El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: The Week After

Week 30: The Week After

EB: Aniversario 1990 is in the books and it was quite the eclectic event, with minis, an AWA title being defended, Robocop backing up the tecnicos and some memorable appearances (for different reasons) from the Rougeaus and Zeus. We had the Caribbean title change hands in a boxing match, Scott Hall had his tecnico coming out party and there was an hour long draw in the Universal title match. After the dust (or mud in this case) had settled, there was no clear winner between Carlos Colon and TNT. Due to the draw, Carlos retains the Universal title. The match was an intense back and forth, one where TNT seemed to be aggressive first and Colon responded in kind. Now the question is what is next for everyone in CSP. 

We have arrived at July 14, one week after Aniversario. Most of the wrestlers that came in for Aniversario have left, although with the exception of the mini wrestlers (we’ll see them pop up throughout the coming weeks). The tecnicos have two new arrivals in the form of the White Angel and Gama Singh, both who have had previous runs in the territory. How long they will be here remains to be seen. As we dive into this post-Aniversario landscape, we're going to slightly change our format in this installment. Since we’re in a time period where we actually have mostly complete tv episodes available, we are going to focus this week on the programs that aired the weekend of July 14. This will allow us to get a good feel for how CSP is setting up post Aniversario, what feuds will continue and also provide a good understanding of what the dynamic is with how the tv programs worked during this time period. 

First though, we are going to start with a clip from an episode that we don't have in a more complete form. We go to the intro of the San Juan Metro version of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre episode that aired on channel 11 (Teleonce).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBbESFmr24

Hugo is already part way through the show’s intro, talking about this past Saturday’s.Aniversario 90  Specifically, he’s talking about the amazing time limit draw between Carlos Colon and TNT. Before the 60 minutes were up, there was some controversy over TNT supposedly winning the bout earlier (which they’ll talk about more later in the program). The important thing to know is that it was a 60 minute draw and, even more important, is the news that the rematch for ‘El Reto para la Historia’ has been signed for Saturday August 4 at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel in Bayamon (the same location as their Aniversario match).  Earlier, Hugo had been mentioning that tonight they were going to be in Caguas, but something happened on one of the other TV programs where Hugo and Carlos Colon serve as co-hosts (he’s referencing Campeones which airs on a rival channel). Something happened on that program, and Hugo wants the director to show what went down.

The clip cuts immediately to an argument that’s occurring between TNT and Carlos Colon ,with Hugo caught in the middle.  Hugo is asking TNT to wait a moment but TNT is already in Colon’s face and saying “Why do I have to wait until August 4 for a rematch for the Universal title? Why don’t you defend it tonight in Caguas?” Colon responds “Because that’s what the commission decided.” Things get more heated as TNT starts pointing at Carlos and Carlos slaps TNT’s hand away (“Don’t put your hands on me, with more respect here.”) TNT exclaims “You know that at Aniversario 90 Un Reto para la Historia I gave you a beating and I won the title from you! The real Universal champion is TNT!” Carlos looks at Hugo: “Wait a moment, Hugo I think this man has gone crazy, he’s become disrespectful and now he’s coming here in this manner...”. As Carlos is speaking, Hugo tells TNT to be more respectful, causing TNT to yell at Hugo to shut up. TNT again yells why doesn’t Carlos put up the title tonight. Hugo tries to calm things down but Carlos continues saying that TNT is disrespecting not just him but Hugo and the tv viewers as well, meanwhile TNT starts yelling about how Carlos is old and that he defeated Carlos  at Aniversario, so why don’t they fight tonight in Caguas.  

Hugo again tries to calm things down, telling TNT that the card is already booked for tonight, prompting TNT to again yell at Hugo to shut his mouth. Carlos says that he’ll fight TNT anytime, but the rematch was signed for August 4. TNT yells “I don’t care about August 4, we’ll wrestle tonight! The real champion here is TNT!” Carlos starts getting more upset: “Let me tell you something TNT, (voice gets angrier) who do you think you are?” TNT: “I am the karate ninja TNT and I’m the real Universal champion!”” Carlos: “I’m not afraid of you or of anybody! I’ll fight you anytime!” TNT: “I want to fight with you tonight in Caguas!” Carlos looks at Hugo and tries to tell him something but TNT keeps yelling about why they are not wrestling tonight. Hugo again tries to tell TNT that the card is already booked and again TNT goes off telling Hugo to shut up,that he doesn’t care about that. ”Why don’t we fight tonight! Are you scared?” Carlos shoves TNT at that remark, saying he’s not afraid of him or of anyone. Hugo tries to stay between the two as things are more heated and TNT and Carlos are trying to get at each other. Carlos says that he’ll fight TNT here right now if he wants. Finally, Carlos goes ”Let’s do something Hugo. I’ll wrestle TNT tonight in Caguas but with one condition... (TNT yells something at Carlos) wherever, we’ll fight right now if you want (Hugo pleads for that not to happen)... Hugo, I am tired of this guy’s shameless actions (TNT yells at Carlos “I don’t care what type of match it is!”), one condition, if this match goes and I defeat you (points at TNT), like i'm planning to do, then you can forget about the Universal title.” TNT: “We’ll do whatever, all I want is to break your face!” Both Carlos and TNT keep getting heated and start taking their jackets off. Hugo panics and asks Carlos if he accepts the challenge for tonight in Caguas, to which Carlos says yes. Hugo then quickly turns to TNT: “He accepted the match, TNT, please leave!”, but TNT and Carlos are still arguing and try to get at each other again as Hugo is caught in the middle, desperately trying to throw it to the next segment. 

The video transitions back to Hugo in the studio, where Hugo remarks that the situation got tense for him there, he took his lumps there. The match is now added to tonight’s card, Carlos Colon vs TNT in a non-title match in addition to the other scheduled matches.   

