Found Footage Friday: CENA~! REIGNS~! TAMBA~! TINIEBLAS~! MAGNUM HALL~! MALUMBA~!

Tinieblas Sr. vs. Tamba [Mask vs Hair] WWA 9/19/87

MD: LA was a dead territory. Obviously WWF had success there in the 80s, but in the midst of that, these Olympic Auditorium shows were happening and they're very much a missing piece of wrestling history. There's a lot of talk about what was happening in the 90s, but these were just there underneath the surface the whole time. And while I wish we could hear the crowd a little bit better, you can't deny the trash being thrown in at the end here, and this was overall a wild scene.

Tamba is a pudgy babyfaced guy with no shirt and no mask and he was putting his hair up against Tinieblas' hallowed mask. The commentary indicates that maybe he was being nudged into this by his partner, Super Halcon, and there was a build here where they had gotten some cheating tag wins apparently. There was also an indication that the promoter too had been goaded in and that other promoters wouldn't have put up Tinieblas' mask like this. 

Halcon hangs out on the apron at the start of the match. Tinieblas nails him and Tamba gets Tinieblas from behind and we're off to the races. Tamba's stuff is, shall we say, rough around the edges. He had size and he had size and he had size and that was pretty much what he had. His forearms did not look great, but you sort of bought them given that size and Tinieblas made sure to spin and backpedal on each one on the floor. He used a chair as well. Back in the ring he hit maybe the worst top rope splash I've ever seen, just sort of falling down on Tinieblas' legs but that scored in the primera. The segunda had a couple of Tinieblas comebacks where he beat Tamba around the ring, but that size kept coming into play. Here though he missed a second rope splash after laboriously getting up the ropes, and that allowed Tinieblas to slap on La de a Caballo.

The tercera, then, was all over the place. The video cuts in and out a bit but by the end of it, Tinieblas had hit Tamba with a chair and opened him up (though maybe not a gusher). Tamba manages to come back with not just one low blow, but two, and he pulls at the mask and goozles Tinieblas. When the ref tries to get involved, Tamba tosses him off repeatedly, until he climbs on both Tamba and Tinieblas in the ropes and Tinieblas hefts both Tamba and the ref over. That allows Halcon to come in and interfere and Tamba to steal a three fall. The trash came flying, and they were very, very quick to get on the house mic (lowered from the ceiling) and let everyone know that they were reviewing the tape because of the fouls. I thought they were going to maybe restart the match, but no, they just gave it to Tinieblas and probably avoided a riot in the process, and we were left with the image of Tamba and his giant with a wound right in the middle, getting sheered with expert speed. It was more of an experience than a match but you really get a sense of the time and place.

ER: Oh, Tamba, where have you been all my life? Tamba, with his post-peak fat guy body and jack o lantern smile, 38 but moving like a 55 year old luchador, every fall the fall of a formerly great and still unique wrestler. He has among the worst fat guy splashes you've seen, falling in a controlled way on Tinieblas with no jump at all, like Cathy flopping onto her bed after a long Monday at the office. He wins the primera with a top rope splash that was an insult to the name. He landed somewhere near Tinieblas's legs with the form of a man who fell into a swimming pool while trying to fish something out. He looks like he's never climbed the ropes before and yet he's got this unique aura the entire time. He has great heavyweight punches, heavy blows that came from the side, thrown to the face, head, and chest. His punches are great enough that I know 1982 Tamba was an incredible menace. You can see him as a Super Porky who immediately fell off once the athleticism aged out to size. He got great fat guy color and did a tremendous job of almost starting a riot by taking one of the legendary lucha masks in a 100:1 upset. I don't think the lacking or loose execution held this back because the aura was there. It still felt like a big match even if the outcome was so unlikely and the opponent so washed. Underdogs got nothing to lose and it felt like there was more raw emotion in Tamba's toothless face than I expected. This felt like the right match for the occasion and felt like a look inside a scene. 

Scott Hall vs. Atkie Malumba [Cage] WWC 8/4/90 

MD: One great thing about having covered 1990 Puerto Rico so thoroughly is that we can fit this right in. This was after Hall's face turn and after the Aniversario match and they were using gimmicks to keep the feud going. You can see from the finish here that they left more meat on the bone. To me, this was right around the point where everything clicked for Hall. He could have had a serious babyface run in the back half of 1990 somewhere, but I guess he was in Germany as a heel (I saw some of that recently, a Tony St. Clair/Owen Hart handicap match).

This was from an episode a couple of years later so Profe kept joking how there was resemblance to Razor Ramon. I thought it was laid out well though. They went back and forth early, Hall's punches vs Malumba's heft, but it opened up when Malumba was able to toss Hall into the cage a couple of times. From there he leaned on him with a couple of hope spots when he tried to escape the cage through the door and Hall stopped him. There was a long nervehold (maybe too long) but it let Hall power up, the fans behind him, and start firing back. Hall finally got to toss Malumba into the cage (they had protected that), and there was a good nearfall for a cage when he dropkicked Malumba and Malumba almost went out the door from it, a finish we'd seen all too often but that I haven't seen teased like that much. Hall finally got the slam (also protected) to a big pop. He sold it well too stumbling backwards after the fact. And the finish had him go up and over but Malumba make it through the door a second before he landed. Maybe they could have shrunk that nerve hold just a little but overall this was a good piece of business and gave them room to go back for one more. 

ER: I've written a lot about Scott Hall, but almost exclusively 1992-1997 Scott Hall, which is when he became a really great worker. I've written a lot about Kimala II as well. He's probably the worst wrestler who Matt and I frequently write about, and I love him. I love both guys, but it never crossed my mind that they had ever wrestled each other. In another country. I didn't even know Scott Hall worked Puerto Rico or how big the cultural impact of Magnum PI on 1990 Puerto Rico was. I've never seen a Razor Ramon vs. Kamala match but now we have a version of that from an alternate dimension where Scott Hall wrestled like green Lex Luger and worked Gallagher Too in Puerto Rico. 

Scott Hall is an okay Lex Luger, and it's fun to see him sell like 96/97 Lex and use the same kind of punch comebacks. It's weird seeing Hall throwing lesser versions of his punch, before he perfected it, but I like how he sells for Kimala. Kimala's strikes never look great but they look correct for a Kimala. I love his shape and his big smooth back makes me think of him as a Punch-Out!! character. More wrestlers should remind me of a different ethnicity King Hippo. Kimala was a completely different opponent than we ever got to see Hall work, and it's good fun seeing Hall selling his back on lifts and throwing heavyweight dropkicks because he's a hunky babyface and not a greasy foreigner. Kimala's splashes always look good and I think he was able to have a 20 year career because he was a fat guy who worked without kneepads who stayed healthy. His deadweight landings look like they would never hold up over a decade long All Japan run, but these two were just built different. 

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns WWE 12/26/17 

MD: I'm not touching the Cena retirement tour but in watching this, I was stricken by how great a Cena retirement match this would have been, albeit 8 years too early. I don't remember the first thing about 2017 WWE. If I looked things up, I could probably piece it all together. Reigns was the Intercontinental champ apparently. This was at MSG, the big holiday show that kids get tickets for over XMas.

And I really liked it. It was Ace vs. Ace and felt like a passing of the guard moment. It has the room to stretch and breathe that you'd want in a house show. Cena leaned into it right in the beginning, going for a long lock up that let the fans chant at him (Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks). He pushed Reigns into the corner for a clean break and basked in it. There was such a sense of mastery here, of really knowing the value of a moment.  Reigns came back and controlled on a test of strength and then won on a shoulder block.

The match opened up when Cena went for a punch exchange, a traditional strength for him and Reigns clocked him. From there, it became about Reigns having a soft, punch-based advantage on these exchanges, and both men trying to unlock their moves. Instead of hitting things three times, they made getting through each part of the sequence an effort that needed to be built to. The crowd then went nuts when Cena finally hit his dropping belly to back or the five knuckle shuffle or Reigns finally got the Superman punch. There was one finisher kick out. Cena got the AA first and Reigns kicked out. Just that one and Cena wouldn't get it again, though he would cannily come close, hitting the mat as Reigns beat him again on a punch exchange only to lure him in on the pin and roll into a fireman's carry. This time Reigns escaped and hit the spear for the three, though. Just a very clever, very self-aware, very trusting match. Very little excess and because of that, what did happen mattered all the more and felt iconic. 

ER: 2017 was not my favorite John Cena year. It felt fully post-peak Cena at the time and scanning his television and PPV year now doesn't make me want to rewatch any of it. My favorite Cena match of the year had been a TV match against Jason Jordan, which feels like such a 2017 thing to say while also not sounding like it ever happened. I think I'd believe anything you told me about 2017 because none of it feels real, the timeline fake. It feels forever ago, not 8 years ago. Eight years ago, Jason Jordan was a Rising Star that I liked and wrote about, and Roman Reigns was a guy I thought might have been the best wrestler in the world. I went out of my way to watch and write about as many Roman Reigns/Braun Strowman TV, PPV, and house show matches existed - and there were a lot - and loved them all. In 2026, the idea of watching one Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman match would never cross my mind, and if suggested to me it would make me wrinkle up my nose in decline. 2017 feels like an implanted memory I only learn about from my own supposed writings and observations that I find in various notebooks that the RPG slowly reveals to me. 2017 was when you could go to a house show and see Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto but nobody saw it because it wasn't real. 

Roman Reigns was one of the best in the world in 2017 and was the best wrestler in WWE, and now they are a promotion I do not watch in part because I got tired of the new main event talk and walk style popularized by Roman Reigns. Eight years doesn't feel long, but it was a long time ago. This style isn't the main style in the fed that these two were the aces for, so this match - a great version of that style - feels like something much further back in time. It also greatly benefits from its handheld feel, shot on pro cam in the middle of the real crowd noise, like a concert recording from the taper's pit, but a taper who had a four man team and had been traveling to shows for several years. On TV everything is mic'd different, but in the middle of MSG you got to hear how much people hated Cena and wanted to cheer Roman...which made it so much better that we got to hear Cena winning them over the entire match. By the end of this, Roman's offense is being met with silence, like they didn't want to see Cena lose, and every time Cena made a comeback the crowd got louder with their support. 

Cena had one of his typical sloppy execution matches and some stuff looked hokier when played to the back rows of MSG. That big long lean over the apron while waiting for Roman's dropkick, the way his punches look so much worse than Roman's (until they start getting better when MSG is moved to cheer for him!?) are things that Cena is able to overcome stylistically, because the sloppy execution is baked into his style, and because the most important thing is his timing. Knowing when to bump, knowing when to take a beat, knowing which punch to get knocked down by. His timing was on the top of his game this whole match and it's knowing and perfecting that rhythm that had the entire building on his side within 15 minutes. 

It doesn't not matter in the grand scheme of things that his punches look loopy and cartoon-y, because he is so much better at taking Roman's punches and knowing how to bump and sell for each individual punch. I loved an early spot where he missed a turnbuckle charge and turned around into a nice Roman uppercut that sent Cena pirouetting into the mat, and there was this ongoing story where the punch exchanges never felt like they ended where Cena/Roman planned on ending them, but they ended where the punch quality and crowd reaction dictated they would end. This never felt like a match that they laid out and then worked exactly how they laid it out, it felt like something worked with room to grow into whatever the crowd wanted it to be. When Cena's tornado DDT maybe 7 minutes in got a big nearfall reaction, it's like that moment gave people a reason to believe in Cena, thus ROOT for Cena, and the dynamic change was huge. That's when this became something that felt a bit bigger and different than your usual send 'em home happy house show main. 

This was technically for the Intercontinental Title, but that seems laughably quaint. IF someone cared about that title before the match started, the title became an unimportant part of the match midway, if not sooner. This never felt like an IC Title match and by the end it only felt like a main event epic, a crowd worked to perfection, and moments timed for maximum impact. Neither man was able to hit their spots clean. Within a couple years, the WWE main event style was just finisher kickout spam, and this match got by with only one big surprise kickout (Roman kickout out of the AA, and to a lesser extent Cena kicking out of the Superman punch) because they wisely kept being unable to hit their various finishes. Finisher kickout is a lazy kind of surprise, but crafting a big main event build around stopped attempts and alternate means of attaining victory before looping back to one big finisher changed everything. Neither could put the other away because neither could connect with the big one. 

