2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

11. Charles Lucero v. Silver Star ACM 3/2

PAS: This was very similar structurally to last years awesome Hechicero v. Lucero match which might have been my 2013 MOTY. We have a couple of falls of tricked out maestro matwork and then a big near fall section with a crazy uncalled for bump. It is a pretty awesome match structure, which is always going to lead to a great match, and if the other guy is game, a classic. Silver Star doesn't bring as much to the table as Hechicero in this, he is right there with the matwork, but doesn't add a ton of flourishes, and delivers a big bump, but not the psychotic bump of the other match. I think this was hurt a bit in my mind by being so similar to something better, as Lucero looked really great again. He is so good as switching speeds on the mat, he goes from deliberately working over an arm or leg, to these very fast twisting roll ups, it's like a Fugazi song.

ER: So Lucero may be one of my absolute favorite old guys who I'd never heard of until last year. He works like a younger Blue Panther, all beautiful mat exchanges and cool sequences. There's something quietly graceful about old man luchadors. Lucero has a gorgeous sequence in the primera where he armdrag rolled over Star, picked a leg and did a suave Dandy Roll. I'm sure at some point in his life it was lightning fast, but the muscle memory is so tight that everything may be slower but still looks almost stately elegant. Like if Jim Jarmusch filmed it in black and white it would look incredible. Silver Star is a young buck by lucha standards (I was told 40) and a big fat guy. He was a good power base and even hit a fast fat guy tope at one point and takes a lunatic bump missing a senton off the apron to the floor. Holy lord. Finish was a great throwback spot and Lucero just kept upping the old man awesome as this went on. Lucero is my new Toro Bill Sr.


2014 MASTER LIST