Tarzan Boy vs. Rey Bucanero (CMLL 01/01/00)

This was an effective mano a mano bout. Mano a manos usually have a glass ceiling on how good they can be but this had a bit of meat to it. The double juice helped. Blood is so rare in CMLL these days that it was a surprise to see Bucanero bleed so much. There were a couple of gaffes on the bigger action stuff, like the blatant calling of the flash pin in the segunda caida and Tarzan Boy overshooting his dive, but it was a decent Coliseo bout, and Satanico beating Tarzan Boy down after the bout warmed the cockles of my Satanico-loving heart.

Olimpico, Antifaz del Norte & Tarzan Boy vs. El Satanico, Rey Bucanero & Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL 01/14/00)

This was an excellent brawl. It reminded me of the wars that the older Infernales had with Los Intocables and the Brazos in '92-93 before they jumped to AAA. Those were also pared down trios matches with plenty of brawling. Satanico is so good at marshaling these sort of bouts, controlling the action when his team is on top and feeding the tecnicos comebacks. Just another reason why he's one of the greatest of all-time. The sudden victory that the tecnicos score in the second fall is the type of thing that will bug people, but I liked how they had to keep fighting their tails off in the tercera caida and the dive train was fantastic. Tarzan Boy is pretty much Latin Lover plugged into a program with Mocho Cota when it comes to this feud with Satanico but there's nothing like a trios match where the captains are left to duke it out at the end. Tarzan Boy fought fire with fire and justice was done. I'm not expecting Dandy vs. Satanico from the apuesta match, but so far the lead-in is just as good.

El Satanico, Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero vs. Antifaz del Norte, Felino & Tarzan Boy (CMLL 01/21/00)

Another great brawl. Gotta love those collars on the Infernales' jackets and how they keep them on when they jump the tecnicos. Tarzan Boy bleeds straight away and the Infernales are rabid. Especially Satanico, who seems to relish the amount of pain they inflict on the helpless Tarzan Boy. Tarzan Boy bleeds like a stuck pig in the opening caida, and even when the referees disqualify the Infernales, they still don't give a shit and keep beating up the poor kid. The doctor comes out to check him and you can almost feel Satanico growing in stature here as he paces about the ring seeking to reclaim his mantle as El Numero Uno. A reversal signals a change in fortunes for the tecnicos, as it so often does, but they have to fight really hard to get back on an even keel. It's anybody's match after the dive train and again Satanico and Tarzan Boy go at it like a matador and a charging bull. Satanico is beyond incensed, though, and even a second disqualification can't stop him from headbutting Tarzan Boy to the point where TB's blood is all over Satanico's face. The Infernales lost the battle here, but they sent Tarzan Boy to the hospital, that's for sure. The apuesta match is being set up beautifully and I can't wait to see whether they can really deliver us a payoff.

Olimpico, Tony Rivera & Tarzan Boy vs. El Satanico, Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero (CMLL 01/28/00)

Another perfect lead-in match. The Infernales with the Horsemen beatdown in the corridor. Anybody else notice the extra length to Satanico's hair? The Infernales do an absolute number on the tecnicos to start with. I loved the way Satanico's minions took out Rivera and Olimpico with the chairs. Ultimo Guerrero impressed me with the amount of dirty work he got through. He's never been a guy I've warmed to, but he's done an excellent job as Satanico's lieutenant. Tarzan Boy is getting killed in this feud. The only thing keeping his spirit from breaking are the constant disqualifications. Otherwise he'd run off home and never show his face again. Folks keep mentioning how short these matches are, but it's clear that they're clipped. After the Satanico interview there are highlights of a dive train we never saw prior to Satanico bottling Tarzan Boy. They cut large chunks out of the Villano vs. Atlantis trios the week before and it's the same here. Tarzan Boy gets stretchered out and we have ourselves a hell of an apuesta build right here. I'm not sure the hair match can live up to the build as Satanico keeps murdering Tarzan Boy and our pretty young friend doesn't have a lot to come back with, but this is a really memorable lead-in.