The reaction for Cena ducking a Superman punch, sloppily drop toe holding Roman into the STFU, was huge, a crowd chanting CENA SUCKS minutes before suddenly fighting with him, so much so that the pop when Roman lands his first Superman punch actually sounded more like shock than excitement. It got so Roman's offense was being met with silence. He wasn't being booed, but suddenly people were icing him out like they didn't want to actually see Cena lose. When Cena actually hits the AA (or moments where the 5 knuckle is stopped and then hit again later as more of a sudden surprise) the camera can no longer handle the decibels of the crowd and starts to distort. The finish was fantastic, with Cena leaping off the middle buckle for a legdrop but being hit with a sitout powerbomb for a good nearfall, leaping into a great punch exchange. This was the best punch exchange of the match, the one that felt like a gift to the crowd rather than one planned to go a specific length. It was a Boo/Yay exchange with people now booing Roman and cheering every punch a staggering Cena would throw, like they were the ones actually willing the men on instead of having a lengthy punch exchange foisted upon them. Cena deftly went down like a shot for Roman's best punch of the match, and it felt like it wasn't where Cena was "supposed" to go down, it just felt like he went down for the punch that felt (and looked) right. When Cena rolled through the pin and fought to deadlift Roman to his feet, clean and jerking him to his shoulders, it looked like the most triumphant Cena win and that's what everyone wanted to see. It was also the perfect way to set up Roman's win, Cena burning through all his reserves just to give everyone a look at Vintage Cena, doing it for the fans and forgetting he was in there with the new ace. 

I don't think the match happens like this if it was on TV or PPV, and I don't think it feels this good without the camera capturing the real crowd sound. This was a match that became more powerful because of its status as a house show main event (a house show in their main venue, but a house show nonetheless) and they seem to have completely forgotten that aspect of the show. Picturing this match done with their classically bad scripted commentary and all of the zoomed in reaction shaky cam and ugly LED displays just makes me nauseous. This was the right match for the right time presented in the best way. 

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El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: An Authorized What?

Week 48: An Authorized What?

EB:On March 9th, Carlos Colon defended the Universal title against Dick Murdoch in a match that had none other than Buddy Rogers as the special referee. Murdoch had pinned Colon in their previous two non title matches thanks to rope assisted cradles, leading to a special referee (Rogers) being appointed to make sure no shenanigans occurred in the title match. Well, shenanigans did occur and it led to Jose Colon (brother of Carlos) getting involved at one point of the bout. His appearance resulted in him getting attacked by Joe Don Smith and Dick Murdoch, and the fallout of this attack remains to be seen. Also on March 9th, the Caribbean Express won the Caribbean tag titles from the team of Rick Valentine and Galan Mendoza. It looks like the Caribbean Express are back in the tag ranks and once more holding championship gold.  

Let’s go to the March 16 episode of Camepones to see just what happened during the Universal title match. Please note, the listed date on the video says 3/23 but this is the 3/16 episode (since it refers to the events of the Colon vs. Murdoch match with guest red Buddy Rogers as happening last week).

3/16/91 TV

Your hosts are Hugo Savinovich and El Profe, with Hugo welcoming the viewers and Profe remarking that it's always a pleasure for the people to see him (modest as always). Profe mentions who will be in action on today's program, with Hugo adding that we will have our first look at a newcomer to CSP, one ‘Dirty’ Doug Gilbert (mentioned to be ‘Hotstuff’ Eddie Gilbert’s younger brother and Profe says that Doug is well recommended as a great talent). Hugo then mentions that we will have a special look at the training Jose Colon has been doing, causing Profe to laugh and mockingly say ‘the training’. We will have a video of what happened last week in Carolina when Jose Colon, who is not a  trained wrestler, was attacked. El Profe interjects that  everyone should find out that Jose is ‘un HP autorizado’ (which translates to an authorized SOB). Hugo is annoyed and corrects Profe, Jose is a CPA. Profe ‘apologizes’ since he thought it was SOB, but Hugo tells Profe to stop being a jerk. Hugo continues talking about the attack on Jose as Profe just continues cackling and saying ‘as if he is going to learn anything in a week’. Hugo says that Jose was attacked by Murdoch's lackey Joe Don Smith (Profe corrects Hugo by saying disciple not lackey). Hugo promises that we will have special interviews with Carlos and Jose Colon, as well as Murdoch and Joe Don later on in the show.

They then start talking about tonight’s show in Bayamon. The main event will see Carlos and Jose Colon take on Dick Murdoch and Joe Don Smith. Profe keeps laughing, calls Jose SOB again and talks up how Joe Don Smith is a legitimate athlete while Jose has been sitting behind a desk. Profe says that there is no chance for the Colons to win, Joe Don with one arm tied behind his back could mop the floor with Jose Colon. Hugo indicates that Jose has been training since early Monday morning, but Profe is not buying Jose having any chance. Hugo and Profe also hype the merchandise and videos available for sale. Hugo also reads an announcement for an amateur boxing tournament that will be starting later today, with over 130 amateur boxers participating (Profe audibly yawns and whistles as Hugo reads the announcement). One last topic, Hugo says that they've received news of unscrupulous individuals selling fake tickets to fans outside of their events. Please protect your money and only buy the tickets from the official box office at the arenas (as Profe puts it ‘Protect yourselves, morons. You don't get a chance to see me if you don’t.’). Hugo throws it to the first match, Ricky Santana vs. Moondog Spot.

MD: And lo, the name “Gilbert” would be mentioned for the first time in our journey, both Eddie and Doug, with the latter about to face Ricky Santana.

Moondog Spot vs. Ricky Santana

EB:  This match is from March 2. Moondog Spot is making a return appearance to Puerto Rico, previously having had a notable tag run with Moondog Rex back in 1982 (in fact,, the Moondogs had a bit of a feud with Tommy and Eddie Gilbert at that time). Ricky (who El Profe insists on calling ‘Ñico’ Santana to Hugo’s exasperation) is being pushed as a heartthrob and Hugo talks up Ricky's popularity with the ladies early on in the match. Profe starts wondering what the heck do the ladies find attractive about Santana, causing Hugo to needle Profe about checking out Santana. Profe counters by going off on how attractive ladies find him (to Hugo’s incredulity). In the ring, Santana has a size disadvantage against Spot but the early portion of the match sees Ricky be able to counter Spot’s wrestling holds. Spot takes to complaining about a hair pull and yells at the crowd. Tonight there will be a show at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel where Ricky Santana will take on newcomer Doug Gilbert. Spot repeats the earlier hold and Santana counters once more, leading to another round of complaining. Ricky starts to get mad at Spot’s stalling. Ricky works over Spot’s arm as El Profe gets on Santana for having US Male on his tights since Ricky is Cuban. Hugo explains that Ricky was in a tag team with White Angel over in the U.S. and they had decided on that as their team name since Ricky lived in Florida.

The announcers continue bickering as sRicky maintains the advantage by working over Spot’s arm. Ricky eventually sends Spot into the corner for some mounted punches, but Spot counters with an inverted atomic drop (which has the announcers arguing over the legality of the move). Spot tosses Ricky outside and chokes him out with a camera cable. Hugo yells at Profe about the legality of that move and why doesn't he say anything about that. Profe responds with ‘Because it was well done.’ Spot sends Santana into the ringpost as Profe insinuates something may be going on with Hugo and Ricky, since Hugo goes on and on about Ricky this and Ricky that. We go to commercial break with Rick on his feet and looking to get back in the ring. We come back with Ricky having Spot in a sunset flip for an unsuccessful pin attempt. By the argument the announcers are having, it seems that it was a case of Spot grabbing the ropes to try to hold on, but the ref kicked Spot’s hands off the ropes. Profe was complaining about the ref doing  that and Hugo actually agreed with Profe on that point. Spot works on Ricky’s neck but Santana fights out of the hold momentarily. A missed dropkick leads to Spot once again working over Ricky’s neck. Spot continues in control but makes the mistake of sending Santana to the outside. Ricky recovers and surprises Spot by grabbing the Moondog’s leg and dragging him out of the ring. Santana fires off several punches on the outside and then sends Spot shoulder first into the ringpost. Back in the ring they continue fighting, with each getting a nearfall (Santana manages to get his leg on the ropes after a splash). Spot tries to slam Ricky, but Santana counters with a standing switch and is able to hit a reverse rollup off the ropes for the win. An impressive win for Santana over a larger opponent.

MD: I liked this a lot actually. It got a ton of time and was very straightforward but Spot brought a lot of enjoyable BS to the table. It amuses me to no end that he could get the ref to blame Santana for false hairpulls on takedowns multiple times. He’d bump bigger than you’d expect (I think he was just younger than 40 which you wouldn’t expect either) on things like back body drops and then would go complain to the crowd as they threw stuff at him. He stooged all over the palace for Santana until he could toss him out and then had a chinlock later on with a pulling of the rope for leverage that couldn’t have made a lick of difference to the strength of the hold but was great wrestling nonsense. Eventually he hit a big splash but Santana got his feet on the ropes and Santana got him in a pretty dubious roll up off the ropes for the win. It was a better win for Santana than it might have been if it was less of a match.

Scott Hall vs. Tito Carrion

EB: Next we have Scott Hall facing Tito Carrion and this is a great showcase for Hall. Profe mentions that what we are seeing Hall do to Carrion is what Murdoch will do to Jose Colon tonight. Hall wins with the crucifix. Afterwards, Kim Duk cuts a promo on how he will become Caribbean champion once more. Scott Hall follows by saying  that every week he comes on TV to say who he has faced and defeated, tonight it is Duk’s turn to try to shut Hall up. 

MD: This is a fully formed Diamond Studd here. He doesn’t have the toothpick or the swagger from being the character necessarily, and is more cowboy with the way he carries himself, but just the execution and the big bombs, it’s him. He’s made it. He chains together four things (hanging tree toss, fall away slam, slingshot belly to back, crucifix/razor’s edge) and looks like the most formidable heel in the world basically. Duk and Hall cut promos one after the other and while Hall tries to keep it short, Hugo still talks over it for a while so we get a dozen fun hand motions as he tries to figure out how to fill time (Duk just did a few karate things). I’ll miss that when it’s gone.

EB: We get our first look at Doug Gilbert with a music video set to ‘Can I Play With Madness’. It seems Gilbert is a very recent arrival because the footage is from one studio match and an interview he seems to have done in the studio.

MD: It didn’t seem like they had a lot of footage to go with here. This was to Iron Maiden’s Can I Play with Madness and had a clip from an interview started and stopped and overlaid with fun colors plus footage from maybe one match with him doing a slingshot suplex. If I was watching this at home I don’t think I’d be too moved to see him in person.

EB: We then get promos from Action Jackson and TNT about their match tonight in Bayamon. TNT promises to take the TV title from Jackson the same way he took the name and paint from him.  

MD: Jackson is a lot more comfortable as himself. TNT is still frustrated that Jackson has the TV title and is going to keep working to get it back. That’s about all there is to say here.

EB: Our next segment is what happened last week during the Carlos Colon vs. Dick Murdoch match.. The leadup to the clip features Hugo and Profe arguing about what happened the previous week and what will be tonight’s main event, a tag match between Dick Murdoch and Joe Don Smith vs Carlos Colon and his brother Jose. Hugo says that we’ve heard a lot about what happened last week and it was even in the press, the incident whereDick Murdoch and his lacey Joe Don Smith (Profe says Joe is a protege) attacked Jose in a savage manner and… Profe interrupts saying it was deserved what happened to him (meaning Jose Colon), why was he sticking his nose in what was none of his business. Profe rants how Jose cost Dick Murdoch the Universal title, but Hugo explains a bit of what happened. Profe complains about why Jose got involved, Hugo says that sometimes family ties can cause you to get involved. After the video of what happened last week, we will see a video of JoseeColon training (Profe really wants to see this, because there’s no way that Jose can be trained in a week).

We go to the match highlights, with Colon attempting a figure four on Murdoch, but Murdoch kicks Colon away. Colon ends up colliding with Buddy Rogers in the corner. In the confusion, Joe Don Smith hands a foreign object to Murdoch, which he uses to hit Colon and get the pin (Rogers had not seen the use of the object). Profe claims that he didn't see anything untoward happen and that if they show anything it’s because they doctored the footage. We cut to Rogers giving the title to Murdoch, when suddenly someone runs out to ringside. It is Jose Colon, and he’s there to tell Rogers about the cheating that happened. Rogers tells Joe Don to allow him to check for the object and  Rogers initially finds nothing. Jose tells Rogers to check Joe Don’s boots and eventually Rogers finds the object. As a result, the decision is reversed and Carlos Colon is the winner by disqualification. An irate Murdoch and Joe Don attack Jose Colon outside the ring and a brainbuster on the outside is prevented by the tecnicos coming in for the save. They then show Jose Colon being checked on and carried out for medical assistance. Carlos was furious about his brother being attacked and we cut to Carlos going after Murdoch with a chair. We see them duel with chairs for a moment before Joe Don grabs Colon’s chair from behind and helps Murdoch attack Carlos, before they are run off by the tecnicos.

