El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: The Tag Team Ides of March

Week 22: The Tag Team Ides of March

EB: Last time we covered the first weekend of March where the TNT vs Abdullah Universal title series kicked off. Although we touched upon the end result of that Universal title series between TNT and Abdullah, there were  other happenings in CSP across those weeks, which will be our focus in this installment. As was previously mentioned, there is a Caribbean tag title tournament approaching on March 10. The titles are vacant due to Gerry Morrow leaving the territory and we have eight teams in contention: the Super Medicos, the Invaders, the Caribbean Express, Carlos Colon & TNT, the Alaskan Hunters, Los Mercenarios, Carl Styles & Rick Valentine, and Chicky Starr & Leo Burke. The tournament is taking place at Estadio Sola Morales in Caguas. While we don’t have the tournament bracket results available, we do have video of two matches from that night, that TNT & Carlos Colon were scheduled to take on Chicky Starr & Leo Burke in the first round ,and which team walked away as the winners and new Caribbean tag champions.

The first of the two matches we’ll review from the tournament features two teams that had spent most of February in a rivalry for the World tag team titles. The newest version of the Super Medicos quickly ascended the tag ranks and became the number one contenders to the World tag team titles held by Los Mercenarios. They face each other once more, this time with advancement in the Caribbean title tournament on the line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31S6k1O6Mb0

This match video is from a Campeones airing in early April, so there is some reference on commentary to future upcoming events (some which will be covered in this post and others in the next installment).  Ron Starr and Super Medico #3 (that’s what Hugo calls Estrada Jr on commentary for this match) start off. Carlos on commentary reiterates that 1990 is the year of the tag team and it’s kind of hard to argue with the influx of new versions of legacy teams. There is a nice rope running exchange between Ron and Medico #3, which Ron ends with an elbow. A follow up elbow drop misses, and Medico #3 counters with a dropkick that sends Ron to a corner. Acevedo tries to come in and help his partner, but Medico #3 sends Acevedo into the same corner as Ron and hits a monkey flip on both men. Medico #1 gets in the ring and the Medicos hit stereo monkey flips but a follow up stereo dropkick attempt is evaded by Los Mercenarios. Acevedo misses an elbow drop on Medico #3 but Ron hits his elbow drop on Medico #1. Still, Medico #1 recovers quickly and both Mercenarios end up on the outside. Carlos mentions that he feels that the reason the Super Medicos have been a great team so far is that it is a father and son teaming up (so by April they have acknowledge who the new Medico is) and that it allows for communication and the willingness to listen to each other (and learn in the case of Medico #3). 

Ron Starr gets back in the ring and we get an inset promo from El Profe and Los Mercenarios. The two teams are set to face each other that night in Bayamon for the World tag titles (and in a bit of a spoiler, yes the Super Medicos have won the World tag team titles from Los Mercenarios by this point in time). Carlos on commentary also makes mention of a new opponent he is facing on that night’s card, but we will discuss this more in depth in future installments. In the ring, Ron has tagged in Acevedo but Medico #3 armdrags Acevedo to the mat and works an armbar. Both men end up colliding off the ropes, with Medico #3 rolling out of the ring. The Medicos do a switch and Medico #1 rolls back into the ring instead. Medico #1 comes off the top rope with a couple of his signature punches, causing Acevedo to tag Ron back in. Starr doesn’t fare any better and falls victim to several punches from Medico #1, including a sequence where he pinballs back and forth between the Medicos and their punches. Carlos and Hugo on commentary start talking about if it is justified for the tecnicos to pull tactics like the switches against the rudos, with both agreeing that you have to fight fire with fire when you’re against opponents who will not hesitate to use such tactics and who have repeatedly done so before. Ron throws Medico #1 out of the ring and again the Medicos pull another switch (with El Profe yelling at the referee afterwards about the switches). The Medicos continue in control as we go to a commercial break.

