Lucha Worth Watching: March CMLL

Negro Casas/Barbaro Cavenario/Mr. Niebla vs. Soberano Jr./Marco Corleone/Valiente  CMLL 3/13/18

ER: Damn, you guys. Casas comes back from an injury and he's tan as hell and mean as hell. Every Casas comeback match I've watched has seen him as a total asskicker, he's been far more aggressive, working really differently than just a few months ago. And all the rudos got the same message: Be total assholes. Niebla runs around the ring punching face, Barbaro is landing stiff splashes and kicking guys in the guts, Casas is picking guys off left and right (what's with that weird leg swipe takedown he ran in and did to Soberano?). This was a rudo team to be reckoned with. But the tecnicos took their beatdown in stride and integrated perfectly. Corleone has had a fun year getting beaten down. We've dealt with superman Marco for quite awhile, but I much prefer take a beating/big comeback Marco. Casas and the boys slap around everyone, lighting up chests all over Arena Mexico, and the tecnicosall get big moments: Soberano flies off the entrance ramp, Corleone comes sprinting back into the ring, Valiente hits his big moonsault to the floor (and really this guy crashes harder and faster on dives than almost anybody). It all comes down to Casas and Soberano, with Casas reversing an Irish whip by just kicking Soberano in the shins, fighting over a Casita...and then Cavernario just runs in and punts Soberano in the balls. I mean right in the balls. Casas had him held prone, he was distracted fighting off Casas, and he just took a furry boot right to the balls. Heck yes to all of this match.

Drone vs. Blue Panther Jr.  CMLL 3/23/18

ER: This was a fun take on the typical lightning match formula, a little grittier and a little messier. They didn't go after a lot of smooth lucha sequences, or, they did and that's not what they ended up with. I liked the jagged edges. A Drone headlock takeover that has some stopped momentum, making it look more like he's yanking Panther over by the neck, or a messy rolling figure 4 by Panther, with his ankle kind of slipping out so he has to roughly yank it back into the sub, or them fighting around the ring for an armbar, Drone rolling through and keeping his arm secure while Panther holds onto it and tries to drag him to the mat like a rottweiler. Drone uses some fancy footwork to chase Panther on a dive, running and sliding around the ring before hitting a dive past the ringpost. Panther later roughs him up on the floor, including giving him a press slam onto the barricade. Panther is bigger and there were some fun spots around him catching Drone and slamming him, Drone takes a big bump off a lariat on the apron, that kind of thing. It was a tougher match than I went in expecting, and I like that.

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Lucha Worth Watching: Rush!! Pierroth!! Kraneo!! Mascara Ano Dos Mil!!

Kraneo/Rush/Pierroth vs. Marco Corleone/Mascara Ano Dos Mil/Gran Guerrero  CMLL 2/27/18

ER: Two fiery falls, really all I need. This is a cool rudo team, we got the most fired up Pierroth performance we've seen in many months, and Kraneo and Rush as a team could take over the world. Kraneo is bullying and headbutting guys right from jump and Rush follows his lead, with Pierroth acting as the enforcer who would run in and windmill punch and chop guys in the corner if they got out of line waiting for their beating. Kraneo looked resplendent and massive in his red/black gear, and he's really feeling like a guy who should be a major star in CMLL (and they seem to be treating him as such). Marco is a good tecnicos foil for Rush/Kraneo, eating the apron kicks from Mije, finding his spots to fire back with his big punches, still hitting the huge crossbody. But, he also got his head ripped off his body and had it volleyed around by the rudos (including several chest volleys by Kraneo). All three rudos looked like total asskickers throughout, but I really liked Mascara as a tecnicos here, old guys make good tecnicos and I like that he's typically a rudo but is default tecnicos against the assholery of Rush. Mascara's segments with Pierroth were fired up when they could have been slow, and added a nice dimension to the match. Pierroth losing a quick exchange and just casually walking up and punting Mascara in the balls was a fine finish for this. The meanest rudo behavior happens the match when upon being DQ'd Pierroth immediately rushes Tirantes and starts muscling him around, with Rush soon joining in. Tirantes' facials read that he had no clue these two were coming at him, and as they tried to throw him he was clearly holding onto the ropes for dear life and not going along with their plans. I don't remember the last time I saw Tirantes get a beatdown, but it's not been often and when it has happened it's been clearly part of an angle. This did not look cooperative in any way, it really looked like Pierroth and Rush just stomping him and ripping at his shirt and suspenders. The fans sounded really pissed too as you just don't see refs take a beating in CMLL. Rush even kicks him hard right in the legs as he's walking away. Perfect deranged ending to all of this.

La Bestia Del Ring vs. Mascara Ano Dos Mil  CMLL 3/13/17

ER: This match may not be worth watching for some, but it felt like if anyone was going to watch and review Pierroth vs. Mascara Ano Dos Mil, two men with an average age of 55. As Phil said to me, "So you have to review the MA2K vs. Bestia Del Ring match. It is singing your song...You are the biggest Bestia Del Ring stan on the internet." I can't really say he's wrong. And I really liked the match. It had problems that a lot of people won't be able to get past: it was slow, these two are old and less graceful than many luchadors, and there are no highspots. So, climb aboard! I like old guy matches more than most people (any people?) as it always feels like there's more at stake: they're old, they break easier, old rudos are awesome, old tecnicos are the most sympathetic tecnicos. MA2K is a Capo! But because he's opposite Pierroth the fans are cheering for him. Pierroth is an island I'm fine being stranded on. I like what he brings to a match. Here he's a dick by making Mascara do a bunch of rope running early in the match (nothing like gassing out your opponent in the first minute), throws him into the ring barricades, smashes a full soda in his face, really takes the entire primera other than MA2K geting a quick octopus hold to end it. The camera pans the crowd to find a dozen white people, who are all certainly trying to reconcile the few things they thought they knew about lucha libre, with this maskless old man fight happening front of them. Nitro provides some strong work as Pierroth's second (and considering one man has three sons and one has three nephews in the fed, I was surprised to see Nitro and Cancerbero as seconds), filling in some of the energy for the match, really stomping Mascara like a jerk at any opportunity, and Nitro does one of the all time greatest trips from the floor that I've ever seen. He hooks Mascara's foot in the corner and Mascara goes down hard like he had no clue his foot was being hooked. Awesome spot. Pierroth wins the segunda by holding the ropes, and the fans hate it. I love when Pierroth apes Rush's moves (he's not exactly going to ape his other son's moves) like the front dropkick and the opponent's head as soccer ball move, and I love how much the crowd is getting into MA2K. Finish is great as we get Pierroth pulling the ref in the way and sneaking in a roll up, which felt like the finish but instead was a great kickout by Mascara, who then gets Pierroth in a sub AND holds the ropes for the tap. The rope hold was the first time he did anything rudo the entire match, and totally wrapped up the story of the match. I enjoyed this. Your mileage may vary.

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2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Corleone & Kraneo CKlash! Diamante Vanquishes Terrible!

9. Kraneo/Vangellys/Terrible vs. Marco Corleone/Diamante Azul/Caristico CMLL 1/12

ER: I love this kind of Godzilla vs. King Ghidora match in wrestling, and it's especially weird and cool in Mexico where you don't really have many "monsters". But they don't come much larger than Kraneo and Marco, and I always love when they cross paths. This seemed more violent than past confrontations, which always had more Kraneo stooging for Marco. This was much more them kicking each other's ass. Diamante Azul is a strong tecnico and probably underrated, and Vangellys is a great heavy who occasionally really steps up, Terrible is always a reliable asskicker, Caristico still has his value to a trios. That's a great lineup of guys for a quality trios. We get a couple nice fired up Diamante moments and Terrible beating him around ringside, Vangellys beats Caristico around ringside and hits a brutal atomic drop on the barricade, and when Kraneo starts mixing in this thing gets great. He punches Marco hard in the face, knees him in the gut, then really chokes him over the ropes while Mije kicks the shit out of Marco's face from the apron! Holy shit!! Terrible keeps smashing Azul into things at ringside, and Kraneo continues to mug Corleone, violently running in with a corner hip attack that whips Marco's neck.

The segunda has an awesome Diamante tecnico hero sequence, with Kraneo and Vangellys holding him while Terrible punches him in the face, and Diamante breaks free just to rip Terrible's shirt and throw it on the ground, only to get beaten back down by all three. Marco gets triple teamed next and his comeback is awesome, flying through the giant Kraneo and Vangellys with a shoulder separating shoulderblock, and Azul fires into the ring with an awesome superkick on Terrible, following it up with hard low dive. Tercera is filled with great moments, like Mije giving his best match performance of his life, with those earlier kicks on Marco, now grinding in his face and then slapping him in the tercera, allowing Kraneo to shoulderblock a distracted Marco (and then later Mije gets absolutely launched onto Kraneo by a Marco press slam). We do get great Kraneo stooging, taking a big bump to the apron that sees him slowly go high up and over, then he wobbly knee sells on the apron before getting upended by a Marco haymaker. Tercera is just packed with great tecnico/rudo showdowns, Azul getting great comeuppance against Terrible, plastering him with a flying elbow and putting him away by catching him midair and dumping him with a deadlift German. Vangellys does a lunatic spear to Marco on the entrance ramp, taking both out of the match. Kraneo catches a Caristico rana better than anybody you've seen take one, whipping over fast and sliding to the floor, then Caristico flattens him with a heavy crossbody to the floor. This trios was all so awesome, you could realistically build three quality singles feuds off this one match, that's how good everyone matches up. Here's to more of this kind of lucha in 2018!!

