El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: Puerto Rico 1991

Week 41: Puerto Rico 1991

EB: As 1991 approaches, we have a couple of pending results from the 1990 Christmas Day show. We’ve already talked about Bronco #1 winning the Caribbean title, Sasha regaining the Women's World title from Monster Ripper, Scott Hall turning on Giant Warrior, and the Super Medicos defeating Eric Embry & Rick Valentine in a fire match. Still, there are two key results we need to mention.

The first result is the tag match between Invader #1 and TNT vs. the Texas Hangmen. The Hangmen's strategy for this match was focusing their attacks on one opponent, resulting in TNT being busted open and suffering enough damage and blood loss where he had to be helped back to the locker room. This left Invader #1 trying to continue at a disadvantage against Psycho and Killer. However, Bronco #1 came out to even the odds and help Invader fight off the Hangmen.

The other result to discuss is the Carlos Colon vs Greg Valentine rematch for the held up Universal title. Valentine was disqualified for using his shin guard as a weapon to bust open Carlos. Valentine continued attacking Colon after the bell and attempted to put on a shin guard assisted figure four leglock in order to hurt Carlos. However, Carlos was able to kick Valentine away and Greg ended up hitting the ringpost. Carlos took the opening to grab Valentine’s shin guard and attack Greg with it as payback before Valentine left the ring. As a result, Colon won the match but the Universal title was still vacant since the match ended by disqualification. 

MD: Of all the footage we've missed out on so far, other than some specific 60 minute draws between Burke and people that sounded amazing, I am probably most frustrated we're not getting a bunch of full Greg Valentine squashes and matches.

EB: As 1991 approaches, the customary Three Kings Day season opener is going to kick off the year. Based on how 1990 closed we can expect a few rematches or grudge matches stemming from Christmas. We’re also going to be without TNT and Miguelito Perez for a few weeks, both are currently on tour in New Japan and will be back in the second half of January. With TNT on tour, this means Invader is going to need a tag partner to go up against the Texas Hangmen. Let’s go to a clip from an episode of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre from New Year’s Eve weekend, where we have Giant Warrior in a handicap match and an interview from Invader #1 and his new tag partner.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXjxuDfr_U8

Giant Warrior’s opponents are Gran Mendoza and El Exotico. Both rudos jump Warrior at the bell to try to get the advantage, but it is short lived as Warrior is able to knock their heads together. Despite the best efforts of Mendoza and Exotico, Giant Warrior is able to keep control of the match by fighting them off and eventually Warrior hits a big boot that sends Mendoza to the outside. Exotico gets hit with a backdrop and, after Giant Warrior stomps his foot, gets hit with what Hugo calls the controversial big boot. Warrior pins Exotico with one foot on his chest (as Mendoza thinks better of getting in the ring) and it is another impressive win for Giant Warrior.

We go to El Profe in the locker room with the Hangmen, and Profe says that January 6 will be a war. Most expect the Magi but the Hangmen are expecting Invader and Bronco to finish them off. Psycho makes his threats, making note that they are stepping into a war zone on a holy day. El Profe translates as the Hangmen ham it up for the camera and Profe promises they will show who the World tag team champions are on Three Kings Day.

We then go to the interview area, as Hugo is with Invader #1 and Bronco #1, who got involved on Christmas Day and will now team with Invader to challenge the Texas hangmen for the World tag team titles.  

Hugo: With us the number one contenders to the World tag titles, Invader #1 and from the Dominican Republic, the Dominican champion and Caribbean champion Bronco #1. They challenge the Texas Hangmen for the World tag titles, but this is more than a title match, this is something personal. What's going to happen Bronco #1?

Bronco: Look, the 6th in Bayamon, you have to be paying attention to what's going to happen. Invader #1 and Bronco #1 are not just going for the World tag titles, but are also going after the heads of the Texas Hangmen. Danger Texas Hangmen, look at what Invader has in his hands., the bullrope that hurt Invader. Let me tell you one thing Hangmen, your heads, besides the titles you are going to lose, your heads are going through this noose. Danger Texas Hangmen, danger January 6th in Bayamon.
Hugo: Wow, Invader #1 your comments.

Invader: Bronco's already said it all. We are going to do everything possible. The Dominican champion, the Caribbean champion and now we are going after the World tag titles. And we are going to do everything possible to become the new champs, and especially because we have this bullrope, which has caused a lot of damage here in Puerto Rico. So Profe, tell your boys that they better be really prepared, because on January 6th we are going to do everything in our power to become the new World tag champs.

Hugo: Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic united in search of the World tag titles.

After the interview, we get a rundown of the lineup for the January 6 show:

• No DQ for the held up Universal title - Carlos Colon vs Greg Valentine
• WWC World tag titles - Invader #1 & Bronco #1 challenge TheTexas Hangmen
• Grudge Match - Giant Warrior vs. Scott Hall
• Jimmy Snuka vs Dick Murdoch
• Caribbean tag titles - Los Super Medicos challenge Eric Embry & Rick Valentine
• Mascarita Sagrada & Aguilita Solitaria vs. Espectrito & Piratita Morgan
• Super Medico #4 vs. Kim Duk
• And other great stars.

MD: Just two minutes bell to bell here, though there were promos from Bronco/Invader and the Hangmen after (maybe Killer has more hair coming out the back?). Not much to say about the 2-on-1. Exotico didn’t get to do much but he did jump at Warrior comedically at one point before getting put down with the boot.

EB: We have a mix of matches and results from the 1991 Three Kings Day show. Let;s begin with a singles match between Kim Duk and Super Medico #4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQEX-ohradA

Super Medico #4 is Julio Estrada, the younger son of Jose Estrada Sr. He had previously appeared a few times in 1990 and again makes an appearance on the Three Kings Day card to take on former Caribbean champion Kim Duk. If you recall, Duk ended the year by being The Barbarian’s tag partner in the match where Scott Hall turned on Giant Warrior. This match is joined in progress with Medico #4 working an armbar on Duk, but Duk fights out of it and proceeds to get the advantage with punches and chops. Hugo and Eliud are on commentary and Hugo takes the opportunity to send a hello to the wife of Super Medico #1  and mother of the other active Medicos, with Hugo and Elud talking about the special kind of lady it takes to handle seeing three of her family members take the risks they do when they get in the ring. Meanwhile , Kim Duk has Medico #4 down with eye rakes and chops. Medico #4 makes a comeback after Duk puts his head down too early, getting a pin attempt after a nice spinning elbow off the ropes. Medico #4 works a side headlock but Duk takes him down with a toehold and works the arm. Duk continues with punches and even hits a slap (earning a warning from the ref). Duk stops a Medico #4 counter with a thrust kick. The cobra sleeper is applied and Duk wins the match. .  

MD: Six minutes JIP, primarily of Duk beating on Medico IV. Medico IV is the one that looks most like a Memphis mid-card heel given his physique by the way. It’s crazy to think since we last wrote about him, we discovered the 1978 South Korea match where Duk was a super babyface. Here he was an effective heel. Medico got tiny bits of hope but got cut off fairly quickly and was doomed to run into the kick and fall to the cobra. Duk was certainly making a run here. It’s been a bit.

EB: We have another appearance from the Mexican mini luchadores. While we don’t have footage from the tag match from Three Kings Day, here is a singles match between Mascarita Sagrada and Piratita Morgan that occurred sometime during the holiday season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE0gClUi5_0

Hugo and Profe are on commentary for this bout, it is from one of the commercial tape releases. Profe mentions that few can match the speed of these wrestlers, while Hugo talks about how they were inspired by watching wrestlers from the U.S. like Sky Low Low and Little Beaver. Sagrada and Morgan start off with a nice counter sequence, with both wrestlers missing dropkicks and then kipping up. Morgan immediately slaps the back of Sagrada’s head and knocks him to the mat. Profe says that the action is so fast that they can barely keep up announcing it, which Hugo agrees with. Morgan hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker and, after yelling at the crowd, does a front drop to Sagrada. Morgan continues in control with some nice punches, but Sagrada counters with a spin kick when Morgan attempts a corner charge. Sagrada briefly takes over but again Morgan knocks Sagrada down with some punches. Sagrada eventually comes back, including doing a headstand on the top turnbuckle into a headscissors and a series of ranas. Morgan gets dropkicked out of the ring and takes a while to gather his breath. While Morgan is outside, Profe notices Victor Quiñones at ringside and starts mocking him, but changes his tune when Hugo points out Victor is the one paying them for commentating the video. Back in the ring, Sagrada gets a moonsault body block for a pin attempt.  Sagrada successfully does a switch but a second attempt gets countered by Morgan into a version of a chokeslam that gets the pinfall win. Morgan gets his hand raised and does  muscle pose for the crowd.  