Murdoch and Joe Don cut a promo where Murdoch says how proud he is of the job Joe Don did last week. Joe Don says that tonight they will sweep the Colons. Murdoch wants Joe Don to listen to him tonight so that no harm comes to Joe. Murdoch then insults Colon and his brother, promising to get rid of Jose Colon tonight and then allow Joe Don to get some paintbrushing on Carlos. 

We then go to a video showing the training Jose Colon has been doing. Jose is in the ring with Invader #4 under the supervision of Carlos Colon and Isaac Rosario. We get a few minutes of Jose doing drills as Hugo explains what the purpose of some of the drills are (mainly for endurance and agility). Sometimes Carlos would get in the ring to encourage his brother whenever Jose would start tiring. We then get an interview with the Colon brothers, with Hugo mentioning again that Jose is not a trained wrestler but after what happened last week Carlos wanted his brother to pay back what happened. Hugo asks Jose if he is worried, which he is but he is ready to pay back what happened last week and he has Carlos with him to guide him. Carlos responds that he has confidence in his brother, this isn;t about wrestling, it is about respect. Carlos reminds everyone that one time someone he will not name attacked his wife and Carlos made sure to avenge that.. After tonight, he hopes that Murdoch, Smith and everyone else on the rudo side will learn to respect Puerto Ricans.

We go back to the studio, and El Profe says that after watching the authorized SOB train (Hugo yells CPA), he thinks he has seen women that have just given birth train with more intensity than Jose. Profe laughs as Hugo is exasperated and the video cut out as Hugo starts rebutting Profe’s insult. 

MD: Super high heat angle here as Buddy Rogers, the special ref got bumped out of a figure-four leglock pushoff. Joe Don gave Murdoch an object. He nailed Colon and won. Joe Don rushed in to get it and put it in his sock. Colon’s CPA (and Profe loves to talk about this) brother Jose came down to tell Rogers what happened. After some back and forth, he found the object and Murdoch responded by hitting a brainbuster on Jose on the outside. Big, big heat. Now, they were going to come back with a mixed tag and we got the training video accordingly. Very different and very fun stuff here and again, just super high heat. 

EB: Let’s go to the March 16 west coast edition of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre in order to get an idea of what else is happening in CSP.

3/16/91 West Coast TV

Hugo welcomes the viewers to the program on WORA TV and runs down some of what we will see on the program (including the debut of the younger brother of ‘Hotstuff’ Eddie Gilbert). Before running down tomorrow’s house show lineup, Hugo apologizes to the fans for some no shows the previous week. Giant Warrior unfortunately was not able to make the show due to a flight delay causing him to miss his connection from Japan.  He is here this week though and will be in action. Also, Super Medico #1 apparently was very ill and was not able to appear last Sunday, so as a make good to the fans they are adding a bonus match to tomorrow’s house show in Aguadilla. We will have Super Medico #1 taking on ‘Dirtys’ Doug Gilbert. Tomorrow’s main event will be a no time limit rematch between TNT and Action Jackson, the stipulation is due to them going to a 30 minute draw last Sunday. Other matches scheduled include Invader #1 vs. Motor City Madman, Scott Hall defending the Caribbean title against Kim Duk (it seems Duk scored a win over Hall last week and gets the title shot), the Caribbean Express vs the California Studs, Giant Warrior vs. Rick Valentine, Ricky Santana vs. Galan Mendoza and the previously announced bonus match. Hugo hypes up the merchandise that will be on sale at the arena and also the VHS releases available for purchase.

Super Medicos vs. The California Studs (Tony Anthony/Brian Lee)

EB: Our first match is in progress, it is from the March 9 house show from Carolina. The Super Medicos are facing off against the newest rudo team known as the California Studs. Super Medico #1 and Tony Anthony are in the ring for their teams. Skandor Akbar is at ringside seconding the Studs. The announcers make note that Brian Lee is the taller of the Studs so that the fans know who is who. Medico #1 is sent into the ropes but gains control by hitting Anthony on the bounceback with a tackle. Medico #1 follows up with the ‘hit machine’ punch combo, knocking Anthony down. Medico #1 goes for a pin but Anthony grabs a hold of the ropes. Medico #1 runs into the ropes but is grabbed from behind by Lee. Medico #1 is knocked down and the rudos do an illegal switch. Lee throws Medico #1 into the rudo corner and taunts Medico #3, causing Medico #3 to try to run in. This gives the Studs an opening to do a double team choke in the corner. After choking Medico #1 for a bit, Anthony tags back in and hits an elbow and legdrop for a pin attempt (broken up by Medico #3). The match continues with the Studs working over Medico #1 in their corner while Medico #3 keeps being drawn in to try to help to no avail. 

A pin attempt by Lee is broken up by Medico #3. This annoys Lee, who tosses Medico #1 to the outside and starts jawing with Medico #3. While these two are facing off in the ring, Anthony takes advantage and rams Medico #1 back first into the ringpost. Medico #3 keeps being baited by the Studs, which gives them more opportunities to continue attacking Medico #1 behind the ref’s back. Anthony suplexes Medico #1 into the ring but the pin attempt is broken up. The Studs continue in control, with Medico #1 at one point getting a sunset flip counter that the ref doesn’t count due to being distracted by Anthony. An inside cradle counter by Medico #1 obtains the same result. Medico #1 starts coming back with some punches on Lee, but gets yanked by his mask when he goes after Anthony. The Studs continue in control but eventually a missed elbow drop by Lee gives Medico #1 the chance to tag in Medico #3. The crowd cheers as Medico #3 is finally the legal man and Medico #3 is able to clean house on both Studs. Medico #1 eventually joins the action in the ring, pairing up with Brian Lee and ramming Lee’s head into the turnbuckle several times. The Studs are whipped into each other, with Medico #1 dropkicking Lee out of the ring. Medico #3 hits a shoulder block  on Anthony, but as the ref is telling Medico #1 to get back on the apron, Medico #3 charges at Anthony, who grabs Medico #3 and hotshots him on the top rope. Lee is tagged and the Studs hit a powerslam into a top rope kneedrop combo for the pinfall victory. A big win for the California Studs. And on a separate note, this is the last time we will see Super Medico #1 in action for CSP. It seems that his no show the previous week may have not been due to being sick and it will become apparent in the coming weeks that he has left the company. 

After the match we get a  promo from the California Studs and Skandor Akbar  about their non-title tag match tomorrow against the Caribbean Express. Akbar promises that the Express is nothing more than a stepping stone for the Studs getting all the gold. The Studs offer some remarks as well. The Caribbean Express followed with their own comments about tomorrow’s match, with Miguelito cleaning up that the reason it is non-title is because the Stud have not yet earned a title shot. Miguelito recognizes that he and Castillo have to be very careful, because the California Studs have shown their quality so far. Hugo congratulates the Express on their title win last week, Castillo reiterates that the Studs have to beat them first in order to get a title shot.

MD: Match was really good, because the Studs leaned about as hard as possible into the southern tag structure, drawing in Medico #3, cheating when the ref was distracted, having the ref miss roll ups by Medico #1, everything you could want. Anthony took Medico #1’s punches well to start and Lee was just big enough to be the perfect cut off man in the match. Very good stuff with the Studs getting a fairly cheap banana peel out of nowhere (but not fully cheating to) win. Perez and Castillo won the belts off of Valentine/Mendoza and now Studs are gunning for them. This felt like maybe a half step back for Perez but it’s Puerto Rico and guys can always be moved back into tag feuds. It’s one of the strengths of the territory. The Studs had their rhythm down with Hugo and Akbar and I’m sure these matches will be good as well.

EB: Giant Warrior is in the studio and has words for Rick Valentine and Monster Ripper. He also apologizes for not being there last week but promises you can count on him tomorrow.

MD: Warrior apologies for not being there due to the flight from Japan. He’s pretty confident as an interview by this point, honestly, and it kind of makes me wonder what his ceiling could have been. He was better in the ring than El Gigante but, you know, a foot shorter. I feel almost obligated to try to find some of his Big Tiger Steele Germany run from the late 90s now. Anyway, he’s up against Rick Valentine next and said that Valentine may have been a great tag wrestler, but… He also doesn’t do crazy hand motions while Hugo is translating for him. That’s confidence right there.

Doug Gilbert vs. Herbert Gonzalez

EB: We get our first look  at ‘Dirty’ Doug Gilbert in action as he takes on Herbert Gonzalez. Hugo and Eliud talk up how Doug is part of the Gilbert dynasty, the fans should remember Tommy and Eddie from their previous runs in the territory. Hugo continues talking about how much Doug has learned from his father and brother and this match is mainly a showcase for the newest arrival in CSP. Herbert gets a brief moment of offense but this is mainly all Doug, who wins the match after a slingshot suplex. Afterwards, we also get our first promo from Doug, where he has words for Super Medico #1 and speaks pretty fast.

MD: Dougie’s in his early 20s here and he looks pretty solid. His stuff hits well. Nothing was over the top or crazy either in his bumps or his stooging or his offense, but everything felt solid. Good hand type stuff with one corner bump to give Gonzalez hope before the finish. He was using a slingshot suplex (and maybe a fist drop, re the interview) here. Interview was a little scream-y, but he’ll figure it out.

EB: Monster Ripper is here with Valentine and Mendoza so they can talk about their respective singles matches tomorrow. Valentine says that Warrior's height doesn't make a difference to him. Mendoza is mad about losing the Caribbean tag titles and promises that he will take it out on Ricky Santana tomorrow.

Motor City Madman and Akbar are out next and Akbar has words for Invader #1, saying they gave him a taste last week of the power that is the combined might of El Club Deportivo and Devastation Inc. Madman just mentions that he is tired of being on this trashy island and the trashy people, and he is going to take out Invader like the trash he is.

Invader #1 is next and says that everyone last week saw what kind of man Madman is when he stuck his nose in Invader's match against Dick Murdoch. Invader wanted to teach Murdoch a lesson for all he has said about Puerto Ricans and the antics he has done, he almost had Murdoch with the sleeperhold. However, Madman attacked him. Now, what Madman started last week, Invader will take care of it tomorrow.

MD: I’d love if Ripper ended up with the Gilberts but I don’t see that happening. Valentine has Giant Warrior upcoming and mentioned he’d been to Japan multiple times too. This is true. Kerry Brown was used a lot by NJPW in 84-86. Madman and Invader 1 are set to face each other and I wonder what an Akbar vs. Invader 1 match would have looked like in 91. I bet they could have made that work.

Action Jackson vs. Miguel Perez Jr. 

EB: Action Jackson is taking on Miguelito Perez in a studio match that is joined in progress. Action has Miguelito down on the mat but picks Perez up to continue attacking with punches. Action takes down Perez and works over Miguelito’s head with a headscissors. Perez eventually fights out of the hold and sends Action into a corner. Action dodges the springboard elbow, but Miguelito catches him coming out of the corner with a clothesline. Perez briefly remains in control, but Action counters with some punches and eventually gains control with a rear chinlock on the mat. Perez fights out but Action hits a hard clothesline for a two count. Back to the chinlock on the mat. Perez again eventually gets to his feet, but Action sends Perez back down with a slam. However, Action misses a splash from the middle turnbuckle and Perez starts his comeback. A legdrop leads to a near fall. Perez gets a powerslam and goes to the top for a crossbody block. Perez hits it but the momentum allows Action to turn it over and then uses the tights for leverage to get a three count. Perez complains about the tights being  pulled but it’s a win for the reigning TV champion. 

Action Jackson and El Profe are in the studio to talk about tomorrow’s no time limit rematch. Hugo says they were lucky last week that the title was saved by the time limit, but Profe says that the only one saved was TNT from getting beaten up some more. Action echoes those sentiments. We go to an annoyed TNT, because Hugo is telling him that Action Jackson is claiming that he had TNT in the cobra as time ran out, but in fact it was the other way around. TNT says it was Jacksonw who was saved by the bell last week and also complains about Action resorting to low blows that the ref missed thanks to that dog El Profe. Tomorrow there is no time limit and he will get that TV title.  

MD: I’m sticking to my guns that Perez was ready to move up into singles more thoroughly. He looked pretty good here even if Jackson’s stuff was kind of dull (holds which he didn’t work to the level I would have liked). Perez had good escapes and then was dynamic when he was on offense. At one point he missed a handspring into the corner but rushed right back out to run through Jackson (Jackson made this look really good). Finish was flying body press that Jackson rolled through on to pull the tights. Maybe not the finish if you’re building him for a no time limit match with TNT. 