PAS: There were a lot of really fun performances in this, I especially loved Mije, his Kawada kicks were awesome, he really laid it in for such a tiny human, I also loved Marco hurling him in the air like pizza dough. Kraneo has a great hip attack, he is a super fat dude, with a but that is outsized even for his big body, so it really looks violent when he smashes Marco with it. Last minute was really awesome and what got this match on a list for me. I loved Marco's ramp running in ring plancha, and the Vangellys intercepting it with a spear felt like the kind of thing that would be on an NFL films highlight before the league got all squeamish about head trauma.  Also really love Azul's German, he isn't a great luchador, but that is one great German.


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST

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Lucha Worth Watching: CMLL 7/21/17

Rush/Kraneo/Pierroth vs. Marco Corleone/Caristico/Diamante Azul 

ER: I really like this rudo trio, whenever Kraneo fills in it brings a different kind of chaos, the guys pair off differently, and he's just awesome. They all bully Caristico around, Rush slams his head in the barricade door, later goes to hit his high jump corner dropkick, stops as Caristico braces for the dropkick, then just kicks Caristico in the teeth with his boot toe. The rudos run wild, Kraneo hits the running hip attack and dances around the ring, Pierroth hits a stiff senton on Azul, Marco punches a bunch to comeback but it's not enough. I love when Kraneo is opposite Marco as otherwise you don't have a heavyweight presence large enough to counter the biggest tecnico. Dominant tecnico is a difficult thing to pull off, and it's easier with Kraneo looking massive across from him. Pierroth rips off Caristico's head, kicks it over to Pierroth, Pierroth juggles it a bit, kicks it up to his chest and belly, bounces it around some more, kicks it up for Rush, and Rush boots it DEEP into the Arena Mexico cheap seats. We get some nice comebacks, with Caristico hitting a crashing dive into Kraneo, Rush takes a couple big bumps to the floor, Marco hitting the high jump crossbody and even Azul hitting a high jump flying clothesline. I love how Rush and his team never truly get comeuppance, it's going to be the biggest thing in lucha history when it finally happens. The second things are going badly for the team, Rush boots Caristico in the balls directly in front of the referee, then rips his mask off. He is hate.

Euforia/Gran Guerrero/Ultimo Guerrero vs. Niebla Roja/Dragon Lee/Volador Jr. 

ER: A lot of these guys feel like they match up a lot, so it becomes clear pretty early in a match when they're doing something a bit beyond typical. This is the best version of their match, long enough to satisfy, short enough that everyone could go go go, nobody dogging it, and some actual hate instead of just through-the-motions spot rehearsal. Euphoria gets matched up with Dragon Lee a bunch and admirably keeps up, and both Euforia and Niebla Roja had star caliber performances. I thought the rudos gelled great and had some great taunts (the huddle rally while holding the tecnicos in Gory Specials was inspired), all of them bump big and put on super impressive catching displays, and their double teams all looked violent (Gran's powerbomb off a Roja springboard was gross). It was fun to see Lee mix it up with a different kind of rudo; usually he's against younger, crazier guys, so it's cool to see him against older sturdy guys like Euforia and UG. They both know how to eat his creative kick combos, loved the one where he slams a guy's head into the buckle from the apron and kicks it. Roja broke out impressive flying and made me jump out of my seat when he dodged Euforia (Euforia takes his nice bump around the ringpost) and then hit a BOSS rolling elbow all the way across the ring. UG takes his fast Jerry bump to the floor, Lee smooshes him with a big flip dive, but Volador/Euforia break out the holy shit moment of the evening, when Volador doesn't just hit a hurricanrana to the floor, he does a SPRINGBOARD first, and Euforia is standing close to the barricade, so Volador really has to leap to grab him, and Euforia is a crazy person for catching something that far. Awesome spot. Gran Guerrero and Roja mix it up most of the match, and GG has really improved over the last 6 months. He's acting like a real violent rudo, and I'd love a mask match between the two. Everybody in this match busted ass and made this thing pop. Nothing better than some young guys showing star power, and old guys showing they still belong.

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MLJ: Sombra Spotlight 31: La Sombra, Marco Corleone, Shocker vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Último Guerrero, Volador Jr.

Aired: 2012-05-05 

taped: 2012-04-29 @ Arena Mexico 

La Sombra, Marco Corleone, Shocker vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Último Guerrero, Volador Jr.

I took some time off after hitting the two year mark. I'm hoping to keep up a 2x a week posting schedule on lucha and other things now, including the DVDVR 80s Puerto Rico set. Here, I'm going to try to push forward on the Sombra spotlight. It's been a bit, so I wanted a match to catch up before hitting the Dragon Rojo title matches. I was hoping for some Rojo/Sombra interaction too, but Volador was here so it wasn't meant to be.

This was lucha libre comfort food, a Guerreros match with a beatdown to start, heat, some comeback, and exchanges to finish it out. Matches like these are tough to watch as part of a larger show (especially if you're watching live on Friday, Monday, AND Tuesday) but in a bubble I really enjoy them. They're pure, distilled CMLL and as such, so much depends on how the rudos interact with one another (especially if there's a cog out of place, like Volador), how charismatic the tecnicos are in hope moments, how imaginatively they're cut off, and just how they manage the comeback. Finishing stretches are finishing stretches, of course, but that payoff means a lot less without a solid build.

And this was all solid. Volador fit right in with the Guerreros. I'll take him in a trios match over a singles match anyday, especially as a rudo. He's in and out, works well with his partners, and is a sufficient dick to his opponents. In a singles match, they probably wouldn't use his corner headscissors into a Canadian destroyer until the tercera, and then probably as a near fall to set up the finish. It's such a game-ender, though, that I like it here a lot more as the finishing move as the primera. The finish was perfect as Sombra and Volador did a bunch of that built-to rope bounce posing, only for Volador to rip his mask right off and deny the fans another heated athletic exchange.

Marco was used really effectively here. He still had a little more gas in his tank so he was able to supplement the great punches and size discrepancy spots with a few big dives and more frenetic exchanges. He had the comeback with a bunch of leapfrogs and a twisting top rope move. And I especially liked this exchange (which cuts off right before his clothesline doesn't look all that great. 

I could have used just a little more Sombra vs Volador here as it's endlessly more tolerable in a trios match, but the whole point was to put heat on Volador by denying it, and it was ultimately effective, so I was happy with what this was. 

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Lucha Worth Watching: Early 90s Dandy/Panther and a Modern Rudo Dream Team

El Dandy vs. Blue Panther, early 1992?

I'm guessing this is early '92, just because of how each man looks, and Dandy has a buzzcut. Quick check reveals he lost a hair match to Satanico in December '91, and not another one until some time in '94, so I'm just guessing this is early '92 instead of late '94. And overall, this is non-essential work from both men. But it's also work that I don't believe was out there before, and watching two legends like this in any situation is a treat. Dandy was a marvelous athlete in his prime, and that was all on display in his floatovers, the way he worked in the ropes, his crazy high angle dive, flawless missile dropkick, the ease he pops up on headscissors, and then he'll surprise you by popping Panther with a headbutt from the apron. We only get 9 minutes, and we spend like 15% of it with Dandy locked into a surfboard lock that goes nowhere fast. Yeah, yeah things end with a tapatia, but it's not like Dandy's back and neck were bugging him much after that original surfboard. Panther's body looked exactly the same as it looks now, though I think his work now is actually better. Guy has things down and it's locked on gorgeous auto pilot. Now don't get all ruffled, I'm not using this match as a true representation of BP's significant greatness as from the footage we have we know he was already really great in the mid 80s (if UWA footage were available we could actually pinpoint when the greatness hit), just didn't have it as much here.