Back from commercial we see Ron is in control against Medico #1, it appears Acevedo kneed Medico #1 in the back to give Ron the opening. Acevedo is tagged in as we get an inset promo from the Super Medicos about tonight;s match. It appears that Los Mercenarios tried to hurt Estrada Jr but the Medicos will be out for revenge tonight and also look to keep the World tag titles. What exactly happened? We’ll discuss it more next time. Los Mercenarios continue working over Medico #1 for a few minutes, with Medico #3 running in to break up a few pin attempts and sleeperholds. The tide turns in the Medicos favor when Medico #1 ducks an attempted clothesline from Ron and hits acevedo with a clothesline off his own, giving him the opening to make the ta. Medico #3 come sin and cleans house on both Mercenarios, with Medico #3 eventually attempting a few covers on Acevedo. Medico #1 is tagged in and gets a hit machine on Acevedo. A pin attempt is broken up when Medico #1 sees Ron come in and Medico #1 unleashes punches on Ron. All four men get in the ring but the referee tries to get Medico #3 to leave the ring. With the ref distracted, Los Mercenarios take advantage and hit an assisted back suplex on Medico #1 (who had been up on the middle turnbuckle punching Acevedo). This gets the three count and Los Mercenarios advance in the tournament. They will eventually be one of the two finalists in the tournament. Which team will join them?

MD: Really fun tag tournament match, more or less everything you’d want it to be for this part of the tournament. They’re calling Estrada, Jr. Medico 3 now and admitting that he’s Medico 1’s son so things continue to progress. Medicos have a fun shine early, with rope running, lots of stooging by Starr, a lot of Medico 3 in there to look good with his youthful athleticism, some sneaky masked confusion switching, control of the arm, and even Medico 3 monkeyflipping both Mercenarios at the same time which not a spot I think would have worked with Morrow. We miss the transition due to a break unfortunately, but they’re leaning hard on Medico 1 when we come back. That includes Medico 3 leaping into the ring off the top repeatedly to try to save his father but it just leading to illegal switches behind the refs back by the heels. Eventually he dodges enough to get the hot tag and Medico 3’s stuff looks pretty good as he comes in hot. Then Medico 1 looks even better after he comes back in, but Starr turns a ten count punch on Assassin in the corner into an assisted back suplex to pick up the win. It’s a bit of a shame they didn’t run Invaders vs Super Medicos because that would have been a fun babyface match but I get that they wanted heels in there deeper into the tournament. By the way, one other thing here that we haven’t seen much before: inset promos. I don’t remember them using those much. They were talking about the match at hand instead of something in the future (as best as I could tell) so I’m not sure how useful it was but it did add some color.

EB: The second match we have from the Caribbean tag title tournament features the new Invaders (one week after their official debut) taking on the team they faced in their debut match. In their previous encounter, the Invaders and the Hunters went to a time limit draw. Will things be different this time? Let’s find out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeE15J97LC4

This match video is from the English language version of Caribbean Championship Wrestling from the weekend of March 17. Hugo provides the context of who is competing in the tournament and the rules for advancing. Invader #1 starts off with Hunter #1 and the initial minutes are controlled by the Invaders, with some quick tags and Invader #1 working a side headlock on the mat. Hugo promises the viewers that they will reveal who won the tournament before the show ends (as will we when this match review is done). The Hunters try a double team maneuver, with Hunter #4 holding Invader #1 against the ropes. The move backfires when Invader #1 dodges, which results in Hunter #1 kicking Hunter #4 to the floor. Invader #1 hits a dropkick that sends Hunter #1 outside of the ring as well. The Hunters get into a shoving contest with each other and also shove El Jeque a bit when he tries to break it up. Hunter # 1 gets back in the ring and another attempted double team backfires. Another shoving contest breaks out and Hugo mentions that the newer Hunter is the brother of the other original Hunter. Hunter #4 is tagged in and does not fare any better. This match so far has been the Invaders getting the better of the Hunters, with the Hunters breaking down in terms of communication and teamwork.
The Hunters never seem to get it in gear, as we come back from commercial break and Hunter #4 is not doing well. Hunter #1 is tagged in and finally there is some semblance of teamwork from the Hunters, with a slingshot clothesline getting a two count on Invader #1. Hunter #4 works on Invader #1’s arm and spits at Invader #4. The Hunters do some double teams (including a nice suplex into a crossbody maneuver) when the ref’s back is turned from trying to stop Invader #4 from entering the ring . It’s not enough to put Invader #1 away and this brief moment of control ends when the Hunters yet again have a communication breakdown (they went for the suplex into a crossbody maneuver again but Invader #1 countered by putting Hunter #1 in front of the jumping Hunter #4). The tag is made and Invader #4 cleans house on both Hunters. All four men end up in the ring, with the finish being Invader #1 slingshotting Invader #4 into the ring for a sunset flip pin on Hunter #1. The Invaders win and advance in the tournament. As the Invaders run off the Hunters, Hugo mentions that the Invaders ended up reaching the finals and defeated Los Mercenarios to become the new Caribbean tag team champions. Not bad for a team that is officially in their second week of competition.

