MLJ: Misterioso/Volador 8: Misterioso vs Volador I [IWC MIDDLE]

1994-03-24 @ Cancún, Quintana Roo
Misterioso vs Volador I [IWC MIDDLE]

This was really my sort of title match. Don't get me wrong. I like the gamesmanship and mat mastery and slow and steady escalation of maestros as much as the next guy, probably more so, but this had a lot of character, and underlying grudge, and was built to big moments. There was a real sense of spectacle to it, even though it was apparently on the middle of the card and really was just the start of a feud, not the climax of it.

First of all, this was the IWC Middleweight title. Misterioso was the first title holder, beating Huichol. Rey and Misterioso would feud over it later. They actually have minis as seconds, with Octagoncito in Misterioso's corner. That was pretty surreal to see and sort of took away from the seriousness of the match to me, even though it would play into the finish in a clever way.

Misterioso came in not wanting to engage. He was selling the rudo turn pretty strongly and went out of his way to make Volador look good early on, getting plenty of heat in the process. Any time that Volador went for a hold, he'd make for the ropes instead of countering. That doesn't sound much but it really runs opposite to what you'd see in most title matches and the crowd responded in kind. Moreover, after the rope break, he'd go overboard in the selling, much as he did in the preceeding trios. It likely started out as a mind game or as a way to mess with the fans, but as Volador continued to keep the advantage, you got the sense watching that it became more and more genuine. When Misterioso did finally lock in a hold (including a really nice rolling leglock), he tantrumed a bit to Volador getting out, pushing him, which led to the final escalation of the fall. Ultimately, Misterioso missed his back tope off the inside second rope and Volador locked in a rolling tapitia for the submission.

The segunda continued the story with a nice transition and some solid selling and rudo work by Misterioso. First of all, here's the leg sell post-tapitia, and Volador going right back to it:

It's nothing earth-shattering, but he was committed to it. Eventually, though, they did a nice little spot where Misterioso was able to get his legs up, rear-facing, during a corner whip, and just roll backwards, mainly to put some distance between himself and Volador. He capitalized with a clothesline and followed up, still selling the leg somewhat, with two hotshot-style drapes over the corner turnbuckle and double leg front (alabama) slams. He was taking his time here, still limping, and playing to the crowd. Finally, he'd go to the top, hit a splash, and lift up Volador TWICE, before putting his foot on him for the pin. That's how you commit to a heel turn.

The beatdown continued into the tercera, leading to a big comeback moment, the finishing stretch (dives included), and a pretty perfect finish for the role this match was playing in the budding feud. Misterioso kept up the cocky act, doing the Hogan ear-cup after corner whips and clotheslines. He went for it one too many times, though, and Volador hit a big quebradora off a whip reversal and then followed it up with one of the biggest clotheslines I've ever seen in lucha:

They started to go back and forth a bit, but with Volador holding the advantage, leading a suplex to the floor, a vault into the ring, and then a really nice tope. Good exchange all around:

Both of them sold on the way in, allowing Misterioso to come back into the ring with a headbutt and a plancha off the top rope (which was still a bit of a technico move, really). He followed it up with a dive of his own and they headed on to the finishing stretch. Both missed top rope moves. There was a sense that Volador held a slight advantage, and Misterioso seemed to sense it as well, resorting to the best possible rudo tactic in this scenario: he went out of his way to attack Volador's mini second. Then, when the ref was distracted, tending to him, he hit a blatant foul and took the pin. Post match they brawled and started the mask challenges that would take a year to payoff.

This was worked exactly as it should be in the early stage of the feud. It was shine/heat/comeback, allowing Volador to really start to get back after the weeks of Misterioso's bad behavior. Even though he put on the superior performance from a kayfabe level, Misterioso had no intention of playing fair and cheated to win. Good action, great selling from Misterioso in the early-middle stretch, just the right amount of fire from Volador, and the perfect finish for the match. I liked this a lot and I liked it even more for having seen the matches building up to.