EB: We get a repeat of the handicap match Giant Warrior had against Johnny Ringo and El Condor, won by Giant Warrior. 

MD: And it’s still a great flip bump on that clothesline by Johnny Ringo.

EB: We are then treated to a Kim Duk promo about his Caribbean title shot against Scott Hall. Duk says he is ready anytime and anywhere, and reminds Hall that he beat him one two three last week. Duk also throws shade at El Profe for causing Hall to lose that match. We then go to Scott Hall with Hugo. Hall promises that he will rise to the occasion and leave with the belt tomorrow.

MD: I know that the Diamond Studd starts soon, but do we really need to lose Scott Hall? It’s almost not fair. I see him on the screen with Hugo and I just crack up before he even says anything because I know all the arm motions and hand motions to come. Ah well. I’m not sure Hugo knew exactly what even to say after Kim Duk’s promo which, I guess, is understandable.

Kim Duk vs. Rick Valentine

EB: Our final match on the program is Kim Duk vs Rick Valentine (accompanied by Monster Ripper). Hugo mentions that Duk is a bug fan favorite as we get Duk doing the salt ceremony before starting the match. The announcers mention that it looks like Duk has gotten in better shape and they think it is due to his positive change in attitude leading to better habits and encouragement. The match is surprisingly short, as Duk catches Valentine with a blow out of the corner and gets the pinfall victory a couple of minutes in. Hugo closes the show as the video cuts out. 

MD: This was certainly efficient. It went ~3 minutes after Duk’s salt ceremony. Two of those were Duk having Valentine in an armbar. Valentine took over for a little but ran into a really nice looking strike out of the corner (punch, forearm?) by Duk and he got the pin off that. Not much here.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, Dick Murdoch issues a challenge to Carlos Colon for a cage match, Action Jackson and TNT show that the time limit is not the only thing that needs to be eliminated in order to try to settle their rivalry, and the California Studs get their first tag title shot as we finish off March 1991.

Read more!

El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: California Studs?

Week 47: California Studs?

EB: March 2 had a high profile card for CSP, with two big apuestas matches and the second match between Carlos Colon and Dick Murdoch taking place. Let’s recap what happened that night in those three matches.

Dick Murdoch won the second match against Carlos Colon by using the ropes for leverage. Murdoch is now 2-0 against Carlos, having also won the first match using the ropes for leverage. Both times Colon and Murdoch fought after the match, with Murdoch taking some cheap shots and attacking Carlos with weapons. As a result of these two victories, Murdoch has now earned a Universal title match. Carlos Colon, angry at being cheated out of victory twice in a row, has demanded that they bring in a special referee to make sure Murdoch does not cheat him out of the Universal title.

Invader #1 and Bronco #1 won the World tag team titles and the Texas Hangmen’s masks. After this defeat, the Hangmen have left the territory. Also on that night, TNT defeated Original TNT with the name and paint on the line. Due to this, Original TNT can no longer claim to be TNT or dress up like him. He is now going by the name of Action Jackson. It wasn't all bad news for El Profe though, as on the March 3 card in Cabo Rojo, Scott Hall was able to win the Caribbean title from Miguelito Perez.

So with all of these developments taking place, let’s go to the TV programs from March 9 to see where things go. Let’s start with the Campeones episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX30u7w5bGU

Hugo and El Profe welcome us to the program, with Profe posing and preening to show off how good he looks. Hugo introduces Profe as the supreme leader of El Club Deportivo along with his general Skandor Akbar, and also makes note of Profe modeling for the camera. Profe remarks that what keeps the great presidents in power are their generals.Hugo again remarks that he is impressed that El Profe has secured the services of someone like Sksndor Akbar, it establishes him more globally. They run down what they’ll have on today's program, with Profe mentioning that we’ll see the newest acquisition for El Club Deportivo and Devastation Incorporated, a team called the California Studs. Also today we'll see a very special look at the feud between Sasha and Monster Ripper, including footage from their most recent battle in a street fight. Hugo also mentions that they will have plenty of interviews, including one from the special guest referee for tonight’s Universal title match in Carolina between Carlos Colon and Dick Murdoch. Profe is happy about the guest referee because finally it’ll be someone that won't allow Carlos Colon to cheat, this gentleman has so much experience and such stature, and  tonight we will finally have a worthy Universal champion in Dick Murdoch. Hugo points out that Murdoch also won’t be able to cheat tonight, to which Profe says that Murdoch does not need to cheat to beat Colon. Hugo reveals the guest referee’s name and it’s none other than ‘Nature Boy’ Buddy Rogers. Tickets are on sale tonight and they also talk about the VHS tapes and merchandise available for purchase.

Hugo then brings up that there is another notable match tonight, as the team of Scott Hall (who is the new Caribbean champion) and the Motor City Madman are facing the new World tag team champions, Invader #1 and Bronco #1. Hugo also mentions that they took the masks off the Texas Hangmen, to which Profe complains that they won by cheating and they don’t recognize that victory. Hugo mentions that the Texas Hangmen are done, they lost their masks and they are no longer a factor. Profe says that tonight it’ll be different since they have a wall of humanity in there, the smaller of the two is like 6’9”, the rudos will simply steamroller and end those two mediocrities. ‘Invader and Bronco will pay dearly for what they did last week’. With that, Hugo presents the special look at the feud between current Women’s champion Sasha and Monster Ripper.

MD: At the start of the show, Hugo congratulates Profe for having Akbar with him now as it makes him global. They also hype a video tape and a bunch of merch.

EB: The feud recap for Sasha and Monster Ripper starts with one of their first encounters back in mid October (around the time Eric Embry made his return to Puerto Rico), as Profe talks about witnessing the beauty of Monster Ripper compared to ‘that thing in white’. In the clip, Sasha was mainly in control with the fight going to the outside before cutting to the next match. We then go to November 10, where the highlights again focus on them fighting outside of the ring (including some ringpost smashes and ramming heads on the ballfield ground). Hugo points out that you can tell these matches are not focused on holds but are straight out fights between the two ladies. Next is a clip from their November 22 encounter, showing each of them briefly in control. Hugo mentions that Sasha had shown that despite the size difference she has not backed down. Next is a highlight from January 12 in Carolina, where Ripper has a sleeperhold on Sasha, who fights out of it. Next is a clip from January 26, where Ripper body slams Sasha on the arena floor. Ripper then tries to ram Sasha onto the ringside table but Sasha blocks it and rams Ripper into the table several times instead. This match ends in a double countout as the two women fight on the floor near the table.

The last clip is from their most recent encounter, a streetfight. Both ladies are dressed in street clothes (with Ripper wearing overalls). Ripper is in control, ramming Sasha into the ringside table and into the ringpost. Hugo mentions that Sasha is bleeding from the attacks. We also see Ripper ram Sasha into the wood panel stack and hit Sasha over the head with what looks almost like a dining room chair. But it was not all Monster Ripper, as Sasha got fired up and countered with several blows and ringpost rams. Now Ripper is also bleeding. As the two women continue fighting on the floor, they head over to the ringside table and even end up in the crowd fighting after Ripper gets tossed over the barricade.  They cut to them back in the ring, where Sasha has lost her shirt and is hitting Ripper with what looks to be a weight belt or a wrapped up object of some sort. During this exchange, Ripper appears to pull out an object, which she later uses to knock Sasha out for the ten count. Tonight, Sasha defends her title against Monster Ripper and expect it to be a fight.   

We then get promos from both ladies. Ripper promises to win the title tonight, because everybody knows Sasha is a cheater and Ripper is the best in the world. The title is going back around her waist. Sasha mentions that tonight is an important match because the title is on the line and wants the fans to come out and support her to victory.

MD: Big takeaway here is that they were really laying it in. Second big takeaway was that Sasha more than held her own despite the size difference. She was just a bruiser in her own right. The streetfight we only get clipped here but it honestly looked great. Ripper had of-the-times overalls like she was on Blossom or something and they battled all over the stadium, including up in the stands, until Sasha ran into a shot and got counted out. That was non-title and the title match was coming with Sasha ensuring everyone knew she was defending the title for the people.

EB: We also get a  quick promo from the Super Medicos, who are facing new arrivals the California Studs tonight. Medico #3 tells the Studs to come prepared, because tonight may be the beginning and end of them in Puerto Rico. Medico #1 mention that they are aware of the Studs’ reputation from coast to coast in the U.S.,  but if they think they've come to the Caribbean to also have their way, then they are mistaken because the Super Medicos are here. ‘Remember, from A to Z, we are the rulers and masters of that ring’.

Next is the card rundown for tonight’s show in Carolina: Carlos Colon defends against Dick Murdoch in a Universal title match with Buddy Rogers as guest referee; Invader #1 & Bronco #1 (the clip they show them has them with the titles and the Hangmen masks in their hands) defend the World tag team titles against Scott Hall & Motor City Madman; TNT & Kim Duk vs Action Jackson (the ex-Original TNT) & El Profe; Mr. Pogo defends the World Jr title against ‘El Nene de las Nenas’ Ricky Santana; Sasha defends the Women’s title against Monster Ripper; Galan Mendoza & Rick Valentine defend the Caribbean tag titles against the Caribbean Express; and the Super Medicos vs the California Studs.

Next is our first look at the California Studs,a new team brought in by Skandor Akbar. A limo is arriving at the airport, where it parks to pick up two guys in sunglasses, bow ties and jackets (but shirtless), and it seems they are in their wrestling gear.  Skandor Akbar gets out of the limo to greet them before all three get inside. In the limo, the California Studs say they are going to show everyone what they are all about as they zoom in on a tv monitor in the limo. It then cuts to the Studs in tv studio action. By the way, you may have recognized who these two wrestlers are (if not we’ll identify them soon), but it is clear that neither of their accents screams California. We then get a video that is intercut with scenes from the tv studio match and scenes of the Studs posing on a bridge (including being served champagne by their female limo driver). The video is followed by a promo featuring Akbar and the California Studs. Interesting enough, they still have not identified either of them by name. Both Studs cut a promo followed by Hugo translating. If you have not recognized them by now, the California Studs are Tony Antonhy and Brian Lee.

MD: The funniest part here was Hugo talking after each Stud and Akbar coming in early since he was going to follow Lee, and then glaring at Hugo as he started talking while the Studs tried to call him down. The second funniest bit was Lee’s accent being dubbed a California Stud. so it’s Brian Lee and Tony Anthony, which is a total surprise to me, but they’re going to fit in just fine in Puerto Rico. Anthony cut a good promo about how the Medics don’t know them but they’ve done the research.

The card, by the way, is pretty interesting, with Buddy Rogers coming in to ref the Colon vs Murdoch match. While the Studs are in underneath vs the Medicos, Valentine/Mendoza and Motor City Madman/Hall seem temporarily above them on the card. They call Original TNT Action Jackson too so I’m sure they’ll explain that to us later.

EB: El Profe is with Scott Hall and Motor City Madman, and they are there to talk about tonight's World tag title match ‘against those two imbeciles’. Madman dubs their duo “The Twin Towers" and can’t believe that the tecnicos will be able to beat them. Hall mentions that the hot streak Bronco and Invader are on is out of luck. Hall actually mocks Bronco’s dance (and does a pretty good imitation of it) and says that the champions can’t measure up to the madman and the blonde outlaw.

Invader and Bronco respond, wearing their title belts and holding the Hangmen’s masks in their hands. Their opponents may be strong but they better come ready, because Invader and Bronco are ready to fight to keep the titles around their waists. In a nice touch, Invader has one of the Hangmen’s hands around his fist and it waves around as he gestures throughout his promo.

MD: Madman and Hall are up against Invader and Bronco for the titles. Madman calls them the “Twin Towers.” and Hall makes fun of Bronco’s dance. We get more lovely pantomime as Hall and Madman figure out what to do with their hands as Profe talks. But even better is that Invader and Bronco have the Hangmen’s masks. Great symbol there.

EB The Dick Murdoch music video we’ve seen before plays next, although it has been updated to include some highlights from Murdoch’s feud with Carlos Colon. Besides the brainbuster on the ballfield we’ve seen before, the video includes clips of when Murdoch busted open Carlos in the tv studio, Murdoch attacking Carlos with a stick after their first match, and a post match attack after their March 2 match (where Murdoch attacked Carlos with a chair near the dugout after carlos had shoved the referee out of the way).

