MLJ: Rush vs Negro Casas 11: La Máscara, La Sombra, Rush vs Negro Casas, Shocker, Volador Jr. (relevos increíbles)

Aired 2014-06-07
taped 2014-05-30 @ Arena México
La Máscara, La Sombra, Rush vs Negro Casas, Shocker, Volador Jr. in a relevos increíbles match

I think this was really the point where diminishing returns started to set in. Let me put it this way: I had to go back and look to make sure I hadn't already written this up somewhere. This was another one of those revelos increíbles matches that wasn't really all that incredible at all, or at least not incredulous. It was the full Ingobernales line-up against Casas and Shocker and a random tecnico, here being the most boring one possible in many ways, Volador. You sort of knew how this would go. Volador would work Sombra. Mascara would work Shocker. Rush would work Casas. Even tossing someone in like Rey Escorpion, as in the last match twisted it up. Volador could have been anyone, really, or to put it more aptly, anyone would have been more interesting than him. I wrote up an earlier relevos increíbles with Volador from a month or so before earlier in this project and that was more interesting because the de facto rudo status of Sombra hadn't quite calcified quite as much. Here, though? It was all a bit more of the same.

Structurally, they switched it up a bit. Yes, there was an ambush beat down but that was half because Shocker rushed the ring before his partners came out and half because Volador didn't quite know to expect it and got in Casas' way. It was a fine beatdown too, mainly on Casas with Shocker and Volador getting knocked out of the ring when they tried to come in. For the most part, I do think there's a false preconceived notion with lucha trios that the tecnicos just stand there watching their partner get beat up while all three rudos are in the ring. Sometimes it happens but it's pretty rare. Instead, it's sort of like every three-way ever where the other people have to have good reasons for not being in the ring and because they do it almost every night, they have it down to a science. The fall ended well with Rush doing a leglock from the apron in over the rope on Casas. He wouldn't break it and the ref raised Casas' hand while in the hold, which was a nice visual. What this meant was that they could continue the beatdown through the first fall (a DQ for Casas and company) and build to the comeback without really going to a reset at all.

Therefore, the segunda kept it going. Rush went back to the leglock, just in the ring. Sombra was hugely dickish in posing before he hit a missile dropkick on a held Volador. Rush hit the corner dropkick on Shocker, and they could have done a pin here. I like that they didn't because it made things a little less formulaic. I think what they were trying to get across was that the Ingobernales just didn't care. It worked, though. Even in a match that felt a little stale like this, the general churn of lucha psychology won out. I wanted the comeback. I always want the comeback. Here it started with Volador moving out of the way of another missile dropkick (this time Rush's which nailed Sombra instead), and hitting a superkick. NC vs Rush followed with a great headbutt that knocked Rush off the apron to the floor followed by Casas' big apron run seated senton. He leaped over Sombra's hands too which is always an awesome visual. Mascara got a dive in on Shocker to clear the ring for Sombra and Volador to finish things. They have good exchanges but they should considering how much they've worked. This ended with Mascara inexplicably (and lazily, really) distracting the ref, Volador pulling off Sombra's mask, and then pinning him when he covered up. I swear that Sombra undid his mask somewhat early when posing and preening and I wasn't quite sure why. I guess that was the answer. Not the most logical thing in the world.

So, through the sheer power of lucha, the match ended up enjoyable. They were starting to change up the act a bit, doing their own ring introductions, for instance. The all black matching entry gear is coming soon too. That said, this did feel like more of the same and past that opening moment of confusion where Volador got in Casas' way, the relevos increíbles aspect of the match was pretty weak. I love the character element of guys who shouldn't be teaming having to live with each other as partners and the give and take of affiliation shifts, but here that was almost nonexistent.