2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

45. Negro Casas/Shocker v. Rush/La Sombra CMLL 7/18

ER: I was not a fan of their tag title match a few weeks before this, but this I liked. I thought that match lacked intensity and drama. Seeing this match shows everything that previous match lacked. These four were at each other's throats the whole match, and both teams actually felt like teams. A key part of what made this match so great was the team work. Not the double teams, but each person saving their partner at key moments throughout the whole match. Saves are a great way to build drama and cut down on silly kickouts, and I loved all the saves in this. Sombra has really come into his own under his rudo persona. It added an edge his character needed and just didn't have as a faceless flier. Now he's a smug shrugging prick who gets bailed out by his even tougher buddy and opportunistically dishes out violence of his own. His running knees to Shocker were brutal, but he has no problem giving back (watch him fly ass over elbow over the barrier off a clothesline). Shocker breaks out his fat guy tope, and some other cool stuff like his abdominal stretch slam (which sends Sombra right onto his head). Casas looked on fire too, having some fun scrambly matwork with Sombra, locking in one of the snuggest STFs onto Rush that you'll ever see, kicking Sombra's chest in while he's tangled in the ropes. This match builds off stuff from their previous tag match, and I especially loved Casas setting Rush up for the Thesz press and Sombra saving him out of nowhere by clotheslining Casas right in the shins. Awesome, heated match.

PAS: One of my favorite Sombra performances ever. He was working at a faster pace then the other three guys and it really adds something to the match. He and Casas rip off some incredibly fast and intricate mat work, and he is great at throwing in these athletic saves and cheap shots. The out of nowhere chop block to Casas as he was going for his dive was totally awesome. We of course get another great Rush and Casas stomp party, and a great turn back the clock performance from Shocker, who looked like he showed up mostly sober and ready to rumble, loved his tope as is was way less athletic then his heyday, but still super violent.


2014 MOTY MASTER LIST