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I see Lizmark took a dive today. Lizmark and Santo were probably the two best Mexican workers at wrestling like an ace. Sorry if no one uses that term anymore. A guy like Atlantis could be great in title matches, but he was more like a sympathy babyface to me.

Ciclon Ramirez fell today. A couple of months ago I watched a match from 1994, Kung Fu, Felino and someone vs Trueno, Ciclon Ramirez and someone. The focus of the match was a rivalry between Trueno and Kung Fu, 1994 Kung Fu. It was as exciting as it sounds. Somewhere in there Ciclon Ramirez took the greatest post shot I have ever seen, and now I'll remember that match for as long as my memory functions. This is the appeal of Ciclon Ramirez. Here's that post shot.

That was my big branchout for this project.

He was my 100. I suppose I should explain it. I have just one grandparent remaining, my father's father, the man who gave me my last name. I'd have disrespected the family in a way if I hadn't voted for his homeland's greatest wrestler when I had the chance. I really thought that he was my only shot at a unique vote. He did better than in 2016. I mean sort of. He got the same number of votes, but last time his only vote was an 83.

Proven wrong pretty quickly. I thought Kincaid was a late nomination, though. Figured that meant someone had decided to vote for him and realized he wasn't available yet.

Baron Scicluna didn't drop today. That means someone else voted for him. There goes my only shot at being anybody's lone supporter.

Dead serious. All four guys made my list too. I just wish I'd had the guts to put them in the order you did.

I haven't always been nice to Panther, so let me say that this takedown of Kato Kung Lee and the followup onslaught of headbutts was one of the coolest and most memorable things I've ever seen him do.

Jerry Estrada, Blue Panther and Megatron vs Centurion Negro, Mascara Sagrada and Panterita del Ring, December 17 1991 Megatron was feuding with Panterita del Ring here. Seems like there's always someone feuding with Panterita in these old Monterrey videos. The action was fine and the brawling didn't get really good until the third fall, when Panterita began staggering around with a big wound under his mask, but what a crowd. It looked like they started chucking their drinks when Estrada had Panterita crotched on the ringpost. I couldn't tell if they hated Estrada or just loved Panterita that much. Or if it was a giddy holiday crowd. Then on the finish Panterita sent Megatron flying into Cuate Guerrero, bumping him out of the ring, and the other Cuate Guerrero disqualified the tecnicos, which basically turned it into a '97 Nitro scene. Yeah, you know how Cuate Guerrero sometimes gets on people's nerves? Well this match had two of 'em. Jerry Estrada, Corsario Negro and Ray Richard vs Rudy Reyna, Stuka and Super Bengala, late 1989 This isn't the best Jerry Estrada performance on video, and it definitely isn't the best Estrada match, but it might be the first time that I've ever seen him look like a candidate for best wrestler in the world. First he gets a triumphant welcome on his return to the North, with the commentator congratulating him on his victory over Javier Cruz. Then he gets into it with Stuka, and man, if all you've seen of Estrada vs Stuka is their hair match then you haven't seen Estrada vs Stuka. If all you've seen of Stuka is his '80s CMLL stuff then you haven't seen Stuka. He had this one move where he teetered on the edge of a fall outside of the ring and saved it with a perfect backflip over Estrada's head. The two of them wrestled on the mat, they did some aerial spots, and they rolled all over the floor slugging it out. Best of all, it was still a quintessentially Jerry Estrada performance. At one point they cut to a shot outside the ring while two other guys were facing off, and Estrada was sitting on the floor sipping on something a fan had given him. Outside of that matchup, you had Rudy Reyna, who was able to garner sympathy just by being a broken down old exotico, and you had Ray Richard. Pena had invented the concept of mini versions of bigger wrestlers just a few months back, but Richard had long before garnered the nickname El Chicanito for his resemblance to a pint sized Sangre Chicana. Just some of the fun workers who fill out these teams.

