MLJ: Volador Jr. vs Máscara Dorada [Liga Elite]

2016-04-27 @ Arena México
Volador Jr. vs Máscara Dorada [Liga Elite]

(First Match)

I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. No, I do know. It's because I really want to find a match that I like. Volador is talented. He's hugely talented. He's able to really go. He's able to hit some complex stuff. People say that he's really thoughtful about wrestling and constantly trying to improve. These are people who have spoken with him that I believe. I think he DOES think about wrestling. It's just that he thinks about cool spots and not things like storytelling. And even that would be fine, but I think he thinks of seven cool spots instead of just one or two and then tries to do them all at once.

I really thought this one had a chance. For one thing, Volador's at his best when he's playing a subtle heel. He does it differently than someone like transitory Rush who is resentful. Instead he's arrogant and matter-of-fact in his smarmy self-assuredness. Dorada can hit even more things even more gracefully at times and is more of a natural tecnico so it should have been a good match. Moreover,  it was a single fall match, a souped up lightning match, so there was no real worry about that third fall bloat that usually drives me insane in Volador's matches.

And what we got was something that would have been an excellent nine minute match, a really good ten minute match, a decent if flawed ten minute match, and a miserable twelve minute match that I wish I hadn't watched.

I really liked the story of Dorada being one step quicker and more daring but Volador being meaner (ending in him having enough and pulling out the apron DDT and the thumbs down; I wish the match had ended after the powerbombs that followed), the symmetry in the counters, and the sheer inventiveness. I even liked the first ten minutes of nearfalls because the selling seemed to warrant them, but it just kept going and going and going, and instead of escalating, the diminishing returns kicked in. Even if it had ended after the awesome Dorada crazy dive rana into the ring that would have worked because of the symmetry that led to it. EVEN if it ended after the backcracker I could have lived with it (even if I didn't like it) because that was the first giant move after the crazy stuff, but it had to stumble to the finish with a no sell out of the corner and the ridiculous Canadian destroyer. At least it didn't end with the no selling of that and another one by Volador's opponent like the last Sombra match I saw with him did. Spectacular moves. Spectacular spots. Could have been a good match if they just took it home when it still felt like it mattered. They didn't. Way worse than the sum of its parts. Watch it for the dynamic, high impact stuff, sure, but it's just more tinder for the endless Volador tire fire in the end.

I keep giving him tries and he keeps proving that he's nothing but a spot monkey that doesn't know when to stop. One of these days at least I'll smarten up enough to stop. That'll be one of us.