Santo/Dandy/Silver King vs Casas/Satanico/Dantes, CMLL 2/2/96

You don't need me to tell you this was good. Just look at the names.

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but Satanico was awesome in this. He had a lengthy mat exchange with El Dandy where you'd swear he was twenty years younger the way he was moving. He was carrying some extra weight, but it made him seem more bullish. With the crew cut and taped fingers, he looked primed, and sure enough he kept gaining inside control. Dandy had to counter on more than one occasion, but my favourite part was when Satanico had him in an armlock and kept floating through the counters, keeping the hold applied.

The match itself was more about Santo cleaning Casas' clock every time they squared off. It was an interesting sort of match, because the rudos had to protect Negro, yet the technicos kept blowing standard finishes. In most trios matches, you know when the finish has been signaled. Guys start entering and exiting the ring in rapid succession, and whoever sends them out is the winner. This went against the grain. Twice the technicos had a finish on the cards and both times the rudos broke it up. Even Santo's tope was foiled by a knee to the gut from Satanico. I usually take finishes for granted in lucha, but it just goes to show that they're small windows of opportunity and if you don't execute then you're toast. The rudos took one in straight falls, but not without some daylight robbery. Casas got an inside cradle on Santo, but his shoulder was all-the-way up. He argued the call afterwards in true lucha fashion, dropping to the mat and demonstrating his point. In the end, the rudos stuck their boots in.

Not a classic or anything, but when you have six guys this talented, everything they do rules in some way or another. The part where El Dandy took on all three rudos and won was especially cool. Pity he didn't have a story to tell the grandkids.