MD: I have been high on all of the booking but I do wonder a little about having both the New Medicos and the New Invaders at the same time. I half wonder if you don’t team up Invader 1 and Medico 1 as a super team and then have Estrada, Jr. pal around with Castillo/Perez/Savoldi. It’s a bit of diminishing returns as is. That said, this is worked very differently, with more heel miscommunication, basically two giant lunkheads who keep crashing into each other due to the Invaders. Invader 4 is more of a seasoned vet and can set this stuff up a bit more confidently (and according to commentary, he spent four months learning the special skills of being an Invader). Invader 1 does the usual great selling job when they take over on him. He actually kicks out of their finish (the suplex/wrecking ball off the top combo) but he hadn’t taken too much damage as of yet so it makes sense. They go for it again shortly thereafter and he plays into the story of the match by having one crash into the other to set up the hot tag and the eventual Invaders win. Tecnicos who knew what they were doing and bad guys that would play into it well, so this worked.

EB: This is not the only tag team action we have featuring these teams from this week. Thursday in Humacao (likely March 8) these four teams were in action. These matches again are from TV episodes that aired in the weeks that followed, so the commentary may have spoilers for future developments (which may be touched upon in the review) and the reason why we covered the Caribbean tag title matches first in this installment.  Our first match from Humacao is the Super Medicos against the Hunters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqZSMQUO-o

The match is joined in progress with the Medicos trading off and a headlock on the smaller Hunter (who was identified as #4 previously). Hugo is solo on commentary and is not helping matters by just calling them Super Medico and Hunter without the numbers. I believe it’s Estrada Jr who tagged in. We got a nice sequence where Hunter #1 tries to come in and help his partner, but Medico #4 (or is it #3 by this point?) hits him with a dropkick without releasing the headlock, then gets a headscissors on Hunter #1 and flips both Hunters over. A monkey flip is hit on Hunter #4, followed by a body drop and some punches for a two count. Medico #1 is tagged in. Hunter #1 makes a move to get in the ring but Medico #1 cuts him off and crotches him on the top rope.  A slam gets a two count on Hunter #4. The Medicos continue in control of the match, with Estrada Jr. being tagged back in and working the arm. The Hunters gain control via a double team as Hugo reminds fans that they are managed by El Jeque (who is also Abdullah the Butcher’s manager). Estrada Jr. reverses a whip into the corner on Hunter #4 and gets a two count on an inside cradle. As Hunter #1 is tagged in and starts clubbing on Estrada Jr, Hugo mentions that the newer Hunter is the youngest of the Hunters and is the brother of the other original Hunter, who suffered nerve damage to his arm in Japan. Now his brother is carrying on the Hunter tradition. The Hunters maintain control via illegal switches behind the referee’s back.  A Demolition Decapitation by the Hunters results in Medico #1 coming off the top to break up the pin attempt. Medico #1 tries to get in and help but this allows the Hunters to continue double teaming and switching behind the refs back. The Hunters hit a nice slingshot clothesline but Estrada Jr surprises Hunter #4 with a small package for an unsuccessful pin attempt. The Hunters continue in control but remain unsuccessful in pinning Estrada Jr. Hugo on commentary mention that we know for sure that Medico #1 is Puerto Rican but we are not sure about the newest member (so it seems they have yet to acknowledge that they are father and son when this aired).  Estrada Jr finally gets the tag and Medico #1 cleans house on both Hunters (including a hit machine for each of the Hunters). Medico #1 has things well in hand, attempting a few pins off a small package and a backslide. All four men end up in the ring and it results in a double pin situation. The ref makes the three count and awards the match to the Super Medicos. 

