CMLL Martes – Page 2

CMLL Martes de Nuevo Valores: 2020-01-21

January 31, 2020January 29, 2020 thecubsfan

Recapped: 2020-01-22

Matches:

Cholo & Príncipe Odín Jr. beat Bengala & Sonic
(13:39 [5:29, 4:06, 4:04], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Grako, Hijo del Signo, Nitro beat Magnus, Oro Jr., Robin
(12:33 [5:05, 3:50, 3:38], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Espíritu Negro, Misterioso, Sagrado beat Diamond, Pegasso, Stigma
(9:12 [3:29, 5:43], 1 DQ/2 DQ, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Pólvora beat Rey Cometa in a lightning match
(6:28, STF, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Black Panther, Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. beat Máscara Año 2000, Templario, Vangellys
(16:38 [5:04, 3:22, 8:12], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Atlantis Jr., Diamante Azul, Volador Jr. beat Ephesto, Hechicero, Mephisto
(13:12 [6:08, 2:26, 4:38], 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

What happened:

The third match rudos were disqualified after staying in the ring too long together in the first fall. There is no ring girl or whistle to start fall 2, the rudos just keep going after fall 1.

Thoughts:

The main event was technically fine but not as exciting for the casual crowd as other versions. Atlantis Jr. getting the surprise pine probably would’ve worked better on a Friday where more people know who Atlantis is, rather than a crowd who just sees him as another guy. The surprise pin meant no big tecnico run, just a sudden end. Diamante Azul worked harder than Volador in the main event.

The Panthers were setting up for the usual big comeback, but the rudos cooled the match too much and the timing of some the offense was off. It was a match with Mascara & Vangellys, it was going to be slow, but the first fall had better action than the rest could provide. The highlight of this match was Julio Cesar Rivera saying Blue Panther Jr.’s new double half crab spot adds up to one full crab. You can’t argue with that math.

It is at the point where I groan when the guys start knocking each other up the ramp because it means it’s time to force in a stage dive to try to get a reaction. There was that, there was the dive to the floor, there was a Destroyer so Cometa could do a flip bump, and there wasn’t much in between. Maybe those are three the same things, but the CMLL guys have figured out a way to build naturally to a dive and the other stuff feels forced. Cometa’s become the worst at doing the stage dive just to do it. Polvora was also in the match.

The tercera was all about the mask feud not being over, though it’s hard to believe they’re going to keep it going anywhere. Diamond had some flashy stuff he didn’t really use in the mask match but the new name and mask didn’t get him much of a reaction. A little whistling and not much more; the real test will be his first Friday night show. Diamond’s face was totally exposed to the camera on the mask pull, which seems unfortunate.

Nitro was in an unusually jovial mood in the segunda. He winning a match with a cradle, he did the hopping spot with Robin, he took bumps and didn’t get in the third fall win. I’d much rather see than the angry piledriver Nitro.

The opener was about as good as it’s going to be with these four, which meant Cholo fell down awkwardly taking a key Sonic high spot. Principe Odin Jr. does understand that at least 50% of being a good lucha rudo is being a fool, but then he’s also faced Bengala a thousand times so they know how to play off each other.

CMLL Martes: 2020-01-14

January 28, 2020July 30, 2020 thecubsfan 2 Comments

Recapped: 2020-01-18

Matches:

Mercurio & Pequeño Violencia beat Acero & Aéreo
(14:02 [5:16, 2:53, 5:53], 2/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Eléctrico, Magnus, Oro Jr. beat Grako, Inquisidor, Nitro
(11:56 [5:32, 2:37, 3:47], 2/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Dark Magic, Misterioso, Sagrado beat Blue Panther Jr., Pegasso, Stigma
(14:17 [6:45, 3:04, 4:28], 1/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Templario beat Drone, Rey Cometa, Kawato San, Príncipe Diamante, Akuma, Black Panther, Hijo del Signo, Star Jr., Virus, Esfinge, Disturbio in a CMLL’s Reyes del Aire
(23:22, great, VideosOficialesCMLL)

09:22 Drone rope flip moonsault Akuma
10:50 Disturbio front backbreaker Principe Diamante
11:55 Black Panther springboard dropkick Hijo del Signo
12:34 Kawato knee neck breaker Drone
14:05 Virus octopus cradle Black Panther
14:46 Rey Cometa 450 splash Kawato San
15:18 Templario spinning powerbomb Rey Cometa
16:15 Esfinge nudo egipico Disturbio
18:03 Templario ramp cartwheel splash Esfinge
19:16 Star Jr. Valenca Virus
23:22 Templario moonsault powerslam Star Jr.

Místico beat Mephisto
(15:51, 1 DQ/2, good VideosOficialesCMLL

DQ Mephisto [pulled Mistico’s mask] (3:55)
Místico top rope headscissors (11:56)

What happened:

Rey del Aires is tecnicos versus rudos.

