Centella de Oro, Sensei & Starman vs. Espíritu Maligno, Inquisidor & Pólvora, 4/6/09
Spirited Puebla opener, this time in front of a full house. Centella de Oro and Espíritu Maligno are two guys you need to check out whenever they make TV. The match wasn't overly special, but the work was smooth and the larger attandence helped.
Blue Panther/Maximo/El Hijo Del Fantasma v. Negro Casas, Felino & Heavy Metal, 4/10/09
This was entertaining. I dunno if I'll ever get used t
Satanico vs. Super Astro, mano a mano, 1984
Satanico's hair was awesome in this.
I wasn't digging his work to begin with. It was good, but not the genius you'd expect from Satanico. And I thought they made a mistake giving the first fall to Super Astro, especially since he turned on a dime to make his comeback, instead of fighting his way out of a corner. They went straight back to the beatdown, which isn't the overlap you'd expect, but the third fall was really good. Super Astro made
Black Terry, Cerebro Negro y Dr Cerebro vs Negro Navarro, Trauma I y Trauma II, 3/28/09
There was something a bit off about Terry's matwork in this match and even Navarro was a bit skew-whiff. I'm not sure that he should out and out dominate Dr.Cerebro like that. The match stayed on an even keel, but the only explosive moments where when Terry and Navarro brawled and even that wasn't outstanding. I think they're building to a title match, so we can live in hope, but shorter mat sequences wi
Mascara Dorada, Metro, Valiente vs Euforia, Nosferatu, Virus, 4/10/09
This was really good. It started off with an extended mat sequence between Valiente and Virus, which is a hell of a match-up, but what made this match was the rhythm. The timing on the dives was perfect and I think the crowd picked up on that. A tidy match with good, clean progressions. Nobody overplayed their hand and the bumping & catching was strong. Valiente might just be prettier than Super Astro.
Atlantis/El Hijo del Santo/Tony Salazar vs. El Satanico/El Dandy/Espectro Jr., mid-80s
This was pretty cool. Not the three fall classic you're looking for; in fact the technicos ran away with it, but if you're into your technicos then this was irresistable.
Santo did the kind of things you've seen him do a million times before, but at three times the speed. Even though he's Santo, it was staggerly how cleanly he hit everything. Whenever a match pops up from his UWA period, it always s
Dos Caras Sr. vs. Dr. Wagner Sr., All Japan Pro-Wrestling
I remember Jose telling me about this match when we hung out one time.
Now that I've seen it, I can honestly say it's one of the high points of my lucha fandom.
Caras was mobbed on his way to the ring. The crowd were on their feet, trying to get a glimpse of him, and kids rushed from everywhere to touch him. And there, waiting for him, was the Doctor. In full attire.
The TV producers cut to the body of each fall, but
LOS TEMERARIOS (Shu el Guerrero, Black Terry y Jose Luis Feliciano) vs LOS FANTASTICOS (Kato Kung Lee, Kendo y Blackman), 3/16/02
This was from some UWA tribute show back in '02.
It was a typical Fantasticos match, with a bunch of dueling takedowns leading into Space Cadets type spots, and Blackman in particular was really good at that shit, but what impressed me were the Los Temerarios. It was like they hadn't skipped a beat. Terry had this really awesome slap exchange with Kato Kung
IWRG 3/26/09
Freelance, Turbo & Chico Che vs. Black Thunder, Black Terry & Capitán Muerte
IWRG is back and it'll only take a few seconds of matwork to make you realise what you've missed.
The match itself was low-key. There wasn't much of a crowd and they didn't bite on the switch-up in the first fall, which, considering the technicos snuck a fall they should've lost, kinda killed the tone for the rest of the match. The rudos played it a bit loose after that, but the work
El Signo vs. Villano V, UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, 4/3/92
Signo really was a fantastic worker. Not only was he ridiculously smooth with his rolling bumps, he was also quick on the mat. And he could sell too. Which no matter what people say is the art to professional wrestling.
