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 was hellbent on separating the arm from the shoulder, which, if you're into that psychology shit, was to render the lariat arm useless. The holds were reminiscent of his father, but the force with which he applied them was astonishing. You could almost describe it as technical brawling; just sheer brute force. If it had been any closer to a shoot, he would've wrenched the arm off completely.

Signo, as defending champ, didn't get much of a rub. He was up against it the whole match, but sold well and negotiated a tricky comeback in the second fall. The match opened up towards the end, but Signo was spent from the smothering he'd received. You could see that he was looking for a way out, but Villano was too strong and probably too young at this point. Signo seemed a little gassed, but he got up one last time for a pretty finish.

Villano took a lot of people by surprise, himself included, and the post match came across like a legit title upset. Shit like that is always cool to see. I wish they'd bring back the aura of a real title fight. This wasn't the best I've seen in lucha, but it was a pleasure to watch.