Kraneo, Hechicero & Terrible vs. Rush, Marco Corleone & Valiente (CMLL 11/3/15)

Okay, so this is kind of cruel, as I'm recommending lucha to watch, and here we have a lucha match that I don't believe it available online (yet?). This aired this past weekend on LATV, and was from a non-descript Tuesday CMLL show. But this seemed notable - even without it being able to watch by a majority of readers - because good lord look at that rudo team! This is the only time those three have teamed, and I can only pray that this is the first of many. Those are three favorites right there, not only separate, but they complement each other oh so nicely in a team. I assume their team name will be something like Fuck, Marry, Kill. The match is kind of weird as it's essentially worked as three matches, with the rudos vs. Valiente, Rush & Corleone vs. Valiente, and Rush & Corleone vs. the rudos. But damn that team of rudos. All three of them seem like guys who won't be pushed to title level for various reasons (some being that CMLL is just weird), so might as well team them up and let them go on a rampage. All three of them are total asskickers, so team 'em up! This is the first I've seen Hechicero in his new skull type mask, and he's kind of sporting a new look with some kind of strappy bodice/corset thing (there has to be a cooler word for "corset" if a guy is wearing it, right?) making him look like a sort of ripped Charly Manson, but with a cool mask instead of bad face paint and stringy hair. Kraneo breaks out his Alebrije skull mask, which is cool and more subtle than his garish skull/mohawk mask. Valiente is in full tiny neon green pants mode, getting closer to being naked every time I see him. He and Rush have matching neon trunks, but that is the only harmony shown by them during the match. Rush and Marco would hang out on the floor, leaving Valiente to the wolves, then come in themselves after the rudos tired out their fists beating Valiente. Valiente is now going full on sleazy early 80s Kevin Sullivan bodybuilding creep, and the trunks just keep getting tinier. Terrible justifiably beat the shit out of him for it. The money was in the Marco/Kraneo match ups, as Kraneo leans way into Marco strikes and Marco seems to tighten things up when working Kraneo. His big left hands in this match ranked among his finest ever. Kraneo is one of the best going at mixing up his cool strikes throughout a match. You won't find lame elbow strikes in a corner, he'll come at you in tons of ways. My favorite this match was him backing Marco into a corner, and instead of both men just lazily getting into position (something that happens so often that we tend to just look the other way, like traveling calls in the NBA), Kraneo drops a sick left body blow, big overhand right, and then a stiff front kick to back Marco in. How many times have you seen one wrestler just walk another one into an Irish whip? It's terrible. But you don't need to look the other way in case Kraneo takes shortcuts, because he just beats a guy's ass into the spot he wants him to be. Valiente eventually gets his comeback in the tercera, and hits a mammoth dive on Terrible. Marco and Rush work nicely as jackals; Hechicero was a little underutilized here, but I imagine he'd get more moments if this beautiful team keeps happening. I was hoping for more of him vs. Rush, since that's a super fresh match-up, but I'm sure we'll get there soon enough. This was all really good, and Cubsfan PLEASE get this uploaded, pretty please?

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CMLL Worth Watching 8/23/15 & 9/11/15

Blue Panther, Dragon Lee & Stuka Jr. vs. Kamaitachi, Ripper & Rey Bucanero (8/23/15)

Oh man this was fun. Nothing at stake, just all these guys you like doing things you want to see. Bucanero and Panther get a long roll on the mat, and it never fails to impress me how smooth a fluid Panther still does things, rolling through a leg lock or doing a side roll to advance a transition just isn't done better by anybody else in lucha, let alone guys half his age. In the segunda he locks Bucanero into an ankle lock that actually looks like it hurts, a rarity! I live for these little 2 minute mat segments of Panther. Even doing things like quickly bumping through the ropes to the floor are done like he's not even in control of his body, his muscle memory just allows it to happen. Like he bumps backwards off a shoulder block, out through the bottom and middle rope, lands on his feet and has no idea how he got there. His body just knows what to do. Ripper brings back his gorgeous flipping Cassandro bump, kind of fusing a somersault Hamrick bump to the floor with a Cassandro wrap-around the post bump, and Stuka's signature stuff always impresses me. Lee/Kamaitachi has been one of the more fun match-ups of the last year as they always go hard at each other, with each taking stupid bumps at awkward angles, both working blindingly fast and really know each other like the back of their respective hands. Lee always flies stupidly into Kamaitachi's rampway sprint dropkick, always dumping himself ass over elbow, Kamaitachi also dumps him with a couple of rolling Germans, and later Lee hits the craziest high speed flip dive to the floor, just leveling Lee. Every time these two are in against each other it's total must see. Wrestlers you like, doing wrestling you like. Easy recommendation.

Marco Corleone, Rush & Maximo vs. Super Parka, Volador Jr. & Valiente (9/11/15)

Hey I didn't realize Super Parka was also coming in! He is truly old (just about 60) so I'm an instant sucker for this. Rush and Marco don't let up on him, and after a little bit of early awkwardness Parka settles in fine. Marco looked really great here, more inspired and nasty than I've seen him a...sheesh all year. His left hands were awesome, blasting Valiente several times, leveling everybody with shots. This was technically two tecnico teams but Rush's team was obviously default rudos, and they all thrived in the role. The three of them at one point set up Rush's "punt" feint, with Maximo holding the invisible ball (laces out, hopefully). Parka and Volador work nice together and I always love father/son dynamics. Volador works like an actual brawling badass here, his pops already being a good influence. Volador also bumps like a loon, peaking with a flip bump on the apron off a Marco punch....and then getting up and doing the same damn thing right after! Parka hit a nice 60 yr old man tope, Marco hit 3 variations of his big no hands crossbody (seriously Marco looked really great throughout this), both teams had well set up moments where a big dive hit their own teammate, with Marco doing a crossbody to Maximo, and Valiente diving into Volador. Parka was really fun here, wandering around punching guys (especially cracking Maximo a few times), kind of like a late career  Pierroth. Super fun match. I want a Park/Parka/Volador team to take on Rush/Comandante Pierroth/Dragon Lee team. Make this happen!!

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CMLL Worth Watching 5/10/15 & 6/19/15

Comandante Pierroth, Tiger & Sagrado vs. Fuego, The Panther & Blue Panther Jr. (5/10/15)

Man I dug this. Pierroth has been one of my favorite CMLL guys this year, real high energy ass kicker who always wings nasty clubbing shots, stomps guys into oblivion, jumps all over them while stomping them, breaks out some nice slams, etc. He's like a throwback Dinamita. As in, if you've been missing Mascara Ano 2000, Cien Caras or Universo 2000 on your TV (and I have been), Pierroth has been an oddly, unexpectedly great fill-in this year. Sagrado as a rudo is the only worthwhile stuff he has done in his entire career. This guy was just a clueless tecnico, always tripping over himself, and now suddenly he looks capable, has nice presence, takes a tope like a man (god did Panther just snap Sagrado's back over the barrier on a tope) and hits a mean piledriver to end the primera (say aren't those things sorta illegal down there?). BP Jr. is pretty green and can't really work long sequences, but he hits a nice dive in the tercera, and the greenness of BP's kids works to the match's advantage, as the segunda has a satisfying finish with the rudos getting cocky, chasing BP Jr. and Fuego up the ramp, allowing Panther to get a surprise roll up on Pierroth as he roots on his goons. Tiger sold the loss great, like he could not believe they lost even one fall to these wimps. Real satisfying story here, and the work fit the match nicely.

Blue Panther, Maximo & Marco Corleone vs. Euforia, Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero (5/10/15)

You've probably seen some combination of this trios a dozen times, but sometimes guys show up a bit more spirited than other times, and this was one of those times. I always love Panther but spirited Panther is just the best. Here he works a nice long opening mat sequence with GG, which was arguably the most interesting thing GG has ever been involved in. Panther has a million reversals and the way he rolls through into various grapevines and leverage moves always leaves me slack-jawed. We don't get any dives in this, and the falls go quick, but the tecnicos amusingly must have decided before the match to see who could throw the nicest/neatest arm drag. Panther throws more in this match than I've seen him in years, including one where he gets tilt-a-whirled by Roja into performing an upside down arm drag on Euforia; Maximo throws some nice rolling ones too, one springing high off the top rope and another rolling over Roja's back. Even Marco throws a shockingly good one while rolling over Euforia's back. Marco's punches have been looking kinda lackluster this year, and here he breaks out some nice ones as he pinballs his fists back and forth between Roja and Euforia. Kind of a one sided affair for the tecnicos, but everybody busted ass and it's stunning to see Panther so spry at 54.

Stuka Jr., Angel de Oro & Super Porky vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Felino & Okumura (6/19/15)

So I'm not sure this is very good, but "worth watching" and "very good" are two different things, and I thought this was worth watching, more for its parts than its sum. Firstly, Porky takes FOUR bumps in the primera. This feels noteworthy to me. Porky is a guy who goes to great lengths to avoid bumping. Yet here he's splatting all over the mat for shoulderblocks and lariats. Think of the effort it takes him to stand up from a back bump!!! And here he does it 4 times in about 40 seconds. I admittedly starting writing this up right after witnessing that. I had made up my mind to immediately include it in a "worth watching" list. Beyond that we got one of the better Oro performances, as he hits a couple very impressive flying spots, and then spikes himself on an Okumura apron DDT. We get a Kemonito apron splash, Porky doing a seated senton to the rudos on the rampway, Felino not acting like current Felino (including getting heat from starting the match wearing his mask and jawing with the Arena Mexico old people) and Stuka Jr. doing his awesome bullet splash. It's like 8 minutes of your life, and it will bring you joy.

