IWRG 1/7/10

Black Terry Jr. putting up all of this HH IWRG is truly the best news of the new millennium. Let's hope this keeps up and we get some real gems.

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

Imperail/Eragon v. Commando Negro/Flama Infernal

PAS: I am really enjoying all of these undercard IWRG matches, solid basic lucha libre given some time is always going to make me smile. Imperial is one of undercarders that has been standing out. He does some nice basic mat work with Commando Negro, and has a fun little poor mans Helios offense. He doesn't hit everything he tries, but he is about 80% which ain't bad. I can imagine how good the CMLL undercard matches would be if they were worked on the same style.

TKG: They brought back Flama infernal??? I can’t believe they brought back Flama Infernal. He looked like a complete backyarder last week doing his exchanges with training partner Volaris. Is Flama Infernal a guy who drives with someone else? Why would you bring him back? Eragon has gotten really really good at first caida mat work and masterfully carries Flama Infernal through the exchanges. Watched their exchanges twice now and it really is an impressive carry job. I hope Eragon develops some more skills at 2nd and 3rd fall work so he can move up the card. Between Commando Negro controlling traffic and Imperial’s natural underdog sympathy babyface charisma, they’re able to hide a lot of Infernal’s weaknesses in the 2nd and 3rd fall as well. But Imperial and Eragon deserve better. Where is Radamantis? Where is Judas El Traidor?

Cerebro Negro/Dr. Cerebro/Black Terry v. Pantera/Suicida/Zatura

PAS: Cerebro looked pretty great really nice looking overhand slaps, and an reckless tope. This was just super solid lucha libre, a little shorter then a normally IWRG trios, so we only got one longish mat exchange (Terry v. Sucida and it was pretty sweet) and it was mostly slick armdrags by agile technicos and bumping and stooging by great rudos. Amusing finish with Cerebro grabbing Pantera's leg and causing him to low blow the ref. Nothing which will stand out by the end of year, but if we keep getting twice weekly stuff like this 2010 will be ok.

TKG: Without the hair dye and gel, Cerebro Negro looks like a really scummy Bruno Campos gone to seed. This was laid out really similarly to the fourth match on Sunday’s card: instead of establishing everyone's character by having everyone pair up for a mat section in the first fall you just have one pairing work a mat section and then move directly into first fall brawling. Here you had Black Terry and Suicida pair up for some mat work which led to Dr Cerebro and Pantera doing some first fall toe to toe brawling and Zatura and Cerebro Negro pairing for first fall fast exchanges. It’s a format that I imagine will play well to the Jr Piratas or Oficiales strengths (keeping a match moving). It doesn’t really play to Terribles Cerebros (character work) but it made for a fun match that kept moving at a nice clip.

Angelico/Solar/Ultraman Jr. v. Negro Navarro/Trauma I/Trauma II

PAS: Angelico looked like the worst wrestler in the world the first time I saw him, but apparently Negro Navarro can teach a guy something. The first fall had a long Angelico v. I llave exchange and it was shockingly watchable. Angelico was doing a lot of Alex Shellyish World of Sport looking stuff, it wasn't anything approaching WOS level, but it was Alex Shelly level which is a lot higher then Angelico level. He has a terrible looking exchange in the second fall, but hits a sweet dive in the third. Shocked that we have a match where Angelico was a net positive. Solar v. Navarro was Solar v. Navarro, we got a really slick fast exchange in the first fall which is a little rarer.

TKG: WTF? Either Trauma I just improved by leaps and bounds or he’s a guy who has perfected an act with Angelico as training partner. I mean it isn’t just that Angelico looked better than he ever has before but really Trauma I looked smoother than he has before. These two pretty much staid paired off for the whole match and they had their stuff down. In AAA you’d never separate the two, in EMLL you’d also keep them a permanent pairing like Super Commando and Sombra De Plata but they’d never move out of the opening match slot. In IWRG this is the first I think I’ve seen of this pairing. The Ultraman Jr v Trauma II stuff was kind of disappointing compared to their interactions on Sundays show, but I imagine they’d probably be a little more tentative after the injury. And well then there is Solar and Navarro who do a superfast arm drag exchange segment in the first fall, in seocnd they offer neat new pairings by matching Solar with II and Navarro with Ultraman and then pair again in third for super hot finish. I hope Solar sticks around for awhile.

