MLJ: Rush vs Negro Casas 19: Máximo, Rush, Super Porky vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas

Aired 2014-08-03
taped 2014-07-21 @ Arena Puebla
Máximo, Rush, Super Porky vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas

Closing in on the hair match now. There's just this, one more trios match to increase the tension, and the match itself. This was pretty disposable but ultimately entertaining, with a non-descript primera and segunda, and a pretty good tercera, though ultimately hampered by Rush using the dropkick out of the corner comeback again, which I suppose he thought he could get away with because he was at Puebla.

Porky was the most immobile I've ever seen him (it's been a few months), but he still got an amazing reaction. The crowd wasn't behind La Peste Negra at all in this, much to Niebla's chagrin. They were just chanting away for Porky and the biggest pop of the match, one full of laughs, was when he splashed (see: fell upon) Niebla on the ramp after the segunda's comeback. Number two would probably be a comedy spot with Maximo where both of them did vertical butt drops on Felino/Niebla.

Maximo was pretty great in this though. I think he's great in most things, but he stood out here certainly. The idea was that he was deathly afraid of Niebla (for good reason as Niebla really beat him around the ring, including taking his glove off and whacking him in the face with it once), but not so for Felino. My favorite spot in the match came in the tercera: after a heated Rush vs NC (more on this in a moment) exchange ended with Felino running in to cut off Rush, he chopped him back to the tecnico corner. At that point Rush egged him on to chop him again, only to duck so he hit Maximo on the apron instead. Maximo came in pissed, and then started to do about two minutes of over the top sthick with Felino begging off only for Niebla to come in which made Felino run the other way. It was all funny stuff, and at the end, Maximo would find his courage, get Niebla out of the ring, and hit a dive on Felino to clear the ring for Rush and Casas.

Which, of course, brings us back to Rush and Casas. Unsurprisingly, they beat the hell out of each other here. Past the transition dropkick out of the corner to start the comeback by Rush, it still felt pretty fresh. They used the Puebla barricade as a weapon (or a target for someone's head at least). There were multiple beatdowns in the corner, though every time Rush got a clear advantage, the rudos would swarm him, which was sort of refreshing. I think they were very much ready and primed for the hair match by this point and it showed. The match ended with Porky and Maximo getting control of Felino and Niebla, but after a brushed off Casita, Rush getting frustrated and fouling Casas for the DQ. Post match, Porky seemed to be challenging Felino and they all brawled some more. I wanted to see more disappointment out of Porky and Maximo for Rush costing them the match. Ah well.

Fun, disposable Puebla match, where the comedy felt well balanced with the heated Rush vs Negro Casas exchanges. I still think Maximo is highly underrated but that might just be a side effect of me not seeing enough exoticos.