Espectáculos Promociones Panama: Master List

MD: We're looking at a bit of a break from Panama to cover some personal stuff. That said, for a while I wanted to put together at least a rudimentary master list of what we've done so far, through FFF and Espectáculos Promociones Panama. I know Blogspot is not the best for this sort of thing so here's a list. Someday we'll go back and try to source out dates and have a chronological list for everyone and really make sense of the footage, but for now hopefully you find it useful. Check out all of the EPP posts for the context and pictures and go out of your way to see Exterminador and Bunny Black and Sergio Galvez and Sandokan and the guys that you know. Stylistically, it's a fun middle ground between Mexico and Puerto Rico and there's a lot to discover.

Going through the FFF stuff again, I do think it's likely we'll revisit some of it at some point, because the story of Park in Panama or Gigante Tataki or the Brazos deserve Graham's historical treatment. In the meantime, hopefully footage keeps dropping so we build up a backlog of more matches to watch. 

Found Footage Friday:

12/17/21

• El Celestial vs. El Tahur
• Gemelos Infernales 1 y 2 vs. Gavilán de oro y La Cobra
• Puma y Lobo Negro vs. Estrella Blanca y Antorcha II
• Chamaco Castro vs. Tiburon Negro
• Gemelo Infernal III vs. El Barón

2/11/22

• Sergio Galvez/El Tahur vs. Kato Kung Lee/Celestial 1988

2/18/2022

• Sandokan vs. Principe Island 

4/1/22

• Sandokan vs. Rocky Star

6/10/22

• Cirujano de la Muerte vs. Emperador 1988

11/11/22

• El Barón y Jaguar Kuna vs. Satánico y Gemelo Infernal 3
• Sandokan/Ricardo Díaz/Antorcha 1 vs. Kronos 2/Gemelo Infernal 1/Gemelo Infernal 2

12/9/22

• Sandokan/Kato Kung Lee vs. Gigante Tataki
• Sandokan/Olimpico vs. Gigante Tataki (Hair Match) 

12/23/22

• Solar vs. Sergio Galvez

12/30/22

• Sandokan vs Principe Island (LA Park) 1988

1/6/23

• Principe Island I (LA Park) vs. Principe Island II (Super Parka) 1988

1/13/23

• Principe Island I (c) vs Sandokan

1/27/23

• El Idolo/Ursus/Celestial vs. Gemelo 1/Gemelo 2/El Tahur
• Los Brazos (Brazo de Plata/Brazo de Oro/El Brazo) vs. El Idolo/Celestial/Ursus

2/3/23

• Los Brazos (Brazo de Plata/Brazo de Oro/El Brazo) vs Gemelos Infernales/El Tahur 

Espectáculos Promociones Panama

1. Introduction
2. Solar/Antorcha vs. Sergio Galvez/Joe Panther
3. El Africano vs El Cobra
4. Sandokan (c) vs El Africano
5. El Idolo vs Celestial
6. El Barón/La Cobra Vs Bunny Black/El Ciclón 5/15/87
7. El Barón Vs Bunny Black (mascara contra mascara) 5/30/87
8. Silver King/Máscara Negra vs Sergio Gálvez/El Cirujano de la Muerte 5/15/87?
9. Kendo vs El Tahur 5/30/87
10. Mary Varela/La Gata vs La Baby de California/La Hiena de Jalisco 7/30/89
11. Blue Panther/Gemelo Infernal I/Tahur vs Kato Kung Lee/Baron/Celestial 1/17/87
12. Sandokan/Celestial/Emperador vs. Principe Island/Cirujano de la Muerte/Idolo
13. Gemelos Infernales vs Gran Darazín/Flamarion 1988
14. The Legend of Sandokan: At War With Anibal
15. Idolo/Exterminador vs Sandokan/Emperador June 1988
16. Idolo vs Exterminador (Chain Match) July 1988
17. El Idolo vs Exterminador (mascara contra mascra) 7/17/88
18. Hombre Araña/El Celestial Vs El Androide/Joe Panther 10/2/88
19. Idolo vs Kendo (mascara contra mascara) - 2 October 1988
20. Impacto/Halcon Vs Atila Jr./El Satanico November(?) 1988
21. Satanico/Atila Jr. vs Impacto/El hijo de Urracá - November/December(?) 1988

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Found Footage Friday: PANAMA~! SANDOKAN~! KATO KUNG LEE~! OLIMPICO~! GIGANTE TATAKI~! DYNAMITE~! CANEK~! KIMURA~! TAKANO~!

