El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: Checkpoint 89.5 & 90

Week 40: Checkpoint 89.5 & 90

EB: We have reached the end of 1990 and thus far have covered about a year and a half chronologically of wrestling in Puerto Rico. We have gone on a journey that has taken us from August of 1989 onwards, have seen two Aniversario shows, experienced a hurricane, gotten to know the members of El Ejercito de la Justicia, the villains typically aligned with El Club Deportivo and La Real Academia, and several of the feuds and matches that have graced the rings of Capitol Sports Promotions. I dare say it is likely the most complete chronological review undertaken so far with regards to this period of Puerto Rico wrestling, keeping in mind that there are still notable gaps in terms of results and footage. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we’d make it as far as we have, simply because I have never really done something like this before. When Matt first suggested the idea (which was a bit different than what it ultimately ended up being), I was a bit hesitant for a few reasons. Not being up to the task was one fear, but also the distance from having first watched a lot of this and the scarcity of results and footage from significant parts of the post 80s period gave me some pause. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea started to appeal to me and I decided to do it. Matt deserves a lot of the credit for keeping me motivated and on track whenever real life has hindered our pace, and it’s been a real fun ride so far. What started as a potential look at some of the notable matches from the 90s and beyond turned into me deciding to ease into it by highlighting a handful of 89 matches that would have made the 80s set if not for video sourcing issues. And then, since I would have to go looking through what’s out there on basically a chronological basis anyway in order to find the matches, why don't we just share this part of the process as well? Thus, El Deporte de las Mil Emociones morphed into this chronological journey that I hope the readers have enjoyed so far. So with us reaching the end of 1990, it seems appropriate to give some thoughts on the different things we’ve learned on our journey so far. 

MD: Having partaken in a number of projects so far, I had a little more faith in our success, but I didn’t realize quite how comprehensive this would all be. But it was necessary. I tell Esteban that we’re not creating something for the moment but instead something that is out there to last as a resource for years to come. I can easily find out (or be reminded of) what happened in 1993 WCW or 1985 Mid-South or 2005 Ring of Honor, but this period isn’t even on Cagematch. And it’s good! And no one in our circles knows about it in a meaningful way. Maybe someone had talked up an Aniversario 90 match but no one had a great sense of the build, or what had happened a few months before, or the week to week ebb and flow. It’s 20 years old now but I do have a Masters in History and one maddening aspect of modern academic history is that you can’t really map anything that’s unknown. It’s much more about looking at things through different lenses. Well, we’re mapping the unknown and undocumented here and that element has all been quite exciting.

What were our expectations going in?

EB: Once I had a clearer idea about how we were going to proceed with El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, my expectations were to hopefully have fun doing this revisit, learn or relearn some things I had not seen before or had forgotten about, see what held up or would be proven wrong from what is usually remembered or thought about Puerto Rico wrestling, and to see how the memories of what I do remember match up to what I think now when viewing it through a more mature and experienced fan lens. Most of what we have covered so far is from a period I had not yet really started watching, so while I was aware of some of the broader strokes of late 89 through fall of 90, I’ve learned quite a few things looking at things via a fuller chronological context. Also, I was (and still am) interested in reading Matt’s thoughts and perspective on the wrestling and wrestlers I had spent quite a while watching, since a lot of this is new to him.   

MD: Coming in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. For one thing, I never followed any Puerto Rican wrestling on a week to week basis. My experience was primarily the 80s set with a spattering of other matches here and there. You could get some sense of the overall booking from the action within a match or from looking at the entirety of a feud (like the Hansen vs Colon one) or from various things I had read or podcasts I had heard, but overall, it’s very different than when you’re following things week by week. I wasn’t sure that’s what we’d be doing even. My initial thought was to find those buried gems that might eventually make up a 90s set utilizing the logic that so many of the key players (Colon, Invader, a number of the stooging heels) would still be on the table at least off and on. In the end, I’m not a great match guy so much as I am a wrestler guy or a big picture guy though, so diving this deep and trying to really understand the territory like people in our circles understand 1989 WWF or WCW has been a very worthwhile endeavor. 

What has stood out for us as a general impression so far?