The confrontation that occurred between Carlos Colon and TNT happened on the Campeones episode airing on local channel 2 (Telemundo), which is why Hugo was vague about what program it happened on (Superestrellas aired on channel 11 at the time). We do have that Campeones episode and are including the link, but for our review we’ll touch upon some of the highlights of the episode (since the matches are mainly from before our relevant time period or ones we already covered).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F_u5qR_LBM

The episode starts with Hugo and Carrlos as the hosts, with Hugo introducing Carlos as the still reigning Universal champion. Hugo thanks the fans for all the calls received, with congratulations for Carlos from all over the island. Carlos thanks Invader #1 and Huracan Castillo Jr. for subbing for him the past couple of weeks as he was training for his match, then he and Hugo run down what’s to come on this week’s episode. The conversation then turns towards tonight's show in Caguas, where the main event is the new Caribbean champion Invader #1 defending against the former champion Leo Burke. Carlos and Hugo mention that Burke is very angry about his loss at Aniversario since he was the favorite to win in the boxing match due to his skills, but Invader #1 embarrassed Burke and left him laid out. We also have Scott Hall and Atkie Mulumba in a rematch from Aniversario 90, with Carlos saying that he thinks Hall will be looking to finish the job tonight. Carlos also mentions that he wants the fans to know that they’re talking with Scott Hall about officially joining El Ejercito de la Justicia, to which Hugo remarks that he had heard the rumor and was glad Carlos put it out there. Hugo mentions  that the Super Medicos will also be facing Los Mercenarios tonight, but then pivots to talking about Aniversario 90. 

Before giving the fans some big news, Hugo wants Carlos to share his thoughts about his title match against TNT at Aniversario. Carlos mentions it was a hard, tough battle (Hugo interjects violent as well), but he is satisfied with the decision since it was a draw and that means he remains the champion. A draw against a wrestler of the magnitude of TNT is a great triumph, so he is satisfied, happy and thanks the fans for going to the event and giving their support. Hugo mentions that both Carlos and TNT displayed a high level of wrestling dignity and conditioning, a 60 minute draw is a feat. Hugo then announces the big news, due to the controversies in the match and that it ended up being a draw, that means TNT remains as the number one contender. A rematch has been signed and it will take place on August 4 at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel. Hugo asks Carlos how he will prepare for the rematch and Carlos says just like he did for the first one, by training hard, this rematch will be with no time limit so he has to be ready to go as long as it takes. Carlos thinks he has an advantage because they went 60 minutes at Aniversario and, at the end of the match, he had TNT in the figure four. With just a bit more time he would have made TNT submit. All modesty aside, Carlos feels he was in better condition than TNT and that TNT was saved by the bell. Hugo: “So you felt you had him?” Carlos says that he did think he had TNT ready to give up. Carlos thinks the no time limit stipulation works in his favor. Hugo comments that there has to be a winner since there is no time limit, and he wants to know what Carlos will do for this type of match. Carlos mentions that since tonight he’s not scheduled in Caguas and that he is taking it easy with his schedule, he’s going to take the opportunity to train hard for the rematch to show up in better condition than at Aniversario. He thinks this will be the most important match of his career. Carlos already showed TNT that his desire to be Universal champion was not going to be as easy as TNT thought, and now Carlos has the goal of defeating TNT decisively so that TNT asks for forgiveness, not from him but from the Puerto Rican people. “I'm going to train hard so TNT can be embarrassed as he deserves to be embarrassed.” Hugo again asks Carlos about his training when TNT barges on set and we get the altercation that aired on Superestrellas as well. Hugo frantically throws it to our first match as the altercation ends.

The first match in the episode is an Invader #3 vs Mr Pogo match from either 1988 or 1989. I won’t recap it in detail but will mention that Hugo is solo on commentary. It seems Carlos was so upset by the confrontation with TNT that he has left the studio and now Hugo is alone for the show. Hugo apologizes to Carlos and the fans for TNT’s actions on behalf of himself and the team at Capitol Sports TV. Hugo confirms the match is official for tonight and that it is non-title. The Pogo and Invader #3 match is from Caguas and is airing because Mr. Pogo will soon be making a return to the territory. Hugo mentions that Friday they will be in Yauco and tomorrow Sunday they will be in Aguadilla.As the match progresses Hugo talks about how Carlos and Chicky alternated each week as Hugo’s co-host, and that it was the first time they had Carlos in almost a month since he had been training for his Aniversario match. The match between Pogo and Invader #3 is a solid, back and forth match with Pogo getting the win with the cobra sleeperhold.

Other notable occurrences in this Campeones episode include promos from Leo Burke and Invader #1 about their match tonight, a White Angel music video and promo about his return to Puerto Rico,  a quick Scott Hall promo surrounded by kids about his match tonight with Mulumba, and a Profe rebuttal promo where he promises that Atkie will teach Hall a lesson for betraying them. The program ends with Hugo closing the show, once again apologizing to the fans for what happened at the start of the program with Carlos and TNT. He knows the fans were looking forward to finally having Carlos back on the program after being gone these past weeks, but it was an unfortunate incident that prevented him from staying on the program today. Hugo thinks that it was not the time nor the place for TNT to do what he did, especially since the rematch had already been signed for August 4. Hugo confirms again that the challenge for tonight was accepted and it will be Carlos Colon vs TNT in a non-title match. At that moment, Carlos reappears on camera to apologize to Hugo and the tv viewers about storming out earlier (Hugo: ‘We are the ones that should apologize’), but he was so angry about TNT that he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be able to narrate and host the show after that. But he sends a message to TNT that he better stop with the disrespectful actions because he (Carlos) respects the viewers and tonight it will be a different story, since he won’t be the gentleman he was on the program. TNT will be facing a wild man tonight and the job Colon couldn’t finish last week will be finished tonight. It will be a fight tonight and he will end TNT for being shameless and a charlatan.

MD: One constant thread since we started the project is that the booking has been solid, especially on top, but not just, given the constraints they have. By constraints, that’s the occasional injury or act of weather, and the fact that a lot of top talent were locked into contracts by WWF or WCW/NWA and therefore couldn’t be tapped into even as a guest. It makes total sense for them to stick with the TNT program now. The title match was inconclusive, the start of a story instead of the end of one. Nothing was proven. There’s no reason why this couldn’t take them deeper into the year, thus the confrontation. I think part of me expected that they would bring in Chicky now to get more heat but there could be reasons not to that we'll learn soon. Still it's notable, coming out of Aniversario, there isn’t a clear lead heel.

I guess that’s one reason to have Pogo coming back into the territory. Otherwise, it does seem like they’re rolling right into a “Wrestlemania Revenge” type show with Invader and Burke and Hall and Malumba still going at it. Of course you can put Los Mercenarios against any of the tecnico teams. Heating up the White Angel again (and bringing in Gama Singh) is interesting since they seem stacked on the tecnico side. Case in point, a quick Scott Hall promo with him surrounded by kids. The accent on Thompson when he says “Puerto Rico” is something else though. 

