MLJ: Sombra Spotlight 32: Dragón Rojo Jr. © vs La Sombra [CMLL MIDDLE]

2012-04-30 @ Arena Puebla
Dragón Rojo Jr. © vs La Sombra [CMLL MIDDLE]

10:40 in

Dragon Rojo, Jr. had that great match with Guerrero Maya, Jr. a few months ago. Apparently, he hadn't done a heck of a lot between 2012 and now, four years later, but that's no reason not to dig into these Sombra matches. I'm glad I did too, since I really liked this one. I think the worst thing that ever happened to Rojo was him leaving the Guerreros. It wasn't great for the Guerreros either. There's a sort of homogeneity to them now in appearance. They've got similar mask and color schemes. Euforia and Gran Guerrero and when he's there, Niebla Rojo, all kind of come off as the same. It's a big difference from the sort of diversity you'd get over the years from Bucanero and Olimpico and Toscano and Atlantis (obviously), and yeah Rojo, Jr. There's a certain purity to them, which was nice during the year or two where Los Ingobernables were the main heel act while still being tecnicos, but that wears a little thin week after week, especially when there's Mephisto/Ephesto/Lucifierno hanging around too.

This was really straightforward, but that's part of what I liked about it. Solid matwork. Solid progression. Solid escalation. Solid payoff. I'm not saying a title match can only be one thing, but there's definitely a sense of something primal when it's this. They started on the mat straddling the line between fundamental locks and agile one, picked up the pace, and cut it off with Rojo's slingshot off the ropes Power Bomb (which is still very effective as a fall ender/late match near-fall today).

One of the things I like the least in lucha is a burst after a move. You usually see this in a corner clothesline, where after getting hit, the victim will rush back out of the corner and hit something of his own, sometimes in the opposite corner. We also see it as a finish in Ultimo Guerrero matches, whether it be a quick roll up after the Special or the hilarious roll through he did with Stuka recently. In the latter case, I thought it worked, but it's certainly not a well they can go to often. The segunda ended with something like that, with Rojo countering a Sombra springboard into the ring with a dropkick, celebrating for a scant second, and walking right into a roll up. I was okay with it here, for the most part, because Sombra sold his midsection heavily after the fact and they did have that moment of celebration. Plus the execution of the roll up was good, which helps, but it's such a fine line. The selling after the fact is really what makes it work (and part of why I was okay with the UG/Stuka gimmick too).

The tercera was very measured. There were near-falls and an escalation of violence, but they were smart too, using the ropes as a break to justify the split-legged moonsault not finishing the match, for instance, and believable (and earned) exhaustion for why Sombra couldn't keep the bridge after the roll up suplex, and using repetition and call-back spots well. Very good stuff that showed how good Rojo was in 2012 and again, how far Sombra had come.