MD: Plenty worse ways to spend five minutes then with this fun, very complete sprint. Profe is on color commentary which is just a sign of how much he’s tasked with right now. Morgan controls for most of it but with escalating hope spots. His offense looks great. Just really good strikes and bullying. He bases well for everything Sagrada does too and all of it is good and imaginative and flashy. I feel like they often put the rudos over in these for some reason and they do so here as well with him turning a Sagrada cazadora into a one arm slam. This felt like the biggest hit from these guys so far in Puerto Rico even if it was only five minutes or so.

EB: Continuing with the results from January 6, Jimmy Snuka no-showed the event and Huracan Castillo Jr took his place as Dick Murdoch’s opponent. We will talk more about Murdoch next time. Also not appearing at the show was Eric Embry, although in his case he either left or had been fired sometime over the holiday break. As a result of Embry no longer being there, the Super Medicos regained the Caribbean tag titles (although I’m not sure if it was via forfeit). Embry’s departure was explained as him suffering a serious eye injury from having his face thrown into the flames during the fire match and being advised by doctors to not get in the ring. So the Super Medicos have successfully run Erci Embry out of Puerto Rico. However, Rick Valentine has found a new tag partner to  help avenge Embry, none other than Gran Mendoza (who is now going by the moniker of Galan Mendoza).
We have footage of the World tag title match between the Texas Hangmen and Invader #1 and Bronco #1. The video has no sound but we can still see the action that unfolded between the two teams on Three Kings Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_a3ANsZTPE

The match is in progress with Invader working the arm of one of the Hangmen and tagging in Bronco (who is wearing an animal print version of his mask and attire). Bronco comes off the top with a punch but soon loses a punch exchange to Killer. Psycho is tagged in and continues in control with punches on Bronco. The Hangmen tag in and out and do double teams on Bronco. The Hangmen continue to work over Bronco as a frustrated Invader paces on the apron. The Hangmen taunt the crowd and block Bronco’s attempts to make the tag. Invader tries to help Bronco a few times, but only gets some blows in each time before the ref escorts him out of the ring. Finally, after being worked over for several minutes, Bronco makes the tag after the Hangmen miss an elbow drop. Invader quickly comes in and fights off both Hangmen. Bronco comes back in and all four men fight, with Invader eventually sending one of the Hangmen outside of the ring. Invader follows the Hangmen to the outside as Bronco is taking care of the other Hangmen in the ring. El Profe comes over with the bullrope to hit Invader from behind, but Invader takes away the bullrope and chases Profe to the dugout.  Bronco is attacked by both Hangmen in the ring. The Hangmen start to hang Bronco as Invader emerges from the dugout with the bullrope around Profe’s neck.When Invader notices that Bronco is being hanged, he releases El Profe and heads to the ring to make the save. Invader fends off both Hangmen and keeps the bullrope in his possession.

MD: We’ll take what we can get, sound or no. But when that hot tag hit here, I wish I could have heard the pop. On the other hand, we’ve been doing this long enough, we could imagine it perfectly. We get a little bit of shine here, just a bit, with Bronco being his usual theatrical, bombastic self, but the numbers game takeover. Then we get a long-ish heat of them just beating him down with kicks and stomps. It feels effective to me. Invader finally comes in hot. They’re not quite on the same page. I get the sense that he wanted to toss one Hangman into the other but Bronco was doing his own thing. That inadvertently plays into what happens next as Invader heads out of the ring with a Hangman and ends up chasing Profe into the dugout. That allows for a 2x1 and the Hangmen to get some new year's heat back after the big matches that had recently happened by hanging Bronco. Eventually, Invader makes the save with the rope Profe had and clears the ring after they almost got him too. Another good tag.

EB: The no-DQ rematch between Carlos Colon and Greg Valentine ended with controversy. Carlos Colon had Greg Valentine in the figure four leglock and it looked like Valentine was going to submit. El Profe jumped on the ring apron and grabbed onto the referee when El Vikingo went to tell him to get down. With the ref distracted, Dick Murdoch ran in and dropped an elbow on Colon to break up the figure four. Later in the match Valentine ducked a Colon charge and instead Carlos took out El Vikingo by accident. With no referee, Valentine got his figure four on and waited for the ref, as Colon tried to fight out of the hold. However, this time Giant Warrior rushed to the ring and broke up Valentine’s figure four with a legdrop. Warrior then stomped his foot and sent Valentine into the ropes for a big boot. Valentine was knocked out and Warrior proceeded to drag Carlos over Valentine as the crowd cheered on. Warrior tossed the ref back into the ring and Colon got the three count. Post-match, Valentine attacked Colon and put on the figure four as rain started falling. Colon had to be helped out afterwards and Profe and Valentine lodged a protest about the match result. Colon had won the match and the Universal title, but controversy reigned as well.

The weeknd of January 12, Carlos Colon announced on TV that he was not going to accept winning the Universal title the way things happened on Three Kings Day and thus the Universal title remained officially vacant. Colon would issue a challenge to Valentine and El Profe to have one more match to settle the Universal title vacancy. To avoid any further controversy or interference, Carlos wants it to be a steel cage match. We await Profe and Valentine’s response.

Also on January 12, a house show was held in Carolina. The Super Medicos faced the new team of Rick Valentine and Galan Mrndoza in a non-title match, with Mendoza using his glove to knock out one of the Medicos while Valentine was being pinned, resulting in the rudos stealing the win and earning a shot at the Caribbean tag titles.

There was a rematch between the Texas Hangmen and Invader #1 & Bronco#1. This match resulted in Invader being bloodied and laid out outside of the ring. As the Hangmen proceeded to double team Bronco, a dazed Invader left the ring area and headed to the back. He would come back with the bullrope he had kept from the previous encounters and saved Bronco from the Hangmen.

The main event of that January 12 house show was a Royal Rumble match, with the winner being TNT. Wait… isn’t TNT on tour in Japan? Yes, he is. Turns out that the TNT that showed up to compete that night and win the event was none other than the Original TNT that was last seen around September of 1989. Yes, the same one that Chicky Starr had brought in claiming to be the true TNT is back, this time with El Profe as his manager.

With all of these happenings in the first half of January, let’s go now to the TV shows from January 19, starting with Campeones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7j8TJ1QiWg

The Campeones opening has clips of one of the Colon & TNT vs Hangmen matches and of one of the mixed trios matches between the Super Medicos & Sasha and Embry, Valentine & Ripper. Our hosts are Hugo and Profe.. Hugo greets the viewers as Profe starts peacocking around showing off his outfit. Hugo asks why he is doing that, and Profe says that Hugo is jealous because he can’t match his face to his outfit like Profe can. Hugo and Profe run down the matches and Ptrofe says that he has to congratulate CSP on the tremendous production they did on the Duk & Barbarian vs Hall & Warrior match, where they edited the video to make it look like Profe was the one that hit Giant Warrior. Hugo takes exception at Profe insinuating that they (Hugo is part of the production team) did something like that. Profe keeps saying that it’s a setup by production and Hugo responds that he thinks Scott Hall is an imbecile for believing Profe.

Hugo changes topics and announces that soon there will be a tournament  for the vacant TV title, which has been inactive since TNT vacated the belt during his previous run as Universal champion. Hugo also mentions that we are all waiting to see if Profe and Greg Valentine have the guts to answer Carlos Colon’s challenge for one more match to settle the Universal title vacancy in a steel cage. Profe says that how can you dare stick Valentine in a cage, and then says some over the top remarks about how Colon is used to being in cages, with Hugo cutting him off so they can talk about tonight’s house show in Caguas. Last week, Profe’s new charge Original TNT surprised everyone by winning the Royal Rumble match. Profe says he knew his guy could do it, but Hugo says he was able to win because Carlos had been busted open by Scott Hall earlier in the match. Tonight it will be one on one as Carlos Colon faces the Original TNT.

Our first match of the show is one from March 1990, where the actual TNT is facing Carl Styles back during Carl’s original rudo run. The match serves more as a backdrop for Hugo and Profe to argue over who the real TNT is, with Hugo saying the one we’re watching is the real one and Profe saying that the one they are currently watching is a cheap copy. Hugo mentions that TNT is currently in Japan, although Profe is incredulous and thinks he may be hiding in a corner somewhere. Hugo mentions that soon both TNTs will be in Puerto Rico and we will see what happens then. The match itself is surprisingly more of a showcase for Carl Styles ,who controls most of the bout. Profe takes the chance to run down Styles for turning on him, to which Hugo calls Profe out as shameless. Profe again is incredulous on TNT being in Japan, with Hugo saying that TNT had sent them a magazine from over there and they had talked with him as well. Hugo says they told TNT that Original TNT had returned. Profe says that after hearing that, TNT likely will not come back for a month, maybe six months, from being afraid. Hugo responds that TNT will be back next week, so Profe can calm down about that. The match ends with TNT making a comeback and getting a roll up for the win.    