EB: The other episode we have for this date is the west coast version of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre. As mentioned in previous installments, since TV in Puerto Rico still operated in having specific regional broadcast signals, the west coast channel that broadcasts Superestrelelas usually had a version that referenced the events happening on the Sunday west coast house shows and the interview and house show lineups reflected this. So keep that in mind as we dive into this episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mIB9vRYbcU

Hugo opens the show by running down what we’ll be seeing on today’s program (including mentioning the returns of White Angel and Gama Singh to Puerto Rico). You’ll notice that this intro is different from the San Juan Metro area version we saw earlier, that is because since Carlos and TNT are not planned to match up at the west coast house show the next day, there is no need to mention the altercation and challenge that happened on Campeones. Instead, Hugo hypes up the card taking place the next day in Aguadilla. Hugo also wants to briefly talk about Aniversario 90, although again some references of what happened will be regarding the show in Mayaguez rather than what happened in Bayamon. The event was a success in both towns and they want to thank the fans for their support for CSP in their Aniversario event.Hugo talks about the main event of Carlos Colon vs TNT, a tremendous match that was stopped due to blood (again, referencing the result from the Mayaguez card). As a result, Carlos Colon remains the Universal champion. Hugo mentions some of the results from Bayamon such as Invader #1 winning the Caribbean title and mentions the encounter between Scott Hall and Atkie Mulumba (so we are starting to get a good idea about the top rivalries being highlighted post Aniversario).

Hugo then talks about the house show tomorrow in Aguadilla at 3:30pm, with the main event being Invader #1 vs TNT. Also on the card, a rematch between Scott Hall and Atkie Mulumba, a World tag team title match as the Super Medicos defend against the duo of Leo Burke & Rick Valentine, the minis that were such a hit at Aniversario will be wrestling in a singles match as Aguilita Solitaria takes on Espectrito, Miguelito Perez and Gama Singh team up to take on Los Mercenarios, and Invader #4 faces Chicky Starr. Hugo then takes us to the first match on the show, as the returning White Angel takes on the monster known as Atkie Mulumba.

Eliud Gonzalez is out commentator for this match. Eliud makes note of the size difference between the two wrestlers as White Angel mocks Mulumba’s belly slapping by doing his own version. Angel keeps his distance but is caught in a lock up in a corner. Mulumba tries an overhand chop at the break but Angel ducks out of the way and Atkie hits the top turnbuckle instead. The same sequence is repeated although this time Angel blocks the blow and counters with several unanswered punches. Angel gets a headlock on Atkie, but Mulumba backs Angel into a corner and breaks the hold with a corner splash. Atkie takes over with several blows in the corner, and then proceeds to bite White Angel in the face. Angel fires off several kicks after the biting stops but Mulumba isn’t fazed and grabs Angel in a double arm choke. Angel backs Mulumba into a corner and breaks the choke with several punches. Atkie cuts Angel off with an eye rake and knocks him down with a nice thrust kick. Mulumba continues on the attack with an eye gouge and choking Angel on the ropes. A clothesline sends Angel to the outside, with Atkie following him out. Both men fight on the outside before Angel gets back in the ring. Angel catches Mulumba coming in with a kick and several punches, and hits a clothesline when Mulumba is shot into the ropes. Atkie absorbs the blow and doesn’t fall down. Angel follows up with some standing punches in the corner but an irish whip attempt is countered into a corner splash by Mulumba ,who then hits a headbutt to set up a splash. Atkie picks up Angel before the three count, hits another splash and then picks Angel back up before the three count. The referee warns Atkie about this behavior. Atkie goes to the top but the camera cuts away as he starts jumping off (it looks like Angel was starting to roll away). Eliud continues narrating as it appears that something may have been messed up in the ring since they continue with the crowd shot. When we cut back, Mulumba is attacking Angel and it looks like the referee has had enough of Atkie refusing to make the cover and awards the match via dq to White Angel. The winner is White Angel, although he looks worse for the wear compared to Mulumba.

MD: I like Thompson well enough when he’s got someone like Chicky (or even a Burke) backpedaling from him. I’m not sure he’s up to the task to stand toe-to-toe with Malumba. Malumba does take most of this including beating him on the outside but Thompson fires back and it’s, you know, ok. Eventually, Malumba crushes him with a splash and then picks him up. He presumably misses the top rope splash but they decided to cut to a wide shot of the crowd where they just pan over a bunch of kids which was a bizarre choice. When they cut back, he’s choking Thompson incessantly and the ref gives him the win. Kind of strange if you ask me. 

EB: We then go to a couple of promos talking up the World tag title match between the Super Meidocs and the team of Leo Burke and Rick Valentine. The makeshift team of Burke and Valentine look to capture the World tag titles, with Burke congratulating the Medicos on getting past the Rougeaus. However, Leo has scouted them and saw all the mistakes they could capitalize on. The Super Medicos thank the fans for their support this past week at Aniversario and they know they have to be careful of Burke’s figure-four and Valentine’s bionic elbow. Super Medico #1 says ”Also, we don’t make mistakes, the mistake was made by you when you signed to face us for the World tag team titles.” 

MD: These two interviews are setting up a tag match between Burke and Valentine and the Medicos. I thought Burke was pretty effective in congratulating the Medicos for their Aniversario win and being brave enough to put up the belts, but noting that he saw a lot of mistakes in their match and that he and the “bionic elbow” were going to take the titles. Medico 1 then said the real mistake was taking a match with them in a solid retort and Estrada, Jr. got to thank the fans.

EB: We then go to this week’s edition of Chicky Starr’s Sports Shop. Chicky welcomes the viewers to the most anticipated segment of the show. Every week there is a special guest and this week is no exception, when he says their name everyone will recognize it. Naturally you’ve all noticed by now, this week’s special guest is none other than Chicky Starr himself. He wants to talk about his match tomorrow against Invader #4, someone that has given Chicky a lot of problems and work. But tomorrow he will show everyone that he can handle Invader #4, that he can end him and that he’ll do something tomorrow he has long wanted to do., He’s going to take Invader #4’s grimy mask off and throws it to the fans so they can throw it into the sea that’s near the arena. Chicky promises to defeat Invader #4 tomorrow. Looks like this is a localized version of the Sports Shop for the west coast audience.

MD: I thought we were going to see the Sports Shop in its natural habitat but he really just cuts a promo on Invader #4, including saying he was going to throw his mask into the sea. 

