Lucha Worth Watching: Negro Casas: Tournament Lucha Revelation?

1. Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee (CMLL 6/30/17)

ER: Casas working WCW syndicated matches was a treasure that we never got to witness. Amusingly, my first exposure to Casas was WWF Superastros when I was in high school. I had read about Casas and Hijo del Santo in PWI, and now I was finally getting to see him in what I thought were ideal lucha matches: Just like WCW 5 minute syndicated matches, the only kind of lucha that I knew at the time. My mind has since been opened wide to Casas' entire career, but I like seeing these 20 year throwbacks of Casas working a 4 minute lucha spotfest, though it doesn't have the entire charm of being worked in front of an uncaring Dayton, OH crowd there to see The Rock. So Casas kicks Lee on the face a bunch (the best being right after Lee does some handsprings and eats boot), Lee kicks Casas in the face a bunch, Casas hits a huge Thesz press off the apron, and Casas generously doesn't make Lee bump on his head a bunch 2 counts. Lee muscles up Casas into a crazy hardway suplex, but at the apex Casas reverses into a brutal DDT, and Lee is a guy who can take a great DDT. Casas hits a vicious lariat that Lee flies into, and La Casita is academic. That lariat, man. Casas in his late 50s can still go against young turks with death wishes.

2. Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr. (CMLL 6/30/17)

ER: And then these two go out and out-crazy everything. Casas takes a fast bump to the floor and Volador matches him later in the match (no clue how these guys don't shatter their ankles) and Volador plasters Casas to the barricade with a great dive. Casas tries to keep up with the kids from a decade ago and does a code red, but then Volador shows him by hitting the grossest sunset flip powerbomb to the floor. Negro, good lord man. La Casita eventually gets a hot nearfall, and Negro out crazies himself by taking the reverse rana to end things. Casas is a psychopath. He is 57 years old, and he is a psychopath. If you have 11 total minutes to kill today, watch this batch of old man lunacy. It's worth it.

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