MD: At first I had thought this was Original TNT vs mid-card face Styles but it’s 1990 TNT vs heel Styles. This was before Styles had been depushed upon his return. I had been confused why they were having Original TNT, their returning lead heel work so weak. It makes a lot more sense now that I realize what’s going on. Styles takes most of this but TNT gest a kick and the Cobra to win it.

EB: Hugo mentions that they have a clip of something that happened at Miramar between the Super Medicos and Mendoza and Valentine (again, can’t mention it’s from Superestrellas due to being on different channels). We go to a singles match between Rick Valentine and Super Medico #3, where Monster Ripper gets on the apron and accidentally is knocked into the ring after Valentine hits the ropes. As the ref is tending to Ripper, Medico #3 makes a pin attempt on Valentine. However, Mendoza runs in and hits Medico #3 with his glove. Mendoza quickly puts Valentine on top of Medico #3 and runs off. Ripper conveniently rolls out of the ring at that moment and the ref starts making the count, only for Super Medico #3 to run in and attack Valentine. The ref disqualifies Super Medico #3, and Medico #1 fights both Mendoza and Valentine. Medico #1 is overwhelmed by the odds and is hit repeatedly by Mendoza with the glove. Medico #3 enters the ring with a chair and clears the rudos from the ring.

The Super Medicos cut an interview about their upcoming Caribbean tag title defense against Valentine and Mendoza, with Medico #1 saying that the rudos will find out what being hit by a B-52 is like when they face them tonight. The rudos respond, with Monster Ripper promising that her new team will win the Caribbean tag titles. Mendoza promises that they will win by any means necessary while holding up his gloved hand.   

MD: Mendoza feels like a lateral move from Idol but a drop down from Embry. He’s looking particularly like Chicky in some ways here, actually, but also has the glove. I imagine he was glad for this push and was going to work hard with it. The match itself had a good finish with Valentine crashing into Ripper and in the ensuing chaos, Mendoza intervening only for the ref seeing Medico making the save instead.

EB: We get a promo from Johnny Ringo, who is facing Huracan Castillo Jr for the World Junior title tonight. Ringo says that he’ll do more damage than Hurricane Hugo and make history tonight. We then get the rundown of tonight’s show in Caguas: Carlos Colon vs Original TNT;  in a lumberjack match (I’m guessing due to the wrestlers continuously going back to the dugout to get the bullropes) for the WWC World tag titles we have the Texas Hangmen defending against Invader #1 and Bronco #1; Giant Warrior vs Scott Hall; the Super Medicos defend the Caribbean tag titles against Rick Valentine & Galan Mendoza; Miguelito Perez makes his return to take on Kim Duk; and  Huracan Castillo Jr defends the World Junior title against Johnny Ringo.

MD: I have no idea who this Johnny Ringo is but he cuts a promo in English saying he’s more dangerous than Hurricane Hugo and that he’s going for Castillo’s Jr. Belt. It is funny to see him kill time as off screen Hugo (not the hurricane) translates.

EB: Our next match is a TV studio match that that occurred on Jan 9th between Invader #1 and Psycho. Invader comes out with the bullrope he had taken from the Hangmen during their earlier matches (it was the one he used on them during the Three Kings Day match). Invader controls the first part of the match to the crowd’s cheers. During the match, Profe makes off with Invader's bullrope, leaving only Psycho's at ringside. Psycho takes control of the match and Profe is pleased with the results. 

Eventually, Invader makes the comeback and wins the match when Profe and Killer's interference backfires. Post match, Invader fights both Hangmen but eventually succumbs to the cowbell. The ref gets tossed and the Hangmen beat up Invader again. It's deja vu, as Carlos comes out to help Invader but is cut off by the Original TNT. The Hangmen continue beating up Invader. Giant Warrior comes out and is cut off by Kim Duk. Los Super Medicos are held off by Galan Mendoza and Rick Valentine. Huracan Castillo tries to get to the ring and El Profe heads him off. Finally, Bronco runs out and makes the save (Profe: We didn't know he was in the building!). The Hangmen leave, but the bullrope is left behind. Invader is dazed and bleeding, but firmly holds the bullrope in his hands.

MD: Another good one. Invader wrestles with such amazing confidence. Just total conviction in everything he does. Even just a stomp that leads right into a foot on chest pin. Profe stole back the noose that Invader had after the last match and Psycho took over on him with a lot of stomps and facewashes. This led to Killer coming out and the Hangmen miscommunicating for an Invader roll up. Post match they tried to have lightning strike twice with another huge beatdown in the ring while all the locker room fought to prevent the save. I get the sense Bronco had been away selling the effects of the hanging from the last match and he’s the one that ultimately makes the big save for a bloody Invader. It hits but it doesn’t hit quite as hard because you don’t have Embry menacing Sasha and a huge turn like TNT. But it still does hit. I don’t think they could get away with it again though.

EB: El Profe and Original TNT cut a promo about their match tonight against Carlos Colon, where they show a quick clip of how Original TNT beat Carlos to win the Rumble (Carlos took a version of the Slaughter bump after missing a charge into the corner). ‘TNT’ says he’ll put Colon’s lights out and may not bother waking him up afterwards. Carlos responds by putting over last week’s Royal Rumble match and saying that ‘TNT’ has reason to celebrate. But Carlos says that he should not be going around saying he beat Carlos Colon ono on one, because that match was everyone vs everyone, Original TNT was the last entrant and took everyone by surprise when they were tired, and that Carlos had been busted open and bleeding for a while. Tonight it is one on one and Carlos will be fresh. Tonight ‘TNT’ will not have the same luck.

We then get Original TNT taking on Huracan Castillo Jr. This match is joined in progress and is mainly to reintroduce Original TNT.  This looks to be from the previous week in Carolina. ‘TNT’ controls most of the match, although Huracan gets some comebacks in. On commentary, Hugo talks about Carlos being honorable in not accepting the Universal title while Profe calls Carlos stupid for doing that. Hugo says it was an act of integrity, Profe says it was a guilty conscience for the chicanery that went down. In the finishing stretch, Castillo comes off the top rope with a bodypress that ‘TNT’ rolls over for a near fall. Castillo sends ‘TNT’ into the ropes and puts his head down too early, allowing ‘TNT’ to kick him twice in the head and get the pinfall win.

MD: A little jarring to hear that voice come out of someone who looks at least somewhat like TNT. Colon had a big flag graphic behind him just like in the promo for the card (which looks overall good even if I’m a little doubtful of the match on top). The Castillo match itself had TNT taking a good chunk but when Castillo took over, TNT was just walking around ringside sucking air and it wasn’t a great look. Something of a banana peel finish too where he got his last advantage by turning around a body press. I think maybe he could have looked stronger but this was not unusual for Castillo putting someone over.

EB: Scott Hall talks about how the fans in Caguas will be behind him tonight against Giant Warrior, he has never lost in Caguas and tonight Profe says it won’t happen. Giant Warrior says that tonight it’ll be time for Hall to lose for the first time in Caguas. We then get the tag match from Christmas Day where Hall turned on Warrior. Profe again insists that this is a masterful editing job to make him look like the one that hit Warrior. Hugo remains exasperated about the accusation. At the end of the program, Hugo walks off in disgust as El Profe talks about what his guys will do tonight.

MD: Hall cut a good delusional heel promo about how all his fans would be there to cheer him vs Giant Warrior. Then he did all of his poses as Profe spoke. He’s the best at that. Warrior actually cut a promo and it was ok. Then they had Hugo (off screen) translate as he fumbled with the mic. Would have been better to have Hugo stand next to him for the size difference as he didn’t look big with the backdrop.
EB: We also have the west coast version  of the January 19 Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDEeO7KuYdg

Hugo is talking about tomorrow’s house show in Hormigueros, and it looks like we have a similar card as the one in Caguas. Hugo mention the upcoming TV title tournament and sends some greetings to some fans before going to our first match, which is Super Medico #3 vs Rick Valentine (the one we saw a clip of in the Campeones episode). So if you want to see the full match here it is. Eliud Gonzalez introduces the combatants and the match has a feeling out process to start. The commentators talk about how Embry was injured during the fire match and now Valentine has got Mendoza as his new tag partner, promising to avenge Embry and get the Caribbean tag titles. Medico #3 takes over by working the arm as Hugo says that he doesn’t think the match will remain a straight up wrestling contest for long. Hugo also mentions the topic of Galan Mendoza’s controversial glove, with suspicions that it may be loaded. Rick Valentine controls the middle portion of the match and the finishing stretch we saw on Campeones stars with Valentine missing an elbow drop. We get a bit more of the post match, as the ref declares Valentine the winner.