EB: After the card rundown for the Aguadilla show and an Aguadila Motors commercial, we have Rick Valentine taking on Justo Maldonado.Valentine is accompanied by Chicky, It is a short match, with Justo getting a brief offensive advantage to start but Valentine takes over and finishes Maldonado off relatively quickly with his bionic elbow drop. Chicky barely had enough time to go over to the commentary desk and talk about the beating TNT gave Carlos Colon at Aniversario, although to date there has been no official alliance between TNT and Chicky.

MD: Valentine needs all the help he can get so a squash match isn’t a bad thing. It’s interesting they don’t hammer (pun intended) that he’s Greg or Johnny’s relative but I’m not actually sure how much that would matter here. Chicky’s on commentary. The opponent gets a little bit of comeback but Valentine shuts him down with a clothesline out of the corner and the elbow drop. 

EB: The rivalry between Los Mercenarios and the Caribbean express came to a head at Aniversario but it looks like Acevedo and Ron Starr have a chance at getting some revenge on Miguelito Perez. They are scheduled to face Miguelito and the returning Gama Singh in Aguadilla. Los Mercenarios say it makes no difference if Gama Singh is in there, since they are familiar with him from facing Singh in different parts of the world. Meanwhile, Gama is happy to be back in Puerto Rico and is looking forward to teaming up for the first time with Miguelito. Perez hypes up the match and says he and Singh will be ready tomorrow, and hopes the fans will be there.

We then get a showcase match for Gama Singh, taking on the masked Blue Angel. This match also is relatively short and serves as a reintroduction of Gamna Singh to the local fans (it has been a few years since Singh had a notable run in the territory). Singh shows off his abilities, although at one point he starts undoing the laces of Blue Angel’s mask. After the attempted unlacing, Blue Angel gets a bit of offense in and even makes a pin attempt for a one count. It doesn't last long as Gama takes over again and eventually wins the match with a crossbody off the top rope. Nice win for Gama Singh in his return to CSP. 

MD: These bits were setting up a tag between Perez/Singh and Los Mercenarios. Starr talked up Singh. Then Singh got to talk himself and Perez up and Perez got to talk up Singh too. I’m not sure why Castillo wasn’t there with Perez but I guess having a tag champ team with someone else is a good way to build heat back up if you’re going to let the rudos win. Singh is not someone I’ve seen a ton of but there is that direct pipeline from Canada to Puerto Rico. Against Blue Angel, he was dominant on the mat, had this interesting sweeping arm strike out of a headlock he did a couple of times, and had some fire as Angel got into a pushing contest with him. He won it with a flying body press. I still sort of wonder why they didn’t bring him in as a rudo though that would have disappointed the one support of his they kept cutting to. 

EB: The main event of the Aguadilla house show is Invader #1 taking on TNT, so we get promos from both men. TNT mentions that people that really know about wrestling know that TNT is the real Universal champion, He showed it at Aniversario in Mayaguez and if there is any remaining doubt, he’ll show it again tomorrow against Invader #1. So tomorrow Invader #1, the real Universal champion will put you in the Cobra Dinamita. We go to Hugo and the new Caribbean champion Invader #1. Hugo mentions what TNT said in his promo and Invader responds by saying that it’s very easy for someone to get in front of the cameras and say many things, but when the bell rings it gets hard to do. For the past three months TNT has been telling the Puerto Rican fans that he was going to be the Universal champion, and TNT is not the Universal champion right now. Invader said that he was going to be the new Caribbean champion, and he is the Caribbean champion right now. “So you can say a lot of things but let’s see what you can do when the bel rings tomorrow. Remember what you did to us, because we were very angry about it, you shouldn’t have done what you did. You say that you will put me in the Cobra Dinamita, let’s see if you can really do it. I know you are a tremendous wrestler, but when that bell rings tomorrow that is when you’ll get the chance to show me who you really are! Let’s see if you are man enough or wrestler enough to get that Cobra Dinamita on me.”

MD: These two would be wrestling at the upcoming house show. TNT cut a promo declaring him the true champion. Invader 1 fired back in his own promo with an impassioned diatribe about how he’d face TNT down. I was sold on this after hearing from these two.

EB: We get a rundown of the WWC top 10 rankings, with TNT still as the number one contender and then go to a Leo Burke vs Herbetr Gonzalez match. Leo as always is accompanied by Chicky Starr. A lock up leads to Burke getting a punch after the break but Herbert comes back with some punches of his own and actually takes control of the match with some slams and a headlock. Burke breaks the hold but Herbert maintains control with a shoulder block and an elbow (with the camera cutting to Chicky shaking  his head disapprovingly on the outside). Herbert goes back to the headlock but Burke is able to eventually counter with a back suplex. Burke hits several blows on Herbert and hits a neckbreaker for a pin attempt. Herbert counters a Burke rope throw with a kick and then sends Leo into the ropes for a backdrop. However, Leo counters with a blow to the midsection and immediately works the leg to set up the figure four. Herbert submits and Burke gets the win., Chicky talks to the camera, talking about the stupidity of anyone thinking they can handle the master of the figure four as Burke flashes four fingers at the camera. 

MD: On the one hand, Burke probably gives him a little too much here, but he is that sort of great stooging heel that can get away with that. Plus, with Burke, he can shift gears suddenly, turn right onto Gonzalez’ leg and change the mood entirely, which is what he does here. Chicky’s great in the margins of this, by the way, but no surprise there. 

EB: El Profe, accompanied by Atkie Mulumba. cuts a promo about the rematch between Scott Hall and Mulumba. Profe mentions that the people of Mayaguez received Scott Hall last week with open arms, but tomorrow Profe and Atkie will receive him with closed fists, in order to end Hall, to finish with him and show the people what a coward Hall is. “You are a traitor and that is why we gave you a beating last week, but tomorrow it will be even worse. You're very big but also very stupid, and tomorrow we will finish you so you never get in the way of El Profe and Atkie Mulumba again.” The camera zooms in on Atkie’s face as El Profe finishes his promo.

We also get a rundown of the card for Thursday in Cabo Rojo. The lineup is as follows: Carlos Colon vs. Atkie Mulumba; Invader #1 vs TNT; Super Medicos vs Los Mercenarios; Gama Singh vs Rick Valentine; Miguelito Perez vs Leo Burke; and Aguilita Solitaria vs Espectrito. After this, we get an Invader #4 vs Eddie Watts match that we’ve previously covered.