As mentioned earlier, the Universal title match has a special referee. We hear from both participants as well as the special referee. Up first is Dick Murdoch with his sidekick Joe Smith. Except now it’s Joe Don Smith due to the great job Joe has been doing  at basically being Murdoch’s stooge. Joe is happy about the middle nama and also mentions that  Murdoch now has him living in a home with windows. Murdoch complains about Buddy Rogers being named the special ref, but it doesn’t matter who the ref is because Murdoch will beat Colon for the Universal title. Murdoch wants Rogers to call things straight down the middle, because if he doesn’t he will get slapped. Last time in Carolina, Murdoch left tColon laid out and he’ll do it again tonight with the Universal title on the line. Murdoch promises Colon that this will be one of the greatest matches of both their careers and that the title is coming to him.

Buddy Rogers is next and gives a basic but solid promo about being happy to be in Puerto Rico, refereeing what will be one of the greatest matches in the Puerto Rico area, that he will take no favorites, and there will be a clear winner.

Finally, Carlos Colon has his say about tonight’s match. Colon makes clear that he requested Buddy Rogers as the referee because  he’s tired of Murdoch stealing wins in their matches by cheating. And with the Universal title on the line, Colons definitely wants to be sure Murdoch is not able to do his usual cheating antics. That’s the only reason he requested a special referee, to stop the cheating, because he does not need any help in giving Murdoch a beating. Tonight he is going to give Murdoch a bigger beating, so be ready.

MD: Very good Murdoch music video made better maybe by the shaky VQ? There’s stuff from Texas of him fighting Funk which makes me wish that happened in Puerto Rico. His promo is pretty funny too as he’s given a middle name to Joe (He’s now Joe Don) and he’s got real windows for the first time in his life. Buddy Rogers’ promo is very straightforward and he’s good at not trying to do things with his hands as Hugo translates. Again, they’ve done another good job of making a match seem suitably big and important.

EB: The final match on this Campeones episode is one we have covered before, it is from the feud between the Caribbean Express and Los Mercenarios that led up to Aniversario 1990. It’s being shown since the Caribbean Express are challenging for the Caribbean tag titles on tonight's card. Before the match, Profe is complaining about the cut of his suit, with Hugo suggesting that perhaps it is because Profe has gained weight. Hugo also starts needling Profe about his tag match tonight, where he may end up alone against TNT and Kim Duk. Hugo also gets Profe’s thoughts on the other matches tonight, with Profe predicting wins for the rude and insulting the tecnicos. Hugo wonders why he bothered asking Profe for his opinion as he throws it to the match. Afterwards, we go back to Hugo and Profe for the show close. Before he forgets, Hugo wants to give a thank you to the limo driver from the California Studs video, who was very professional, especially considering how the California Studs can behave. Hugo thanks the fans for their letters and reminds them about tonight’s card and when to catch Campeones weekly.  

We now go to the west coast version of Superestrellas de la Lucha libre for March 9. Quick note for those that watch the videos, you can skip to the 4:30 mark here since the first few minutes are the intro to last week’s episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZZIF-V4D_U

Hugo welcomes the viewers to another episode of Superestrellas and goes over what we’ll see today on the program. Our main event will feature the Invaders (#1 and #4) taking on the Motor City Madman and Scott Hall. We also have the debut of a new team brought in by El Profe and Gen. Skandor Akbar, the California Studs. Besides the scheduled matches, there was an incident that occurred in the studio while they were taping another Superestrellas episode (I’m guessing Hugo is referring to the promos and wraparounds they filmed for the SJ Metro version of Superestrellas). There is a change to a match that was scheduled for today's TV program due to that incident and Hugo asks the director to show what happened. They cut to Hugo talking about what is scheduled for tonight’s show in Carolina when all of a sudden Action Jackson (the former Original TNT) and El Profe  show up on set. Jackson is angry and shouts that he does not want to wait to face TNT tonight, he wants him right now. TNT shows up and the two get into a brief argument and agree to face off for the TV title right now instead of waiting. We cut back to Hugo and he announces that our first match today will be TNT challenging Action Jackson for the TV title. Regardless of the result, this does not affect their scheduled match for tomorrow, the only thing that could change is who is defending the TV title based on how the upcoming match goes. Hugo takes a moment to run down tomorrow’s card in Aguadilla and also says that they are proud to return to their west coast home which is the arena in Aguadilla. After running down the card, Hugo then introduces the impromptu TV title match.

TNT and Action Jackson start off hot, exchanging several punches before Jackson gets the advantage. Eliud Gonzalez on commentary makes note that Action Jackson is furious about TNT stripping him of the name and paint and he is out to get revenge. Jackson rams TNT into the corner, but TNT comes back with several blows. TNT hits a backdrop on Jackson ,who then rolls out of the ring to catch his breath. Back in, TNT continues in control and makes a pin attempt. Jackson regains control with an eye rake, controlling the next couple of minutes with elbows, eye gouges and rear chinlocks. TNT briefly gets a comeback by ducking a clothesline and hitting a bodypress, but Jackson quickly gets back on offense. Eventually, Jackson misses a corner charge that allows TNT the opening to hit a couple of strikes to the midsection. TNT sends Jackson into the ropes and a karate chop gets a two count. TNT tries another whip into the ropes but Jackson counters and Profe trips up TNT. The referee sees this and calls for the disqualification. The two men continue fighting after the bell, with Profe trying to help out Jackson. TNT briefly fights them off but eventually Jackson is able to surprise TNT from behind. Both Jackson and Profe attack TNT, and Profe helps Jackson hit a piledriver. With TNT out, Jackson takes out a towel and wipes the paint off TNT’s face in a sign of disrespect. The commentators mention that Jackson is doing to TNT exactly what Jackson had done to him after losing their apuestas match last week. Kim Duk runs out to chase the rudos off, as TNT tries to cover his face. This certainly seems like a feud that is not yet over.

We get some promos from Action Jackson (with El Profe) and TNT about tomorrow’s TV title match. Jackson promises to finish TNT, he’ll take his paint off again to embarrass TNT again. He’s sick and tired of beating TNT but he’ll do it again tomorrow, TNT is wearing his head mask and mentions that taking off the paint was an act of disrespect. He’s worn that paint for years and no one has dared to do what Action Jackson did. The one and only TNT is angry and tomorrow he will take that TV title off Jackson, just as he did the name and paint.      

MD: TNT won the rights to the name so now Original TNT is Action Jackson. He’s still got the TV title so he has that going for him but now he has some colorful tights instead. They have the confrontation and an impromptu match which is very neck vice heavy. Maybe Jackson was worse off without the karate gimmick. TNT would fight from underneath and get cut off repeatedly until he finally took over, got tripped by Profe and then, when he took back over Profe came on in for the DQ. They needed to heat things back up so they did with Jackson wiping the paint off of TNT’s face in a sign of disrespect, an affront. Kim Duk came out to make the save. The promos were about what you’d respect with TNT talking about the sanctity of the paint and Jackson, kind of amusingly, cutting his promo and then talking on as Profe translated for him. Probably still some juice left on this program with the high heat angle.

EB: They do the rundown for tomorrow's show in Aguadilla: Giant Warrior vs. Dick Murdoch; Invader #1 & Kim Duk vs Motor City Madman & Scott Hall; Action Jackson defends the TV title against TNT; Ricky Santana vs. Rick Valentine; Bronco #1 vs. Galan Mendoza; Sasha vs. Monster Ripper; and the Super Medicos vs. the California Studs.

Up next is Ricky Santana vs. El Condor.The match is joined just as Condor has jumped Ricky Santana and is ramming Ricky’s head into the turnbuckle. Condor irish whips Ricky and follows up with a clothesline, but a second irish whip is reversed and Santana hits a backdrop. From there it's all Santana in a short match, hitting a flying splash to finish off El Condor.

Monster Ripper, Galan Mendoza and Rik Valentine are in the interview area to talk about their singles matches tomorrow in Aguadilla. They each insult their respective opponents and give guarantees of victory tomorrow. Ricky Santana is next, sending a hello to the fans in Aguadilla in Spanish but then does the rest of the interview in English. Bronco #1 also cuts a promo on his match tomorrow against Galan Mendoza, warning Mendoza to be ready and that it won’t be easy.

MD: They’re in Aguadilla for another card they’re hyping with a different line up, including Santana vs Valentine and Bronco vs Mendoza. The Santana match was JIP and pretty quick with him fighting back and hitting the top rope splash. Valentine said he was only back to the island due to a court date for stealing hubcaps. Obviously, Santana cutting a pretty solid promo in English did not appreciate that. Mendoza went after the locale and its people more than Bronco but it was going to be a singles match between two of the different tag title holders, so that made it a little interesting.

EB: Our next match is a replay of the Dick Murdoch vs Giant Warrior match that we saw just a week or so ago. It's being shown to build up tomorrow’s main event between Giant Warrior and Dick Murdoch. This was the match where Murdoch busted open Warrior and continued choking him after the bell. After the match we go to Hugo in the interview area with Dick Murdoch and Joe Smith,  or rather Joe Don Smith due to the great job he has been doing for Murdoch. Joe also makes sure the west coast fans are aware he now has windows in his house. Murdoch promises that he’ll beat Warrior even worse than last time. He also promises that if Colon shows up he will beat him up as well.  

Hugo follows with a voiceover over clips of Giant Warrior, who is on his way back to Puerto Rico from a foreign tour  and who spoke with Hugo over the telephone. The clips include opponents such as Atkie Mulumba, Nitron, Roadblock and Abdullah the Butcher. Hugo lets the fans know that Warrior has been training and is now more aware of how Murdoch operates. Warrior is looking forward to dealing with this menace and shutting up Murdoch once and for all.

MD: They know they have good material so they reuse it, I guess, with Murdoch giving Joe a middle name again and them talking about a house with windows. Murdoch navigates his feud with Colon and going up against Warrior. More fun bits with Hugo translating in between them including the two of them miming the brainbuster in unison.

EB: The California Studs are in the interview area with Skandor Akbar. The interview starts with Akbar presenting the team and bragging about how accomplished they are. Again they do not name either of the Studs in the interview and each of them has a chance to talk about their match tomorrow against the Super Medicos.

Afterwards we join the California studs vs. El Corsario and Tito Carrion match already in progress. Lee and Antohone are just tossing their opponents around and having their way with the tecnico team. It’s an impressive showcase for Akbar’s new tag team, as the Studs win the match with a powerslam into a flying kneedrop combo.  

MD: It’s interesting how they haven’t quite worked out the patter of Hugo translating after everything they say yet. Anthony tried to throw it to Lee and then they had to wait for Hugo. Akbar was a big pick up really, honestly feeling as big as getting Greg Valentine or Harley Race. That hasn’t quite played out on top yet, but he just adds gravitas to everything. Even the goofy sunglasses. Squash was pretty straightforward. A lot of quick tags and control. Pulling up at 2 by the hair. I don’t know about Lee’s top rope kneedrop finish but otherwise he was a big man that could move.

EB: El Profe is with Skandor Akbar, new Caribbean champion Scott Hall and Motor City Madman to talk about tomorrow’s tag match with Invader #1 and Kim Duk.  Akbar runs down the tecnicos, especially that traitor Kim Duk, who owes Profe an apology. Madman talks next and makes a racist insult involving food, with Hall finishing the interview by saying they have the brains and the brawn to handle Invader and Duk tomorrow. Duk and Invader cut their promo from the backstage area in the arena, with Duk threatening the rudos with his kendo stick and Invader urging the fans to come out and support them. Their opponents may be big but Invader has a partner with a lot of heart and fortitude in Kim Duk.  

MD: Case in point, Akbar talking for these two. More fun hand motions (in tandem) as Hugo translates. Hall is the Caribbean champion still. Invader seemed to be chomping at the bits to speak for Duk but it’s a pretty fresh match at least.

EB: The Super Medicos cut a quick promo about facing the new arrivals of the California Studs. They promise that they won't; back down, they have faced many great teams before and beaten them. It won’t be easy for the California Studs tomorrow.

MD: Straightforward stuff here as they prepare for the Studs. Other teams have come in before and they’ve faced them down. Medico 1 says that the Studs better be in good condition because they’re facing some tough “super middleweights.” I’ve got some high hopes for this feud at least.

EB: Our main event for this program is a tag match between Scott Hall and the Motor City Madman vs the Invaders. Both Profe and Akbar are at ringside for the rudos. The Invaders start off the match with their signature armwork and quick tags on Scott Hall. Invader #1 takes down Hall and works a hammerlock, but Hall is able to get back to his feet and fight out of it. Madman is tagged in, but Invader is able to scoot through Madman’s legs to avoid an attack and gets an arm wringer. Another series of quick tags and arm works is done on Madman. Eventually, Invader #1 is backed into the rudo corner and Hall gets tagged in. A double clothesline from the rudos gets an unsuccessful pin attempt. Invader #1 again is able to scoot through his opponent’s legs and gets an arm wringer. Quick tag to Invader #4, who continues to work the arm but is overmatched by Hall when they get into a punch exchange. Halls gets a tornado punch and a body slam, before sending Invader #4 into the rudo corner.