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IWRG 1/3/10

More IWRG HH courtesy of

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

1. Comando Negro v Dinamic Black

TKG: So it’s a face working “charismatic peppy black” gimmick vs. a heel working “militant negro” gimmick. I have seen this booking a million times. Never before have I seen it worked with two wrestlers with no African ancestry. Comando Negro does a convoluted elaborate set up for a roll up that starts with a knuckle lock leading to him climbing his opponents back; it really felt like a spot Johnny Saint should steal. I always like Comando’s big dropkick and his flying yoke but he didn’t really do anything as cool as Elijah Akeem’s big elbow drop. Dinamic Black didn’t have Sweet Brown Sugar’s ups either.

PAS: The opening mat work in this match really felt like two guys workshopping a match at half speed. They had some cool ideas and I would like to see them work it for real. Dinamic Black really does nothing in the match except a crazy tope. He smacks Comando Negro three rows back and bends the fuck out of a plastic chair seat. Not something I was expecting from this match.

2. Alan Extreme/Hijo Del Signo v Gemelos Fantasticos

TKG: First fall of this had Hijo del Signo paired off with the Gemelo Fantastico who facially looks more like a young Fred Willard. They don’t do anything overly elaborate but I enjoyed their really basic headlock/leglock and hiptoss/armdrag exchanges. Alan Extreme and the Gemelo Fantastico who facially looks like a young Eddie Mekka do some awkward looking exchanges but they pretty quickly move into rudos double teaming on Fred Willard. Second fall starts with lots of Alan Extreme clapping his hands while doing drop kicks and leg lariats, and the fall doesn’t pick up till the Gemelos go on offense and Eddie Mekka attacks Signo on the floor. Somewhere in the end run of the second fall Signo gets his nose busted which results in a super abbreviated third fall.

PAS: The Gemelos have consistently been some of the crappiest guys in IWRG, but here they looked almost watchable. Their poor mans Young Bucks combos aren't my thing, but they seemed well executed enough. And the slimmer of the two had a perfectly fine low end mat section with El Hijo Del Signo. Honestly all I ask for IWRG undercarders is a basic level of competence and they seemed to have that.

4. Traumas/Barba Roja v Exodia/Hijo del Pantera/Ultraman Jr.

PAS: We have talked a bunch about how great Trauma II has become, he was my wrestler of the year for IWRG and is one of the top under 30 wrestlers in the world. Trauma I has lagged behind, but damn has he gotten good too. He is the bigger and thicker of the brothers and is a pretty great bruiser, he looks like his blows leave dents, and has some of the best headbutts in the world. Also his spinning reverse figure four leglock is the coolest finisher in the world. II ruled here as usual, as he looked just awesome in his mat section with Ultraman Jr., Barba Roja looked fine too although he botched a senton and may have crippled Exodia. That kind of blew the flow of the match, which was going fine before hand. This wasn't a blow away match, but anytime you can see the Traumas, you want to see the Traumas

TKG: This is a match that should have been a complete trainwreck but weirdly wasn’t. Ultraman Jr lands a leg drop on Trauma II’s face in the first fall that leads to the doctor removing Truama II in third fall. In the third Barba Roja lands a senton right on top of Exodia’s head and shoulder that necessitates a doctor removal. This should have been a complete mess and instead it was just a small mess. Once in a while I get the impression that Ultraman Jr is a lot better than I give him credit for being. Maybe it’s a result of him being teamed with such green guys but he really felt like guy who was keeping large chunks of this together. I dug the opening exhange between Trauma II and Ultraman Jr. I even liked the set up to Ultraman Jr facecracker leading to Truam II backcracker receipt. Trauma II's elaborate carny matwork never felt out of place opposite Ultraman Jr's real 70s Florida matwork. I think you need to give both guys credit for how natural they made this feel. I was also surprised at how much I dug Ultraman's little section opposite bruising Trauma I in the third fall. I may end up giving him more credit than he deserves. Other guy worth mentioning is Hijo Del Pantera who hits a really nice dive in the first fall and is super expressive as sympathy babyface selling a beating for the rest of the match. Hijo Del Pantera is a guy who makes you want to root for him which is important for a guy working face.

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