The last part of the show features our main event for the program, as TNT takes on Super Medico #3 in TNT’s continued series against his former Ejercito de la Justicia stablemates. Eliud Gonzalez does the ring introductions and also does commentary. Eliud mentions that this is a matchup of two of the more popular wrestlers at this moment in Puerto Rico. The match starts with some nice counter sequences that lead to Medico #3 getting some armdrag takedowns and a dropkick that sends TNT to the outside. TNT gets back in the ring and Medico #3 works a headlock takedown. TNT breaks out of it eventually but ends up back in it after Medco #3 counters off the ropes with a dropkick. Eliud mentions that both wrestlers are similar in size so no advantage there for either of them. TNT rolls over Medico #3 for a pin attempt but Medico #3 slides back over into the headlock position on the mat. TNT surprisingly is working this match clean and not as aggressive as we have seen in his more recent matches against the tecnicos, so maybe this may signal him mellowing out on his demeanor towards the tecnicos (then again, we did see how he went off on Colon with regards to the Universal title rematch). Another rollover counter gets two and both wrestlers work to a standing position. TNT sends Medico #3 into the ropes and hits a leapfrog, but Medico #3 stops after passing under and catches TNT with a slam. Medico #3 goes back to the headlock but TNT sends him into ropes and hits a clothesline. TNT hits a thrust to the neck area and some chops, leading to a backdrop and some karate strikes to the downed Medico #3. TNT sends Medico #3 into the ropes, and Medico #3 catches TNT with a front facelock on the rebound. TNT is pushed into the corner as Medico #3 gets some offense in, including a high back body drop for an unsuccessful pin attempt. TNT is able to catch Medico #3 with a spin kick off a rope rebound. This leads to the Cobra Dinamita and TNT wins the match when Medico #3 is put to sleep. Unlike the previous weeks, TNT actually wakes up Medico #3 without incident and quietly leaves the ring, so again not sure if TNT is coming to his senses about how he has been behaving lately. We then get Hugo closing the show reminding fans about tomorrow’s show in Aguadilla.

MD: A clear sub-10 minute win for TNT but Medico III took around half of it, mainly outquicking TNT and utilizing headlock takeovers and smart wrestling. TNT really only controlled for a minute in the middle before Medico came back. He got cut off quickly with the spin wheel kick and immediately put in the Cobra. I wonder if there was less of a need to protect TNT quite so much now that they were past Aniversario. Good match for Medico III to have in general.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de la Mil Emociones,we find out what happened in Caguas in the top rivalries and how they continue to develop. Will TNT get the better of Carlos Colon? Will Leo Burke make Invader #1‘s title reign a short one? Will El Profe make good on his promise that Atkie Mulumba will end Scott Hall's career? We’ll find out as we continue our journey through 1990.

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El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: Bregando a la Chicky Starr

Week 7: Bregando a la Chicky Starr

EB: Throughout Sadistic Steve Strong’s run in Puerto Rico there have been some constants, such as his calling upon the powers of Luc and Damian. Someone who has been a constant part of Strong’s rampage is the man who brought him to Puerto Rico in the first place and set him loose upon El Ejercito de la Justicia. A man who had made it his mission for over three years to get rid of Carlos Colon, Invader #1 and anyone else from El Ejercito de la Justicia who dared go against him. A man who has served as Strong’s translator, hype man, tag partner, accomplice, and mastermind. The one and only self-proclaimed king of wrestling, Chicky Starr.

We’ve previously mentioned some of Chicky’s history in taking about recent events in this 1989 walkthrough, but let’s really take a look at how Chicky became the rudo he is remembered as, whose actions and behavior were such that that the term ‘bregando a la Chicky Starr’ entered the Puerto Rican vernacular and refers to when you betray someone, play dirty, do bad things with premeditation, or just simply do not keep your word.

Chicky got his start working the Puerto Rico indie scene, forming a tag team with one of his trainers Angel Rivera. They wrestled for a few years for different promotions on the island (some of them attempts to compete with CSP), and were considered the top tag team on the Puerto Rican indie scene. They would eventually make tours of Mexico and Canada, specifically a long tenure in Stampede where they wrestled as Los Hermanos Peron (the alleged sons of Eva Peron). Unlike some other notable local stars like Barrabas, Huracan Castillo Sr., and Hercules Ayala, who would have stints with CSP and then also have stints wrestling for other companies, Los Hermanos Peron never really had a stint in CSP until 1983. Early in the year, both started wrestling for the company as tecnicos. Chicky wrestled in the lower card, working a junior heavyweight style (a departure from what one would be used to seeing from him if you only knew him from his later work). As an example of how Chicky would wrestle, here is a TV studio match against the masked Mr. X from the first months of 1983.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SFHwJ_9BW0

MD: There are things you can learn from a 5 minute studio match from 1983 certainly. The first is that Chicky had solid fire as a babyface, but maybe was a little physically awkward for what he was trying to do. Things hit but they didn’t always hit as smooth or clean as you might like. Mr. X had some, shall we say, demonstrative clubbing blows, and wrestled pretty much how you’d expect a Mr. X to wrestle. A short undercard studio match like this wouldn’t have seen at all out of place in Memphis or Mid-South. The fans were overall behind Chicky, especially as the match went on, but you could also sort of see his ceiling in this kind of role.

EB: Chicky would eventually leave CSP for a tour in Southwest for most of 84, eventually returning in the summer of 1985 to Puerto Rico once again as an up-and-coming tecnico, this time with a more visible role on the card. We go to one of Chicky’s TV matches against Ricardo Mendoza (who would also have a couple of runs in CSP as El Gran Mendoza from 87 and onwards), which highlights again the style and presentation he had when he returned to CSP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tm48R8RBkM

There are some details mentioned on commentary that help tell the story.  Joaquin Padin and Hugo Savinovich are on commentary, joined by guest commentator Hercules Ayala. The first thing Hugo mentions is how Chicky has been working with Invader #1 and, with Invader’s help and advice, feels he is getting ready to face better competition.  Ayala mentions that Invader #1 has spent a lot of time working with Chicky, and it’s not been spent in vain as Chicky has improved and gotten better. Chicky is young and ambitious and there’ll be Chicky Starr for a long time. Announcer Joaquin Padin had been saying ‘hay que estar con Chicky’ to the fans (basically, we have to be with Chicky), as a way to help generate support for this up-and-comer. Later on in the match ,when Chicky is trying to get out of a Mendoza chinlock, Hugo asks Ayala what he would think about Chicky facing Invader #3  for the World Junior heavyweight title in a tecnico style encounter (since that is the hottest division right now). Ayala says that is a tough question to answer since Invader #3 has the experience while Chicky is young, hungry, and putting in the work to improve with the help of Invader #1. Chicky eventually gets the win with an inside cradle. And the announcers once again mention that ‘hay que estar con Chicky’. And that is exactly how it went for several weeks, including a highlight video reminding fans that ‘hay que estar con Chicky’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HCzTJVwIGE

Two things about the video looking back, one is that the first masked wrestler seems to have some impressive kicks (potentially explosive you could say); and, hindsight being what it is, it’s an interesting song choice for the video.