Sandokan/Kato Kung Lee vs. Gigante Tataki Panama 

MD: Tataki was Walter Quisbert Limachi, a 7'5" Bolivian giant who had been a boxer before getting into wrestling. They get around twenty minutes out of this before it breaks down completely. Tataki was fairly agile for his size, with a ton of presence. At one point, he gets Sandokan down and just bounds up to the second rope to miss a stomp. When he took and when he gave was a little suspect and he sure liked to bump out of the ring whether it was warranted or not. In general though, this all worked pretty well. Early on Sandokan and Kato Kung Lee used a lot of kicks to the legs and tried to play cat and mouse with the giant. If he got his hands on either of them, he could chuck them across the ring without any issue. The first time he stepped through the ropes to give chase, you could hear all of the kids screaming in horror. When they were double teaming him they were able to bound over him to hit sunset flips and what not. Unfortunately for the heroes, around halfway through the match, he got them both outside and smashed Kato Kung Lee with a chair. That was it for him and he got taken to the back. After that, Sandokan put up a valiant attempt, staggering Tataki with ten punches for every one that Tataki could throw, but after getting knocked to the floor, he recovered and started tossing Sandokan around again, including hitting a kneeling pile driver and this great toss where he grabbed Sandokan's singlet and rolled backwards. Both Sandokan and Kato Kung Lee were more than happy to fly around for him. Eventually, Olimpico (I think) came out to even the odds allow Sandokan to recover. Even then, they could barely hold the giant at bay, but after getting posted, he eventually got angry and went to the back, only to come back to sign a contract for the apuestas match we have upcoming. This wasn't Der Henker vs LeDuc/Corn or anything, but it was a pretty solid way to fill almost half an hour as a total package. All we have is the footage to go off of but Sandokan continues to look impressive as a local Carlos Colon type ace. Tataki may have given a little erratically, but for a guy his size he had a lot of presence and surprising athleticism. 

Sandokan/Olimpico vs. Gigante Tataki (Hair Match) Panama

MD: This falls on the spectacle side of apuestas matches as opposed to the bloody sort, but it was a hell of a spectacle. Sandokan and Olimpico started like the tecnicos did in the last match, throwing kicks in and darting around so Tataki couldn't get them. He sold the leg kicks as if he was taking bullets, but he'd also bound to the second rope threateningly. It didn't take him long to separate his opponents, given that he was able to toss them around so easily. Things opened up once he hit his kneeling piledriver to Sandoken on the floor. Once they could no longer double team him, he'd pummel one and then the next. The comeback was big, but it could have been bigger as he just missed a big splash in the middle of the ring. It was fun though, with Sandokan running up to sit upon Olimpico's shoulders so he could smash Tataki on the head, right until he'd get rolled forward, forced to victory roll his own partner. They kept bounding up and doing it again though. I was picturing Carlos Colon and Invader 1 doing it to Andre, and it was all pretty wonderful stuff. Tataki wasn't exactly subtle in his shift from taking to selling, but he sold enthusiastically when it was time. Even then, he was able to separate his opponents and was taking back over again with huge hanging tree slams onto Sandokan, until the ref ended up distracted by Olimpico and Tataki ate a mule kick to the groin. He sold this bigger than anyone has ever sold anything, basically, falling out of the ring and spasming across the basketball court towards the crowd. That set up the absolutely iconic finish with Sandokan and Olimpico throwing chairs at Tataki one after the other, burying him so he couldn't answer the count.

Dynamite Kid/Canek vs. Kengo Kimura/George Takano NJPW 4/3/81

MD: Chippy stuff actually. Early, early 80s mean jerk Dynamite is the best Dynamite and here he had a couple of kids to beat all over the ring. Canek tried to keep up, which was welcome, but he wasn't nearly as mean. Kimura and Takano had something to prove so it ended up being a little less cooperative than you'd think. Less artful exchanges. Kimura was especially good at hoping into the ring to assert himself and break things up and just swipe from the outside in general; good fire overall. When they could work together, they had a chance and Dynamite wasn't afraid to bump for them when warranted, even if he was less eager to sell. In return, they went up for all of Kid and Canek's stuff (butterfly suplex, delayed vertical, gutwrench suplex, clothesline onto the top rope, Canek's plancha, the press slam into a backbreaker that ended it). Like I said, Canek was fine but whenever he was in there, you wanted him to tag out just because you knew Dynamite was going to throw a nasty European uppercut or drop a headbutt.

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