On Brand Segunda Caida: Apache and Sevilla Dance in the Rain, then Dance for HAIR!

Gran Apache vs. Oscar Sevilla AAA 3/19/00

ER: This is a pretty famous match if you were a certain age on internet wrestling message boards, two lunatics fighting in the middle of a rain storm in the slipperiest possible ring. The video quality on year 2000 lucha is grainy enough that you don't see the rainfall, but it's impossible to ignore the huge umbrellas everywhere and the pools of water splashing up from the ring. Sevilla starts things by hitting a great tope as Apache is coming down the aisle, and it's such an insane way to start the match because these guys clearly had no traction in that ring. Sevilla built up an impressive head of steam on a ring where guys were falling over just throwing worked stomps. The ring looked like waxed glass, a real slip and slide, and it added to every part of this match and made everything they did so much more impressive. Both guys bleed, and bleeding in a ring during a rain storm is just a different level of kickass wrestling bleeding. Sevilla is a fun lucha bumper, really throwing himself into his misses, and he has one of my favorite ways of hitting the turnbuckles. 

Apache has among my favorite strikes in wrestling history, and his punches, slaps, and kicks are on glorious slippery display throughout all of this. His pushing kicks to Sevilla's head are so annoying and so awesome, Sevilla bleeding out while Apache is just scraping his boot across his forehead and sliding into position like he's in Risky Business. Apache even incorporates the ring water in ways I wasn't expecting, like attempting to drown Sevilla while holding him in a caballo. Apache's second was great cheapshotting Sevilla, dropping hard elbows while Apache stands on Sevilla's neck, and Sevilla's second hits his own great dive down the stretch. The bumps in this are at their best when you can see just how far guys are sliding on the mat after just a normal back bump. At one point Apache slides at least 7 feet after hitting the mat, and it's beautiful. The whole match feels dangerous, as you get the sense that every single movement is just asking for a rolled ankle. The referee refuses to stand in the ring because it's too dangerous, and that danger didn't stop Apache or Sevilla for a second. I love it. One of my favorite occurrences in wrestling history. 

Gran Apache vs. Oscar Sevilla AAA 3/31/00    Pt. 2

ER: This whole thing starts with a fight between warring clown factions, but I don't think any of them are clown luchadors? As best I can tell, Apache and Sevilla each came to the ring followed by clowns, and the clowns threw frisbees and soccer balls to the fans, and then the clown gangs started kinda hitting and kicking at each other like an extremely confusing take on an FMW vs. Karate Guys steam out. Apache uses the Classic Clown Fight distraction to jump Sevilla, then throw him halfway across the ring with a crazy splash mountain (Sevilla was always a bump god so you know he's a guy who will make a splash mountain look great) then immediately takes the primera with a Michinoku Driver. Everyone in attendance agreed heartily that Sevilla looked awesome getting thrown onto his shoulders in the primera, so Apache throws him with another splash mountain in the segunda, but Sevilla rolls him up tightly on the second driver attempt. Sevilla has great roll ups, really tight and they all look difficult to kick out of, and those are on full display in the tercera. The tercera is also when we get to see Apache's excellent punch display, as well as a fine pescado and a great tope that shoves Oscar into the barricade. Apache gets busted open and while Sevilla isn't a vicious attacker, he does not need to be. Apache's blood projects for him and Sevilla's pinfalls look so convincing that the crowd keeps getting more and more excited to see Apache's head get shaved. I adored Apache's Atlantida, as it lead to a fantastic Sevilla crucifix pin, and again the entire tercera played as a real showcase of how a well executed roll-up can really erase any size difference. Of course Apache gets extra time to Houdini his way out due to Tirantes, but it only makes Sevilla look better. Also, Sevilla's blouse looks like pro wrestling once it's stained with Apache's blood. Sevilla taps Apache with a rings of Saturn, and Tirantes gives Apache such a long time to break out of it that he probably caused Apache permanent shoulder damage.