Atlantis vs. Blue Panther, Arena Mexico 07/11/08

This was a match to mark Atlantis' 25th Anniversary in wrestling.

Atlantis was one of the great technicos, but he doesn't hit the small shows much, so we don't get to see him work an older style. Some of his Guadlajara stuff is alright, but you know the small show mastery I'm talking about. Fitting then that Panther was chosen to be his opponent, since they had the most pure of title matches in 1991, a match which more than any other shaped the way I think about lucha libre.

The match was nothing special, but satisfying enough. Neither guy is a patch on what they used to be, but both take pride in their work. I wanted 20 minutes of matwork, but they had to move it along for the Arena Mexico crowd. Panther was there to job and Atlantis to take his bows. Might've been better somewhere else, but Atlantis was clearly moved by the whole occasion. Some tenor sang for him at the beginning and after the high note Atlantis lept over the ropes to embrace him.

Perhaps the best they can do these days.