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme
(IWRG @ 03/03, 16:05, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Eterno’s high collar makes him look a little bit like a vampire. Eterno taking a broken bottle shard and cutting the Villano Kids head viciously was something a vampire could appreciate. There’s a minute here where Eterno is going after foreheads so savagely that it seems to concern the referee in the midst of what seems like a normal match. I didn’t catch how/why Demonio Infernal got so bloody. I figured it was just normal Demonio Infernal stuff, he tends to bleed, but perhaps it left Eterno unhappy. That trio is good if a little underutilized in this match. Angel Tormenta is the best guy on his team, though Villano V Jr. throws a great foul in the end

Dragón Bane vs Death Metal vs Cerebro Negro vs Oficial AK47 , loser loses hair or mask
(IWRG @ 03/03, 15:02, ok, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

This didn’t do a lot for me. It seems wrong to have a multiman apuesta match where it ends on the first elimination, rather than just keep going until there are two people left. Dragon Bane looks super athletic in what turns out to be the ending stretch instead. Oficial AK47 has moments of great personality, but also seems to be walking between spots a lot. Cerebro Negro is looking very Yoruba in this match with his hair and gear, and he and Dragon Bane conspire to mess up a dropkick spot before they do a Destroyer. Death Metal didn’t make a big impression.

Eterno, Golden, Solar I vs Golpeador, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Jeque
(PROLLM @ 03/03, 11:50, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

This seems edited, which is too bad because it’s building nicely until then and it’s unclear how much was taken out. It’s very much mat wrestling with a handful minutes of modern stuff to finish it off. I liked the Golden/Jeque sequence more than the Solar/Golepador final one; Solar didn’t do the same as usual, but it more felt like Golepador couldn’t do a lot with him. Eterno & Dragon Bane are enthusiastic if not always heading in any particular direction. Golden and Jeque are fluid and pull off a couple of spots from a direction I wasn’t expecting.

Aramis vs Dragón Bane
(PROLLM @ 03/03, 7:42, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Both these guys selling exhaustion after a big discuss clothesline a few minutes in and only one person clapping in reaction is kind of sad. They didn’t put together this in a way that connected with the audience, but it still an exciting athletic battle. There are some well-performed sequences and a cool Dragon Bane tope. It’s taken down a bit by getting a quiet reaction. I think it still has enough that it would get over in other situations and they do get a fair amount of applause after it’s over, but I’d hope they’d take from this that what they’re doing during the match isn’t quite connecting with this audience.