This match was unique in a lucha sense in that Villano spent a lot of time targeting a body part. Often times, you'll see a guy work a body part for a finish or perhaps even a fall, but Villano wa
Signo, Negro Navarro y Black Power vs. Solar, Fantasma y Psicodelico, early 90s
This was really cool. Hard-hitting, fast-paced lucha, with more action than you see these days. Guys kept hitting the ring and working cool exchanges. Clipping may have sped it up, but the Misioneros were going flat tack. Signo was motoring and must've been a dynamo in his prime. He led with the headbutt and Psicodelico got so pissed with the smash mouth tactics that he started grabbing people by the ears and fi
Valiente vs. Rey Hechicero, WWA World Middleweight Championship, 1/27/08
This was good stuff. If I'd seen it earlier, I would've voted for it in the Tapatía Awards.
It was a genuine attempt at a lucha title match, with Valiente showing how skillful and competent he is on the mat. I'm sick of sounding like a broken record, but I can't understand why CMLL don't give us matches like this. With the numerous TV shows they have, you'd think they could throw out something authentic from tim
Black Tiger, Blue Center, Tigre Rojo vs Espiritu Maligno, Mr. Rafaga, Toro Bill Sr., Arena Puebla 3/2/09
After two years of marriage, I finally decided to have a wedding. That was a blast and so was this match.
This was a bunch of older guys doing stuff they're not capable of anymore and pulling it off. It was fantastically old-school; the kind of lucha you can hang your hat on. The last thing I expected the first thing this morning was a great match, but this was instantly recognisabl
Los Oficiales vs. Freelance, Marco Rivera, Veneno, 8/9/2007
With no new IWRG, I figured it's worth checking out the back catalogue. I dunno if it was the low bit-resolution or the fact the Oficiales were only a few months into their run, but they seemed fresher here. They were a well-oiled machine in this, cutting off the ring and working slick triple teams. Their brawling had a real snap to it and it was great to see them working as a unit.
As for Freelance -- the first chance he got
Brazo de Plata vs. Asesino Negro, hair vs. hair, Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 6/6/04
BATTLE OF THE SUPERHEAVYWEIGHTS! This is why lucha is so much fun. Just an awesome brawl between two fat guys. The crowd loved this and there were kids jumping up on the apron, despite a hideous double bladejob. I loved the front on collision when they charged at each other and all of their brawling. I also loved how Asesino Negro wouldn't accept the loss. That's right, Asesino. It ain't ever over. Colossal s
Cassandro vs. Rubi Gardenia, Chikara Welterweight title, Lucha Libre London, 12/7/08
From a star of the golden age to one of the biggest stars of 2008. Or at least I thought so. Judging by the Tapatia Awards, I'm completely out of touch with the lucha fanbase. Mind you, Cassandro was 8th in the Best Wrestler category and 5th in Best Technico, and I forgot to vote for him in both.
This was a fun 10 minute match with a little bit of everything. They floated through some dives and matwork
Ray Mendoza vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, El Toreo, 8/13/78
Very cool.
Cubsfan pulled out a quote recently from El Santo's final interview, where he said: "back in my day, we wrestled on the mat - using holds that could kill a man - and now all they do is flying and clown stuff." It's the same lament you hear from every generation, but after watching Mendoza, I'm inclined to believe it. This was the twilight of his career, one of his last competitive fights befor
Black Tiger, Centella de Oro, Tigre Rojo vs. Karisma, Mr. Rafaga, Siki Ozama Jr., 1/5/09
What I like about the Puebla locals is how they come in all shapes and sizes. Add to that the weird assortment of gimmicks and you have the sort of charm that's been missing from CMLL since they decided to push guys with abs. I also like how they stick to the game plan, regardless of how good they are. The first caida is matwork, the second is either a rudo beatdown or a technico comeback and the third
Hijo de Cien Caras, Mascara Año 2000 Jr. y Negro Navarro vs. El Pantera, Mano Negra y Halcon Ortiz, 8/21/08
No matwork in this one, just a soft brawl. Still it was pretty harmless. Mano Negra and Pantera did some neat spots off the ropes and Halcon Ortiz looked better than Mil Máscaras.