Madman is tagged back in and the rudos work over Invader #4. The rudos manage to keep Invader #4 isolated, with Hall getting a variation of the abdominal stretch on Invader #4. Invader #1 comes in to break the hold, but the rudos continue to keep Invader #4 near their corner. Hugo mentions that the rudo team has impressed him with their moves and how well they are working together as a team. Invader #4 gets a sunset flip (with an assist by Invader #1 in knocking Hall down) but he is unable to tag Invader #1 in. The attack continues on Invader #4 but eventually Invader #4 is able to roll away and make the hot tag to Invader #1, who starts cleaning house on the rudos. All four men end up in the ring fighting and, in the confusion, Invader #4 gets backdropped by Hall over the top rope to the floor. Invader #1 gets a backslide on Madman, but Hall comes over to break up the pin attempt. Invader #1 backs Hall into the turnbuckle and starts punching away as the referee tries to break it up and send Hall back to his corner. On the other side of the ring, Akbar has given Madman one of his boots. When Invader turns around, the ref gets tied up with Hall and does not see Madman hit Invader with Akbar’s boot. Madman covers and gets the pin on Invader #1.

Hugo then closes the show by hyping up tomorrow’s card and reminding fans about where to get the merchandise and VHS tapes that are available for purchase.

MD: This goes about ten and was pretty good. Invaders were masked (and it was a good way to build vs Invader/Bronco defending against the “Twin Towers”). Invaders controlled early with quick tags and working the arm. They finally took over on Invader 4 in the corner and did a long, super credible heat with some clever hope spots as Invader 1 intervened. This gave you a great sense of how big Hall and the Mad Man were. They just loomed over their opponents. Invader 1 came in hot after the tag but an Invader (4?) went crashing to the floor hard and in the confusion, the Mad Man used a weapon and got the win. Nice way to heat up the bigger match.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we’ll find out what happened in the Universal title match. Do we have a new champion? Did Buddy Rogers call it down the middle? What exactly happened post match? Also, we get a new dirty arrival to Puerto Rico and a final  look at one of the stalwarts of Puerto Rican wrestling.

Read more!

El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: A Devastating Arrival

Week 44: A Devastating Arrival

As we covered last time, the Universal title is no longer vacant. Carlos Colon was able to defeat Greg Valentine in a cage match and has once again ascended to the top of the WWC mountain. But Colon’s celebration would turn out to be a very short one,as almost immediately after being given the Universal title belt while still recovering outside of the cage, Dick Murdoch rushed out and attacked the unaware Colon. Murdoch had said in interviews that he wanted Colon and he was wasting no time in making sure that message was understood. The attack ended when Murdoch left Carlos laid out on the ballfield with a brainbuster. It certainly looks like we have a new Universal title challenger already. As for the other title matches held on February 2, with the exception of the World tag team titles, all other titles remained with their current holders.  Invader #1 and Bronco #1 were able to use the taped fist to their advantage and become the new World tag team champions. Does this mean that the feud with the Texas Hangmen is finally settled?  Let’s go to the February 9 Campeones episode and see where things stand. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcnNcOK-aG0

Hugo and Profe welcome the viewers by going over what we’ll have on the program today, and also talk about the latest happenings. This includes what’s new in the Miguelito Perez and Kim Duk rivalry, what happened in Bayamon between the Super Medicos and Valentine & Mendoza, and what happened at the past week’s  TV taping between TNT and the Original TNT. They'll also show the lumberjack match from a few weeks back between Invader #1 and Bronco #1 against the former World tag team champions the Texas Hangmen (to which Profe gets snippy about Hugo emphasizing former in his mention of the match). But before all that, first we’ll see the latest in the ongoing rivalry between Sasha and Monster Ripper.The clip rolls and we go to January 26 in Caguas, as Sasha gets a pin attempt off a small package. Ripper is able to grab Sasha and throw her to the outside, giving Ripper a chance to catch her breath and showboat a little. Sasha tries to get back in but is kicked back down by Ripper. A second attempt by Sasha is also met with a kick and this time Ripper follows outside to continue the attack. Ripper tries to ram Sasha ino the ringside table, but Sasha blocks it and instead rams Ripper. As the two women fight around the table and then on the ground, the ref calls for the bell. It’s a double countout but the two wrestlers continue fighting on the arena floor. 

Due to this result a few weeks ago, tonight Sasha and Monster Ripper will face off in a streetfight. Hugo also mentions that tonight will see the debut of a new associate of El Profe along with said associate’s new wrestler, as General Skandor Akbar and the Motor City Madman have arrived in Puerto Rico. We will have TV title and World tag title rematches tonight as well. Hugo also takes a moment to highlight the merchandise available for fans at the events And with that we go to our first match of the program, as Miguelito Perez takes on Kim Duk. 

MD: We get the last couple of minutes here. Ripper does a good job keeping Sasha out of the ring and thrashing her in the ringside area. Sasha definitely fits the territory as a sympathetic babyface who can draw he support of the crowd from underneath. She comes back at the last moment as Ripper tries to run her into a table on the outside and takes over wildly before the whole thing gets thrown out. 

EB: This is from February 2 as Miguekito is looking to get revenge for his car windshield being cracked by Duk. Perez wastes no time and attacks Duk on the field, getting several blows in before tossing Duk into the ring to formally begin the match. Hugo runs down the list of things Duk has done to Miguelito (including salt thrown into the face and the car incident), but Profe immediately protests that no one saw Duk smash the windshield and he has been unjustly targeted for this. Miguelito continues the attack with standing punches in the corner, and then follows up with chops, punches and a clothesline. Perez even bites Duk on the forehead. Miguelito’s assault is stopped when Duk sneaks in a jab to the throat. Another jab allows Duk to slow things down and he resorts to raking Perez’s eyes. 

We go to a commercial with Duk in control but come back with Perez hitting a powerslam. Profe jumps up on the apron and Perez goes after him, saving Duk for the moment from potentially being pinned. Duk takes advantage and knees Perez from behind. Hugo gives Profe some static about interfering but Profe says that he was just minding his business. Sometime during the break, Huracan Castillo has come to ringside to back up Miguelito. Huracan is out there to counteract Profe, although Profe on commentary says that there is no reason for Castillo to be out there to make it a two on one disadvantage for Duk. Kim does a tree of woe and some chokes in the corner, but Perez is able to counter with a back suplex. However, Duk hits a back suplex of his own when Perez goes for a side headlock. Perez is able to do a reversal out of the corner to try for a pin attempt but things break down a bit as Castillo starts yelling at the ref, who decides to stop the count and go argue with Huracan. Profe comes in and misses a kendo stick  swing, hitting Duk by accident. This time the three count goes through and Perez wins the match. Hugo starts getting on Profe’s case about the screw up costing Duk the match, as we see Duk  mad at Profe. Eventually Profe is able to calm down Duk, but Kim was not happy with getting hit by the kendo stick. Profe on commentary says that it is all good now, Duk has a bit of a temper and it’s understandable that he would react like that in the heat of the moment. 

With the win, Miguelito has earned a shot at the Caribbean title tonight in Caguas. Profe and Duk give an interview about the upcoming title defense, with Profe insisting that the win was only due to a small accident. Tonight there won't be any accidents. Duk says some words and promises to show Perez who is better with no accidents happening. Miguelito says that he was able to win last week despite the attempts by Profe and Duk to cheat him out of the victory. Perez promises that tonight he will be focused on winning the Caribbean title.

MD: Perez had a car to avenge and came in hot. Duk really showed how valuable he could still be in a mid-card feud here. You wouldn’t necessarily want him higher but he fed for Perez early, played hide the object and went for the eyes later on, and then took a couple of belly to backs and played right into the interference laden finish where Castillo tried to counter Profe (who had disrupted a power slam pin midway through the match) only for Profe to try to interfere as the ref was distracted with Castillo; it backfired, Perez won, and Profe and Duk almost came to blows postmatch. In the subsequent promos Perez noted if he did it once, he could do it again for the belt and Duk and Profe assured one another that there would be no further accidents this time. Perez does feel elevated by this feud.

EB: Monster Ripper is with Rick Valentine and Galan Mendoza. Ripper says some words about Sasha getting involved again  and promises that she will get hers. They show what happened at the recent TV tapings, where Sasha pulled Medico #3 out of the way of Mednoza’s loaded glove punch, and then put an object inside of Medico #3’s mask. One loaded headbutt later and Medico #3 gets the win. Back in the studio, Ripper continues complaining about the Medicos having to use Sasha’s help in order to cheat their way to victory, But it won’t matter tonight.  Mendoza says that it is beyond the pale that Medico #3 had to use a woman’s help and a foreign object to defeat him. Tonight Ripper will take care of Sasha and they will take care of the Medicos. Ripper closes  by saying that she’ll make sure that Sasha won’t even be able to make it to ringside once Ripper is done with her in the streetfight.

We get a rundown for tonight’s card in Caguas: a TV title rematch as TNT challenges Original TNT; rematch for the World tag team titles as the new champions Invader #1 & Bronco #1 defend against the former champions the Texas Hangmen; rematch for the Caribbean tag titles as the Super Medicos challenge Galan Mendoza & Rick Valentine; Caribbean title match with Miguelito Perez challenging Kim Duk; a streetfight between Sasha and Monster Ripper; Giant Warrior vs the Motor City Madman; and a rematch for the World Jr title as Huracan Castillo Jr. defends against Mr. Pogo. 

MD: Lots of help from Sasha here as she both rolled a Medico out of the way of the loaded fist drop but also loaded up his mask so he could hit a headbutt and score the win. Mendoza is really looking like Chicky at this point. I wonder if that was intentional. 

Lots of returns matches on the upcoming card, and the Motor City Madman is in to fight Giant Warrior. And there’s a Mr. Belvedere commercial. 

EB: Our next match is from February 2, as Dick Murdoch takes on El Corsario. This was supposed to be Norman the Lunatic but it looks like Norman did not appear. Murdoch has Joe Smith at ringside. The match is pretty much a Dick Murdoch showcase, as Murdoch immediately goes after Corsario and does not let up. On commentary, Profe starts asking where Carlos Colon is, insinuating that Colon has been hiding since the attack Murdoch did last week after the cage match. Profe starts saying what kind of a man Colon is by hiding, typical Puerto Rican (or at least that’s what Profe says Murdoch told him). In the ring, Murdoch decides to toss Corsario outside and take him over to the fence in order to ram Corsario into the chain link. Murdoch exchanges some words with the fans and grabs a piece of wood from the dugout. Corsario gets hit on the back with the piece of wood and Murdoch drags Cosario back to the ring area, ramming Corsario headfirst into a ringpost. A shoulder breaker into the ringpost follows, and Hugo complains about Murdoch’s wild style (although Profe says now one can see why Carlos Colon is in hiding). The announcers briefly talk about Joe Smith and how Murdoch says he is going to train Joe into becoming a wrestler, as Murdoch ends the match with a brainbuster. 

MD: Unfortunately one-sided, but it is a pretty solid destruction of Corsario outside the ring and then inside. The best bit was when they were headed for the dugout with people throwing things at Murdoch and he just found a random piece of wood to clock Corsario with. He ran him shoulder first into the post as he is want to do and then finished him with a brainbuster in the ring. His second was out there in a baseball uniform. I would have liked to see him backpedal a bit but maybe not against Corsario.

EB: The Super Medicos get a chance to say their piece about tonight’s match. Medico #3 says that the rudos have been complaining about what happened at Miramar with the loaded headbutt, but they conveniently forget what they did last week in Bayamon. They show the clip of the ending of the February 2 no-DQ match. Mendoza uses his loaded glove to attack Medico #3, but since it is no-DQ it is legal .The ref escorts Mendoza out of the ring and Medico #1 breaks up Valentine’s cover. He then switches out with Medico #3.  Medico #1 also has an object in his mask and hits Valentine with a headbutt to potentially get the win. But the ref had been taken out earlier with a missed crossbody attempt and was not able to make the count. As Medico #1 waits making the cover, Monster Ripper comes in and hits Medico #1 with her boot. Ripper puts Valentine on top of Medico #1, the ref comes too and the rudos retain the Caribbean tag titles. Back to the Super Medicos in the studio, Medico #1 states that is why they did the loaded headbutt at Miramar, and if the rudos want to play dirty, then they can do that as well as anybody. 