MD: Aha! This is the entire match that we saw the finish of during the last show. It’s pretty good too, with Valentine stooging early, trapped in an armbar going in and out as Medico hangs on. There’s a great bit before the transition to heat (missed corner charge) where he tries to go for a tag forgetting it’s a singles match. I noted now Mendoza used the loaded glove in the post match beatdown too.

EB: Next is another Johnny Ringo promo, this time about tomorrow’s match in Hormigueros. We also get Valentine, Mendoza & Ripper and the Super Medicos talking about their match tomorrow in Hormigueros. They run down the show lineup for the January 20 house show, and it’s exactly the same as the one in Caguas.

MD: It’s too bad we don’t get a Ringo squash match in here because I’m real curious what this guy can do.

EB: Original TNT gets  a TV showcase match against Sabu (not that one). This match is all Original TNT, just a dominant win to reestablish him. The commentators talk about how the real TNT is in Japan but should be back soon. ‘TNT’ wins with the cobra sleeper, as Hugo makes sure to remind the kids watching to not try these moves at home since they are dangerous. The ref has to insist with ‘TNT’ to wake his opponent up, which he eventually does. After the match ,we get promos from Original TNT and Carlos Colon about their match in Hormigueros, similar to what we saw in Campeones.

MD: I’ve seen two or three Sabus in wrestling in this is by far the least fearsome looking one. He does get to fire out of the corner once only to get crushed. Pretty solid intensity from Original TNT here. Some of the promos here are either the same or very similar to ones we saw on the other show.

EB: After an airing of the TNT ‘Evolution’ music video, we have a match from the TV studio with Scott Hall taking on Nick Ayala. We have seen Ayala before, but Hall makes relatively quick work of Nick. Hugo mentions that there are a lot of fans mad at El Profe for stealing Scott Hall away from El Ejercito de la Justicia, since they had a lot of appreciation for him. Hall gets the win with the crucifix.

MD: I feel like we haven’t seen a proper Hall match in a while. Ayala has been competitive before, but he’s not going to be here. Great bump on the crucifix (Razor’s Edge) as Ayala flips over as part of the bump.

EB: The Texas Hangmen and Invader & Bronco cut promos about their match tomorrow in Hormigueros, with Invader mentioning that everyone saw last week that the Hangmen are cowards, they ran off when things got rough, this time with the lumberjacks there is no running away. There is an unintentionally funny moment when Invader walks off after cutting his promo and Bronco stays behind to say his piece.We then get theTexas Hangmen music video we have seen before. 

We also have a TV showcase match for the team of Invader #1 and Bronco #1 vs Joe Casanova and El Condor. Invader and Bronco do quick tags to work over Condor, The rudos team gets almost no offense in, as this is a clear showcase to put over Invader and Bronco’s teamwork in their quest to win the World tag team titles. Bronco wins the match with his falling DDT maneuver.

MD: After Invader 1 chasing Profe last match, they’re coming back with a Lumberjack match. Obviously both teams think that’s to their advantage and call the other team cowards. In the music video what stood out the most was the variety of Hangmen masks. I hadn’t noticed that before. I’m left wondering what happened to Bronco’s valet. I’m annoyed Exotico isn’t Casanova’s partner for obvious reasons. Bronco and Invader work well together, control the arm. Invader sells a bit but only to make a comeback. It kind of amazes me that Bronco’s drop down DDT finisher wasn’t used by basically anyone else for years. 

EB: We end the episode with a match between the minis, as Espectrito and Piratita Morgan face Aguilita Solitaria & Mascarita Sagrada, this time in the TV studio. The match is joined in progress and the rudos are in control. Espectrito misses a knee charge into the corner, giving Aguilita a chance to fire off some off his impressive moves. Espectrito gets sent out of the ring and now we get Piratita and Mascarita in the ring for their teams. Mascarita gets the better of Morgan due to his speed, but the size advantage remains with the rudos. Still, Mascarita is able to dodge charges by both rudos that end up with them hitting the ringpost and going to the outside. We continue with a quick pace, with the wrestlers from both teams going in and out and some miscommunication from the tecnicos leading to the rudos gaining control. It does not last long and Sagrada gets a nearfall off a sunset flip. The match continues back and forth until the bell rings in a time limit draw. 

MD: This cuts out but I do think that the bell rang and it was a draw. I get bringing these guys in. I get putting them on shows. I get maybe having a match now and again on TV to let people know what they’re getting on the live show but they’re so detached from everything else, as an attraction is want to be, that I wonder about spending so much TV time on them. A couple of clips would probably do the trick and then you can sneak in a Giant Warrior promo too or something.

EB: Next week on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we reach the final weekend of January 1991. We’ll find out if Greg Valentine will accept Carlos Colon’s challenge for the steel cage match. We’ll also have an update on our ongoing tag feuds, our first look at Dick Murdoch in Puerto Rico, the TV title tournament is set to take place, and someone gets put to sleep when Carlos Colon takes on the Original TNT.

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El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: Road to Aniversario 90 - Un Reto Para La Historia

Week 27: Road to Aniversario 90 - Un Reto Para La Historia

EB: As the weekend of June 23 approaches, we are just two weeks away from Aniversario 1990. Carlos Colon was able to survive his encounters with Scott Hall and is looking forward to continue focusing on his training. As for TNT, he is also focusing on training for the big match. Questions abound on whether he’s joined up with Chicky Starr but it looks like so far it’s not officially the case (although appearances may make one suspect otherwise). TNT made a very aggressive statement by refusing to wake up Miguelito Perez from the Cobra Dinamita, further poisoning the relationship between him and El ejercito de la Justicia. Other members of El Ejercito de la Justicia want to take on TNT to avenge what he’s done and it looks like TNT may be a bit busier than he expected in the last few weeks before Aniversario.

There are also some new developments in CSP that have happened in the weeks leading up to June 23 that need to be mentioned. There was a new debut for El Club Deportivo, a wrestler known as the Mongolian Mauler. He quickly made his presence known by attacking Invader #1 after a match Invader had with Atkie Mulumba on June 16 (a match that went to a double countout). Carlos Colon ended up making the save for Invader #1 from the attack by both Mauler and Mulumba. Also on that June 16 card we had Rick Valentine and Super Medico #3 go to a time limit draw, Huracan Castrillo and Invader #4 defeating Los Mercenarios by DQ, and Leo Burke cheating to defeat Super Medico #1. We also have new Caribbean tag team champions as, at some point in June, the Caribbean Express defeated Chicky Starr and Leo Burke for the titles. Castillo and Perez are scheduled to defend their recently won titles at Aniversario against a team they started feuding with in the latter half of May. But there is one more development that happened on Sunday June 17. A tag match that was held in Coamo featured the teams of Carlos Colon  & Invader #1 and Atkie Mulumba & Scott Hall squaring off. Due to events that happened during the match it seems that there is some discontent between Mulumba and Hall, which led to El Profe taking a crucifix. We'll soon discuss in more detail what this will result in.
We’ve reached the point chronologically where we are fortunate enough to have tv episodes from this time period available. For this edition of El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we'll touch briefly on the goings on presented in the tv episodes but will focus on specific segments by posting a separate link to those videos where possible. In other instances, we’ll identify the time stamps of the referenced segments on the tv episode available. So let’s go to part of  the June 23 edition of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre  and see what’s been happening and what matches we have set for Aniversario 90. I hear we’re getting some returning faces and some newcomers as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itQm-QjHXC0

The version of the episode we have starts already a bit of the way through the episode, as we see a promo from Huracan Castillo talking about a World Junior title defense he has that evening against Chicky Starr. Castillo makes mention that Chicky is likely annoyed about losing the Caribbean tag titles to him and Miguelito, and promises that he will successfully defend his World Junior title tonight. This is followed by what is supposed to be an interview with Carlos Colon and Invader #1 but it’s only Invader. It seems Carlos is focused on training for the Universal title match at Aniversario and Invader excuses Carlos for not being there. Invader mentions that they are ready tonight when they take on Mulumba and Mauler. Invader showed Mulumba last week he could handle him but he doesn’t know where Mauler came from. They may have had their way with him last week but tonight it will be different. Chicky, Profe, Mulumba and Mauler offer their thoughts, specifically Chicky and Profe. The rudo managers say that tonight they will finish the job they started last week, Colon and Invader will be left laying in blood and finished off. We get a card rundown for that night’s card in Caguas and then at the 4:30 mark we get an update on Aniversario 90. We have a separate video link for this segment, so let’s watch and see what the scheduled card is as of June 23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZs8ed140s

This Ruta a Aniversario segment has Hector Moyano outside of the locations for Aniversario 90, where ten matches will be held across two venues in Bayamon. The event will be held at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel and Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez. Before going to the card rundown, Moyano wants to show us the most recent development in the Invader #1 and Leo Burke rivalry. Both men have taken part in an official contract signing for their match at the event. Hugo is present for the signing and we have Invader and Burke sitting at the table with the head of the Puerto Rico Boxing and Wrestling Commission, Chciky Starr is also there and it looks like the match that Burke and Chicky have come up with is a ten round boxing match where the Caribbean title is up for grabs. Burke and Chicky are confident about the match choice and think Invader #1 is making a big mistake, with Chicky telling Invader that his brain is not working if he signed up for this. Invader remains silent and starts smiling as Leo and Chicky leave. Hugo goes over to ask Invader why he has remained quiet despite all the things Chicky and Burke were saying. Invader simply says ‘They're going to get the surprise of their lives, Savinovich’. 

