Pro Wrestling Revolution Workrate Report 2/7/15

Another match from their 6/8/14 show in Watsonville, and after this one there's only Blue Demon vs. Pirata Morgan that hasn't been shown on that card. Boy they've really made that card last damn near two months now.

1. Mask vs. Hair: El Mariachi vs. Derek Sanders

Boy this was disappointing. A hate stip matches that never actually do anything to feel like stip matches. This just felt like a regular match these two would have had, that happened to end in Sanders getting his head shaved. Mariachi was especially bad as he didn't change up his routine in the least, worked this match the same way I've seen him work every other match. There was never any desperation from either man, no struggle, just a regular match that happened to have one participant's mask at stake. Mariachi genuinely worked the match as if he had no idea anything at all was at stake. The big hero of the match was made out to be referee Tom Castor, who ran out halfway through and triumphantly threw rudo ref Sparky Ballard over the top to the floor, even though up until that point Ballard had called the match pretty normally. There was one moment where he kind of argued with Mariachi which led to Sanders ambushing him. Other than that, nothing. It was a real weird moment that had Sanders pull Ballard in the way of a Mariachi missile dropkick, bumping Ballard. Then Sanders hit a move and went for the pin and got the visual 3 count, but Ballard was still selling the dropkick. Then Castor ran out and tossed Ballard. So we get the rudo getting the visual 3 (and then some), and then the hero ref runs in so I guess things will be more fair for Sanders? Real clunky stuff. Sanders looked good throughout this, really liked some of his punches (even shook out his fist after an especially nice one) but by the end this turned to your move/my move, with no drama. Mariachi did not look great throughout, though I liked his tornado DDT that ended the match, so finishing on a nice looking move counts for something. Still, very disappointing when what should be a major stipulation ends up getting worked like other matches I've seen between the two. Man Mariachi is not good. He's real sloppy when he tries to do "lucha" spots (real ugly springboard armdrag…thing…in this), and he does goofy stuff like a horrible people's elbow variation that sees him slam Sanders, then do a way too long zapateado before leaping into an elbow drop. Not only would it look silly in a normal match, it looked completely idiotic for a tecnico to be doing it in a match with his mask at stake. Horrible stuff, disappointing and clueless match.

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MLJ: Maximo Monday: Terrible © vs Máximo for the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship

Aired: 2015-02-07
taped: 2015-01-30 @ Arena México
Terrible © vs Máximo for the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship

This was interesting for a lot of reasons that don't necessarily have to do with the match itself. It's part of what seems to be a larger Terrible/Bucanero vs Maximo/Volador feud that might lead to a double hair match to help leverage Rey's recent taking of Felino's hair into something vaguely marketable. The idea of a title match as just a cog in a greater machine and not the end all is still a little jarring to me, but that's just the way it is, especially, I gather, with the Heavyweight title. Terrible has held the thing since January 1, 2012 (it was vacated when Garza left the promotion before that). It looked at points like Rush or Marco might win it, with Maximo not exactly a front runner. Exoticos don't often win singles titles in CMLL from what I can gather. So, because in some ways this was meant to be as much angle as match, or at least as much an angle-furthering element, and because Maximo, whose very existence stretches realities in some ways (his finish is, more often than not, a knock out kiss), there was definitely more BS in this match than you'd expect out of a CMLL title match. That said, I think it worked for what it was supposed to be. It's just that what it was supposed to be rubbed some people the wrong way and I think that's a completely understandable mentality. It didn't bother me too much because I was able to put it in context and I don't think that this was a precedent, though, of course, since Maximo won the belt, it almost has to be in some ways.

Structurally, it was definitely a CMLL title match in 2015. Feeling out to begin, followed by an escalation and a lightning pin by Maximo to end the primera. The segunda was extremely brief with Terrible catching Maximo out of nowhere and putting him down. It was also a momentum change so that Terrible could control the first part of the tercera. Eventually Maximo fought back and hit a dive and they both started selling. There's the finishing stretch with a few call backs to the primera and some big moves and fake finishes and then the BS card got played heavily for the finish.

In general, Terrible is one of my favorite Maximo opponents. I really like when they're paired off in trios. You're not always going to get the best action but Maximo plays off of Terrible's presence so well. In years past, that was through spine-chilling fear. In the weird world of modern CMLL where there really aren't a ton of tecnicos cheered for being tecnicos, Maximo, exotico as he is, stands out. I thought, given the storyline, they did a good job showing meaningful reactions from the seconds (naturally Rey and Volador) throughout the match too.

The tercera worked mostly well until the finish. Maximo came back with a couple of dives and the bombs were sufficiently meaningful to justify the selling. There was a Terrible superplex and the Maximo "run up the ropes for a top rope arm drag" that he beat Casas with a few weeks prior. Towards the end, he ran down the ramp trying to vault in but flubbed it, but frankly, they recovered so well by making it a fairly believable near-fall, that it didn't bother me.

The finish was sort of what you would expect. Maximo failed to lock in the same casita he won the primera with. The kiss of death didn't work (and that move is super protected so that was a surprise). The seconds became involved instead, with ref distractions and fouls, and a big dive by Volador that sent Bucanero into the stands. In the end, it almost felt like a team effort, which plays into the upcoming match, but didn't do a whole lot for the title change in the grand scheme of things. Not a bad match by any means, and the BS was totally functional and probably will serve its purpose in helping to heat up the upcoming match, but I don't think we're looking at a MOTYC or anything.

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