MLJ: Rush vs Negro Casas/Shocker BONUS: Negro Casas, Shocker, Terrible vs Máximo, Rey Escorpión, Rush

Aired 2013-07-06
taped 2013-06-28 @ Arena Mexico
Negro Casas, Shocker, Terrible vs Máximo, Rey Escorpión, Rush in a relevos increíbles match

I was on a pretty good pace with these, but it's not often that I get a comment telling me to watch a match. For the record, if you respond to one of my posts here asking me to watch a match, chances are I probably will. Don't abuse that though. I don't think we need a 10 match Gronda series or something. This was from bucky, who is a fine, outstanding pillar of our community, so I figured what the hell. It was apparently a key match in the Rush vs Negro Casas rivalry, but as much as that, if not more so, it felt like a key match in the Rush vs Shocker rivalry, so it made sense for me to at least look at it.

While the interaction between Rush and Casas was pretty great here, I'm not 100% convinced this was the absolute starting point. For one thing, they'd wrestled against each other something like ten times in the previous two months. Also, there was still some lingering Rush vs Terrible focus, though maybe not as much as a few months earlier, where matches would still be structured to build to the two of them facing off, much like Rush vs Casas face-offs have been built to in the last year. Moreover, Rush HAD been shown to be fiery and even possess some rudo tendencies before this match. Maybe it really started to come to head here though. It was definitely the first of a number of relevos increibles matches to come over the next many months which pitted tecnico Shocker against tecnico Rush.

I always sort of love the team dynamics in these matches. Obviously there was a bit of a rivalry between Maximo and Rey Escorpion here, and throughout the match there was a long build from them arguing outside the ring as Rush was getting swarmed to teasing a high five to them actually hitting it. Rey and Rush didn't really interact much, save for once or twice when Rey got pissed as Rush's temper cost them, which ultimately led to the finish. Shocker, on the other hand, fit right in on the rudo side, being totally unafraid to punch Maximo in the face from the get go, and double and triple team with Casas and Terrible.

The end of the primera did set up a satisfying Rush vs Casas pairing. It started with a great little transition where Maximo, Rush's longtime partner, used his body to stop Rush's momentum off a whip in the ropes. This gave his side the chance to take over, first with a rush sueprkick and then with the kiss of death on Shocker. Rey hit a big dive on Shocker. Maximo ducked Terrible in the corner (causing him to sail out with a great bump) and he hit a dive on his own, leaving the ring emptied for Rush vs Casas, full of all the tenets we're used to that must have seemed fresh here. Casas killing Rush in the corner, Rush picking him up and putting him on the top, them fighting from that vantage point, and Rush taking over, stomping away in the corner until the ref called the fall against him as a DQ.

There was plenty of solid action in the segunda, leading up to the decisive Shocker vs Rush stuff. I love the Terrible/Maximo pairing; Maximo played up being terrified of the guy, and Terrible just punches him in the face repeatedly. It's fun and sort of clensed the pallette before they went back ro Rush vs Casas, with the two of them killing each other and Rush catching the dive from the apron into ap ower bomb and then doing a partial giant spin into the guard rail, basically eliminating Casas for a matter of minutes. Shocker then knocked Rey out of the ring, but when he went for the dive, he ran into a Rush kick and the two of them started to go at it (previously, Rush had hit Shocker on the apron for no real reason). Rey came back in though and had the advantage right up to the point that Rush thundered back into attack a prone Shocker in the corner. Rey realized that was how they got DQed in the first fall and started a pushing match with Rush. This let Terrible grab him into a suplex and Casas came off the top with a dropkick. Shocker quickly blindsided Rey and Maximo decided to faint for Terrible, and that was the match. Post-match, the winners, including tecnico Shocker, brutally stomped away on Rush.

This had all the makings of a really good revelos increibles match, lots of chemistry, guys on opposing sides willing to make things interesting, and plenty of visceral heat. I think my favorite part of this was how they used it to build feuds though: coming into the match, Rush had a lingering issue with terrible; after it, Rush had potential issues with Negro Casas, Shocker, and Rey.