A new ring announcer debuted. Jesus is from Guadalajara and his last name may be something like Escara, but I’m not sure. He replaces Enrique Gil, who retired in December.

Místico made mask match gestures after the main event.

Thoughts:

Tuesdays are an alternate world of CMLL, where the fans are eager to cheer Místico against the forces of evil. There were more Mistico chants in this match than most years of Friday shows. Mephisto played his part by being cruel early on; the mask pull right when Mistico made a comeback worked with it. Mephisto also expanded what he did a little bit, though someone might want to notice the “surprise” Canadian Destroyer got no reaction. The unexpected two fall structure helped, though it was hard to ignore it was happening when the second fall was more ten minutes old. It didn’t overstay their welcome; getting out when they did instead of doing more just to do more was the right call. A perfectly satisfying main event.

The Rey del Aire was a lot better in the ring than on paper. Templario and Star Jr. got showcased big, and they were good picks for the role. They had a strong last four minutes, with the crowd really buying into the Dragon Rana/Torito near fall. The pace was strong there and all match, with the match never really letting up after it got going. The rudos who didn’t fit, like Akuma & Signo, threw themselves into topes and stayed out of the way until getting eliminated. Panther threw a lot of topes, though one less than the announcers thought. He’s learned from his father to do things that stand out even and to keep getting reactions even when he’s not in the plans (and going on fifth meant he was really not in the plans here.) This held together well with no problems or dead moments. There’s been better Reyes del Aire but it was better than it had seemed.

CMLL Martes: 2020-01-07

January 24, 2020January 23, 2020 thecubsfan

V3 almost throws himself over the barricade

Recapped: 01/09/2020

Matches:

Arkalis & Robin beat El Coyote & Grako
(9:22 [2:15, 3:36, 3:31], 1/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Audaz, Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. beat Kawato San, Tiger, Virus
(13:19 [6:30, 3:32, 3:17], 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Dulce Gardenia beat Okumura in a lightning match
(6:34, moonsault, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Atlantis Jr., Flyer, Titán beat Hijo del Villano III, Luciferno, Pólvora
(12:24 [3:57, 5:15, 3:12], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. beat Euforia, Máscara Año 2000, Último Guerrero
(9:16 [5:50, 3:26], 1/2, below average, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Cuatrero, Forastero, Mephisto beat Carístico, Místico, Soberano Jr.
(10:10 [2:55, 3:15, 4:00], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

What happened:

Forastero wears a camera strapped to his chest to start the match. The way the show the rest of the show went, I expected him to wrestle with it still on. Mephisto unmasked Místico and rolled him up for the win, setting up a singles match next week.

Mascara 2000 betrayed his partners, seemingly because he had to work on a Tuesday. Or maybe because the rudos kept accidentally hitting each other.

The stream started during the first fall of the opener. The second match was delayed because no referee was out there. Edgar ran out in his NJPW track pants to referee.

Thoughts:

None of these matches were really worth watching. The top two were specifically low effort, but the others weren’t much better. The second match guys were working hardest but it didn’t come together well.

Dulce Gardenia played up his gimmick a lot. It was hard to determine if that was to get ready for Japan or if it was just the best option working with Okumura. Dulce did a bit of moves in between, Okumura hardly was involved.

CMLL Sin Piedad: 2020-01-01

January 23, 2020January 23, 2020 thecubsfan

Recapped: 2020-01-06

Matches:

Black Panther, Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. beat Sagrado, Tiger, Universo 2000 Jr.
(10:44 [4:13, 2:50, 3:41], 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Felino, Hechicero, Mephisto beat Audaz, Rey Cometa, Star Jr.
(13:55 [6:50, 7:05], 1/2, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Bárbaro Cavernario, Hijo del Villano III, Negro Casas beat Atlantis Jr., Kráneo, Soberano Jr.
(13:47 [5:55, 3:36, 4:16], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Príncipe Diamante beat Espíritu Negro, mask vs mask
(11:25, 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Espiritu Negro Canadian Destroyer (1:23)
Principe Diamante Spanish Fly (2:15)
Principe Diamante arm scissors (7:4)1230-2017

Carístico & Místico © beat Cuatrero & Forastero for the CMLL World Tag Team Championship
(19:24 [6:08, 3:42, 9:34], 1/3, good, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Dulce Gardenia vs Kawato San for the hair
(11:34, 2/3, good, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Kawato armbar (2:00)
Dulce Gardenia posing armbar (1:55)
Dulce Gardenia reverse campana (7:39)

What happened:

I like how this looks, though the landing must not befun

Kawato San lost his hair, Espiritu Negro lost his mask, Mistico & Caristico kept the tag titles and this is all very old news by the time you’re reading this.

