Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Mr. Niebla, 9/3/97 (CMLL World Light Heavyweight Title)

I wasn't sure what to make of this match.

They worked hard on an Arena Coliseo show, and you never want to criticise something like that, but it was pretty much the epitome of the modern style.

Wagner's a guy I really like, but I kept wishing he'd do something special. Niebla couldn't work the match from the ground up and wanted to head straight into the spots. It was up to Wagner to school him in that regard, but he pretty much rolled with it.

The big difference between then and now was the third fall. They went longer and did plenty of cool stuff that today's guys should crib, but it was very much riposte grappling and the good doctor showed why he was so successful on tour with NJPW.

Good for what it was, but even the Wagner heat segments lacked something.