MD: I know it’s beside the point but I liked what I saw out of Mendoza here. He had a dynamic look pre-match with a bandana and sunglasses and had a stylized way of calling out to the crowd at key moments. His offense looked really solid, both elbow drops and fist drops and his cut-offs with flying clotheslines. Between the match and the video, Chicky seemed to be finding his niche a little more. He still had a flip over to his opponent that didn’t land smooth but they were able to pick and choose some things in the video that definitely worked. He came off as more of a technical slugger able to assert himself more, which seemed to play into his physical strengths better. The video had me buying him as a credible up and coming mid-carder certainly.  

EB: Chicky continued facing wrestlers and getting wins, but as the weeks progressed, he started expressing his frustration at the quality of opponents he was getting. Chicky wanted better competition and felt that he wasn’t getting it. Eventually, his frustrations grew to the point where he started accusing Invader #1 of being the person responsible for the lack of quality opponents for him.  This would lead to Chicky challenging Invader #1 to a match, student vs mentor. Invader # 1 was hesitant but eventually agreed and the match took place just before Christmas (Dec 21 or 22, I’ve heard both dates depending on the source). Throughout the match Invader would get the better of Chicky in their exchanges but would break cleanly and calmly let him get back in the ring whenever Chicky ended up outside. As you may guess, Chicky grew more aggravated with what he felt was Invader disrespecting him by wrestling him this way and things reached a breaking point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-WBJ08-O2Q

This is a recap video from the latter half of 1986, which includes clips of the initial stages of the feud between Chicky and Invader #1. The video shows both wrestlers at the time in 86 to start but the key part to focus on is the scenes after both wrestlers are shown. We see a clip of Chicky and Invader from their year-end 1985 TV match, where Chicky, right after Invader had  held the ropes open for him to get back in the ring, immediately just straight up kicks Invader in the groin, goes outside to take the chair Joaquin Padin was sitting in at the commentary table, and then proceeds to attack Invader with a chair to the head. Chicky then immediately mocks Invader by doing his signature two jumps and chest slap hype move. We then go to January 6, 1986, where Invader is trying to reason with Chicky about not going down this path (Invader in interviews prior to this match had indicated he was confused about why Chicky did what he did, lamenting all the time he spent working with Chicky on bettering himself only for Chicky to pay him back like this, but also he felt that Chicky could be reasoned with before it went any further). Chicky, who had shown up with a new blonde hairdo, takes a moment to consider Invader’s words and says let me tell you one thing. He then smacks Invader in the head with the microphone busting Invader open. From there, the feud was on and the top rudo in Puerto Rican wrestling was born. The video continues showing some highlights from their first matches in the feud.

From that point on, Chicky Starr became the most hated man in Puerto Rican wrestling, and the top evil mastermind determined to destroy El Ejercito de la Justicia. He would decry what Puerto Ricans were and style himself as a country club gringo of sorts (hence the blonde hair and somewhat preppy look and golf clubs he would initially have) and would become a manager as well as wrestler. Chicky would be joined by his American ‘cousin’ Ron Starr and would quickly align himself with Abdullah the Butcher, forming the first iteration of El Club Deportivo (a reference to playing sports at the country club). A few months in, Chicky Starr’s Sports Shop (named in English because of course Chicky would want it that way) became a staple of the Saturday morning TV show, a Piper’s Pit type segment where Chicky would interact with virtually every person in the promotion at one time or another. His misdeeds throughout the next three years were many, including masterminding plans to attack and injure tecnicos, crossing the line many times on interviews with some choice comments and offensive insults about his adversaries, bringing monsters both known and unknown to do his dirty work, and just being an underhanded slimeball. And no matter how many times he would get his comeuppance for his latest schemes and transgressions, Chicky would vow to get his payback and would usually find a way to once again get back at the tecnicos and the cycle would begin anew. Here;s a highlight video of Chicky in action.

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

MD: A couple of quick thoughts from the turn and the subsequent music video. From the outside in, as someone who’s watched scattered matches and a chunk of the 80s set, I always saw Chicky like Heenan, where he could be dangerous against a certain person low on the card but that ultimately would hide behind his charges. Maybe he develops into more of that as time goes on but he comes off as more of a mix between Heenan and Zbyszko and Piper here. He seems to be presented more credible on a week to week basis than what we see in just looking at the big matches. I love that he has so clear an origin story given what he would become, though. WWF managers like Blassie, Grand Wizard, Albano, Heenan, Hart, Fuji all seemed to be fully formed by the time they were expected to hold up their end. Chicky grew into the scumbag force that he’d become in front of everyone’s eyes, it seemed.  

EB: So far, we’ve seen quite a bit of Chicky in 1989 as Strong’s manager and partner in crime, but Chicky would also have his own separate issues that year as a singles wrestler. One of his notable feuds was against an initially masked wrestler known as the White Angel. Chicky had brought in Angel as part of his stable, but after a few weeks the White Angel expressed his disapproval of Chicky’s tactics during his matches. Because of this, Chicky attacked and kicked the White Angel from his stable, starting a feud between them. A week or so after being kicked out from El Club Deportivo, the White Angel would unmask himself during an interview on TV and join the tecnicos. This feud occupied Chicky during the early Spring  of 89 and here is a match from their series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti_M9mz2vmQ