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CMLL Worth Watching 2/8/15 & 3/27/15

Virus, Kamaitachi & Puma vs. Dragon Lee, Guerrero Maya Jr. & Delta (2/8/15)

This was from that All Elite show with Dr. Wagner and LA Park, so everybody involved I suppose had more incentive to bust all sorts of ass on a Sunday afternoon. Everybody was firing on all cylinders here like they each had something to prove. Virus hits everything here with a real vengeance but also has no problem taking all sorts of giant Delta dives. Delta hits a couple wild ones with him vaulting off the ring post for one and moonsaulting off the ring support. Maya is crazy and totally outdoes him by hitting a flip dive that sees him wind up in the 4th row. Kamaitachi dished and took here, impaling Lee with a high jump dropkick that had so much force you really bought that Lee got naturally dumped HARD on his head. Kamaitachi pays it forward by letting Lee stomp him neck first off the top through the mat. Kamaitachi takes all sorts of stuff great, whipping himself into the barrier off a Delta rana, making all the tecnicos look dangerous. Kamaitachi ends the match with the most violent unmasking I've seen, kicking Lee in the balls then punching him in the ear a bunch while brutally ripping the mask off from the bottom without even attempting to loosen the laces. Looked like he was trying to scalp poor Lee. You never know when you're going to strike trios magic in lucha, but 6 guys all working with a certain ferocity while trying to upstage the main is one way to do it. Awesome stuff. 

Valiente, Maximo & Marco Corleone vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Ephesto & Mephisto (2/8/15)

Fun little short and sweet match from that same show, that isn't given time to build anywhere, so all the guys just work harder. Everybody gets cool little spots, with Maximo getting big reactions for his awesome dive (with Barbaro hurling himself into the barrier, which he also did taking an even more brutal Valiente tope earlier) and a big rope walk splash onto everybody. Valiente hits the craziest and fastest Valiente Special that he's hit in some time, Marco throws a bunch of nice lefts, Ephesto bumps big, Mephisto brings charisma and a rad new mask for a big show, and suddenly it's all over. This probably barely goes 8 minutes but everything is hot.

Kamaitachi, Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario vs. Dragon Lee, Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. (3/27/15)

A rematch of sorts from the above match, with Casas and Cavernario replacing Puma and Virus on Kamaitachi's team. And also by this point Kamaitachi had no mask and was still furious at Dragon Lee because of that. This is not as good as that above 2/8 match, as it ended in straight falls and was very short, but the work within was hot. Delta shows more life here than I'm used to, as Casas was his foil who stumbled all around as Delta got to pursue. He and Delta have a real nice fast armdrag sequence that leads to a great moment with Casas getting chased into the crowd, and then he and Delta punching each other with the guardrail separating them. We get some stereo dives from Delta and Maya, Casas giving all of the offense to Delta and Maya, Barbaro being Barbaro ( with tons of cave drawings on his body! Dug his mat stuffs with Maya), and the money is all Kamaitachi vs. Lee. Kamaitachi works real fast, cuts low on clotheslines and cheats to win. Loved the spot where Lee runs Kamaitachi chest first into the ropes to get him off balance and then whips him into the mat with a snap German. Just a brief whisper, over before you know it, but fun.

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MLJ: Cavernario vs Titan 8: Marco Corleone, Super Porky, Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Thunder & BONUS Casas/Santo vs Juvi/Nicho

Aired: 2015-05-09
Taped: 2015-04-28 @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
Marco Corleone, Super Porky, Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Thunder

I'm keeping this one short and tacking on another match, because this was probably the most Nothing Match in the history of Nothing Matches. My guess is that they actually did more to build up the Titan vs Cavernario title match during the cibernetico they ran around this time. That was in Arena Mexico a week before the title match. This was after that but in Guadalarja and there's just nothing to it. When I was halfway through it, the Busca cibernetico started and that was a godsend because it let me pause this and watch that instead.

I think it was clipped which didn't help but even if it wasn't I'm not sure that it'd matter. Niebla had been suspended after the Japan tour for being Niebla and he was completely and utterly unrepentent here upon his return. Porky was more immobile than ever. No one wants to see Thunder and Marco and I like Marco more than most people. I do think that they've worked enough that they've developed some effective shtick but it's nothing I want to see. They didn't let anything breathe. The heat lasted less than a minute. The comeback, the same. The opening exchanges were brief. On the one hand, it drained any emotional reaction from the match other than a slight guffaw. On the other, I'm not sure I wanted to see five minutes of punishment on Porky by Thunder.

In the midst of all this, you'd figure that Titan and Cavernario would be the saving grace of the match, and maybe in a bubble it should have been. They hit a lot of their stuff, including the reverse monkey flip/superkick spot. Titan hit his moonsault at the end. Cavernario had some great flurries of offense. They did the press up dropkick. It's just that I've seen them run through this stuff so much recently that it, in and of itself, wasn't enough to carry a match.

I will say this. The crowd seemed really happy with this match, and they always seem happy with matches like this. They get a kick out of Marco's antics. They love the spit spot. Porky got a big chant after he fell off the apron onto Niebla. Zacarias got involved. You can't fault a match too much when it's a big crowd pleaser. It sure didn't add to my excitement for the impending title match though.

2001-12-21 @ Arena México
El Hijo Del Santo & Negro Casas © b Juventud Guerrera & Nicho el Millionario [CMLL TAG]

I felt bad for dumping the previous match on everyone without providing something a little more interesting as well. This just dropped online in the last week or two. It's a bit of a mess to be honest, but it's a mess wrestled by guys so talented that it's still worth watching. There's a real novelty to seeing Santo and Casas pair up against Nicho and Juvi.

I just don't have a ton to say about it. Juvi was so dynamic and so great at using his own body as a weapon, but he and Nicho could definitely hang. They felt like they belonged in the ring, but there was also a sense of them being outsiders having come in to challenge for the belts. There were some individually nice spots, like the way Nicho took out Santo on a reversal in the primera or Casas killing Juvi with a hotshot and the huge Santo tope that followed. It was the first time I've seen Santo and Casas do a Doomsday Device with a Santo tope (non-suicida) off the top and the first time I've seen Santo do a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron.

All in all, it had the real feel of an attraction match. It just needed a few more minutes and a bit more focus. It's worth watching as a novelty though.

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MLJ: Cavernario vs Titan 3: Marco Corleone, Máscara Dorada, Titán vs Cavernario, Rey Bucanero, Terrible

Aired CadenaTres: 2014-07-26
Taped 2014-07-22 @ Arena México
Marco Corleone, Máscara Dorada, Titán vs Cavernario, Rey Bucanero, Terrible

Alright, a match without Niebla in it. He serves his purpose, sure, but a little goes a long, long way. This was to set up Cavernario's challenge for Titan's Mexican National Welterweight title (which he earned, if I'm not mistaken, from winning the Busca), so the goal here would be to have Cavernario getting heat on Titan to set up the challenge.

The match had some MLJ all stars, Marco and Rey. I came in really wanting to see some Cavernario vs Marco (which we didn't get much of). Rey Bucanero is very good at what he does now, a lot better than he was when he was more athletic. He's very savvy in 2014-15 and able to do a lot of little things that he just didn't have the ring experience and presence to do back during the GdI heyday. He's less "workrate-y" but that's just about the last thing I care about so I'm usually glad to see him in a match. Dorada is a bit like Titan in that I just haven't seen a lot of him. I'm the one guy in the world who isn't in this for flashy tecnicos, I guess. I'm all for them when they can ground their stuff into a match with resonance and meaning but if I want to watch spots, there are youtube clips for that. I don't really have a sense yet exactly what Dorada and Titan bring to the table, but I'm watching matches to find out.

Primera was exchanges. Dorada and Rey did good, simple, competitive stuff, looking for openings and teasing clean breaks. Marco vs Terrible was shtick. The girls screamed for Marco, who was a little clunky on putting his head down for a presumed Back Body Drop to eat a Terrible kick, but he did hit some fun armdrags to make up for it. Then Cavernario and Titan picked up the pace. They had a spot where Cavernario moved out of the way of the TITANICS (Titan's endlessly stupid backflip victory roll finish - more on that next time), but that in avoiding it, became vulnerable to a pick-up/drop down (and Titan likes to do his out of a fireman's carry). He followed with his other finisher, a split-legged moonsault from the middle of the ropes, but Cavernario got his feet up. They run this spot occasionally and it always looks good, so good on them. This led to Cavernario's Vader Bomb and the pin. Clever set up to the finish that showed strong familiarity. The caida could have used another minute or two though.

The segunda followed from the primera, with a beatdown. The rudos worked very well together, with a triple flip powerbomb and tandem boots. Here's the powerbomb, posted mainly so you can see Cavernario go into hyper rage mode afterwards:

This lifting kick assault was a lot of fun too:

They even did a Terrible Giant Swing/Rey Dropkick. Rey was there to beg off every time a babyface came in so that the ambush could come into play. The comeback was cute. Titan hit a rope climb rana out of nowhere and a huge flipping dive. Then Dorada tried to hit Air Italia  from the ramp, was caught and tossed away, only for Marco to follow with the same move and score the pin.