MD: This is a good way to get fans ready for the tournament. I think of all the tag matches we saw this week, this had the strongest heat actually, despite having lower stakes. While we do come in a little JIP, the match just had a more evened out balance overall, where the shine didn’t take up more than half the match. That’s not to say that they didn’t make fools out of the Hunters, who were more than happy to get crotched or crash into each other. It just didn’t last quite as long relative to the Hunters isolating an Invader and hitting him with a bunch of stuff: decapitation, slingshot clothesline, Bushwhacker Battering Ram (!) as well as lots of illegal switches and a missed babyface tag or two. The comeback was nice and fiery and lead to a double pin where the ref noted that the legal man was the Medico doing the pinning.

EB: The Hunters did not have a good couple of weeks and this is pretty much it for the Hunters team in CSP. El Jeque is down two clients but he still has Abdullah the Butcher (who won the Universal title from TNT). As for our second match from Humacao, we have a rematch between the two finalists of the Caribbean tag title tournament. The Invaders take on Los Mercenarios.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpOXTmczPCo

There’s a brief cut at the start so the match is joined in progress as Invader #4 dropkicks Mercenario #1. It looks like Acevedo tried to surprise Invader #4 from behind but was caught. Invader #4 whips Acevedo into the corner where Ron already is and proceeds to hit a monkey flip on both Mercenarios at the same time. Invader #4 gets back to attacking Ron and tags in Invader #1, who works Ron’s arm over with an arm wringer. Carlos on commentary mentions that this may be the best Invaders combination yet. Hugo mentions that they had been in training for several months and the results can be seen. The Invaders continue to tag in and out and work over Ron’s arm. On commentary they are talking about the matches these two teams have had (again, this is airing after the Caribbean tag tournament has taken place), with a third match scheduled for that night.  Ron hiptosses Invader #4 and tags in Acevedo, but Invader #1 is tagged in and takes down Acevedo with an armlock. The Invaders maintain control with another sequence of quick tags. The Invaders do a switch behind the ref’s back, with the crowd backing them up when the ref asks if the tag was made. Acevedo fights to make the tag but, in a reversal, the ref doesn’t see it and forces Ron Starr back to the corner as the Invaders tag out. Invader #4 shows off his skills by going through the ropes but holding on and skinning the cat, hitting a headscissors on Acevedo. This first part of the match has been mainly the Invaders in control. We go to commercial break but come right back where we left off, with Ron attempting to break up a pin attempt and instead accidentally elbowing and legdropping his partner. The Invaders continue in control of the match for several minutes, working over Acevedo’s arm and foiling any attempts at double teaming by the Mercenarios. Carlos on commentary mentions that masked wrestlers have an advantage since it helps to hide any reaction the face can make and it is harder for your opponent to get a read on you. After about ten minutes, the Mercenarios are finally able to get control over the Invaders. We go to commercial break as Acevedo starts stomping on Invader #1.

We come back with Ron Starrr ramming Invader#1 into the top turnbuckle and tagging Acevedo back in. Invader #4 breaks up a pin attempt but Ron takes down Invader #1 and works over the arm. Invader #1 tries to make a comeback but misses a charge into the corner and rams his shoulder into the post. Invader #1 falls to the outside and Invader #4 rushes over to prevent the Mercenarios from attacking his brother. Invader #1 gets back in the ring, holding his shoulder. Ron takes advantage and works over Invader #1’s arm. Carlos mentions that it’s impressive what the Invaders have accomplished after only being active as team for a couple of weeks and that he thinks they’ll get even better with more experience. Invader #1 starts a comeback but the ref does not see the tag to Invader #4 and Los Mercenarios regain control with a double team maneuver. A pin attempt by Ron is broken up by Invader #4, and Invader #1 counters being thrown into the ropes with a sunset flip for two. Ron goes back to working on Invader #1’s arm. A rope running counter sequence leads to both men hitting a clothesline and knocking each other down, as you can hear the timekeeper make the time announcement in the background. Both men make the tag to their partners and Invader #4 cleans house on both Mercenarios. Invader # 1 eventually joins the others in the ring. All four men fight and make several flash pin attempts as the time limit starts counting down. The bell rings and we have a time limit draw. 