This match is likely from April 8 of 89 and takes place from Carolina. Chicky and White Angel had previously had a match that ended in a DQ, so they’re matched up again. White Angel rushes to the ring and immediately goes after Chicky, catching him from behind and not giving him a chance to get his ring jacket off. Chicky tries to get away by rolling out of the ring, but Angel gives chase and throws him back into the ring. Chicky tries to beg off but Angel continues to attack Chicky. Again, Chicky tries to roll out and get away but, once again, Angel chases him and carries Chicky back to the ring. You can tell Chicky wants no part of the White Angel. Finally, Chicky manages to get his ring jacket off but Angel continues on the offensive. And this is the pattern of the match, with Angel on the offensive and just having his way with Chicky, and Chicky trying to get away but being unsuccessful. Chicky gets moments where he is able to cut off White Angel’s offensive attack but Angel manages to turn the tide. At one point, Chicky tosses Angel out of the ring and you can see that Chicky has been busted open (Angel also has some blood going). Even when Chicky is on offense, you can tell he is outmatched power wise just by the kickouts Angel has. Chicky’s strategy becomes one of trying to wear down Angel and keep him down via a chinlock so he can’t be overpowered. Angele eventually gets the crowd going and powers out, hitting a flying clothesline to Chicky to regain the advantage. Chicky by this point decides discretion is the better part of valor and rolls out to get away, but again fails when Angel chases him down once more. Back in the ring, Chicky manages to counter some mounted punches and immediately bails and walks towards the locker room. Angel once more gives chase, but when Angel tries to ram Chicky headfirst into the ringpost, Chicky manages to throw Angel off and send him into the post instead. And here we get a perfect summation of who Chicky Starr is. With the ref counting down and his opponent down, Chicky has an opening to get back in the ring and get a possible win via countout. Instead, Chicky turns tail and stumbles back to the safety of the locker room. This feud would end with a cage match to prevent Chicky from running off, although Chicky ended up winning the match via shenanigans (this was the same night where Invader chased Chicky into the cage leading to Steve Strong attacking both Invader and Carlos Colon and leaving them laying).

MD: I’m lucky enough to be constantly talking to Esteban about this stuff as we go. That meant he gave me some of that sum up on White Angel a few weeks ago when we saw him against someone else in passing. I wasn’t sure what Curtis Thompson (Firebreaker Chip) was doing with that name/gimmick but no mask. It feels a little like the somewhat contemporaneous Bobby Heenan/Brooklyn Brawler vs Red Rooster feud, which is me bringing everything back to my points of reference again. The big difference goes back to what I noted above, that Chicky, while vulnerable enough to get overwhelmed in the early going of this match, was also presented as legitimately dangerous enough to sneak in a foul or get his knees up in the clutch and not just take over but also do real damage. Here, he was great at building up hope spots; that sense of vulnerability made the fans bite on each and every time Angel started to come back. The last of these was pretty elaborate with missed clotheslines and getting a knee up to cut him off right when you thought he’d be able to overcome Chicky. Just a great sense of the crowd and their expectations. This was inconclusive but apparently the feud had its share of gimmick matches too.

EB: In the summer, Chicky would compete for the World Junior heavyweight title, managing to have a brief reign as champion. During that time, he had a rudo vs rudo match against Eric Embry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI5EPE2IFfY

This match is from July 15 of 89 and is taking place in Caguas. Chicky is defending the World Junior title, a title he had won from Super Medico just a few weeks before. What’s a bit interesting watching the match is that this version is from a Camperones de la Lucha Libre airing from either the end of August or early September, so your commentary team is Hugo Savinovich, Carlos Colon and Chicky Starr himself. This leads to some interesting exchanges on commentary as Hugo and Carlos take the opportunity to needle Chicky throughout the match. Carlos feels that this is a chance for Chicky to get a taste of his own medicine since he is in there with someone who is just as rudo (or even more so) as Chicky. In an interesting twist, the crowd is actually behind Embry, since Chicky is just that hated. Hugo and Carlos are amused by this and rub it in Chicky’s face on commentary.The match is one where Embry gets the better of Chicky throughout the match, and Chicky tries different tactics to try to get the advantage (rolling out of the ring, offering a handshake) but Embry does not fall for them. It’s a missed crossbody that allows Chicky to get the advantage. Chicky works the leg but eventually they trade blows when Embry fights off a figure four attempt. Embry hits an eye poke and starts biting Chicky. A DDT and flying headbutt only get two for Embry. Several punches to the head and an eye poke set up a bridging back suplex pin attempt by Embry, but Chicky is able to steady himself via placing one leg under the top rope and lifting a shoulder just before the three count. Chicky immediately rolls out of the ring before Embry realizes he hasn’t won. Chicky smugly laughs on commentary, very pleased with himself.

MD: Ten minutes of practically perfect pro wrestling. Two masters who knew how to play off of one another. There wasn’t much in here I’d consider a high spot, but they were able to get mileage out of every punch, and kick, and even more mileage out of Chicky, on his knees, with his hand extended. It must have gone on for a minute but every time the camera zoomed in, you got a close-up facial expression that was somehow better than the last. Eventually they shook and Embry turned his back on him only to spin around and punch him to the fans’ delight. But Chicky was a crafty one and a half a sequence later, you were left wondering if he hadn’t goaded him into it, punch and all, from the start. Great finish too where Embry hit a belly to back but as both of their shoulders were down, Chicky got his feet up onto the ropes to get the leverage to get his own up. I’m not entirely sure about the real life physics of it, but as pro wrestling physics went, it made sense to me. What a cad.

EB: As August of 89 was winding down, Chicky masterminded another plan to get back at one of the tecnicos that he felt had wronged him. This time his target was TNT. If you recall, TNT had tried to put Chicky in the Cobra Dinamita during a match they had, which kickstarted the series between Steve Strong and TNT. Chicky had gone on TV raving about how TNT had tried to kill him with that maneuver, and eventually decided to do something about it. We go to the debut of a  segment called La Esquina Caliente (The Hot Corner), taking place live at one of the house shows.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8hbKsIREXE

Chicky has a mysterious man dressed in black with his face covered, dressing in a similar style as the ninja wrestlers that have appeared in CSP. Chicky introduces him as the original TNT, a man who has come to Puerto Rico with one purpose. He has a message to deliver, but first Chicky wants to call out the impostor parading around as TNT. Yes, Chicky’s plan this time is to call into doubt the identity of TNT. He even calls TNT by his shoot name of Juan Rivera when he calls TNT out to the ring to explain to the fans why he is in fact an impostor. TNT comes out as Chicky continues calling him the impostor. Chicky tells TNT to keep his distance from him and to  pick up a mic that’s there for him. Chicky tells TNT to give him a minute because he needs to talk with the original TNT, who says he is here for the TV title TNT has and that he is the original. TNT responds by saying that first, all the fans here and watching on TV know who the real TNT is. Chicky responds by pointing at the man in black and saying here is the real TNT. TNT continues by saying that he has defended his name across the world and, if your guy (referring to Chicky’s ‘TNT’) wants a shot at the TV title, he only defends against ranked contenders, not just anyone. TNT then tosses the mic at Chicky and leaves the ring. Chicky starts complaining that this is a lack of respect, how dare he not give a TV title shot to the original TNT. But TNT, if you want him to be ranked then remember, this man is undefeated since arriving in Puerto Rico, that means soon he will be ranked by the WWC. So TNT, soon you will have to face the original TNT for that TV title and then we will see what you’re able to do. This man is the original TNT and he will prove it to you and all of the fans. And that is all “my dear friends” for this Esquina Caliente segment.