The tercera was really a lot of fun. There was a lot of focus on Cavernario and Titan, with Cavernario playing canny early on and leading Titan into an ambush. This was where we had some Cavernario vs Marco (and a GdI huddle with Rey and Cavernario too which made me happy). At one point Marco smacked the bone off of his head which was a great visual. They kept things moving towards the end, with guys breaking up pins and slipping in and out of the ring. It all built to a massive dives (a hilo by Dorada, an Asai moonsault by Titan), and Marco diving off of the apron. Dorada moonsaulted himself onto Rey's foot, and got pinned that way. Rey got taken out after he and Cavernario tried for the old GdI double wheelbarrow. When Cavernario turned his back to celebrate, Titan rolled up Rey. It's a great finish so long as it's used sparingly. This left things with Cavernario and Titan, with Cavernario needing to go over to set up the title match. They did a quick minute of work, culminating with Titan getting cocky after getting the best of a strike exchange, playing to the crowd (a crowd that was still sort of booing to him) and getting locked in the Cavernaria from behind.

I'm a few matches in now and I'm really enjoying the Cavernario/Titan pairing. That said, I think Cavernario is what makes it work more than Titan. I didn't watch their title match last year so I'll see if my opinion changes there next.

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MLJ: Rush vs Shocker/Casas Bonus: Negro Casas & Shocker © vs Marco Corleone & Rush for the CMLL World Tag Team Championship

Aired: 2015-03-28
Taped: 2015-03-17 @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
Negro Casas & Shocker © vs Marco Corleone & Rush for the CMLL World Tag Team Championship

I'm a little pressed for time this week and haven't had a chance to watch the Lucero vs Hechicero title match, so that'll be next Monday. Also, I'm going to take a look at almost any Shocker/Casas title defense against Rush and a partner. We've seen Mascara and Sombra in that role and I was looking forward to this, both to see Marco who is very different from the two of them, and to see how they evolve this match as it's the fourth or fifth time they've run Rush vs Shocker/Casas in a title match.

All of the previous ones have begun with Los Ingobernables feigning some primera caida lucha title matwork but swarming the second they lose the advantage. It's a good bit of heeling since it plays with the fans' expectations and blatantly goes against respect for the sanctity of title matches, but when you've seen it three or four times, it loses some sting. Here they let things run a bit first, which had its upside and downside. The upspide was that the opening Casas vs Rush exchange was very good. I've not seen Rush much since his return so this was both familiar and refreshing. They really went at it mixing at least some matwork with the usual aggression.

Then they moved to Shocker vs Marco and this was disappointing. Yes, I'm high on Marco, higher than most, but really only in a specific setting. I like him a lot as a role player in trios matches. I think he brings an element that almost no one else in CMLL does, in that he's big enough to be dangerous, has the killer game-changing punch, and a number of comedy spots that can only be done with him. I think he's a great foil, for, let's say La Pesta Negra in a trios match. In a tag titles match, however, he's way more out of place. Thematically, they had an exchange that took the place of an opening matwork exchange, but it was just a lot of posing and gyrating with a few strikes and I wanted something a little more for a title match. Regardless, it ended quickly enough with Marco calling in Rush. They went underhanded and swarmed, but it didn't mean nearly as much because it wasn't breaking up the promise of anything sanctified or special.

The beatdown had its high and low points too. Especially when Shocker was in there, it wasn't great. I don't think that was necessarily his fault. Marco seemed a step behind here on certain spots and Shocker wasn't compensating. Even on the attempts at double teams that should have been more compelling, that half step took some of the oomph out. Casas did better, looping in more struggle and a surprising amount of hope for a lucha beatdown. I love how he tried to keep distance and avoid the double team, and how it led organically into Rush's reverse course clothesline:

The comeback was short and sweet based off of a corner charge reversal. The best part was Casas counting Shocker's pin while he had Rush in the Scorpion Deathlock.

Tercera was a lot of fun with endless pin and submission breaksups. I loved Shocker's casual kicking of the leg after Rush's Northern Lights Suplex, for instance:

And when Marco and Casas were just stomping and kicking the crap out of their respective opponents as their partners were locked a reverse figure four:

And maybe my favorite bit when Casas was obviously late for interference after a Rush double stomp and Shocker had to roll him up instead, only for Casas to make it the rest of the way over anyway and stomp Rush while he was being pinned.

The finish was fun as it played into the endless pin breakups and had a parallel spot. Marco snatched the ref's leg after La Casita, breakaing the count. That let Rush foul Css to eliminte him, leving it two on one. Shocker hit his trademark roll up, and for the life of me I have no idea why Marco didn't break it up. That left Shocker and Marco with the latter getting the advantage with his punches. He went off the ropes though and Casas grabbed his leg from the floor. The ref admonished him. Shocker used the opportunity for a foul of his own and the champs retain.

More fun than great and it highlighted some of Marco's weaknesses. Title matches are just not the right place for him.

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CMLL Workrate Round-Up 7/20/14 & 7/27/14

1. Terrible, Vangellys & Rey Bucanero vs. Rey Cometa, Angel de Oro & Titan (7/20/14)

Well hey this was good! Motivated Terrible is a great thing, especially when he's blindsiding floppers. Here he's after Titan and it's glorious. In one of my favorite wrestling spots of the year Titan tags in, slingshots over the ropes and begins hand springing his way across the ring and finishes doing a dorky bow and arrow mime, and Terrible just runs over and throws a brutal left hook, flooring Titan. Awesome spot. This match is full of rudos dropkicking tecnicos right in the middle of dangerous looking moves. Oro and Cometa both do moonsaults at different points and get kicked in the stomach right in the middle of them, which if you think about the physics basically stops their momentum and dumps them on their heads. Vangellys dropkicking Cometa during an Asai moonsault was an especially nasty moment. Bucanero doesn't always show up but he was game here, and aside from throwing shots at the floppers (oh god including powerbombing Cometa right into the freaking ring post) he also took a hilarious bump off a Cometa rana from the apron, making sure to somersault his way towards a couple bosomy ladies in the front row, and then recovering whilst draped over their laps. But this match was the Terrible show, and when he's on he's on. Here he took a bunch of bumps from big springboard offense, and then dished it right back including ending the Segunda by catching a springboard rana into an brutal powerbomb. Awesome stuff in this.

2. Rush, Maximo & Marco Corleone vs. Mr. Niebla, Euforia & Niebla Roja (7/20/14)

What an odd match. I actually had to check the date to make sure LATV wasn't just showing an old match, but no this match actually happened in 2014. What was so weird was everybody worked it as if it were 2012. Rush was working tecnico with Maximo and Corleone as if he hadn't been a total dickbag the entire last year (although the onscreen graphics kept referring to them as rudos). But it wasn't just Rush, as Niebla was also doing little things he hasn't done since 2012, most notably not dressing like a total asshole and just wearing his old Niebla gear, not doing a stupid spit spot, Zacharias was getting involved in the match (and really he's just been sitting at ringside for the last 1-2 years), Niebla also broke out his fun face first apron bump that I haven't seen him do in a couple years, and also the Harley Race "feet caught on bottom ropes" headfirst bump to the floor. This time the Race bump had a fun twist as while he was hung up in the ropes Zacharias was tossed onto him sending both of them crashing to the floor. Euforia seems to match up really well with Marco's big left hands, and he ran into a few great ones here. Maximo also had a spry performance, tossing out some cool armdrag variations and working some nice sequences with Niebla. And there Rush is the whole match, working a weird turn back the clock gimmick. This whole match was seriously bizarre.

3. Metalico, Virus & Skandalo vs. Dragon Lee, Oro Jr. & Fuego (7/27/14)

Fun straight falls match with more of Metalico taking out all of his life's aggressions on Oro Jr. Oro bumps even bigger in this one than their showdown the week before. Even before the match starts Oro is waiting in the aisle for Metalico, which immediately backfires as Metalico sidesteps him, hits a great kneelift, and then tosses Oro into the ring post. Oro takes a really awesome Lawler style bump into the post. Oro takes another big beating from all the rudos here, with Metalico being the standout again as the vicious asskicker. The segunda sees the big tecnico comeback with all of them hitting big dives, Lee getting a big flip dive and a nice rana off the apron, and Oro about to exact his revenge when Metalico unmasks himself and gets the DQ win. I'm really liking this feud as it's really done a great job of making two guys stand out who I have never really giving second thoughts to. The fact I'm looking forward to more Metalico and Oro Jr. stuff really says something.