MD: This is not the tournament match between them but instead a time limit draw independent of that. You still get the same sense of the tag scene in the moment, however. I thought Invader 4 looked good, including a skin the cat headscissors takeover and some fire towards the end. This was a big opportunity for him and he was taking it. They did the double monkey flip spot again, as it was a big crowd pleasure. Long, long shine here, ten minutes out of seventeen (on the idea there’s some clipping at the start and during the break) with a lot of quick switches and armwork and stooging, especially from Starr. Mercenarios were able to lean hard on Invader 1 for the heat with some revenge control on the arm. That meant things were ready to boil over for the comeback. The finish had lots of quick roll ups and pin attempts by the Invaders but all for naught as time expires. 

EB: Los Mercenarios would get a rematch for the Caribbean tag titles but were unsuccessful in getting the titles. Still, Los Mercenarios remain the World tag team champions and have the challenge of the Super Medicos coming up on March 31.  

The tag team tournament and the rivalries stemming from it are not the only feuds going on. Eddie Watts remains the World Junior champion and Huracan Castillo jr and Joe Savoldi both are chasing the title. Joe Savoldi gets another crack at Eddie Watts on the same show as the TNT vs. Abdullah rematch. That night Watts was able to escape again with the title but Savoldi still had his sights on Watts. Let’s watch a TV match featuring Savoldi taking on Assassin #3. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9EpQANttuU

This match is pretty basic and, surprisingly, Assassin #3 gets a bit of offense throughout. Savoldi is in control early and then Assassin #3 takes over for a little while (although they seem to get crossed up on a rope throw spot). Assassin goes for a pin and complains to the ref that the count was slow after Savoldi kicked out. Savoldi takes over and hits a gutwrench suplex on Assassin #3 for a pin attempt that gets broken up with an eye gouge. Hugo on commentary mentions the hot action in the Junior division and that Savoldi still has his sights set on Eddie Watts. Savoldi comes back with a  backdrop and then does a rollover bridge to get the pin. Savoldi celebrates the win and leaps over the top rope to the floor to exit the ring. We’ll have to see if either Savoldi or Castillo will be able to topple Watts from his perch.

MD: Assassin 3 is the one in red who is slimmer. Assassin 1 is the bigger guy. This is the least important bit of wrestling trivia I know, at least this week. Savoldi had all the 1990 Jr. babyface offense you’d expect, including dropkicks worth the Jumping moniker. He won with a deep jackknife pin which was a bit more sweeping than usual. You’d buy him as #3 on the card vs Watts and probably wouldn’t complain too much.

EB: The Invaders are the new Caribbean tag champions and it just so happens that there is a TV taping from their hometown in San Lorenzo. Let’s watch the Invaders wrestle in their hometown against the team of Gran Mendoza and Assassin #1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIQH6LFHk7Y

The Invaders make their entrance in their jumpsuits and music, although this time they have the Caribbean tag titles round their waist. This match is a quick showcase for the hometown boys, as the Invaders take the fight quickly to the rudos and show off their quick tag teamwork. Mendoza and Assassin try a double team maneuver, but Invader #1 backdrops Assassin (while Mendoza is still holding him) and then tosses Mendoza off him. The Invaders continue on offense against Mendoza but assassin #1 manages to get  a brief offensive flurry when tagged in. This doesn't last long and the Invaders win when Invader #4 hits a reverse crossbody from the top onto Assassin #1. A strong win for the Invaders in their hometown.

MD: Nice showcase match for the champs. They came down with their jackets/robes and music (we don’t get such entrances often). Invader 1 let himself get outnumbered but overcame as he always knew how to present himself like a star. Invader 4 had some slick agility moves and did add something different to the team along those lines. Mendoza and Assassin would try to double team or clubber down but they didn’t do much memorable here except for getting beat.

