IWRG 2/25

Dr. Cerebro, Trauma I y Hijo del Signo vs. Pantera, Hijo del Pantera y Zatura [captains hair]

This was another solid match from the month of February. No-one gave a particularly outstanding performance, but it reminded me of those old-school trios matches that were used to set-up Satanico/Dandy and other such feuds. Dr. Cerebro wasn't able to impose himself on the match to the degree that Black Terry can, but Terry is a big lynchpin to remove and I thought they did fairly well in his absence.

Structurally, this trios was different from the IWRG norm. Instead of having the matwork build into a brawl, they brawled through two falls and held off on the matwork until the tercera caida. It probably could've done with some blood and a grandstand finish, but it was clear from the booking that they're not ready to blow this off yet. Personally, I liked last week's match better, but there was enough to tie me over until next week.

Based on the fallout from this match, Hijo del Pantera will challenge Dr. Cerebro for his Lightweight Championship on Thursday. That may not seem like a compelling match, but short programs like these are miles better than the type of booking that saw Suicida take Cerebro's hair late last year. I'm not sure if Hijo del Pantera is ready for a singles match yet, but for the past few years I've been watching lucha in the hope that my favourite workers will spend five minutes on the mat. The enjoyment that I get from lucha has amounted to a few minutes here and a few minutes there. Dr. Cerebro vs. Hijo del Pantera may not be match of the year, but at least IWRG are giving us something to follow on a weekly basis. Add Pantera and Black Terry as seconds and you've got a compelling reason to watch now that it's up to Hijo del Pantera to avenge his father.

It ought to be a good litmus test to see whether Cerebro is ready for this leadership role he's assumed; right now, I'd say he's still better hunting in a pack than he is on his own, but a strong rudo performance next week could change all that. Here's hoping.