On TV, Original TNT would face different wrestlers and remain undefeated. Of note was the way he would finish his opponents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bogb0Nbnvg

This match pits the Original TNT vs the White Angel. The match is joined in progress with White Angel on offense and getting the better of ‘TNT’. After hitting a back bodydrop, Angel starts signaling for the full nelson which causes Chicky to jump on the apron. Angel goes after Chicky, which gives ‘TNT’ an opening to apply his cobra sleeper. Angel quickly falls unconscious and  ‘TNT’ gets the win. The ref signals for ‘TNT’ to wake up Angel, but Chicky tells ‘TNT’ to leave. The ref insists and Chicky changes his mind and they go back to wake Angel up, with Chicky doing the whole lay down a towel to hide how the opponent is woken up, the same as El Profe would do back when the actual TNT made his debut. They wake Angel up and, as Chicky distracts the ref, ‘TNT’ gets in a cheap shot on the downed Angel. One thing is certain, this Original TNT definitely knows the cobra sleeper that TNT uses and with similar effect.

Original TNT had shown to be very capable and was undefeated in the short time he had been in CSP. However, he still had not been officially ranked. Still, fed up with the constant calling out by Chicky, TNT agreed to face the man claiming to be the original TNT in a match (albeit non-title). We go to early September of 89.

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

EB: There are many parallels for TNT in this situation compared to when he first made his debut almost three years before. Original TNT shows up and is dominant on TV (just like TNT). He has a manager who is challenging a champion to put his title up in a match vs his wrestler (as El Profe did with Carlos Colon and the Universal title), despite the wrestler being newly arrived and not ranked. Like Colon three years earlier, TNT takes the match just to get the grandstanding and calling out to stop (although in this case it's non-title and with the added wrinkle that Chicky has revealed TNT’s identity without his permission). On commentary, Hugo acknowledges that while the Original TNT is taller, there are similarities in how they look. Surprisingly, Original TNT gets the better of TNT to start. Chicky on commentary keeps calling TNT by his real name and says that he is a cheap copy. Original TNT keeps dominating the match as Carlos and Hugo talk about the pressure TNT must have faced going into the match due to Chicky. Hugo mentions that it’s tough when one goes to the trouble of protecting your identity only for a rival to publicly out their name. Hugo calls out Chicky for not having professional ethics and that it’s low to do this to someone. Chicky protests that the ethical thing is calling out an impostor and unmasking them, and you do that by letting the public know who the impostor is by name. In the ring, although TNT tries to counter, Original TNT remains in control. At one point, a charge by TNT is dodged and TNT ends up outside. Chicky Starr at ringside takes the opportunity to push TNT into the ringpost (causing Carlos Colon on commentary to rant about how they need to get Chicky and Profe banned from ringside so they can’t keep doing this, Chicky says he was just trying to help the impostor back in the ring).

Back in the ring, Original TNT continues to dominate TNT in the match. TNT finally manages to counter with a crossbody for a pinfall attempt, but Chicky distracts the ref, allowing Original TNT a chance to kick out. An eye rake allows Original TNT to gain the advantage once more. The match continues in this pattern for a while, but eventually a clothesline and a dropkick finally allow TNT to go on an offensive flurry. TNT hits a dynamite kick into the corner. As the ref backs TNT away from the corner, Chicky hands something to Original TNT behind the ref’s back. Chicky then runs to the other side of the ring to distract the ref, allowing Original TNT to throw powder into the face of an unsuspecting TNT. Original TNT immediately puts TNT in his version of the cobra sleeper. TNT fights hard to break the hold, including trying to use the ropes as leverage to jump off them and try to get the hold broken. This is similar to what happened to Carlos Colon three years prior. But TNT can’t break the hold and is put to sleep, losing the match.. Afterwards, Chicky jumps into the ring to celebrate with Original TNT. The ref tells Chicky that they need to wake TNT up, but Chicky and Original TNT leave the ring. TNT is still out! The doctor comes out to check on TNT, who has started foaming at the mouth. Victor Jovica, the master of the sleeperhold, also arrives to try to wake TNT up. This whole situation mirrors exactly what went down three years before, only this time it is TNT on the side of being left to potentially fatal injury. Jovica is able to wake TNT up, as Hugo on commentary calls out Chicky for once again showing a lack of professional ethics by leaving TNT under the effects of the hold without waking him up (despite TNT himself doing this before even as a tecnico).

For the first time ever, TNT has found himself in the exact same situation he has left other wrestlers in before (both as rudo and as tecnico such as we saw with Steve Strong). He not only lost, but was embarrassed and left to potentially serious injury. TNT was not going to let Original TNT and Chicky Starr get away with this. Something was going to happen, and it just so happens that Aniversario is a few weeks away.

MD: I was a little surprised how into this one I was. Jackson looked better in this role than I expected; he had a lot of strikes and while not all of them looked great, he got an A for effort in throwing them and TNT did his job in the selling to make you buy into the act. They worked this pretty boldly with Jackson getting an early advantage and just pressing and pressing and pressing as they built one comeback attempt onto the next, each one taking TNT just a little closer to coming back only for Jackson to cut him off through skill or hook or Chicky-related crook. It built to a huge comeback clothesline out of the corner and a great kick into the corner but just when it looked like TNT would stage the against-the-odds comeback, some heel chicanery (powder given to Jackson by Chicky) dragged him down and he fell victim to the false Cobra.  A pretty compelling match overall given that slow and gripping build to comeback.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we’re getting close to Aniversario 89, But before we get there, there’s a few more members of El Ejercito de la Justicia we need to meet. See who is trying to carry on the family legacy in Puerto Rico, as wrestling runs in these tecnicos' blood.

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