EB: Another rivalry that has been brewing throughout March is between Miguelito Perez and Carl Styles. This stems from the indent where Styles put Perez in the full nelson and refused to release the hold. They’ve had a few matches between them and are facing each other again at the TV taping in San Lorenzo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi2ycHjp-KU 

Another match that is JIP, with Perez having Styles in a headlock to start. Carl sends Miguelito into the ropes and both men stay standing after a shoulder tackle. Perez ducks a clothesline off the ropes and counters with a crossbody for a two count. Perez takes down Carl with a side headlock, leading to a reverse pin attempt by Styles on the mat. Miguelito gets his foot on the rope and the ref El Vikingo flips them over (causing Hugo to question the validity of doing that instead of breaking the hold, but in the end he says it's the referee's discretion). Styles manages to stand up and sends Perez into the ropes, but an attempted kick to the midsection is blocked by Perez. Carl gets hit with an atomic drop but is able to duck a followup clothesline and almost gets the full nelson on Miguelito (who makes the ropes before it’s locked in to force a break). Carl hits several blows on Perez, but Perez leapfrogs over Carl when coming off the ropes and hits a slam on Styles. Perez gets a side headlock but Styles fights out of it and takes Perez down with a hair pull. Carl works the arm on the mat but falls victim to another counter when Perez is sent into the ropes (this time it’s a sunset flip for a two count). Perez works a side headlock on the mat but Styles counters into a headscissors. Perez flips out of it and goes back to the side headlock. Hugo mentions that this has been quite the rivalry between Perez and Styles, with Perez only losing in their previous encounter because of Rick Valentine’s interference. Perez sends Styles into the ropes and attempts a dropkick, but Styles holds onto the ropes and Perez crashes to the mat. Carl hits an elbow on Perez and does a double bicep pose to the crowd. Carl hits a suplex for a pin attempt but Perez grabs the ropes. Styles throws Perez to the outside and does more poses towards the crowd. Perez rolls back in without incident. Styles hits a slam but misses an elbow drop, which gives Miguelito the opening to fire back with several punches and a couple of turnbuckle rams. A rope running sequence leads to Carl knocking Perez down with a clothesline. Carl goes for a cradle cover and grabs onto the ropes for leverage. The ref doesn’t see it and counts the three. Styles has stolen the win against Perez.   

MD: Pretty even match up here, more so than I expected considering how Styles had been presented so far. He tried for the full nelson early and almost took over on a panicked Perez due to the response, but Perez came back immediately. They traded holds mostly, with Perez more or less having the advantage on points (and headlock takeovers). Eventually, Perez ran into a clothesline and Styles pressed the advantage with a dubious looking illegal pin in the ropes. This was perfectly fine wrestling and the fans were behind Perez but it didn’t do Styles a lot of favors, even in victory. 

EB: The Super Medicos did not win the Caribbean tag titles but have stayed in contention for the World tag titles. Let’s see them in action against the team of Gran Mendoza and Assassin #1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqbKdfnLCYU 

Estrada Jr.is called #3 here. This match is all Medicos as they control Mendoza with arm work and quick tags in and out. Mendoza cuts off Medico #3 with an elbow and tags in Assassin #1, who gets a hotshot on Medico #3 for a pin attempt. Assassin #1 hits a backdrop but misses an elbow drop, which allows Medico #3 to tag in his partner. Medico #1 does a hit machine on Assassin #1 and cleans house on both opponents when Mendoza tries to attack him. An inside cradle pin attempt goes nowhere and all four men are in the ring. Both rudos are thrown into each other, with the Medicos hitting a double dropkick on Mendoza to send him outside. A double suplex on Assassin #1 leads to the assisted splash and the Medicos get the win. They’re next stop is challenging Los Mercenarios once more for the World tag team titles on March 31. 

MD: Another straightforward enhancement tag here. Mendoza had a nice back elbow to cut them off but they were able to fire back before long, including impressively double suplexing the sizable Assassin before Medico 1 pressed up Medico 3 into a splash and a pin.