Los Oficiales vs. Fantasma de la Opera, Dr. Cerebro y Cerebro Negro, Distrito Federal Trios Championship, 8/24/08
I really dug this. They may have been a little safe with the structure, but it was
Asturiano/Black Tiger/Centella De Oro vs Espiritu Maligno/Fuerza Chicana/Siki Ozama Jr., Arena Puebla, 1/26/09
This was my first look at the Puebla locals and I was impressed.
It wasn't a perfect match, but cubsfan nailed it when he said: "being there to hit your move just as the guy turns around to take [it] is such a great skill but one seemingly missing from a lot of CMLL guys." These guys showed that with the right timing you can hit upon a far better rhythm than "baseless" lucha.
Negro Casas/Felino/Heavy Metal v. Sagrado/Mascara/ El Volador, Arena Puebla, 2/8/09
So, Negro Casas fits the mainevent scene like a glove, Heavy Metal has his working boots on and it's great that Felino's getting some sort of push again; potentially the Casas Brothers are a really good trios. But what a sorry bunch of technicos. They all look the same, they wrestle the same and I don't know how I'm supposed to tell them apart. If it were up to me, I'd shoot the lot. Obviously that's not goi
Satanico, Rambo y Fishman vs Villano III, Lizmark y Panterita del Ring
They only aired five minutes of this, but what was shown was pretty awesome.
Satanico was his usual maniacal self, ripping at Lizmark's mask and throwing in headbutts. When Lizmark rolled under the bottom rope, Satanico tried to reach through the ropes and grab him. I swear Satanico is the greatest improviser I've seen in wrestling. Not only does he follow-up on everything, but he's forever selling his obsession wi
Negro Casas/Heavy Metal v. La Sombra/Volador Jr., CMLL World Tag Team Championship, 2/13/09
Negro Casas and Heavy Metal made a great team here.
Heavy Metal's a guy I never liked watching in AAA. In fact, if there's a hell below, the only lucha I'll find is Heavy Metal vs. Jerry Estrada on an endless loop. Yet somewhere along the way he's developed into a real asskicker. He still looks like he's on something, but I liked how he carried himself here. I guess it was a combination of the
Gran Hamada vs. Centurión Negro, UWA World Middleweight Championship, 2/14/82 (2nd & 3rd falls only)
This was from a UWA Anniversary show at El Toreo De Naucalpan, and is supposedly one of the great lucha matches, but to me it was more of a juniors match than a great lucha match. That's not a knock on the match, I can just live without seeing backdrops and bridged suplexes in lucha.
Hamada's a good grappler, with awesome leg strength, and he's the kind of guy I like because he loo
Ringo Mendoza/Atlantis/Ultraman vs. Los Infernales (Satanico/Masakre/MS-1), early-to-mid 80s
Now here's a match nobody ever talks about.
This was a classy trios that started out with an awesome exchange between Satanico and Ringo Mendoza.
Ringo Mendoza is the kind of technico that never backs down from a fight. If a rudo tries to rough-house him, he puts up the fists. He's never a dick about it, you just don't take liberties with Ringo Mendoza. Satanico was looking for an advanta
Villano III/Gran Hamada/Eddy Guerrero vs. Shu el Guerrero/Scorpio/Scorpio Jr., Arena Neza, early 90s
With all the El Toreo shows taking place, I thought I'd do a little reminiscing of my own.
This was a fun fifteen minute match back when these guys could move a whole lot quicker. It started off as a non-descript rudo beatdown, but Villano got this inspired idea to beat everyone with a stick. He used the thing until it was just a handle and even swung it at the ref. I'm not a fan of gu
