IWRG 1/24/10

First match and HH version of the second match (with post match locker room stitching of wounds) are on

http://www.youtube.com/user/tvluchadelpasado

TV version of second match and third match are on

http://www.dailymotion.com/thecubsfan

El Hijo del Signo/Alan Extreme/Heavy Boy v. Zatura/Eragon/El Hijo Del Pantera

PAS: This match starts out with a really nice Alan Extreme vs. Eragon mat section which was kind of weird, why would you start with that and why would it be good? Match falls apart for a bit as the rest of the first fall, the second fall, and the first part of the third fall are all a mess. They bring it back together a bit for then end of the match as both Zatura and El Hijo Del Pantera have great rope running sections and dives. Still mostly pretty bad.

TKG: I don’t know what Phil’s problem was with this match. They do the two guys pair up to work the mat untill rudos say “screw this” and start the beatdown first fall,/rudo beatdown until face comeback second fall. I liked all of this. This format that they’re using kind of needs meaner rudo triple teams and better underdog sympathy faces…but it didn’t really go long enough for that to be real complaint. I thought the Heavyboy corner bump into face comeback was a good opening for face comeback, and I dug the actual work in the facecomeback. Faces win the second fall with dual topes taking out two rudos and Eragon awkwardly doing a top rope super drop thing. Once the faces are back in control they regroup for third fall, Eragon and Zatura do a “one technico wins exchanges with all three rudos in succession” thing, which I don’t really think of as a third fall series but worked for me here. The rudos try to regroup only to have Hijo Del Pantera take out Alan Extreme.

Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro v. Gringo Loco/El Hijo Del Diablo

PAS: This was a Super Libre match and an old fashioned bloody brawl. It reminded me of the kind of brawls we saw on the Memphis set. This is as basic as it gets, four guys beating the shit out of each other and painting the canvas red. Really cool start with Terry and Cerebro trying to rush the USA team in the aisle, but end up getting faked out and jumped from behind. The Gringos get the advantage and Cerebro and Terry are bloody, and they go back and forth, punching each other and slamming each other into things. Gringo Loco brings out his bag of cactus, that felt like a comedy spot other times we have seen it, here it had a real Abby feel as he drove a Cactus into Black Terry's bloody head.

TKG: This was a blast. Brawling asskicking Black Terry is awesome as he is always super tough and vulnerable at the same time. I saw Hijo Del Diablo working as a main event babyface teamed with Santito on one of the Juster shows. You watch this match and that just feels completely unbelievable. That scumbucket worked as a main event face? I’d recommend watching the handheld version. The HH misses some of the nasty hammerfists where Dr Cerebro and Hijo Del Diablo appear to be trying to break each other’s cheeks. And I think the wider TV shot of Diablo and Terry trying to bathe the audience in their blood is probably cooler, and there are a couple of other things you miss with the hand held. But you miss a ton with the TV. One of the things that lucha fans always have to explain to people is how much heat lucha matches can have and how poorly the television gets that across. I mean the TV never captures the heat of stuff in Arena Mexico as well as the handhelds capture the heat for this in Naucalpan.

Brazo de Plata/Brazo de Plata Jr. v Fuerza Guerrera/Juventud Guerrera v. Hijo de Pirata Morgan/Pirata Morgan v. Máscara Año 2000/Máscara Año 2000 Jr.

PAS: This is the second part of the tourney to crown new tag champions (first part is unavailable so far), it is set up the same as the father/son match on 12/20/09 with all four sons starting the match and the fathers coming in when they are eliminated. Only having four teams match the match less clusterfucky then the Dec. match. Juvi was the standout of the sons portion, he was jazzed up and working hard, although everything wasn't hit cleanly. Fuerza also had some pep in his step as he was fouling folks, spitting on them and being a total bastard. The match builds to a Pirata v. MA2K showdown which I was totally amped about. The actually face off is a little disappointing, we got some crusty old man brawling, but it was mostly based around MA2K Jr. interference with the Dinamita team finally getting DQ.

TKG: The December father son tourney had similar problems with it's finish. I mean this at least makes sense in setting up future challengers. It does feel like this is a tourney format that they are slowly polishing as this was far less of a cluster. This actually hada build and some direction. Again there is a sense that this could use some face/heel parity as this was pretty much all rudos and the Brazos.