Thoughts:

There was a point where Kawato in a big-time match like this would’ve been a disaster. This was not a disaster, so that’s progress. I think Kawato was not supposed to catch Dulce’s early dive as well as he did, which is a remarkable change of habit. It was also missing much excitement from Kawato; the only near fall he has late is a referee distraction induced cradle. It is Dulce Gardenia spots from there for the last couple of minutes, Kawato existing only as something Dulce can easily overcome. Both wrestlers seemed hesitant at times during the match, more affecting how much the other had to stand to wait for moves rather than causing something to go wrong. It didn’t go wrong, the match was just missing some snap. The crowd and the occasion carried this to worth watching, though I can’t imagine wanting to watch it again.

The concept of going all in the semi-main was doing the same run of Destroyer seen on the indies two years ago. It wasn’t really strong then either. The tag title match did give all the usual beats with these two teams, just with one less man on each side. They were successful in getting the tecnicos an impressive win, doing a lot of the usual stuff well. Forastero broke out the ramp dropkick for this match. Cuatrero messed his springboard finish but was smart enough to keep going. This was solid and enjoyable even if not really creative.

The first fall Canadian Destroyer in the Principe Diamante/Espiritu Negro match was horrendous, shouldn’t have ended the fall, and may have dug a grave too deep for the rest of the match to dig out. The mask match got negative reviews live and seemed fine a week later on video. It wasn’t great, they couldn’t dig out of that hold because they did nothing particular to stand out. Principe Diamante & Espiritu Negro had a competent match without going the extra mile expected in title matches. Espiritu looked more tentative, perhaps more nervous than he had in the lead up to this match. Diamante, forever consigned to looking like eight different tecnicos on the roster, added a flash armbar as a special finish. It wasn’t special, especially since Espiritu was so close to the ropes but couldn’t try to get on them. They didn’t blow anything badly beyond that Destroyer, which puts this ahead of some matches in a spot. They also didn’t really seize the opportunity.

Negro Casas had fun interactions with Kraneo in the third. Cavernario was so over at the end. Soberano looks impossibly more rail-thin in his gold gear. Everything was fine and there’s not much to remember about this match.

Two long falls mean no third, as demonstrated in the second match. The match didn’t have a great rhythm with that setup, with the first fall being a more enjoyable than the first. Hechicero seemed to take most of the match for his team and seemed worn out by late in that second fall. Audaz brought back his flip escape spots, but the timing on the team spots wasn’t great. Tiger Infante had some weird counts in this one.

The opener had midcard names and a midcard match. It was better than the usual but wouldn’t have stood as the fourth match on a Tuesday. Guerrero Maya, Black Panther, and Drone are all underpushed teams, though they didn’t make a notable impression in this one. Tiger did well in keeping up with Drone.

CMLL Martes: 2019-12-17

December 31, 2019December 29, 2019 thecubsfan

Recapped: 12/19/2019

Matches:

Leono & Robin beat Cholo & Inquisidor
(15:28 [6:39, 3:51, 4:58], 1/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

La Guerrera, Lluvia, Marcela beat Amapola, La Infernal, La Seductora
(13:33 [5:10, 3:35, 4:48], 1/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Misterioso, Sagrado, Tiger beat Dulce Gardenia, Pegasso, Príncipe Diamante
(9:30 [1:19, 2:56, 5:15], 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Universo 2000 Jr. beat Guerrero Maya Jr. in the CMLL La Copa Junior final
(19:32 [3:00, 2:39, 13:53], 2/3, good, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Guerrero Maya Dos Caras Clutch (3:00)
Universo head crusher (2:39)
Universo martillo negro (19:32)

Okumura, Rey Bucanero, Terrible beat Flyer, Kráneo, Stuka Jr.
(13:24 [5:07, 5:16, 3:01], 2/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL

Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja beat Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Shocker
(14:21 [9:20, 5:01], 1/2 DQ, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

What happened:

Gran Guerrero unmasked Diamante Azul for the main event DQ.

Universo 2000 Jr. won Copa Junior.

Principe Diamante was stretchered out after taking Sagrado’s finish. He was fine later.

Thoughts:

Guerrero Maya/Universo 2000 Jr. was the best match of Universo 2000’s run in CMLL, but not a match you have to go out of your way to see. It sticks out positively because there was tournament final urgency not seen often on this show, not even often for title matches. Universo 2000 Jr. showed a willingness to go farther in big matches – he’ll give you a legdrop to the floor, a weird head over the knee move and a big tope – which might put him ahead of Forastero when it comes to singles matches. Guerrero Maya also showed enough to prove he still has in him to have a great match if given the chance; the years of doing nothing haven’t stopped him from looking clean on offense and selling big for his opponent.

