IWRG 11/26/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k2p-qBVYCw

Miss Gaviota/Eragon v Vampiro Metalico/Carta Brava Jr.

TKG:Yeah this is TVC Deportes and not Teleformula. That said, this was pretty disappointing. I liked some of the rudo double team controlling the ring stuff, but all four of these guys have looked better before. Primera caida matwork was a step off, and there were moments where it started to come together and then something would get fucked up and it would fall apart again. The cameraman also was doing lots more crowd shots in the middle of action than I remember them doing before. Not sure if that was to hide blown stuff or just poor editing.

PAS: I liked parts of this, but it was a hot mess. The heels were fun in the first fall, the double dropkick with the technico tied into the ropes was awesome and should be stolen by an indy dude. It totally falls apart though as multiple things were blown and guys were constantly getting hurt.

Gringo Loco/Dr. Cerebro/Oficial Fierro v. Pendulo/Exodia/Ultraman Jr.

TKG: Now this is rewarding fun TVC deportes type match. The Officiales have one set of trios titles, while the Cerebros have the other set and so you have a heel team that isn’t all quite on the same page. Dr Cererbro is working more of a technical heel that doesn’t want to bother with the cheap shot rudismo of the other two, while the other two rudos question Cerebro’s lack of involvement in double teams. That type of stuff can turn into overbooking and distract from a match but it never does here. Technico team isn’t much. Pendulo I’ve liked in the past. Never thought much of Ultraman Jr and I don’t think I’ve seen Exodia in a match where he hasn’t hurt himself and needed to be checked out by ringside doctor. Thankfully, most of this match is built around long stretches of Pendulo with just occasional appearances by the other two technicos. Pendulo has a nice long mat section opposite Fierro in first fall and good stand up section opposite Cerebro in the second. I was surprised by how well Ultraman Jr worked with Dr Cerebro as the two have a good looking takedown, throw section in first and also work a nice standing section later. The technicos have a title match against Terry and the Cerebros the following week. I don't know if it made TV, and honestly this isn't much a technico team. Still this match was good enough that I'd be stoked to see the title match.

PAS: I though this was pretty great, really a Pendulo and Fiero show. Their mat section at the beginning was pretty slick. Pendulo flies around pretty great here hitting a nutty dive in the second fall where he is just thrown by Exodia over the top on to the rudo, then he ends the third fall dive train with a nice looking Orihara moonsault. Fiero is a total beast, he is making a case for the top Oficiales spot in 2009, he does it all as rudo in this match, good opening mat section, great job as a base for the flyers, some chippy little brawling, and he tops it off with some lunatic bumping.

Bushi v. Avisman

PAS: I wasn't expecting much from this match, Avisman has been completely hit and miss in the past and I haven't been impressed with Bushi at all. So I was pretty shocked at how great this was, I would put it up there with the Cerebros v. Navarros trios and Trauma II v. Zatura as the best IWRG match of the year. Avisman had always been a guy who was slick on the mat, but kind of useless standing, but here he pretty much put it all together. He did a masterful job playing the dominant champion defending against the outmatched upstart. One of the more Ric Flairish performances I have seen out of a luchador. The mat attack in the first fall was great, as he really used cool submissions not just to show off his technique, but to really rip and tear at Bushi, really violent looking stuff which was awesome. Bushi did a nice job countering while still looking out matched. Second and third falls built really well, I loved Bushi ducking a clothesline and wiping out 911 who had been interfering. The finish was pretty great with Bushi grabbing a flash submission after Avisman missed the top rope headbutt. Very cool out of nowhere move and it really felt like a big upset which was how the match was being worked.

TKG: This was really good. Avisman is a guy who I’ve seen both work too even with guys who he shouldn’t be trading with evenly and I’ve also seen give opponents so little that matches felt like squashes. Here he really hits the right note. He totally comes across as dominant champion v underdog. He absolutely dominates the first mat fall. Bushi gets in his own escapes and submissions, but he is just completely outmatched on the mat. And Avisman just comes off completely dominant in first fall. Second fall begins with Bushi moving away from surfboards/bow and arrow type holds and just going after leg locks. And again he is outmatched. Bushi realizes that he needs to go to his bread and butter, the only way he can beat Avisman is with speed and aerial offense. Third fall is Avisman going to the big throws (same way he beat Trauma II) and you being aware that this is questionable strategy since Bushi can always get an opening off the Irish whip. Title matches have a basic formula and basic sections. Here they felt less like guys working through sections and more like guys constantly regrouping and adjusting strategies. Impressive performance by Avisman in role of poor man’s Dr Cerebro. I thought Bushi for his part did a really nice job selling fatigue over the course of the match, which also helped make all the “sections” feel connected as one affected the next. That kind of selling over the course of match isn’t something he’ll be asked to do when he returns to Japan, but still nice. Ref bumps and seconds interference in IWRG can feel really tacked on and disrupt the flow of a match, but here the outside shenanigans felt pretty organic.

Oficial 911/Hijo del Pirata Morgan/Mascara Año 2000 Jr. v El Pantera/Angelico/Super Porky

PAS: Current main event IWRG is pretty much defined by how much Angelico ruins the match. This one had minimal Angelico horseshit and had amusing Super Porky so I dug it. Pirata and 911 were in a goofy bumping contest, as they seemed to have a bet to see who could take a more elaborate spinning bump on a Porky belly bump or shitty Angelico kick. It got a little Mr. Perfecty for my taste, but it was amusing nonetheless. This was Panteras anniversary match so he was the focus, and he was about 80% on, the 20% that was off was a bit rough. Fine trios lucha libre though.

TKG:I liked this a lot less that Phil. This had a ton of Angelico and match felt really unfocused. They do another trio with feuding heels on a team deal as the Oficiales and Piratas are rival trios. You have a match which in theory should be highlighting Pantera. Do a bit where the heels get heat on him and a bit where he runs through his signature stuff. And it felt like each of these things, feuding heels, Pantera anniversary, Angelico wrestling his own match (that had nothing to do with flow of anything else) were each taking place in separate vacuums. Never felt like one coherent match. Disappointing.