Seems like a waste to make a post like this so late in the game, and it's not my style of post at all, but I guess I wanted to make it anyway. My twenty favorite Dr. Cerebro matches, many already listed in this thread, in order of preference, with video links and short spoilertagged reviews. 1. Cerebro vs Virus, August 16 2015 2. Cerebro vs Felino, IWRG IC welter, January 18 2001, part two 3. Cerebro vs Erick Ortiz, August 11 2019 4. Cerebro vs Decnis, WWS world welter, September 16 2010, part two, part three 5. Cerebro vs Multifacetico, WWS world welter, June 2 2011, part two 6. Dr. Cerebro vs. Caifan, May 15 2016, alternate link 7. Cerebro and Cerebro Negro vs Mike Segura and Virus, IWRG IC parejas, August 25 2005 8. Cerebro vs Hijo del Santo, February 22 2001 9. Terribles Cerebros vs Malditos, October 14 2010, part two, part three, part four 10. Cerebro vs Hijo del Santo, IWRG IC welter, December 21 2000 11. Cerebro vs Hechicero, April 9 2016 12. Cerebro, Bombero Infernal and Fuerza Guerrera vs Hijo del Santo, Mascara Sagrada and Mike Segura, September 19 1999 13. Cerebro vs Toro Negro Jr., chain, November 13 2021 14. Cerebro and Black Terry vs Gringo Loco and Hijo del Diablo, January 24 2010 15. Cerebro, Black Terry and Chico Che vs Avisman, Gringo Loco and Hijo del Diablo, March 14 2010 16. Cerebro, Cerebro Negro and Fantasma de la Opera vs Aeroman, Fenix and Freelance, July 31 2008 17. Cerebro vs Tonalli, IWRG IC middle, May 29 2022 18. Cerebro, Bombero Infernal and Punch Power vs Mike Segura, Rodi and Ultimo Vampiro, December 2 1999 19. Cerebro, Negro Navarro and Silver King vs Felino, Mr. Niebla and Tony Rivera, January 4 2001 20. Cerebro, Fuerza Guerrera and Veneno vs Fantasy, Matrix and Mike Segura, September 2 2004 And there are plenty of others. His mask match vs Santo is worth a watch, he has a fun series with Ricky Marvin at one point, there's that Terribles Cerebros vs Dinastia Navarro series that a lot of people like and more. I'm not saying he has as many great matches as Virus, and I'm not saying he's as good a technical worker as Virus. I'm also not going to say that he doesn't or isn't. They're not on different levels, IMO. The two are a lot more similar than they are different.

Signo vs. Villano III, November 6 1992 The first fall features some of the most brilliant and skillful technical work you'll ever see. The second fall is a Villano III special. For those who don't follow his work super closely, a Villano III special is basically the Mexican version of a 1996 babyface Macho Man comeback. Then the picture cuts out and the third fall is audio only. Esto es lucha. Signo, Mr. Terror and Azteca de Oro vs Solar, Megatron and Asterisco, early '90s The matchup you want to see is Signo vs Solar, and that's the matchup you get. The first fall technical work between them is not brilliant and skillful but rather an exchange of holds between two people who plainly do not like each other. And they don't just drop it there and move on to the rest of the match. The two of them are at each other all night long. Signo really did look like the Misionero-in-chief when he was throwing right hands, and though he didn't have the Misioneros with him here, Solar still had to work his way through Signo's stooges to get a shot at the big man in the final fall. That was what I really liked about this. Signo brought out an angrier side to Solar than I'm used to seeing, and when you combine that with the first fall technical work it might be the most complete Solar performance on video. When you start raising my opinions of other people, it raises my opinion of you too. I liked the local guys as well. Asterisco was pretty good for a guy whose gimmick is that he's a punctuation mark. Signo's a toughie because we have very little of his prime on video. The UWA TV run is less than a year, and that's assuming Signo was even still in his prime then. Then he's off TV for a couple years before getting a brief run in AAA with a ridiculous pyromaniac gimmick. If all you get is a brief glimpse at someone's prime, they've really gotta shine, I mean they need to look like the best in the world in what little there is to see, for them to have a chance. I do think that Signo looked like one of the better workers in Mexico in 1992, but I'm not quite sure it was good enough to get a rally going for him. Eh, whatever, he made it on my ballot anyway. I had thirty-seven Mexico-based workers on my list, I figured I could make room for Signo. He kind of reminds me of a grouchier, less ebullient Emilio Charles, and I like the idea of a guy like that being the leader of the most famous team in the country's history.