It was still just lacking a lot. Universo 2000 Jr. is unimpressive with no particular presence. The story of the match was all over the place. Maya sold a possible shoulder injury early on that was dropped after the second fall. Perhaps that was real and they had to work around it, but there’s no real explanation why the consummate tecnico Maya was repeatedly trying to cheat to win the match in the third fall. It was not a call back to a previous match or previous fall, Maya hadn’t exhausted his normal options (most weren’t tried), there had been no build to a rudo to that point and Maya shouldn’t have been that desperate. It was a build to nothing, with Maya turning and walking into the martillo negro a moment later. It was so strange and out of character that it diminished the end of the match.

CMLL Navidad: 2019-12-25

December 25, 2019December 25, 2019 thecubsfan

Recapped: 12/25/2019

Matches:

Robin & Sonic beat El Coyote & Grako
(12:24 [4:56, 2:42, 4:46], 2/3, ok, 00:00:00)

Chamuel beat Microman, El Gallito, Perico Zakarías, Átomo, Guapito for the CMLL Micros championship
(18:44, ok, 00:18:50)

08:35 Zacarias Nieblina Atomo
12:25 Gallito cavernaria Guapito
14:12 Microman handstand corner splash Zacarias
15:37 Chamuel reverse powerslam Gallito
18:44 Chamuel reverse splash (w/ropes) Microman

Dulce Gardenia, Flyer, Rey Cometa beat Kawato San, Mephisto, Rey Bucanero
(9:26 [4:27, 4:59], 1/2, ok, 00:46:40)

Dalys double wristlock cradle (4:30)
Marcela straight jacket cavernaria (2:27)
Marcela tapatia (8:01)

Atlantis Jr., Kráneo, Soberano Jr. beat Hechicero, Templario, Terrible
(17:56 [6:22, 6:08, 5:26], 1/3, ok, 01:33:01)

Diamante Azul, El Bandido, Místico beat Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
(12:49 [5:08, 3:00, 4:41], 2/3, good, 02:00:08)

What happened:

Mr. Niebla was honored between the third and fourth matches.

The tercera rudos were disqualified for excessive violence on Dulce in the first, then Kawato fouled Dulce in the second.

The micros match was a cibernetico, with tecnicos against rudos. Chamuel used the ropes to beat Microman.

Thoughts:

Bandido’s third fall run of big spots with the Guerreros is what was missing from the debut. That and actually pinning Ultimo Guerrero, which he accomplished here. Not everything was perfect but it felt like he came off as a bigger deal by the end of the match. Mistico seemed to be motivated by the competition to give a bigger match effort. (and got the careta tijeras spot that would normally go to Bandido in this spot.) There’s a bit of curve on this one, it felt like a very strong version of the usual Tuesday main match.

The semi-main cooled down a bit in the third fall, after what had been an entertaining (if lengthy) random trios match. Hechicero & Templario work together for ideas, though their ideas didn’t quite work well in the end. Atlantis Jr. hasn’t looked out of place in his matches, which is something that’s become surprisingly normal in the second half of the year. (CMLL may take him for granted; he’s been here all year and they don’t have an entrance video – Bandido had one by his second match!) This crowd loved Soberano in a way they usually don’t for tecnicos, though that might have been mostly the women.

Dalys/Marcela was a technically sound match that didn’t really feel alive. It barely produced emotion for me, except for some surprise when Marcela actually won and won clean. The crowd seemed more into it, though cutting to a crowd not reacting at all on the finish didn’t look good. There was no particular story here, but they did their usual offense and more of it as well as could be expected. Dalys’ selling being limited to grimacing doesn’t help the effectiveness of the moves, but they were pulled off better than in most CMLL women’s trios matches. There could’ve been a better build to a finish, with nothing really gone back to do except for Marcela’s double stomp.

Dulce/Kawato has concentrated on building up the heat and hasn’t really done much with the action. The hair match will surely be over and it’s unclear if it’ll actually be good. The chop exchange was good. Kawato seemed confident in his promo. The rest didn’t really have much to offer in this match.

this spot went better than with Melalica

Microman and Chamuel are much better than any other combination, which made the championship cibernetico mostly sixteen minutes of waiting until the good stuff. There were some fine moments before and a dive train where no one really wanted to be catching dives. The micros stuff isn’t going to look as technically sound as the others but perhaps CMLL should’ve cut to a different angle than the one that was showing Zacarias’ shoulder up from two inches away. Could’ve helped. Microman & Chamuel did some good work in the stint together and the inevitable title match should be a lot of fun. This could’ve been better.

All the guys in the opener are asked to do is to warm up the crowd. They warmed up the crowd fine. Those four work sufficiently well together, though the rudos really need to emote more when the match is going against them. They’re visibly into it when the winning but looking more frustrated or foolish would help the tecnicos get over for being crafty, and that’s the best chance Robin & Sonic have at getting over. Sonic’s tricky armdrags are the best part about him.