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CMLL Workrate Round-Up 10/10/14 & 7/20/14

1. Kraneo, Mr. Niebla & Shocker vs. Marco Corleone, Diamante Azul & Valiente (10/10/14)

Short and sweet match with tons of great Kraneo moments. Not only is Kraneo really great, but I think he brings the best out in guys like Niebla. Niebla is not as good as Kraneo, but nobody wants to be the dog of the match. Kraneo is just a total beast though and also makes opponents look great. He spectacularly ends a fall with a wild senton off the top, but also takes a massive bump to the floor off a Marco clothesline, really whipping himself over the top super fast, but also does little detail rudo things like holding Corleone in place by *grabbing his balls from behind*!! Then casually walking off tapping his own inner thigh to the boos of the crowd. Marco kicks things up a notch too in his work opposite Kraneo as he's really the only luchador in CMLL who can match him for size (although Thunder is pretty huge as well), and Marco logically uses his size in the tercera to wipe out Kraneo/Niebla with his huge no hands plancha, this time from ring to floor (instead of his usual ramp to ring). Kraneo is a bull and these kind of matches are almost always worth watching to see what he'll do.

2. Rush, La Sombra & La Mascara vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Thunder & Euforia (10/10/14)

Also quick and to the point, with Ingobernales going over in straight falls, but it is notable for an actual spirited and fine tecnico appearance from Thunder. Thunder is a guy who has not really registered with me so far, other than "hey that guy is large and muscle-y" but here at the end of the primera there he was out on the floor dishing stiff shots to Ingobernales. UG is a guy I like but here he just works like UG, rudo or tecnico, just UG here. Thunder actually worked like a tecnico who had been disrespected by these douchey coveralls wearing punks. You knew what you were getting from the rudos in this, but I was pleasantly surprised by the tecnico I knew least about.

3. Metalico, Cancerbero & Raziel vs. Oro Jr., Starman & Triton (7/20/14)

I love when little matches like this exceed non-existent expectations. Nobody ever expects anything out of a third match on a Sunday card. I've seen dozens of these and most of the time they are exactly what you think they're going to be. I mean look at those 6 names. That is a list of maybe the 6 most "also rans" on any given CMLL midcard. If I asked you "hey name 10 luchadors whose names you always see in results and stuff but you don't actually go out of your way to watch" there is a good chance all six of those names pop up on that top 10. And then occasionally those kind of guys give you get a fun little gem like this one where everybody works hard and seems like they're all trying to stand out. Metalico was a little ball of rage here. Up until now if somebody had asked me about Metalico I would have told them that he was definitely one of the top 5-10 guys in CMLL with a Tiger gimmick. But here he was a total asshole southern heel. He stiffed up all the tecnicos and especially targeted Oro Jr., was constantly taking cheap shots at guys on the apron, and was cursing and spitting at the crowd from the apron, and begging off in the tercera. He was wrestling like a guy who just got laid off but was then asked to finish out the week, oh and also we won't be giving you a recommendation. Oro Jr. was a fun punching bag and took some mean bullying from all the rudos. His "pushed too far" moment was satisfying. Starman hits a wild tope (I think Phil may have dubbed this year the "Return of the Classic Lucha Tope" and this one can be added onto that list) and this match was just unexpectedly fun. And damn man, Metalico. I like this guy pissed off. It was kind of a weird out of nowhere performance as I don't ever remember him doing this stuff before, and other guys in the match were still trying to have a traditional lucha match, but shoot Metalico's act would have played well on the 80s Memphis set.

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CMLL on LATV Workrate Report 7/20/14

And now one week later we flash back forward to shows from June. These matches were from the 6/15 Arena Mexico show. So the only real consistency with these LATV shows are that they're showing 2014 CMLL shows that took place on Sunday (whether that be at Coliseo or Arena Mexico). I won't complain too much as I like Kraneo showing up on my TV as often as possible, and him showing up on LATV means his match won't be edited.

1. Blue Panther, Stuka Jr. & Sagrado vs. Kraneo, Olimpico & Morphosis

Really good stuff and some match ups you don't see that often. This is a pretty fantastic Kraneo showcase that sees him do all sorts of cool stuff. Not just the nice bumps, but he's really good at incorporating his size into matches, without becoming some unwieldy object that people just have to work around. He brings a cool power element to things, completely obliterating people with shoulderblocks, first in the corner, other times using them to cut out offense out of nowhere. It's a cool element to bring when a tecnico is setting up a dive, and there's this unseen behemoth who can agilely burst onto the scene at any moment. He uses that same "out of nowhere" agility to break up a pin, running in with the biggest nastiest full weight senton you've seen in ages (poor Olimpico on the bottom of that mess). Panther and Olimpico start us off with cool mat stuff. A lot of it seemed Panther guided, like Olimpico taking him down by the wrist, but Panther really whipping himself into the mat. Stuka also hits an awesome dive on Kraneo at one point, just barreling into him headfirst and Kraneo is arguably the best catcher in the fed. He always stands his ground and absorbs all of a dive. This one is well worth checking out.

2. Virus vs. Fuego

This was a match where I seemed to be the only person who did not like it. Not just that, but most people (Phil included) praised it as one of the best lucha singles of 2014. Here were my original thoughts:

"I did not love this match. What's cruel, is that I loved the primera. It had some of Virus' best matwork of the year, really established his dominance over Fuego, and had other great moments like Virus plastering him with a brutal thrust headbutt from the apron. I was into it. I was excited for it. It was as advertised. But then my god would it just not end. And through most of this match Fuego just looked flat out bad. I thought he was a fine counterpoint to Virus' early mat stuff, and the two dives were a cool touch. But by the end of this Virus had to put himself into Fuego's submissions. I really hate matches where one guy takes his 50% up front and the other guy goes on his run right after. The tercera especially felt sluggish to me, with none of the momentum shifts making sense. And it wasn't just Fuego in the tercera, but Virus looked downright bored. No emotion, no rudoing, just mindlessly going through the moves waiting for his turn. I felt zero drama whatsoever in the tercera and it felt like all of the heatless 2.9 count lucha main events that I can't stand. This match was even more disappointing to me since it started on a high and was just a slow and painful death afterwards. Did a Fuego match really need 20+?"

But I rewatched it, because it was on, and because I'm an open-minded guy. Whenever I differ from the consensus on something it doesn't bother me too much. Like a band that others don't? Not uncommon. Like a movie more or less than someone? Oh well, I like what I like when it comes to movies. And it's the same way with pro wrestling, except this time some of my absolute favorite wrestling minds (and Phil Schneider) all liked a match that I disliked. I wouldn't say that made me second guess myself, but it did make me curious to try and see things from a different perspective.

And I disliked it just as much as the previous viewing. All of the same complaints up above were still right there, with new ones that I guess I didn't notice on the first go 'round. This time I noticed even more of Virus' awesome matwork in the primera. He did one of the absolute coolest leg sweeps I've ever seen, sweeping around from his back and forcing Fuego's (who was standing) ankle painfully outward, until Fuego had to drop down to ease the pressure, which of course was exactly what Virus wanted. Virus continued to tear that leg apart. What I didn't remember was that leg work continuing on into the segunda, with Fuego doing a more than admirable job selling. Adding in a slight limp when moving around, clearly selling that leg.

Until the moment he needs to go back on offense and then all that leg work and all that selling goes away forever and we get zero call backs to it. I'd like to think I'm not a "convenient selling" Nazi, but when limb work takes up the bulk of a match and then vanishes as if it was a part of a different match then that's just sloppy. Not just that but he goes from non-stop leg injury, and the first moves he does right after he decided to not be bothered with that injury are all springboard moves. Just really rubbing in. The tercera was as bad as I remembered, with awful fatigue selling after every move. Fuego does a move, both men lie there tired and just stunned that it wasn't the move that ended things. Virus does a move, Fuego reacts the same. It's garbage. Even after things like roll ups and ranas. Just both men, heaving, going through a WAR, shocked a roll up didn't get the 3. I had to put it on 2x speed after awhile it was so bad.

I don't regret watching it again, as I was legit curious. But it stinks. Killer primera though.

3. Valiente, Atlantis & Marco Corleone vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Mr. Niebla & Niebla Roja

Fun match that only gets about 10 minutes, but that seemed like an appropriate amount for what we got.  It was best case scenario as it meant we got no down time and that guys that might need covering up didn't get exposed. Corleone got to punch people and flatten Roja with his crossbody, Valiente hit a brutal high speed dive on Niebla, Roja actually played off Corleone as his perfect foil, showing real promise as a rudo. Every spot opposite Marco always ended with the advantage, but Roja always got to mug and do things I always love in wrestling, like pointing to his head after momentarily foiling Marco.  UG looked like a badass leveling Valiente with a mean clothesline, crushing Atlantis with his headstand pendulum and mocking him after ripping his mask off to get DQ'd in the tercera. All fun stuff.