We go back to Moyano who confirms that this match is now official for Anviersario. The matches at Aniversario will not be shown on tv for at least a year and that the screens have been tested to ensure that all fans in attendance will be able to watch all of the matches regardless of which site they are at. Here is the card rundown: At Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, we have Zeus (yes, Tiny Lister) vs., Abdullah the Butcher, Wendi Richter defends the WWC Women's title against Monster Ripper, Invader #1 challenges Leo Burke for the Caribbean title in a boxing match, the Super Medicos defend the World tag team titles against the Rougeaus, and Chrs Youngblood will face the Mongolian Mauler. At Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel we get the main event of Carlos Colon vs TNT for the Universal title, The Caribbean Express defend the Caribbean tag titles against Los Mercenarios, Mark Youngblood vs Rick Valentine, a minis match as Mascarita Sagrada & Aguilita Solitaria face Espectrito & Piratita Morgan, and Scott Hall faces Atkie Mulumba in match that was recently signed for the event. Moyano reminds fans where they can get their tickets and mentions the musical acts that will be at Aniversario.
From there we get  a card rundown for that night’’s house who in Caguas: Carlos Colon & Invader #1 vs Atkie Mulumba & Mongolian Mauler, a handicap match where Scott Hall takes on Los Mercenarios, a no time limit rematch as Super Medico #3 takes on Rick Valentine, a ten round boxing match where Super Medico #1 faces Leo Burke, Huracan Castillo defends the World Junior title against Chicky Starr, Miguelito Perez vs El Profe and Invader #4 faces Eddie Watts (in what is basically Eddie’s last appearance in this run). We close the video with a rundown of the WWC top ten rankings, which includes a clip of Carlos Colon celebrating with the Universal title after defeating Abdullah the Butcher a few months before.   

MD: A quick comment on this episode in general. I’ll be curious as we move forward if others are set up like this, but it was a slew of promos and packages with a name vs name match at the end. It could just be due to the build to Aniversario. Of course they were also building to the show at a Caguas which looks like a lot of fun on paper. A lot of matches with secondary build (like another Burke boxing match), putting both Chicky and Profe out there, and having Hall face both Mercenarios which I bet was a blast. I liked the turn and was ok with Hall getting Profe up in the crucifix so early because the real money is to see whether he can do it to Malumba, right? Speaking of Malumba, the promo with him and Mauler was funny, with Mauler’s eyes and Malumba’s tongue. I wouldn’t want a main event act to be a sideshow attraction like that but Malumba was being shunted to the midcard now so it’s ok. Mongolian Mauler feels like a perfectly solid follow up in the territory to Albright, for instance, though I wasn’t aware he was using the gimmick so early. 

Again, the week to week booking just feels so solid and now we’ll be able to see it even better for a while. The build to Aniversario has been fun overall. As for the card itself, I’ll just note that Monster Ripper feels like a total attraction as we haven’t seen anything like her in the last year and the Rougeaus are a good “get”, just perfect for the territory. 

EB:  After the Ruta a Aniversario segment we get our tv main event for this episode as TNT faces another member of El Ejercito de la Justicia in Huracan Castillo Jr.

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

TNT immediately starts attacking Huracan before Castillo can get his ring jacket off. It looks like TNT is continuing the aggressive streak he showed at the end of his match vs Miguelito Perez the previous week. TNT controls the first couple of minutes, which sees him attempt a very nonchalant cover on Castillo. This is a matchup of two champions, as TNT is the current TV champion and Castillo is the current World Junior champion. A snap suplex attempt by TNT only gets a two count and TNT tosses Huracan out of the ring. TNT rams Castillo into the barricade and continues in control after they return to the ring. Halfway through the match. Castillo is able to counter with a clothesline off the ropes that gives him the opening to mount a comeback. Castillo hits a high knee that sends TNT to the apron, and then follows up with a nice headscissor takedown that brings TNT back into the ring. As the match continues, the camera cuts to Chicky Starr observing the match from a distance. He seems interested in TNT. As we’ve seen before, it looks like Chicky has been influencing TNT but as of right now TNT has not joined Chicky or El Club Deportivo. Back in the ring, TNT and Castillo fight back and forth with dueling pin attempts. TNT is able to hit a spin kick that sets up the Cobra Dinamita. Castillo tries to fight it but is put out by the hold. TNT gets the win but again exhibits poor sportsmanship by refusing to wake up Castillo. TNT heads to the locker room and the ref checks on Castillo. After a few moments, Miguelito Perez appears and revives Castillo. It seems that Victor Jovica has been teaching them the sleeperhold and its related secrets, meaning there are more people with knowledge on how to wake people up from the cobra hold. Still, a very aggressive TNT gets another win before Aniversario.

MD: In my eyes this is a different TNT. He had wrestled the Perez match clean and even and it wasn’t until the post-match that things took a turn. Here, he attacks Castillo as he was getting his jacket off and really doesn’t look back, just leaning hard upon him. Castillo finally ducks a shot and makes a comeback and it goes pretty even from there. I liked Castillo’s headscissors takeover to TNT when he was on the apron, bringing him back into the ring; you don’t see that every day. I wish TNT had Abby’s timing on his throat shots and they’re fine and even look good, but they’re not Abby’s despite them working together at times. Eventually, he hits a spin wheel kick out of nowhere and locks in the cobra and at least Perez knows how to wake his partner up after TNT leaves him laying. We see Chicky show up ominously (or at least the camera focuses him for the first time) mid match. 

EB: That same weekend we also had a Campeones episode that as usual featured some past matches while also updating fans on what’s been going on. Here's a link to the full episode for those interested. The big development from this episode is that they will show what happened in Coamo between Scott Hall and Atkie Mulumba.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQXnROV6EGo

The Campeones episode is hosted by Hugo and Chicky, with hype for the upcoming Aniversario card. Hugo makes a remark about suspecting that Chicky is TNT’s manager already ,something that he denies. The show will feature matches highlighting some of the wrestlers appearing at Aniversario 90 such as Monster Ripper and the Rougeaus. There's also a new TNT music video that will be shown in the program. We go first to a Monster Ripper vs Sue Green match. For those unaware, Monster Ripper had a  previous run in CSP around 1987, where she had a rivalry with Wendi Richter over the WWC Women’s championship. She’s returning for Anniversario and it looks like she’s scheduled to renew that rivalry with Richter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOy1i7bASAI

Chicky on commentary hypes up the intelligence, strength and beauty of Ripper. Susan Green isn’t able to take her ring jacket off before Monster Ripper rushes her and continuously rams Green headfirst into the corner. Hugo puts ove Ripper’s credentials, mentioning that she is the number one contender to the WWC Women’s title (which would be held by Wendi Richter). Ripper continues attacking Green, not allowing her into the ring. Susan finally gets her ring jacket off on the outside, but Ripper catches up with her and continues attacking Green (including ramming Susan's head into some structure on the field). Hugo comments about the incident that happened the past Sunday where it looks like Scott Hall is no longer affiliated with the rudos, with Chicky promising that Hall will pay dearly for his betrayal. Ripper throws Susan headfirst into the ringpost and gets back into the ring. Ripper continues on offense, just dominating Susan, However, Green dodges a corner charge and this allows Susan to get some offense going on Ripper. This doesn’t last long as Susan misses an elbow drop and Ripper hits a series of legdrops to establish control again. The conversation between Hugo and Chicky turns towards TNT and it looks like that, although Chicky has been in TNT’s ear, TNT has not joined El Club Deportivo. It seems Chicky is on a quest to make sure TNT secures his services as a manager, but that has not happened yet (so who knows if TNT has truly gone over to the other side). The match continues with Monster Ripper mainly in control, establishing how dangerous she is. Susan mounts another comeback despite bleeding from her head, but again Ripper quickly regains control. The match ends when Monster Ripper hits a couple of middle rope splashes on Green for the win. Green is carried away on a stretcher to hammer home how dangerous Monster Ripper is.