EB: What stands out to me is that this is not a dead territory. You’ve probably heard the usual refrain of how the Puerto Rico territory was basically dead since July of 1988, with the killing of Bruiser Brody cited as the catalyst. Look, I’ve always thought that specific talking point to be exaggerated based on my experience of watching the territory, and it is a point that gets mentioned a lot. If you have been following along, I think you will agree with me that this specific ‘accepted wisdom’ does not hold up. It may not be a territory that is hot every week, there are ups and downs depending on the time of year and whether they  are gearing up for a big house show,  but the crowds remain hot for the most part and you can see a good attendance at the big monthly house shows that CSP would build towards. We are at the end of 1990 and CSP is still having good and hot crowds so far.  And that’s just  looking at CSP in a vacuum.  Placing what is going on in Puerto Rico in the broader context of the time, I'd say the territory still is performing well compared to the other territories that had been in existence at the tail end of the 80s. 

To that I would also add the other accepted talking point of the mainland/foreign wrestlers stopping their visits to Puerto Rico. If you have followed along so far, you can decide if that bit of ‘accepted wisdom’ holds up. My thought is that it does not. Looking at the talent available at the time (i.e. anyone not tied to the WWF or WCW) , I think CSP was able to bring in a good mix of veteran and up and coming talent that they could use effectively. When the list of wrestlers appearing since July 1988 includes such names as Terry Funk, Harley Race, Rick Martel, Ron Garvin, The Iron Sheik, The Junkyard Dog, Ivan Koloff, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kerry von Erich, Kevin von Erich, Leo Burke, The Wild Samoans (including the different family members), Manny Fernandez, Bob Orton Jr, Chris Adams, Eric Embry, Jeff Jarrett, The Rougeaus, Kamala, Scott Hall, Masa Saito, Riki Choshu, The Barbarian and Greg Valentine (among others), it is hard to side with that specific talking point. We will just have to see when a potential dip happens.

MD: What stands out the most is just how good the booking is on a week to week basis. The foreign talent isn’t what it once was maybe, though it’s quite comparable to what we’d see everywhere but WWF and WCW (even AJPW and NJPW). They have to hit a lot of the same crowds over and over. They have many of the same players month after month, or, quite the opposite, when people either don’t make it or leave very quickly. They have to rely upon the locals to hold up the brunt of the babyface side. But they’re able to keep the feuds going and keep everything interesting in a very Memphis sort of way. This isn’t just the making of a match comp. This is a living, breathing, dynamic enjoyable wrestling promotion with good feuds up and down the card. It’s good professional wrestling.

Any specific highlights and/or surprises so far? 

EB: Seeing the assortment of wrestlers that have turned up at one point or another so far has been a fun surprise, and in some cases these runs left one wanting to see more of them in the CSP environment. I did not expect to see Masa Saito and Riki Choshu do a brief stop in April 1990 CSP for example. Being able to turn up footage that was not readily available and that has helped provide a better context for feuds and rivalries has also been a welcome highlight of this project so far. On the other hand, even though it is something we knew would happen going in (and happens with other territories as well), there is a bit of frustration when we are missing footage of something we have the set up for or we lack information to help bridge gaps. It has also been fun reliving the last months of 1990, a period which I’m more familiar with.

MD: The biggest surprise for me is probably just how vibrant the territory was. The crowds were big and hot. They bought into what they were seeing. They reacted. Hearts and minds were moved. Yes, you think of things like Aniversario 89 and the trash being thrown at Chicky or Aniversario 90 and the reaction the Rougeaus got, but it felt pretty constant even during the in between times. This didn’t feel like a 1990 downturn that we saw with Sting and Warrior on top. I agree that sometimes missing footage is frustrating, and missing knowledge even more so. We don’t know who won the Bronco Boricua in 1990. Since we started with it in 89, that particular bit stung, but we (mostly Esteban of course) have been able to piece so much together and you can draw a line between and across feuds and up and down cards and it’s card after card that I would want to see.

What are your thoughts on the wrestlers, matches and/or feuds you have seen so far?

EB: It’s interesting to cover what is sort of a ‘dark’ period for Puerto Rican wrestling (and by ‘dark’ I mean lack of available footage and information) and gain a better understanding of who was coming in and out of the territory. I’ve gained a bit of appreciation for certain wrestlers and we’ve been able to see how effective some of them were. The tecnico and rudo dynamics were just as I expected, the classic El Ejercito de la Justicia vs the rudo managers and their assortment of wrestlers dynamic that has been a linchpin of how Puerto Rican wrestling works. You have the locals (for the most part) as the homesteading tecnicos with some other wrestlers coming in for short stints in support of the tecnico side. For the rudos, you have your rudo manager (Chicky Starr and El Profe for most of our runthrough so far), who serve as the anchors for keeping continuity with feuds in case the rudo players change (so you still have the heat with the manager if needed). They also serve as an instant catalyst for getting any newcomers over (he’s aligned with Chicky so he definitely should be booed). Some things are constants, and this dynamic is one of them.