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MLJ: Rush vs Negro Casas 17: Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Cavernario, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero

Aired: 2014-07-20
taped 2014-07-11 @ Arena México
Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Cavernario, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero

First off, a plug. Elliott is doing some really great work over at PWO examining Satanico (both late career and 90s), in light of the GOAT project going on there. It's worth checking out and while I'll probably not review them here, there are a lot of links to matches I haven't seen but really want to. Alright, back to Rush vs Casas. We're closing in now, which is probably a good thing as Eric and Phil just posted their MOTYC review of the hair match. I'll be able to add my views when we hit the end in a week or two. Then, since Eric is doing such a good job burning through the weekly TV, I'm going to hop back to 2010 and take a look at some CMLL from there (and also, no one wants to see me review another 200 Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero matches or however many it'd take to make it to the Mask match). To stay at least somewhat relevant, though, I'm going to use the Monday slot to focus on Barbaro Cavernario, who's one of the bigger stories of the year.

Which is a topical thought here, as he's on the rudo side for this trios match. I don't know how many times he'd been in a match this high up on the card at Arena Mexico but this was second to last, with only a Sombra vs Shocker singles match to set up a tag title rematch after it. He was teamed with Casas and Ultimo Guerrero too, so this was a great spot for him. Weirdly enough, Rush, Maximo, and Marco came out announced as El Bufete Del Amor, which seems fairly bizarre considering Rush's Ingobernales affiliation. In general, the match was sort of worked like a revelos increibles match, with Rush the rudo with the tecnicos and Casas the tecnico with the rudos.

Structurally, it was a pretty standard B-A-C sort of match. Rush ran out to attack Casas but UG followed right behind him and they were able to get in just enough of an ambush to hold the advantage for a (not particularly heated) beatdown which ended with a Casas corner clothesline on Rush, a big hanging UG suplex on Marco, and UG whipping Maximo into a top rope Cavernario dropkick. During the fall, Casas deposited rush over the barricade with a clothesline. The comeback came, as we've seen many times before now, with Rush hitting a dropkick out of the corner as Casas was whipped towards him. After a bit of revenge brawling, Marco hit Air Italia from the ramp for the fall. They reset for the pairings (Maximo-Cavernario, UG-Marco, Rush-NC) after this and ultimately, Rush stole the win.

The real story here was first the character work and second, the bullshit ending, which as far as bullshit endings go, was pretty bullshit, and I think a huge mark against Rush at a time where he's probably in Wrestler of the Year contention. First off, the character work. It was great. These guys are all pros. UG matches off very well against Marco as he's a guy who's over enough and established enough that he's very willing to eat comedy spots for the good of the match. I'm curious if he still feels the same way now that his mask is gone. Even better was Maximo and Cavernario, as the latter kept trying to kiss the former. Maximo being afraid of his opponent is probably my favorite version of Maximo, as I loved it in all of his match-ups against Terrible and it's even better here as Cavernario just dove right into the crazed caveman character and Maximo dove away from him at every point, until he finally eats a fall in the tercera after trying the kiss of death on UG, only to have Cavernario spin him around and hit him with it, followed by that fall back chinlock submission of his. Rush and Casas were Rush and Casas full of fire and aggression, as good as ever here. I could watch ten more matches with these six.

That said, the finish was highly frustrating. It had come down to Casas vs Rush, with Casas finally getting the advantage on the apron, hitting the apron DDT and following it with his seated senton off the apron. So far, so good. It was a really nice exchange up until that point and well punctuated. After that, though, Rush committed one of the worst cardinal sins imaginable. Casas positioned him on the floor as Cavernario ascended the ropes. He came off hard with a giant splash from the top to the floor, the sort of thing that if done too many times (read: at all) could shorten a career. I remember seeing a trios with Hijo del Santo and Psicosis where Santo ate a senton from the top to the floor and was stretchered out to huge heat. It was still a crazy and dangerous spot, a foolish spot, but it was one that meant something and probably led to money drawn. Here? Casas lifted Rush up and rolled him into the ring, following him in. Literally the next second, as if nothing had happened to him at all, Rush ambushed Casas on the way in, power bombed him, and put his hand on the rope for leverage to get the three. Afterwards he celebrated his victory. It was insane. I give Rush credit for how well he fights back in a three-on-one swarming, while still making sure to ultimately lose the exchange, because that makes him look strong and makes the beatdown more vibrant. All this did was ruin the match; it's something he does do now and again, a blatant no-sell, be it of a German Suplex from Shocker or this Splash, in order to get to the next spot or in this case, to get to the Finish, and it's by far, the weakest and most frustrating thing he does, and I do think it hurts his case in 2014 when putting him up against the very best of the best around the world. So, while this was a good, fun, match with more traditional rudo and tecnico roles, the ending really ended up hurting it.

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Lucha Azteca Workrate Report 8/30/14

So on 8/15/14 (and, sadly, 8/22/14) it looks like they did a tournament for the CMLL Universal championship. Tournament lucha, baby! Catch that 150 second action!! So we all know these matches will be, best case scenario, the 2nd or 3rd best match on an episode of Worldwide, so I'm not really going to review the matches themselves because why bother. I'll make some notes of standout individual performance. The one positive I can take from this is that we might get some unique match-ups, however brief. It looks like there are a lot of rudos in the tourney so we may get some fun rudo on rudo shenanigans.

1. Terrible vs. Euforia

Terrible and Euforia already start the tourney off with a classic tournament lucha staple: selling like you're in the fight of your life after the first move of the match. Euforia hits a clothesline and gets a two count, and both men linger on the mat, breathing heavily, before valiantly fighting to their feet 20 seconds into the match. Fuck you, tournament lucha. Strike exchanges, sunset flips, no drama, I've clearly made a horrible choice.

2. Felino vs. Shocker

Felino is wearing some spectacular tassel tights (tassels down the legs and around the cuffs) so this is already an early match of the night contender. Felino tries here more than usual, hitting a sweet elbow off the top rope. Match ends pointlessly 2 minutes in after a Shocker sub.

3. Rey Escorpion vs. La Sombra

Now we're getting spoiled as we get almost 3 minutes of action! How horrible would it be to take a trip down to Mexico with the hopes of seeing lucha, and they run a tournament during the show you attend? Escorpion puts the boots to Sombra a bunch and Sombra lays in the running double knees in the corner. They tried to cram a decent amount of stuff into the time, but it still didn't add up to tons.

4. Negro Casas vs. Mephisto

Haven't seen Mephisto in awhile. He's wearing a Spider-man get up which is…something. We get a couple nice Mephisto powerbombs including a big one off the top rope. Casas won it with a wrenched in Crippler Crossface. Never forget.

5. Euforia vs. Shocker

Euforia mixes it up a tiny bit by attacking Shocker on the ramp. This wasn't particularly good but it had an immediacy that the other matches didn't have. The others have been worked more as "last two minutes of a really bad epic" and this one was at least guys trying to go for flash leveraged pinfalls. That at least makes more sense. Shocker's winning roll-up was really snug and looked like any man would have trouble kicking out of it. So that's something.

6. Negro Casas vs. La Sombra

Actually a fun match, not coincidentally the one that has gotten by far the most time so far. Sombra gives Casas a long beating and Casas' comeback is really good, shoving Sombra off the top to the floor and beating him into the crowd barrier. Sombra always flies nicely into a barrier. Also I really dig Casas' dragon screw knee breaker he's been using lately. Looks cool. Finish is kind of weird as Sombra wins with a nut shot schoolboy, with poor Casas' balls taking another beating. But what was weird is that it just looked like a normal schoolboy. I rewound it and didn't see an actual ball shot. Casas may just be dealing with some residual ball aches.

7. La Sombra vs. Shocker

Pretty nondescript match although I like how they're transitioning Sombra's running double knees into a death blow. Also kind of surprising that none of the tourney matches built to a dive of any sort. I was expecting to see a dive exchange in the semi at least. I don't need dives to enjoy my lucha, but it just seemed odd not seeing any.

8. Ultimo Guerrero, Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero vs. Atlantis, Marco Corleone & Diamante Azul

Pretty paint by numbers, but with a fun tercera. First falls were really quick, with about the only notable thing being UG holding up Marco for a long time on an impressive vertical suplex. Tercera had several fun moments with the Diamante Azul/Gran Guerrero exchanges standing out the most (which was not what I was expecting going in). They did a bunch of cool standing exchanges, Azul threw a high bridge german suplex, fun stuff. Roja and Marco were odd bedfellows who didn't really work great together, but tried. They tried a goofy spot where Roja used Marco's abs to mime dialing a telephone, answered the phone, then handed the phone to Marco before hitting him. Har har guys, but kind of gave me a little nightmare flash forward of lucha becoming wildly obsessed with Chuck Taylor indie goofball dogshit. We've already seen the back cracker become the scourge of the lucha finisher world, now I'm picturing a nightmare hellscape where luchadors come up with shitty move names like "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto" or "Avoid the Noid".

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Lucha Azteca Workrate Report 7/26/14

All matches were from the 7/11 Arena Mexico show.