MD: This sure gets a lot of time. Ripper attacks from the start and maybe if I was laying this out and wanted it to fill as much time, I would have had Green get a little bit of a shine and have a much shorter comeback? When Ripper is beating her around ringside, it’s effective, and I get that this was an arena match and not a studio match but sometimes you should just let the monster crush, right? At least she ended it with a huge gorilla press.

EB: At around the 14:40 mark we get the clip from Coamo where we can see what happened with Hall and Mulumba. We’ll discuss this in a bit since we have a video of the full match but I want to highlight that Chicky on commentary was enraged at this betrayal by Scott Hall and that Hall was going to pay dearly for this. Los Mercenarios and El Profe have a promo after the clips where they reiterate that Hall will pay that night for the betrayal and attack on El Profe  when they face off in a handicap match. We also get a squash match for the Rougeaus since they are debuting in the territory at Aniversario.

MD: Won’t cover this too much but it’s interesting, for an enhancement match, that the Rougeaus give up so much early. It’s to get them heat by consoling and hugging one another. Also, their finish being a crab/kneedrop combo is not something I remember. 

EB: At around the 23:45 mark we get a promo from Chicky and Leo Burke about Leo’s upcoming boxing match vs Super Medico #1 tonight. They will show that the loaded glove accusations are false. Super MEdico #1 follows with comments that he wants the fans to see what happened the previous week. The clip rolls and we see that Burke used a Chicky Starr distraction to put on a boxing glove and hit Medico with it to steal the pinfall win. Because of this Medico is facing Burke tonight in a boxing match. Medico promises that we will really find out if Burke is any good when the opponent is on equal standing as him. Huracan Castillo offers some brief comments about his upcoming matches vs Chicky Starr and the Mongolian Mauler. 

MD: We really just get the finish here, which is a Chicky distraction leading to the loaded glove. I bet this was good overall though.

EB: The Campeones episode also shows the previously covered Caribbean title match between Invader #1 and Leo Burke where Burke won the title. After that, we get a brief Ruta a Aniversario segment and card rundown for that night in Caguas. This is followed by a promo from the rudo alliance of Chicky, Profe, Mulumba and Mauler about that night’s tag match. Their opponents follow with their promo and this time we get Carlos Colon appearing with Invader #1 as they promise to deal with Malumba and Mauler tonight.

MD: Mauler still has the eyes, but now he has a flag and a chain too. Malumba likes to carry around his voodoo Pez Dispenser. Then Colon and Invader have to seriously talk about him. Interesting that Invader has the mask on for this promo. 

EB: The big finish to the show is the debut of the TNT Evolution music video highlighting how TNT has been training for Aniversario. Before the video airs, Chicky keeps insisting that TNT should be the favorite for the Aniversario match and that he is still trying to make sure he is TNT’s manager before then. The video starts around the 46:15 mark.

There's a couple of matches we want to get out of the way before continuing with the Aniversario 90 hype. The first is the full match from June 17 in Coamo featuring Carlos Colon and Invader #1 taking on Scott Hall and Atkie Mulumba.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbAZzkC3R8

This full match aired later in July on a Campeones episode. El Profe is at ringside but there is no Chicky accompanying Hall. Invader and Hall start by trading arm wringers, with Hall backing Invader into the rudo corner and tagging in Mulumba. Invader manages to put an armlock on Atkie and take him towards the tecnico corner, leading to Carlos Colon being tagged in. As Carlos works over Atkie’s arm, Hugo mentions that Carlos was one of the wrestlers that was able to stop the string of violent victories that Atkie had been piling up in the territory. Invader is tagged back in and continues working over Mulumba’s arm. Invader hits a series of chops but is cut off by a headbutt from Mulumba, Atkie backs Invader into the corner, but Invader is able to scurry through Mulumba’s legs to escape from the corner. Invader gets another armbar and tags Carlos back in. So far the tecnicos strategy has paid off with relatively quick tags and continued focus on Mulumba’s arm. Hall is able to tag in when Atkie gets close enough for him to tag Mulumba’s back. Hall and Invader exchange blows and holds, leading to Invader clotheslining Hall out of the ring. Mulumba goes into the ring as Hall goes back to the corner, but Invader is able to knock Atkie down with some clotheslines. Mulumba rolls outside and Hall gets back in the ring. Hall fakes a test of strength and immediately attacks Invader, gaining control of the match. 

Scott continues kicking and stomping a downed Invader and then tags in Atkie to continue the control segment. Atkie works a chinlock on Invader, with Invader keeping his arm up on the third check by the ref. Invader gets to his feet but Atkie grabs him in a choke lift and tosses him to the mat in order to stop any potential comeback. Atkie hits a nice flying blow off the ropes and Hall tags back in a s they work Invader over in the rudo corner. Carlos tries to come in to help but is stopped by the ref. We go to a commercial break as Hall has Invader in an abdominal stretch and come back to Mulumba getting in the ring to help Hall double team Invader. Mulumba hits another chinlock and, when Carlos tries to come in to break it up, Hall does a switch with Atkie behind the ref’s back. Invader once again keeps his arms up on the third arm check and fights out of the chinlock. Invader ducks a Hall clothesline attempt off the ropes and catches Hall with a  kick to the head (this is around the point where the June 23 Campeones episode starts showing what happened during the match). This gives Invader the opening to tag in Carlos. Colon comes in and attacks both rudos, leading to all four men fighting in the ring (Invader fighting Mulumba and Carlos fighting Hall). The tecnicos ram both rudos into each other and follow up with a double headbutt on Scott Hall. A double clothesline is hit on Mulumba, knocking him to the apron. Invader leaves the ring and it’s down to Carlos and Hall. Carlos attempts a few shoulder blocks but Hall does not go down. On a third attempt, Hall blocks and attempts to ram Carlos into Mulumba’s head on the apron. Carlos is able to counter and instead it’s Hall who has his head rammed into Atkie. Mulumba falls off the apron and Carlos quickly rolls up a dazed Hall to get the three count. The tecnicos win! 

As Carlos and Invader celebrate and leave the ring, a shoving match breaks out between Atkie and Hall. El Profe comes into the ring to break it up but Hall grabs Profe and throws him over the top rope to the outside. Atkie starts attacking Hall but Scott manages to counter with a clothesline as the crowd cheers. El Profe gets back in the ring and Hall grabs him and hits the crucifix on Profe. Mulumba and Hall start exchanging blows again but Los Mercenarios arrive with a chair to help Atkie in his attack on Scott Hall. Los Mercenarios hold Hall down and Atkie hits a splash on the prone Hall. Afterwards, Los Mercenarios help El Profe to the back as Mulumba follows behind. It looks like Hall may no longer be welcome in the rudo ranks. 

MD: I’m glad we get this in full. Colon and Invader controlled early with quick tags and working Malumba’s arm. At this point (after the big Malumba vs Colon singles match), Malumba could be a little more vulnerable and Invader was even able to chop him down. Hall took over by feigning a test of strength and kicking him in the gut. Invader is instantly sympathetic with the way his body crumbles after shots. Just one of the best ever at portraying damage like this. Hall and Malumba lean hard on him for a while. Malumba’s neckbreaker drop is awe inspiring. I figured out what bugs me about this Hall run. I like that he grabs the ropes on the abdominal stretch but he grabs the second rope and not the top which, given his size, makes it seem like he’s losing leverage, not gaining it! Invader finally manages to duck away and he and Colon really clean these guys' clocks, including double headbutts and a double clothesline that Malumba just melts away on. They build to the turn by having Hall stand tall against Invader’s shoulderblocks suddenly, where they’d been just bumping all over a moment before. The turn we’d already seen but it was still effective on a second watch.