EB: As March rolls on we have a newcomer to CSP. El Profe has brought in another formidable looking wrestler, one that may look familiar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R_sPY3-tX4 

We have Atkie Malumba taking on Victor Jovica. You may know Malumba as Kamala 2. He is El Profe’s newest acquisition, billed from Mozambique and weighing around 400 pounds. Jovica attacks Atkie at the bell with several punches and a turnbuckle ram. Atkie immediately counters with an eye rake and goes on offense with a headbutt, chop and a choke against the ropes. Hugo mentions that Malumba is undefeated so far since coming over to Puerto Rico and the United States. Atkie sends Victore into a corner and hits a corner splash. Jovica mounts  a short comeback with some punches and chops, but Atkie counters an attempt to send him into the ropes and hits Victor with a foot to the face. Atkie goes for a splash but does not cover and decides to do another one (Hugo: He’s made Jovica into a pancake!). The ref gets a count of one before Atkie again gets up and hits a third splash. This gets the win. El Profe comes in with what looks like a shrunken head and Hugo mentions that they call it Malumba’s warrior spirit. El Profe shows it to Malumba in order to keep him calm and Atkie starts bowing in reverence. Meanwhile, Jovica is twitching on the mat and looks to be in need of medical assistance. El Profe ties up the ref and Atkie goes for another splash on the prone Jovica. Profe once again shows Malumba his ‘warrior spirit’ and Atkie calmly crawls out of the ring. This Malumba may well be a dangerous threat to El Ejercito de la Justicia. 

MD: Jovica wasn’t a small guy, not really, but Malumba just crushed him, especially in the corner. He finished things off with a series of big splashes where he kept getting up at one and backpedaled with his hands waving about before charging in again. Very definitive stuff. Post match he was drawn away by a mystical object, nominally to spare Jovica’s life.

EB: TNT has had a bit of an up down month. He lost the Universal title against Abdullah the Butcher and it is up in the air who the next challenger will be. Still, the challenges keep coming and TNT is facing Carl Styles on TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1i_j-3x7dk 

The match is joined in progress as Styles has TNT in the corner and fires off a series of kicks and punches. Styles is facing a tecnico that is higher up on the hierarchy, so it’s a test of his skills. TNT is coming off the uUniversal title loss and looking to remain near the top of the contender rankings, while a win for Styles would really boost him up the rankings. Styles sends TNT into the ropes and puts on a bearhug. They fall to the ground but Styles keeps the bearhug on. After a while, Styles gets into a mount position and starts punching TNT. Back on their feet, Styles again sends TNT into the ropes and puts on another bearhug. TNT fights out of the hold, but Styles shoves TNT back first into the corner and puts on the bearhug again. Styles works the bearhug and it looks like TNT may be out. However, TNT keeps his arm raised on the third check by the ref and breaks the bearhug with some elbows and punches to Carl’s head. A shoulder tackle off the ropes takes down TNT and Styles makes a cover for a two count. TNT ducks a clothesline and comes back with a dynamite kick. TNT starts getting fired up and hits some blows and a hiptoss. A charge is dodged by Carl and he uses TNT’s momentum to send him to the outside. TNT quickly gets back on the apron and surprises Styles with a  sunset flip for a two count. As Carl argues with the ref, TNT hits a reverse cradle for the three count. TNT picks up the win and we’ll have to see what’s next for him. 

MD: We have three or four minutes of this JIP. I’m not sure these two synched up well. Styles was big and lumbering but TNT was just big enough that some of what Styles did, like the long bearhug, didn’t quite work for me visually. TNT worked well from underneath and ultimately won this with a roll up, and maybe if we had the early feeling out, I’d feel differently, but I think I would have liked more of a clash of the Titans sort of encounter. Remember, we had just seen Perez work even with Styles after all.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, as the end of March approaches, a decision is made about who will be the next challenger to Abdullah. It will be Carlos Colon and the match will take place on March 31. Who will end the month as Universal champion? Also, the last week of March sees some upheaval at the top of the tag team scene, a former World champion and Universal title contender makes his return to CSP, and we get one of the most surprising ‘he worked Puerto Rico in 1990’ appearances.