1. Dark Angel, Marcela & Estrellita vs. Amapola, Princesa Blanca & Zeuxis

Blanca has awesome crimped hombre hair, looking like the Russian experiment clone on Orphan Black. Primera is really good with Estrellita taking a beating, Marcela missing a somersault senton off the apron and splatting on the floor, and Zeuxis hitting a package piledriver on Dark Angel (so are piledriver type moves legal now in Mexico? Seems like a lot of workers are doing these kind of moves now, which look exactly like automatic DQ moves of the not too distant past). Segunda is really hot, with Amapola taking a big Cassandro bump around the turnbuckles and then Dark Angel hitting a huge crossbody off the top onto her. Marcela especially had a great fall (and match) with some impressive power spots like a sort of deadlift quebradora, throwing a dropkick through Zeuxis' face (while she was leaned up against the bottom rope) and then hitting a nice rana on her off the apron. Straight falls, but the match was really hot. Well worth checking out. 

2. Negro Casas, Barbaro Cavernario & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Rush, Maximo & Marco Corleone

Very fun match ruined by the most hot dogshit finish you can possibly imagine. It's nice to see Cavernario in with the big boys, and Casas had a hell of a showing here. Casas got to take it to Rush throughout most of this, hitting all sorts of big kicks to the chest and face (which Rush leaned right into). Rush worked a lot of this as a traditional tecnico, which didn't garner much sympathy from the Arena Mexico fans, but was fun to see. Marco stuck to UG/Cavernario, flexing his abs, hitting his nice lefts and some big crossbodies. Now lets get to that most garbage of finishes, where Casas beats Rush around the ring, and we're talking the most offense Casas has gotten on Rush in ages. Gets him in the corner and kicks the hell out of him, kicks him to the floor where he hits the Thesz press off the apron, drags him around by the hair so Cavernario can hit his giant awesome big splash from the top to the floor, rolls Rush back in the ring…

and Rush just powerbombs Casas for the win. Well, fuck us then. What an awful, pointless, lazy finish. This is one of the worst no sells I've ever seen in pro wrestling. And it's not like Rush collapsed after hitting the powerbomb either. He was totally fine, walking around, back to normal as if the big splash recharged him or something. Just an awful finish that made everybody look bad. The kind of finish that would make anybody who got sucked into the match feel like a doofus. Casas gave him everything he had, and Rush basically just shrugged. Is Rush just Jason Vorhees now?

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MLJ: Rush vs Casas 9: La Sombra, Marco Corleone, Rush vs Felino, Mephisto, Negro Casas

Aired 2014-06-09
taped 2014-05-26 @ Arena Puebla
La Sombra, Marco Corleone, Rush vs Felino, Mephisto, Negro Casas

Variation is really key with these matches. They switch out one or two of the wrestlers and things feel fresh. They have to because they're working the same crowds every week or close to it. Here we've got Mephisto and Felino on the rudo side. If I had to pick I'd take Felino over Niebla probably. He can bring it a little bit better even if his brand of comedy is more offensive. It's not more offensive structurally. I'm sure Mephisto is wonderfully happy Averno left. He's stuck in this match getting Felino's armpit stuck in his face as a pre-match ritual. Sombra and Rush have Marco with them, which is the unofficial Ingobernales unit I like the best. Visually and even in his work, Mascara's sort of a poor man's Sombra in a lot of ways. Marco at least brings something different to the table but he's more than happy to work in the Ingobernales style and forget he's a tecnico.

This was a rare beast, a 2014 match that didn't start with an ambush. Despite the fact that Marco does fit in well with Sombra and Rush, there was a moment at the start of the match where there was a slight disconnect. The rudos actually got to act like rudos to begin. After a bit of Mephisto/Rush sequence and matwork, Mephisto drew him into the rudo corner and the cheapshots and interference started. Then Casas tossed the newly-battered Marco into the tecnico corner because he wanted Rush and everything inverted. Sombra and Rush charged the ring together and the tecnicos became rudos and the rudos became babyfaces and the beatdown was on. It was a nice little transformative touch, which means they're probably going to reuse it in the next three matches.

Marco was quick to join in on the act, participating in the beatdown and suplexing Casas to take a very brief primera, that was really all that transformative moment and not much else. The beatdown continued between falls, with Rush sticking Felino's leg in a planted chair in the crowd and tossing Casas into the wall. No one has the energy for a beatdown quite like Rush. There was a nice whip into a Rush superkick too. Some of this, then led to parallel spots in the comeback. It began with Sombra holding Casas for another Rush superkick only for him to move and Sombra to eat it in the face. Then Casas stuck rush's leg in a chair so he could beat him down while Felino choked the hell out of Marco. For some reason Mephisto got to get the shine here, pinning Sombra with the Devil's Wings and Marco after he tied him up. Looking at results, I don't see what they were building Mephisto up for but it was pretty heated and effective altogether.

It led to a reset in the tercera, and one with some comedy at that. I think we've seen this before, when you have a heated match and they break it up with shtick or sequence. Sometimes it can drain the heat away, but if it's done quickly, and leads right back into, say, rush and Casas beating the heck out of each other, it can be effective. Here it was Felino and Marco and it was perfectly fine except for the fact I think I've seen this exact bit with the armpit and the slow delay punch thing a half dozen times. I actually paused the match to try to figure out if I'd seen it before, but no, it was just the act. That took me out of the match more than it would have if it was all fresh. Thankfully, it did lead right into Casas and Rush again and the second Rush hit his headbutt out of the corner, they had me again. It also worked because the end of the Fall wasn't going to be focused on Rush vs Casas. Instead, Marco and Casas did a bit more comedy and took themselves out of the equation, Rush finished off Felino with his side suplex and Mephisto ate Sombra's moonsault.  In the end, it worked. Again, this isn't one of those matches that'll be a MOTYC but it was well worth watching, and was really satisfying. It had a clever set up for the beat down, a solid beat down, a great, heated comeback, and then some straightforward and fun trios wrestling with both heat and comedy to take things home. Matches like this are just a simple joy.

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MLJ: Rush vs Negro Casas 7: Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, Rush vs Negro Casas, Ripper, Shocker

Aired 2014-05-11
taped 2014-04-28 @ Arena Puebla
Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, Rush vs Negro Casas, Ripper, Shocker

In some ways this match was a breath of fresh air after the previous one with Niebla. There are obviously some similarities between a character such as Niebla and one such as Marco. Both of them have over the top theatrics and lean towards comedy, despite having pretty great punches. Marco rarely over-utilizes it to the detriment of the match, though, especially if they're in a more serious match. On the other hand, there's an element of repetition within a match with him that can sometimes take a viewer out of it. Ripper is a guy who's just there for me so far. I haven't seen a break out performance in 2014 but I also haven't seen him do anything egregiously bad. Azul is someone I don't have a great sense of yet either, but I was glad for the variation here. In some ways, it even felt like it was there more to set up a Ripper vs Diamante Azul match than anything else. Having Rush and Casas there as supporting players was sort of refreshing.

That said, there was definitely some structural wonkiness here. The flow matches where Rush teams with more traditional tecnicos is all over the place. Here, Rush, as usual, acted like a rudo almost completely, and Marco acted like Marco, including dialing on his abs and pretending to call someone at some point; he fits in fairly well with the Ingobernales act when necessary. Azul, however, was absolutely a straight up tecnico, down to hitting the old Atlantis "Let's give everyone a quebadora" spot, which is the most tecnico thing in the world to me, to set up the finish for the primera. Obviously they weren't in Arena Mexico which matters when it comes to Rush's reaction but it still felt weird.

Otherwise, the structure was fine though. They didn't even have the opening match beat down. Everyone got to make their entrances, with a short primera that still had some feeling out and matching up. It ended with the rudos dodging Air Italia so that Marco hit Azul by accident and they pinned both tecnicos at once. The segunda was mostly a rudo beatdown, though not enough of one to make any sort of comeback visceral. Casas and company spend so much time in a lot of these Rush matches on the defense, so it was nice to see them really get to play the rudos, though. The comeback was the Rush dropkick out of the corner again, the third time in four matches or something, but at least this was in front of a different crowd. It's still a knock against him for the year, I think. The tercera began with a reset, had some solid, if a bit deliberately paced Shocker and Marco sequence and comedy, some of the usual Rush dickishness (namely refusing to wrestle Casas and laying on the ramp instead) leading into the standard high quality Rush and Casas exchange with them brawling into the crowd and out of the match, and ended with Ripper pulling off Azul's match for the DQ, leading to calls for a mano a mano match and what not.

I like that we have matches such as these when CMLL hits places other than Arena Mexico. In this case, this was a match in a series between Ripper and Diamante Azul. The following week in Puebla, Azul would successfully defend his NWA Light Heavyweight title against Ripper. If you're going to have supporting players to help further your feud, Rush and Casas are about as good as you can hope for in 2014 CMLL. This felt somewhat slight as far as the Rush and Casas feud went but I bet it made the Azul vs Ripper feud feel all the more important. I kind of want to go back and see their title match now. Anyway, this was a fun deviation from the norm.

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