The journey so far has reaffirmed some of my previous ideas while also changing my mind on some other thoughts I previously held. Let’s start with 1989, where our runthrough reaffirmed my thoughts that Sadistic Steve Strong is the MVP for CSP in 1989 (with an assist by Chicky Starr of course). .Strong’s act got over big in Puerto Rico, where he really came across as this dark beast that could conceivably end  El Ejercito de la Justicia, playing up the devil worshiping overtones to a degree not seen before in the territory. As a heel Universal champion, Strong anchored the summer and fall of that year with notable feuds against Carlos Colon, Invader #1, TNT, Junkyard Dog and Abdulalh the Butcher. On the tecnico side, Carlos Colon being out of action allowed TNT to rise up into a more prominent top of the card position, one that would lead into a bigger role as 1990 started. Invader #1 remained strong  at the top of the card after making his return early in the year, and once Colon came back you had a really great trio that could headline on the tecnico side (even adding in some short stint players such as JYD into the mix). The rudos would reload in the la t part of 1990, with the influx of Leo Burke, Manny Fernandez, Los Mercenarios and Harley Race all providing great foils for the tecnicos.

Highlights from 1990 would be seeing TNT winning the Universal title (becoming only the second tecnico other than Carlos Colon to win the title), Scott Hall’s progression during his run in CSP, the next generation of the Medicos and Invaders stepping into the ring (although more successful for the Medicos I would say), the Aniversario 90 event as a whole (with Colon vs. TNT, the Rougeaus, Zeus, Robocop and the boxing match being memorable for different reasons), the Carlos Colon vs TNT feud as a whole, and the run The Texas Hangmen have had so far. I want to talk a moment about the Colon vs TNT feud, one that highlighted what I think is the undercurrent of Puerto Rico wrestling. You expect your tecnicos to act honorably, but when faced with those who insist on acting dishonorably, there really is no point in giving that courtesy to those who insist on acting that way. The expectation of acting honorably was upended when TNT decided to challenge for the Universal title, and looking at it from my current perspective, you can argue that both sides were right to act how they did at the start. TNT’s hot headedness eventually saw him take things too far and act dishonorably, which is when the tecnicos started responding in kind. That Colon vs TNT feud from 90 is one that gets debated a lot among local fans, with many thinking that the wrong man went over. After watching the buildup and follow through, my current thoughts are that I understand that argument, but I actually think how they went about it worked. Whether it is a decision that will prove correct in 1991 remains to be seen, but I don’t think TNT losing to Colon is the bad turning point some make it out to be.   

A few final quick thoughts. If I had to highlight one wrestler from each side that I’ve gained a renewed appreciation for, it would Super Medico #1 on the tecnico side and Leo Burke on the rudo side. Super Medico has been a delight to watch in the ring and you could argue he deserved more of a showcase at the top of the card. Leo Burke is a wrestler who would have aggravated young me but current me appreciates his bag of tricks and how he helped anchor the rudo side for a good nine months. I also always  want to mention my appreciation for Ron Starr, just a great solid professional wrestler who always makes my list of underrated talents. One thing I’m still waiting on is for Miguelito Perez and Huracan Castillo Jr to break out of the pattern they’ve been in since 1986, where they team up for a stretch, go back to singles, then team up again, and the cycle repeats. TNT has jumped them over on the tecnico totem pole even though he was the last of the three to arrive, so we’re still waiting for them to move up to the next level. Maybe 1991 will be their year? Giant Warrior has been a good addition so far, Atkie Mululmba played his role very well, and I’m definitely looking forward to more of the Texas Hangmen, their run so far has been amazing.

MD: I’d say overall, the tecnicos, the babyfaces, the heroes were primarily locals. Occasionally you’d get a midcarder like Gama Singh, useful for putting people over, or someone more of an attraction be it Hall or Giant Warrior (or one-offs for big shows like Koko B. Ware or Kevin von Erich). Because we, as a community, pick and choose what 80s matches we tend to see, the overall effect sometimes is lost, but watching it this way the hometeam was consistently strong and united as El Ejercito de la Justicia. The rudos were vile and ruthless and the unity of the heroes made for a great force against them right up until TNT shattered it. 