EB: We also have footage of the boxing match that took place on June 23 between Super Medico #1 and Leo Burke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5xmeUb897o

We join this match near the start, as Medico has Burke cinched up and backed into the ropes. Instead of a clean break, Leo hits a headbutt on Medico. This allows Burke to hit a flurry of punches on Medico, but Medico once again cinches in a lock up to stop the blows. Burke again hits a headbutt instead of cleanly breaking. We can see what type of fight Invader #1 will likely have on his hands at Aniversario. Hugo complains that Burke cheats during wrestling matches and now also cheats during boxing matches. Burke approaches Medico to get some punches in, but Medico covers up and counter jabs the oncoming Burke. You can tell Super Medico  has definitely trained as a boxer. It’s Burke who this time locks up with his opponent to stop the barrage of jabs, and again Burke does not break cleanly. At this point you can see that Medico is being seconded by Huracan Castillo (Burke of course has Chicky as his second). Medico again gets in a  good rhythm with his punches and Burke cinches up again as the bell rings, signaling the end of the first round. Both men go to their corners for the rest period. We go to the start of the second round and Burke runs towards Medico and tosses some water Chicky had thrown on his gloves during the break. It momentarily gives Burke the opportunity to land some punches but Medico quickly recovers and unleashes a barrage of punches on Burke that send Leo backpedaling. Medico continues on the attack but Burke again cinches up and hits a headbutt to get control once more. Burke traps Medico in the corner and hits several punches, but Medico locks up to stop it. Burke and Medico trade off locking up and it looks like Medico is getting visibly agitated with Burke. The ref tries to separate the fighters, but when they lock up again, Medico hiptosses Burke and dropkicks Leo out of the ring. Chicky protests what happened as he checks on Burke outside of the ring. Hugo mentions that this usually isn’t allowed in a boxing match but when two wrestlers are involved things are different. Burke gets back in the ring and it looks like Castillo is helping to fix an issue with one of Medico’s gloves. The ref tells Castillo to leave the ring and the round continues. Medico is able to trap Leo in the corner and, after a barrage of punches, is able to knock Leo down. The ref starts his count and Burke is saved by the bell signaling the end of round two.

Chicky comes in to help Burke to the corner and we cut to start of round three. Burke is still loopy from the knockdown and Medico rushes in with several punches. Burke goes down again but almost immediately gets back up. Medico continues landing punches on Burke. Leo is able to land a punch that knocks Medico down immediately (which makes me wonder if they loaded the glove up during the previous rest period). An angry Burke starts stomping on Medico, which again is not supposed to happen during a boxing match. Medico is down in the corner but Leo continues punching him as the ref tries to get Leo to back off. Burke finally steps away and El Vikingo starts his count on Super Medico. A dazed Medico barely gets on his feet but Burke immediately rushes him and starts another punching barrage (as Hugo mentions that it was illegal for him to jump in before the ref signaled that Medico had beat the count). Burke lands some punches with Medico up against the ropes, but one punch from Medico gets Burke to back off. However, Medico is still dazed and can’t follow up ,so Leo approaches again and starts another flurry of  punches. Medico catches a second wind and starts countering with his own punches and is able to knock Burke down again in this round. Leo gets to his feet and Medico charges in, waiting for Leo to turn around before starting his punch combinations. They lock up in the corner as the bell rings. 

We go to the rest period as both cornermen check on their fighters. In a hilarious touch, Chicky actually drinks from the water bottle before giving any to Burke. Chicky keeps checking on Burke but as he exits the ring, Chicky leaves the water bottle near the ring apron. Chicky grabs the bottle and takes another swig from it. The fourth round begins and any pretense of a boxing match is out the window, as Burke does kicks to the midsection, a snapmare and two flying kneedrops to take control on Medico. The ref warns Burke but he tries a for a side headlock on Medico, which is countered by Leo being sent into the ropes. Medico leapfrogs Burke and catches him off the ropes with a hard punch to the head. Leo is staggered and Medico gets a hit machine combination on Leo before knocking him down with another punch off the ropes. This is the fourth knockdown of Burke in the match so far. As the ref starts his count, a worried Chicky jumps on the apron, but Huracan Castillo rushes over to yank Chicky off the apron. In the confusion, Medico tries to come off the ropes to land a blow on Burke, but Leo sees him coming and counters, sending Medico headfirst into the top turnbuckle. As Medico rebounds out of the corner, Burke lands a punch right to Medico’s head, knocking him down. The ref turns around and starts the count on Medico, who is not able to get up before ten. Leo Burke, boxing champion extraordinaire, has won the boxing match via fourth round knockout. The video ends with Chicky and Leo celebrating and with Burke starting to say some words into the camera directed towards Invader #1.

MD: This was a pretty good worked boxing match! Maybe one of the better once I’ve ever seen in a pro wrestling context actually. They could still do a few other things but that only came into play now and again. They didn’t have the heavier gloves of, let’s say Piper vs Mr. T, which probably helped. Medico’s a great puncher to begin with so this only highlighted that. He had the advantage on Burke for most of this, with Burke only really able to take over by pressing him into the corner, or getting a lucky shot in now and again. Even then, Medico would turn it around or fire back, even at one point with a big dropkick that sent Burke to the outside. Finish had the ref distracted by Chicky and Burke able to toss Medico head first into the corner which opened him up for a KO blow. There wasn’t any sense he loaded the glove that I could see. It was a somewhat definitive win then, that made him look like a tricky threat against Invader at Aniversario, even if everyone had to now think he’d take a beating, win, lose, or draw. 

EB: The weekend of June 30/July 1 had more Aniversario hype. Two matches have changed as we get closer to the event. Chris Youngblood is now facing Chicky Starr and Monster Ripper will face AWA Women’s champion Candi Divine for said title. In addition, we have finally learned what is the surprise Invader #1 was referring to at the end of the contract singing. It seems that El Ejercito de la Justicia has gotten someone to serve as backup for them at Aniversario 90. It’s someone with experience in helping wrestlers out. It’s… Robocop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5kAIkAL0V0

We have Robocop in the tv studio to show fans that he really is going to be at Aniversario 90. This is the big surprise Invader was referring to. Hugo is hyping up Robocop’s appearance at the show, mentioning the extraordinary effort by those involved in organizing Aniversario 90 to ensure Robocop’s appearance. As the camera focuses on Robocop, Hugo mentions the super matches that will occur at the event such as the Un Reto Para La Historia match as Carlos Colon defends the Universal title against TNT. Hugo also mentions the music acts appearing at the show and even mentions that they will be giving away Robocop decals. There will be surprises and Robocop t-shirts will be given to a limited number of the first fans that arrive at the venues. It will be a big party at Aniversario 90. They had promised the appearance of Robocop on this tv episode and Hugo is sure that the viewers of TeleOnce are happy right now. Seeing Robocop on tv is nothing like standing next to him in person and seeing him live. It’s something tremendous, something majestic seeing this advanced equipment, this modern equipment. The thousands and thousands of dollars this equipment costs and you’ll get to see him live at Aniversario backing up El Ejercito de la Justicia. Tickets will be available at Thom McAn stores until Thursday and after that only at the two venues (Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel and Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez). Gillette has joined in on the event promotion, offering a free promotional photo for the Colon vs TNT match with a purchase of one of their products. Hugo says that next week they will have more information about a surprise they have for the premier of Robocop 2 on the island (premiering Thursday July 12). A lot of exciting things will happen at Aniversario, Zeus vs Abdullah the Butcher, Candi Divine defends the AWA Women’s title against Monster Ripper. Hugo promises Robocop will be back for the show closing. The important thing is that just as you see him now and how he appears in Robocop 2 is how you will also see Robocop at Aniversario. Something tremendous, something never before seen in Puerto Rico. Hugo makes another reminder of the ticket sales and mentions a rundown of what to expect on this episode.  

MD: I’d love to know the financials behind this. The Robocop costume was pretty good. I know I said that about the Monterrey lucha match recently but that was a guy who was doing spots. This is actually Robocop. The only issue was the chin-bit which was a little askew to the side. Robocop’s mom should have straightened his tie first; that kind of deal. You have Hugo hyping this which is something. They were hyping the opening of Robocop 2 in Puerto Rico so I wonder if it was a cross-promotion where there was little cost or if they had a deal or what. I also wish they showed us the boardroom meeting where the Army had decided to bring him in. That would have been high cinema. Now that we’ve gotten one of those meetings, I just want more (I have been informed there was one years before about Ayala’s behavior). It reminds me too much of some of the team meetings I have at work and I could totally see one of those ending with us deciding to bring in Robocop as a vendor.