MD: That match was full of hooha, shall we say. We just get a minute of it but there was masked confusion, a loaded mask, a ref bump, Ripper interfering, etc. I’m starting to wonder if this feud has maybe run its course. You can only keep tweaking things week after week for so long. 

EB: El Profe and the Texas Hangmen are hyped for tonight’s World tag title match since Invader won’t have the taped fist, and they promise the new champions’ reign will be the shortest ever. Invader and Bronco know that the Texas Hangmen are going to be coming on strong tonight because they are upset about losing the titles. They won’t make it easy for the Hangmen and will be ready. 

After the card rundown for tonight’s house show, we go to the feature match of the program. It’s the lumberjack match from a few weeks back between the Texas Hangmen and Invader #1 & Bronco #1. The tecnicos control the first part of the match via quick tags and working Psycho’s arm. The tecnicos remain in control as we go to commercial break, but once we return  Invader eats some boots to the face on a corner charge. The Hangmen work over Invader with some facelocks on the mta, as the lumberjacks look on. Invader tries a comeback but gets cut off, as it seems that Hugo has finally learned how to tell the Hangmen apart on commentary. The tide turns in the tecnicos favor when Psycho goes to the top turnbuckle and Invader runs into the ropes, causing Psycho to crotch himself on the top rope. Invader makes the tag to Bronco, who comes in hot. Bronco gets several pin attempts on Psycho, but Killer comes in to break up each attempt. Invader recovers and all four men end up in the ring. The lumberjacks start getting restless as Galan Mendoza jumps up on the ring apron and grabs Bronco. All of the other lumberjacks gather to where Mendoza is, with the tecnicos trying to pull Mendoza off and the rudos trying to stop the tecnicos. The referee goes over to try to get Mendoza to let go of Bronco and, in the confusion, the Hangmen grab the bullrope and use it to knock out Invader. The Hangmen cover and retain the World tag titles.  

MD: This feud isn’t quite there yet though. It’s still churning. Pretty soon they’d do well to switch the babyface teams maybe? I don’t know. I love how animated the Hangmen are in their promo. Bronco’s holding the mic for their promo for some reason which is kind of weird. Most important thing to know about the shine is that right before it goes to commercial (after a chaotic start where Bronco and Invader take over and the Hangmen feed/stooge like crazy), Invader does the Garvin Stomp which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him do before. He looks great in general but once we hit the break he gets swept under quickly. 

That means he continues to look great as a face-in-peril, sneaking in those hope spots, before he is able to lunge at the ropes to knock a Hangman down upon them, crocheting him. The lumberjacks have really only made this match feel more contained by this point; kept it in the ring solely by their presence alone, but none of the previous matches have been so contained so this feels actively different. And then, you know what, Invader looks great after the hot tag when he gets to come in again to set up the finish. More than that, Mendoza, as a lumberjack gets involved, which is interesting considering what I was just saying (they’re hearing me through history or maybe this all just makes sense), allowing the ref to get distracted and the cowbell to end things for the good guys. 

EB: To close the show, Hugo presents some fan drawings they have received, with Profe saying the only good one was the one of him. Hugo does a final sell for tonight’s card in Caguas and they sign off.

MD: There’s a drawing here of Rafael The Ninja Turtle and Carlitos Colon. I’ll let Esteban explain it. I love that some kid cared enough about Giant Warrior to draw him too. That’s very charming.

EB: So what happened during the title matches on February 9? We actually have a bit of footage of what happened during that weekend during the following week’s TV programs. Let’s find out how things advanced as we first go to the west coast version of Superestrellas from February 16. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcryafi6WuY

Hugo welcomes the viewers and immediately the video cuts to Hugo introducing a clip of what happened this past Saturday in Caguas between the Super Medicos with Sasha in their corner and Rick Valentine & Galan Mendoza with Monster Ripper in their corner. We go to the clip and Medico #3 has Rick Valentine in an airplane spin. After tossing Valentine to the mat, Medico #3 goes for a cover but Monster Ripper jumps on the apron to distract the referee. As the ref is busy telling Ripper to get off the apron, Mendoza comes in and hits Medico #3 with the loaded glove. However, when the ref turns around, he sees Mendoza in the ring and escorts him back to the rudo corner. As this is happening, Medico #1 gets in the ring, breaks up the cover Valentine has on Medico #3, and them rolls Medico #3 out of the ring in order to switch places with him. When the ref focuses back on the wrestlers in the ring, it’s Medico #1 who is in there. Medico #1 fires off some punches and knocks Valentine down with a clothesline. As Mendoza protests and inadvertently distracts the ref, Medico #1 leans over to where Sasha is. Sasha puts an object inside Medico #1’s mask. The action continues and Medico #1 gets a backslide on Valentine, but Mendoza jumps in and breaks it up. Medico #1 hits Mendoza with a headbutt that sends Mendoza flying to the outside. Valentine sneaks up behind Medico #1 and hits a back suplex. Medico #1 is able to counter being sent into the ropes with a sleeper and at this point the seconds get involved. Ripper hits Medico #1 with a boot to break up the sleeperhold and Sasha comes in to go after Ripper. Sasha and Medico #1 drive Ripper and Valentine away, meanwhile Mendoza and Medico #3 remain knocked out on the floor thanks to the loaded hits they took. 

Due to what happened, tomorrow in Hormigueros we will have a rematch for the Caribbean tag titles but Sasha and Monster Ripper will be handcuffed to each other at ringside.  We will also have a rematch for the Caribbean title, with Miguelito Perez challenging Kim Duk. Last week in Hormiguero, Kim Duk did not appear and Hugo showed a clip to explain why he didn’t appear. During the match in Caguas on February 9, El Profe had another accident and hit Duk in the throat with the kendo stick when Perez ducked out of the way. Due to the pain Duk was in from that blow, he wasn't able to appear last Sunday but the rematch will happen tomorrow. The main event for Sunday will be a rematch for the World tag team titles, as new champions  the Texas Hangmen (who regained the belts last Sunday in Hormigueros) defend against Invader #1 and Bronco #1 in a streetfight. The card will also have Giant Warrior vs the Motor City Madman, Original TNT vs Huracan Castillo Jr, and Invader #4 vs. Mr. Pogo. 

MD: I could be wrong but this feels like the opposite camera angle of how we saw it last time. Still lots of moving parts and I think it’s leading to Sasha handcuffed to Ripper.

EB: Our first match of the program is one we have covered previously, the Kim Duk vs Super Medico #4 match from January 6. After the match, we get promos from the teams involved in the Caribbean tag tile feud. Ripper promises that Sasha will not be able to get away with interfering since they will be handcuffed together. Valentine insults Sasha by calling her stinky. The Super Medicos and Sasha respond, with Medico #1 saying that Ripper won’t be able to interfere since Sasha will be handcuffed to her  and this time that will be the difference maker in their quest to win the Carribean tag titles.

MD: Ripper/Mendoza/Valentine have swanky new robes and… well, whatever sci fi thing Ripper has. They’re all hyping up the match with Sasha handcuffed to Ripper. I really do get the sense that Sasha “gets it” and was very good at what she did. 

EB: Miguelito Perez is up next and talks about Duk not appearing last week after the kendo stick mishap. Perez is thankful that he wasn’t the one hurt but will be ready for tomorrow. He also warns Kim Duk to be wary, but not of him. Duk needs to be wary of El Profe, since he keeps hitting Duk on acccident and Duk may end up not being able to wrestle. 

MD: They did a good job here of making it seem like Perez was going to win the title off of Duk (or at least that he had a much better chance than he would have a few months earlier) given the build and the miscommunication. By the way, in the promo for the live show when they announce the jackets, Perez is out with his Ribera jacket. 

EB:Next is Dick Murdoch facing off against Sabud, who wastes no time in going after Murdoch and gets some martial arts thrusts in. Murdoch flees the ring and ends up in the boxing ring that is nearby. Sabud makes a mistake by going in after Murdoch and gets caught. Murdoch quickly throws Sabud outside of the boxing ring and rams Sabud face first into the ringpost. Murdoch briefly rolls back into the wrestling ring to break up the ref’s ring out count, and then goes back to attacking Sabud on the outside by ramming him into a table and using a chair. Joe Smith is at ringside watching all of the action go down. Both men end up in the ring and Murdoch makes short work of Sabud to get the win. Afterwards,  Murdoch motions for the camera to follow him and he goes to the ringside table to get a microphone, but the video cuts away before he can talk. 

MD: Murdoch is even more unleashed than usual in Puerto Rico, even more onerous, probably driven by real things it’s best not to focus on. Here he feeds a bit for Sabu’s karate shots but then ducks into a different ring (there was a regulation boxing one set up here too) befuddling his opponent so he could take over. From there it was chairs and cheapshots and some brutal elbows as he got quick revenge.

EB: Kim Duk and El Profe are interviewed by Hugo about tomorrow’s Caribbean title match. Hugo makes sure to stir things up by bringing up Profe’s accidental hits during the last couple of weeks. Profe gets defensive, insisting that those were accidents and they won’t happen again. Hugo actually tells Kim that he hopes his neck is feeling better before Duk talks about the upcoming match. Duk says he accepts Profe’s explanation that it was a mistake that won’t happen again.

MD: We are reassured here that Profe won’t make the same mistake again. I can’t see a Kim Duk babyface run (though we do have that 70s Korea match with him now), but could see this covering a title switch.

EB: Motor City Madman is next with a promo on his rematch with Giant Warrior, promising that what he did last week to Warrior is nothing compared to what will happen tomorrow. We go to Giant Warrior, who says that Madman showed his true colors last week by jumping Warrior from behind. Warrior will be ready this week, since he now knows that Madman does not play by the rules. Giant Warrior will walk out the winner tomorrow.

Afterrthe promos, we get a TV studio match with Motor City Madman taking on Justo Maldonado. Hugo mentions that Madman is a recent acquisition for El Club Deportivo courtesy of Skandor Akbar and El Profe. The match lasts less than a minute, as Madman gets Justo up into an inverted backbreaker vice and then proceeds to ram Justo’s head into the turnbuckle several times while in the hold. After the match, Invader #4 and the Medicos helped take Justo out of the ring on a stretcher. 

MD: They’re promising me Skandor Akbar with Madman and he just hasn’t shown up yet. After the lovely picture we saw from some kid last week, I do believe Giant Warrior when he says in his southern drawl that he has a connection with the fine people of Caguas. Maldonado was not a small guy so Mad Man crashing through him and hitting his finish of the backbreaker into the repeated head drops onto the top rope (did he do that in WCW? I have to take a look) is impressive. I enjoyed the Medicos being out there to stretcher Maldonado out. It just makes sense.

EB: Hugo introduces a clip of what happened last week in Hormigueros when Invader # and Bronco #1 were defending the World tag team titles against the Texas Hangmen. All four men are in the ring but Bronco and Psycho go outside. Invader and Killer remain in the ring and Invader is whipped into a corner. Invader does a reverse bodypress out of the corner but Killer ducks and Invader accidentally takes out the referee instead. Invader gets a small package but there is no one to count. Profe stands at ringside shaking his head no (indicating that this wasn’t going  to work for Invader) and Bronco gets back in the ring to find the ref out on the mat. For some reason, Bronco decides to make the three count himself and Invader lets go of the hold. The Hangmen jump the tecnicos, but an attempted irish whip results in Bronco and Killer colliding. Invader and Psycho end up as the wrestlers in the ring. Invader starts to go after Psycho in a corner but Profe gets in the ring to try to help his guys out. Invader sees Profe and attacks him before Profe can do anything, but this gives the Hangmen a chance to get the bullrope and hit Invader with it to get the win to regain the World tag titles. 

We go to an interview where Profe and the Hangmen are celebrating their title win, but Hugo mentions that there will be a rematch under streetfight rules. Psycho says that brawling is up the Hangmen's alley, so they’ll bust the tecnicos up. Killer reiterates that they like bloody brawls and will leave the tecnicos in a pool of blood. Invader and Bronco respond, with Invader saying that any fans that can’t stand to see the sight of blood to not show up tomorrow since they will leave the Hangmen drenched in blood. They are on a mission to regain the World tag team titles. 

MD: Invader’s timing is really good on the finish here where he cuts across the ring to attack Profe and then turns right into the rope shot. Promos worked for me as you had the sense that the Hangmen would be naturals in a streetfight and Invader and especially Bronco were super animated.

EB: Dick Murdcoh is up next with an interview talking about his attack a few weeks back on Carlos Colon right after the cage match against Greg Valentine. Murdoch says that maybe Colon did not attack him, but Murdoch delivered his message. Murdoch wants Colon to stop being a coward and sign the contract for a match against him. Murdoch throws in a few insults about the local culture and also mentions still wanting to train Joe Smith and turn him into a wrestler.