Before that, they could run TNT or Invader #1 on top to warm things up for Colon or bridge the gaps between his big matches. They had Castillo and Perez to heat up the heels on TV. Invader could team with Invader #3. Perez and Castillo could come together or have lowercard feuds. Medico could do the same either on his own or with his son. I’m not sure it would have been sustainable forever, for they were already running angles based around Colon’s age but for 89 and 90, it worked very well as an effective engine.

And of course you had the engine for the rudos with Chicky and Profe managing the promos, cycling through almost all foreigners, generally a mix of truly top talent like Harley, Abdullah, Manny, Koloff (even if some were a bit long in the tooth), then journeyman midcarders who might have main evented secondary territories like Embry, Burke, Assassin/Morrow/Starr, and then guys who were either mid-carders in those secondary territories or fairly green like Albright, Valentine/Idol, Duk, and Styles.
That period in early 90 where they had Race, Fernandez, Burke, all on top felt especially strong. If I had to think of three rudos to highlight (TNT’s 1990 run notwithstanding and Chicky and Profe not counting), it’d be Strong, Manny, and Burke. They got an amazing amount of mileage out of Strong, being a guy who never really amounted to much anywhere else. He dominated for months with TV matches against undercard faces, the long feud with Colon, and defenses against the other top babyfaces while Colon was milking his “injury” and failure. Both the Manny/Chicky and Burke/Chicky pairings were great. There was a real sense of camaraderie between thieves with them.Manny was a double threat in his ability to cut promos in either language and he was able to get under everyone’s skin and garner a ton of heat. Burke tended to book himself strong but that’s because he could deliver. He built to big losses time and time again against different opponents, in different roles, and with different gimmicks. He could switch from teaming with Chicky to losing a boxing match against Invader without missing a beat. And a brief shoutout for my favorite over the top and entertaining enhancement talent, El Exotico, who I am always glad to see. 

What are we looking forward to?

EB: We are now in the period of time where I was actively watching, so it’s going to be fun revisiting something that I have not really watched since that first time more than three decades ago. To see what holds up from what I remember and what I completely forgot about. To see if certain things hold up to the memories of that 10 year old fan. To see what may change in terms of perceptions and thoughts. And who knows, maybe we’ll turn up some more discoveries on our journey. I’m certain 1991 is going to be an interesting year to go through, since it’s usually seen as a turning point of sorts for the territory. We’ll see if that turns out to be true. We have a bit of good fortune in that 1991 has quite a bit of TV episodes available, so we’ll get a bit more of the context and hopefully follow the progression of the feuds a bit better. I’m also looking forward as usual to seein Matt’s thoughts as he watches a lot of this for the first time. After about a year and half of the chronological runthrough, we have a good feel for the homesteading locals and the dynamics at play.   

MD: Moving forward, for me, we’re really in the unknown. People had at least some sense of the Steve Strong feud and maybe TNT vs Colon, maybe, but I haven’t been looking ahead and this is uncharted territory for me. I have no idea who the big foreigners in 91 will be, what the big feuds might be, what Anivesario will be centered around. I’ve spoken before about the weekly Houston or WWE Hidden Gems drops and how they felt like opening a pack of trading cards as a kid, the idea you never know what you’re going to get. It’s a little like that. Eventually, as we get further into the 90s, we’ll have long runs of TV too, and that’ll be exciting again as well. The flip side is that promotions are going to schism and I have no idea what that will mean for talent; likewise when the older territory journeyman pipeline drains up even more. But some of the staples will remain, even if they grow a little older, so I hold out hope that the quality will remain as well. Age won’t blunt the specific attributes and skills that make Colon and Invader stand out as special. That’s part of why we started down this road in the first place.

EB: As we reach the end of our checkpoint look at our journey so far, we now turn our attention to a new year. As I mentioned above, 1991 is going to be an interesting year in terms of potential changes for CSP. So next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we head into January of 1991, where we pick up on some of the remaining threads from the Christmas Day 1990 show. As always the year kicks off with a big Three Kings Day card and we’ll catch you up on what the status quo is as we review the first three weeks of the year. Who won the vacant Universal title in the rematch between Carlos Colon and Greg Valentine? Did Invader #1 get his revenge on the Texas Hangmen? Has Scott Hall really gone with El Profe? We have some departures and arrivals as the new year begins, so who will show up?. All this plus Carlos Colon vs TNT (huh?) will hopefully be made clear as El Deporte de las Mil Emociones enters 1991.