EB: We also get a bit more clarity regarding the rivalry the Caribbean Express and Los Mercenarios have had going on since mid May.. Let’s go to the rivalry recap video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYbTuf27Zj0

This rivalry seems to have started in the latter half of May. The video is a recap of several matches the two teams had between them. The recap begins with a match from May 16 at Miramar. Los Mercenarios end up double teaming Miguelito Perez, which brought out the Super Medicos for the save (and giving Los Mercenarios a DQ victory). We then go to a rematch from May 23 at Miramar, where we see Los Mercenarios send the Caribbean Express crashing into each other out of the corners. They send Castillo into the corner and try to send Perez in after him, but Miguelito stops short of the corner and sets himself in order to help Castillo launch himself over with clotheslines on both Mercenarios. Castillo gets a small package but the ref is distracted getting Miguelito out of the ring. Ron Starr breaks the pin attempt and that leads to a double DDT. However, the ref saw it and disqualified Los Mercenarios. Next is a match from May 26 in Caguas, one described by Hugo as a more violent encounter between the teams. We join the match with Perez coming in off the hot tag and taking it to both Mercenarios. This match also ends with a DQ win for the Caribbean Express after the ref again sees Los Mercenarios perform a double DDT. The rivalry continued on June 9th in Carolina, This match ended in a time limit draw just as Castillo hit a Perez assisted crossbody from the corner onto Los Mercenarios. On June 20 we had a singles match between Perez and Ron Starr. This one ended in a time limit draw as well (tv matches have a 10 minute time limit). That same night, Castillo and Acevedo squared off in a singles match as well. Castillo had Acevedo in a sleeperhold (Hugo mentions that it was taught to Huracan by Victor Jovica), but Ron Starr comes off the top rope to break it up. Castillo wins the match by DQ. Los Mercenarios attack Castillo a bit before Miguelito is able to make the save. Finally, we go to a match from June 23 between Victor Jovica and Mercenario #1. Jovica gets Acevedo in his sleeperhold but Ron Starr comes off the top rope to break it up. Jovica wins by DQ but is attacked by both of Los Mercenarios. Perez comes in for the save and holds his own against both Mercenarios, but eventually falls to the numbers game. Castillo runs in to save Perez and Hugo says that the two teams will face off for the Caribbean tag titles at Aniversario, with Robocop in the tecnico corner. 

After the rivalry recap, we get comments from Los Mercenarios and El Profe. They are six days away from winning the Caribbean tag titles according to Profe, from facing Perez, Castillo and that sardine can named Robocop. Ron explains why he has a broom with him, so that Robocop can sweep up the mess Los Mercenarios will leave behind. We then get comments from the Caribbean Express, who have Robocop in their corner. Castillo says they are very happy with that surprise they have in their corner and he finds it amusing that they had a broom in that interview. Castillo feels they Los Mercenarios are missing something and that is the trash can. The one where El Profe is going to have to pick his team up and toss them into once the Express are done with them. Hugo mentions that the training has been intense but now they also have the sleeper that Jovica has taught them. Perez agrees with Hugo and asks the fans to make sure to come out and support them at Aniversario. He also wants to be clear that Robocop is not  in their corner because they are afraid of their opponents, Robocop is there because of all of the cheating and underhanded tactics Los Mercenarios and El Profe tend to do. There are still six days to train and they plan to keep the Caribbean tag titles around their waist.

MD: A lot of action with Hugo narrating the twists and turns. There was a bit in here where they tried to toss Perez into Castillo in the corner and Perez put on the brakes and gave Perez a boost over his head to hit a flying clothesline that looked great (albeit with a tricky camera angle) and that Top Flight needs to steal. Mainly thought, it’s impressive they’ve been able to get so much out of this feud. The promo at the end has Ron Starr with a broom for Robocop to sweep up the pieces of the Express after the Mercenarios are done with them.

EB: There's also some music videos hyping up the wrestlers appearing at Aniversario. Let’s begin with an Invader #1 video showing his training for the upcoming boxing match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC7Vm_aO2Po

MD: Yes to Invader 1 training to Eye of the Tiger running through the streets and even his kid putting on his boot. Maybe no to seeing Invader 1 showering. That said, this needed more of him punching giant slabs of meat though.

EB: We also have a video hyping up the returning Youngbloods, set for singles matches at Aniversario.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWoN54nW4FY

MD: Music video to tribal chants to remind the fans about these guys. Best parts were watching Rip Rogers get bodyslammed into a puddle in the middle of the ring repeatedly and the cool Hart Attack off the Top with a double chop that I never got to see them do in 89 since they never got to win matches that cleanly. 

EB: Finally we have a music video for the recently turned tecnico Scott Hall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO2UukkEqCY

MD: Two minutes of Hall punching and kicking guys (carefully chosen so it’s not him pounding on top babyfaces) set to Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys, and interspersed with the babyface turn angle. A lot of his cooler offense didn’t make the cut given they were trying to avoid him doing it to TNT or Colon, I imagine.

EB: We’re almost at Aniversario 90 and we have some final interviews with some of the participants for their upcoming matches. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdf8ZyXJot8

Aniversario is next weekend and first we get El Profe talking about Atkie Mulumba’s match vs Scott Hall. El Profe promises that the screams of Scott Hall will be heard loud and clear when Mulumba hits him. Because Mulumba would have been fine if Hall had just attacked Atkie himself,but when he put his hands on El Profe that is when Mulumba went wild. Mulumba is going to end that cowboy for what he did and Hall will pay dearly for his betrayal ‘All the people at the stadium will see that dirty cowboy’s blood’. Next we get Chicky Starr and Rick Valentine, with Valentine commenting on his scheduled match with Mark Youngblood. It looks like Hugo was going to talk with Chicky but it cuts away, so it may be that the interview was recorded with the Mongolian Mauler still being scheduled to take on Chris Youngblood instead of Chicky. 

We then get comments from the Super Medicos about their World tag title defense against the Rougeaus. Super Medico #1 mention that they know the quality of the Rougeaus, of their conditioning and that they've battled many of the great tag teams that are active around the world. But they have never faced the Super Medicos,and if the Rougeaus think they’re walking away with the World tag titles then theta re mistaken. Super Medico #3 adds that his father has said it all, but they intend to walk out champions so the Rougeaus better come prepared. We also get some comments from one of the music acts performing at Aniversario, a singer named Zuleycka. This is followed by an updated card rundown narrated by Hugo.

Los Mercenarios and El Profe are next with comments about their challenge for the Caribbean tag titles. El Profe is dismissive about the Caribbean Express having Robocop in their corner and that it won’t make a difference. RonStarra adds some comments and threatens Robocop with using a can opener on him. The Caribbean Express then offer their thoughts on the upcoming title match, with Miguelito saying they are more confident than Los Mercenarios because they have been training hard and have Robocop in their corner. So Los Mercenarios better bring their A game to even try to get the Caribbean tag titles from them. Castillo mentions that Los Mercenarios are too focused on Robocop and the moment they make a mistake due to being preoccupied with Robocop, that’s when the Caribbean Express will take the win. 

MD: My big takeaways here was that Super Medico 1 took the brunt of their promo work and just let Estrada, Jr. get some boisterous stuff in at the end, and that everyone wanted to talk about Robocop. Ron Starr had the best bit there, about breaking him out of the suit with this tiny can opener he had, but he showed up in almost all of the promos. 

EB: Our final piece of Aniversario 90 hype is an episode of Campeones that aired July 7, the same day as Aniversario 90 in Bayamon. However, the version of the episode we have is actually the west coast version, which hypes  up the July 8 Aniversario night in Mayaguez. You can watch the episode at the following link which is mainly  hype for Aniversario.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X81tHSyK3jQ

Some of the highlights that you will find in this episode  and that are of interest include:

The episode opens and closes with Hugo asking people on the street who they think will win between Carlos Colon and TNT. There seems to be more people favoring Carlos,  although TNT has his supporters.

At the 3:28 mark we get a Leo Burke training video for the upcoming boxing match.

We get a card rundown for Mayaguez, which is identical to the lineup for Bayamon.We also get card rundown for show the Friday after Aniversario, which indicates that The White Angel and Gama Singh are making returns to the territory after Aniversario.

At the 21:25 mark we get a promo from Zeus about his match vs Abdullah the Butcher.

At 29:45 TNT cuts a promo where he says this message is for ‘Viejito’ Colon, TNT promises that he will walk out the new champion when they face off at Aniversario. All of Colon’s training will be for naught. TNT knows Carlos has the experience advantage but the Puerto Rican people are backing TNT and when he gets the Cobra Dinamita on Colon nobody will be able to wake him up. Carlos offers some comments as well (for some reason not looking straight at the camera), where he mentions the moment is here and it’s time to see if TNT can back his words up. Carlos thinks that nerves are going to get the better of TNT and that at the first mistake TNT makes, that will be the opening Carlos needs. Carlos knows TNT is a good wrestler so he better be ready and show up, because at Aniversario 90 he will shut TNT’s mouth up.  

At 33:25 we get a Carlos Colon training video which includes footage from the contract signing between Carlos and TNT. Carlos is telling TNT that he better be ready because at Aniversario they’ll separate the men from the boys. We then get the training montage set to Soy Boricua, which shows that Carlos is training in how to counter the Cobra Dinamita. We’ll have to see if that helps him at Aniversario.

MD: This is the hard sell for the show, and it’s good. Bookended by people on the street choosing between TNT and Colon (most pick Colon), with Invader 1 and Leo Burke training videos to start and a Colon training video (including him learning to escape the Cobra), and lots of Robocop talk (including a special feature on Robocop 2), and two virtually the same Zeus promos in the middle. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m excited.  

EB: Next time on el Deporte de las Mil Emociones, it is time for Aniversario 1990.

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