MD: Just a great, great promo here. I can’t do it justice, but Murdoch was next level at being self-aware. No “Let me tell you brothers,” out of him. Real Southern Gothic type stuff in its own way. And then when Hugo (Jerome) translated, he’d be making faces at various words Hugo said. You should go watch this.

EB: We have a match joined in progress between Huracan Castillo Jr and Mr. Pogo, This is from February 9 in Caguas and is for the World Junior title. Hurcana does a sunset flip from the apron into the ring, but Pogo grabs onto the ropes and tries to hold on to avoid going over. The ref kicks Pogo’s hands off the ropes but Castillo only gets a two count. Hugo on commentary actually mentions that he has always felt that the ref should not have the leeway or discretion to kick someone’s hands off the rope in that situation, because he thinks that refs should not physically get involved with the wrestlers. Pogo hits a suplex and puts Castillo in a sleeperhold as Hugo finishes his remarks. Castillo answers the arm check and fights out of the sleeper, but Pogo cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. Pogo misses a fist drop from the turnbuckle, and Castillo starts a comeback that is punctuated with a high knee and several elbow drops. Castillo gets several near falls of different cradle and press attempts, but Pogo stops Castillo with a spinning kick. Pogo misses a splash from the turnbuckle and Castillo goes to the top. A bodypress lands but the momentum is enough for Pogo to roll over Castillo. They end up near the ropes with Pogo’s feet landing on the ropes for leverage. The ref does not see the feet on the ropes and makes the three count. Pogo has won and is now the new World Junior champion. 

MD: It’s funny now after we’ve had months and months of Duk that this could have been Pogo’s role. He’s a perfectly credible midcard heel and this is good for what we get of it. I love Castillo’s jumping knee. I meant to say that before. He almost hits more with the inside of the leg than anyone else. It’s a nice move. Pogo has his spinkick cutoff too but then misses a top rope splash. Nice finish as Pogo rolls through on a Castillo flying body press but he lands perfectly with his feet on the ropes to assist with the pin. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that done quite like that before. 

EB: The last part of the show features a minis match that we’ve already covered but it is bookended by promos from Original TNT, Huracan Castillo Jr and TNT. Original TNT and Castillo are facing each other tomorrow.in Hormigueros. Original TNT says that he beat up the impostor TNT last week so they should take the name and paint away from that impostor before saying that he will beat Castillo tomorrow as well. Castillo has some remarks about the match tomorrow, with Castillo saying that everyone knows that the real TNT is the one from here. Hugo mentions that Castillo has been taught the sleeperhold by Victor Jovica and that is something that could come into play against the Original TNT. Hugo mentions that we have an interview with Carlos Colon about the recent controversy surrounding Dick Murdoch but it’s cut off in this version of the episode we have.

After the minis match, TNT has some word for Original TNT and Profe, He says that Original TNT defeated him last week but it was due to cheating and help from El Profe. TNT throws out a challenge to Original TNT for a no time limit match and to also put up the name and paint. TNT wants to take everything from Original TNT, the TV title, the face paint and the name. We then get Hugo with the show close where he hypes the card tomorrow in Hormigueros. 

MD: Not too much to say about these last promos. Original TNT really does come off as believing his own bluster no matter how ridiculous it is. I wonder if Pogo should be doing the Cobra if Duk and both TNTs also use it but I guess it could set up one more Pogo vs TNT match if they needed to go that way. 

EB: We also have the Campeones episode from February 16.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdJdlUJ92JU

Our hosts are Hugo Savinovich and El Profe, with Hugo welcoming the viewers to the usual 4pm Saturday time slot on Channel 11. A lot gets mentioned during the opening segment, as Profe starts bragging about how all of his guys are champions (Texas Hangmen with the World tag titles, Original tNT with the TV title and Kim Duk with the Caribbean title). Hugo also mentions that the supreme leader of El Club Deportivo (referring to El Profe)  has been joined by General Skandorr Akbar, to which Profe says that Akbar is not here this week because he is on a scouting trip for new recruits. So El Ejercito de la ‘Inmudicia’ better start shaking in fear of the people Akbar and Profe will soon bring in. Hugo is annoyed that by next week they will have more cheaters, but Profe corrects him and says it will be reinforcements. Profe chuckles as Hugo worries a bit about what the combination of Akbar and Profe might be planning. Hugo then runs down what they'll show on the program, with the featured match being the TV title match between TNT and Original TNT from the previous week. Profe reiterates that the local TNT is the fake one. 

Hugo starts talking about tonight’s card in Caguas, starting with the Caribbean title match where Miguelito Perez challenges Kim Duk with the kendo stick on a pole. Hugo points out all of the accidents Profe has had with the kendo stick lately, but Profe says that they’ve been honest mistakes and tonight nothing will happen. Hugo says either way the kendo stick will not be in Profe’s hands tonight and instead it will be up on the pole. Hugo thinks Miguelito has a good chance at winning tonight, but Profe insults Perez by saying “Miguelito may look like a monkey because of all the hair he has, but he doesn’t have the agility of one.”

There will also be a streetfight as the new World tag champs the Texas Hangmen defend against the former champions, Invader #1 and Bronco #1. El Profe thinks the tecnicos are being fools by fighting the Hangmen in a match that is their specialty. The Hangmen are used to fighting with Mexicans and latinos in Texas. Hugo counters that both Bronco and Invader have their experience fighting in brawls, but Profe says it’s not the same thing fighting a couple of drunks in the gutter as fighting tough gangs, not those weak underweight Domincans Bronco fights. Hugo cuts Profe off and we go to the Huracan Castillo Jr vs Johnny Rinco match from earlier in January.  The match is joined in progress and gives you a bit of a look at Johnny Ringo in a more competitive match. The match clip is more of a showcase for Castillo though and Huracan retains the World Jr. title.

MD: When you come across someone as off the radar as Ringo, you do give him an extra look and you know what? He was fine. On offense (Castillo missed a corner charge and hit the post), he had a bunch of stuff. I liked his body language as he took things, especially how he tended to drape over the ropes. There just wasn’t a lot of room for juniors in 1991, but he’s another guy who could have fit into the Global light heavyweight division no problem. Castillo came back and won it clean with a Northern Lights which is not something I’ve seen him do too much.

EB: We next have a Dick Murdoch promo that gets cut off but not before he complains about the disgusting beans he’s been forced to eat down here. 

MD: This episode is not in full and we get about ten seconds of Murdoch complaining about the local food as only he could.

EB: We go to some promos form Original TNT and Huracan Castillo Jr, who are scheduled for tonight in Caguas. OriginalTtNT insists he beat up the fake TNT last week and promises to also do the same to Castillo tonight. Castllo dares Original TNT to make good on that threat and says that one advantage Castillo has is that he has better endurance.

MD: Again, these are clipped, but they’re setting up Original TNT defending against Castillo (I’m a little surprised he survived TNT so far honestly; seems like a relatively short program to finish things up from the previous feud that never got paid off, but he’s still here and still has the belt) so I guess it was nice we had that competitive win against Ringo for Castillo. 

EB: Hugo and Profe introduce a music video for Motor City Madman set to the tune of ‘Born To Be Wild.’ It shows Madman spray painting his name on a chunk of wall, shooting pool, and also highlights from different matches. One impressive clip is from a match vs Giant Warrior where Madman picks up Warrior in an inverted body vice and proceeds to smash Warrior’s head several times into the top turnbuckle. After the video, Madman and Warrior cut promos about their match tonight. Madman says that Warrior will make a big mistake facing him again after causing Warrior to be stretchered out last week. Warrior responds by saying he did not like being humiliated last week and says that he has not lost a match yet in Caguas.

MD: Good for the Madman to get a music video. You get to see him do his over the shoulder backbreaker snake eyes bounce move over and over in this to the music, even to Giant Warrior! Also riding motorcycles, spray painting things, shooting pool. What a guy. Apparently he stretchered Giant Warrior out last week and Warrior wants revenge.

EB: Carlos Colon cuts a promo about Dick Murdoch. Carlos says that he understands Dick Murdoch is looking for him, but he must not be looking too well since Carlos is not hard to find. Carlos says it is him who is looking for Murdoch, he wants to avenge what Murdoch did to him many years back while in the U.S. (and also the attack a few weeks ago) and now they are hours away from singing that match. This won’t be just a match, it will be a fight because Murdoch has offended Colon before and now Murdoch will be paid back, especially since they are now in Colon’s homeland of Puerto Rico. Colon guarantees that when they clash, blood will flow, and’ it will be yours dog.’

The feature match is last week's TV title match between Original TNT and TNT. Profe again calls out Juan Rivera as the fake TNT before going to the match .TNT wastes no time in attacking Original TNT, throwing several punches at ringside (and still wearing his gi).  TNT takes off his belt and chokes Original TNT with it. They get in the ring and TNT remains in control. Meanwhile, Hugo and Profe are having a back and forth on commentary about Profe not respecting the wrestler’s names and calling TNT out by his real name. Hugo points out that none of them are throwing out Profe’s real name because they are honorable gentlemen and respect that (which causes Profe to be a bit afraid for a moment  Hugo was going to give that secret away). The match continues with TNT on the attack, once again taking the match to the arena floor. Hugo starts pointing out that Original TNT can’t hit those kicks and movies like the real TNT can (with Profe complaining that he thinks Juan Rivera must be bribing Hugo to put him over as the eighth wonder of the world apparently). 

The beating continues, with TNT hitting several kicks on Original TNT. We go to a commercial break with TNT still getting all of the offense in so far in the match and then come back with Original TNT in control, throwing TNT out of the ring. Profe says that we have things under control now. Hugo mentions that TNT has been dominating most of the match so far, but Profe sas it has been the other way around with Original TNT dominating the impostor Juan Rivera (which causes Hugo to once again admonish Profe for not respecting the wrestler’s names). Profe starts rattling off examples of other wrestlers whose real names are known (specifically the Invaders) but Hugo says that’s different because they have chosen and allowed their names to be known. Meanwhile, Original TNT has rammed TNT into the stacked floor panels near the fence area and goes back to the ring, leaving TNT recovering on the floor. Original TNT goes back out to attack TNT, smashing him face first into the ringside table and then using a chair. Hugo notes that TNT has started bleeding. TNT then gets his head rammed into a ringpost. Original TNT gets back in the ring as TNT struggles to stand up, with his forehead noticeably bleeding.TNT stumbles into the ring and OriginalTtNT starts choking and slapping TNT.

TNT fights out of a chinlock and hits a back suplex, leaving both men down on the mat.We get a second commercial break, and come back with TNT starting a comeback. Hugo mentions that they’ve been fighting for over 25 minutes (in a match with a 30 minute time limit). They go to the outside and TNT rams Original TNT into the ringside table, busting Original TNT open. Back in the ring. TNT bites the cut on Original TNT’s forehead. TNT tries a few pin attempts but Original TNT is able to kick out or get his foot on the ropes. Original TNT is able to get a surprise powerslam and gets the cobra hold on TNT. Profe celebrates at ringside as TNT struggles in the hold but eventually goes to his knees. The bell rings and Original TNT lets go of the hold thinking that he has won the match, but it rang because the time limit has ended. It is a time limit draw. 

MD: This gets a ton of time and you get the sense we get most of it. TNT, gi still on, jumps him from the get go. The first third has Jackson flying and bumping and staggering around as TNT hits sweeping blows and karate strikes. Very energized stuff to the crowd’s delight. Original TNT takes over midway through and really grinds TNT down, opening him up. He comes back big and for a while they’re really showing the effects of it all, selling the weight of the match until TNT gets a second wind and takes over in a big way, hitting him with the belt on the floor and biting the wound. Original TNT is able to catch him with a power slam out of nowhere though and locks in the cobra but TNT doesn’t quit. Profe and Jackson think that he does and I’m not quite sure what the ending was as TNT stood tall in the ring as they cut back to the hosts. Past that finish, a very complete match here that got a lot of time for something shown on TV.

EB: We go back to Hugo and Profe for the show close, as Profe insists that Original TNT showed his quality against the imposter Juan Rivera. Hugo reminds the fans to go tonight to Caguas. 

Next time on El Deporte de la Mil Emociones, Invader #1 and Bronco #1 face the Texas Hangmen in a streetfight, Colon vs  Murdoch is official, Skandor Akbar is back and Ricky Santana makes his return to CSP. Plus, will Profe finally avoid making another mistake in Kim Duk’s match? 

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