This is my favorite one so far.

Good grief, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about something I've posted here. Thanks, that means a lot to me. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished, so I'm going to talk a little bit more, this time about a couple of Virus title matches from the relatively unexplored period between his two peaks. Virus vs Makabre, January 25 2004 Makabre looks incredibly seedy, quite the feat for a masked wrestler. I suppose he goes along with how wrestlers changed from athletes and burly tough guys to creepy looking dudes and comic book fans. If you watch Virus matches for mindblowing technical work, this one will leave you disappointed. I really liked it. Virus is such a natural tecnico to me. He kept doing the Backlund spot, but Makabre wouldn't let go, and when the chance finally came Virus gave some similar punishment to Makabre's arm. That's how you make things personal and up the intensity all while keeping the match grounded in the championship style. Actually I don't really remember that sort of thing in his minis title matches. They went all out for the finishing stretch and the crowd popped pretty big for the win. Makabre has a gushing writeup on Luchawiki that calls him a great addition to the main CMLL or AAA roster, but it looks like he never made it outside of Guadalajara. It's kind of sad when you see a page that's such a time capsule like that. I will say that his performance in this match backed all of that praise up. Virus vs Eddy Montana, June 13 2004 As best I can tell both men were tecnicos. You don't see that a lot. Again the technical work at the start was good and solid, rather than best in the world stuff. I'm not that familar with Makabre or Montana, so I don't know how much legwork Virus had to do to make these matches come off well, and I don't know how well they showcased either man's strengths because I don't know what their strengths were. If Montana was known for his flying, then they did a great job of making that a part of this match, and he knew some cool holds too. My favorite thing about this one was how they made it look like the kid had a serious chance to take it in two straight falls. And he pushed for it, too. He put Virus in jeopardy right off the bat with a springboard corkscrew dive and later almost caught him unaware on a leglock attempt. Virus just got out of the way of some corner attack and you could see on Montana's face that he knew he'd missed his chance there. The third fall wasn't quite as big as in the Makabre match, but I'd rate them about even. Just a guess, but I'd say that Virus was still mastering the title match style here. Adding some stuff that hadn't been there in his minis days, but even the Makabre match didn't feel quite as big as the stuff he was doing in the 2010s.

How has Panther's case changed in the past ten years? He's a mat wizard with extremely good longevity, and he was a mat wizard with extremely good longevity in 2015. It's better to be good for longer, but unless you're just adding up great matches for each candidate I can't imagine what he could have proven in that time span.

It's a message board. If people are posting, it's alive. If they aren't, it's dead. If don't want the board to die, post things. If you mostly post or posted in the current wrestling section, there are countless other places online to have discussions about AEW or WWE. To me this site's value was always in its niche topics. I don't even know where else there is for me to talk or read about some random match from 2002 Naucalpan or whatever.

Cross this one off the list.

I dunno if it's that weird. Look at Virus and Dr. Cerebro. Both brilliant technicians but not particularly gifted heatseekers. Navarro probably got a lot of heat in his days as a Misionero, but as an older man he didn't make that part of his game much. Part of what fascinated me about Mexican wrestling when I was first getting into it was the dichotomy between title matches and almost everything else, to the point that the former was almost a separate style. Doesn't really seem all that strange to me that guys who make their name off matches where they pit their abilities against their opponent's might not excel when the goal is to rile up the crowd. There's not a lot of overlap between the skills needed for each kind of match.

Got bored already? ):

Yeah, and the masks and strict adherence to kayfabe just add to the mystique of it all. There's no way to know if someone is who they say they are. When someone disappears from the records you can never tell if they started over under a new identity or if they just up and left wrestling. Go for it. You think I have anybody ranked below Konnan? I've already packed it in.

Herodes is good. I know his Luchawiki page calls him an amazing worker. Most of what I've seen from him is more solid than amazing, but you know it's a roll of the dice with '80s footage. I generally have more of an affinity for waterbug types or angry short dudes than for big men who are good at being big, though. As for some non-nominees I quite like... Americo Rocca was a CMLL regular (and pushed too hard to be called a journeyman) for over twenty years. He had a strange, Backlund-esque way of moving, but he was a terrific technician. Generally seems to be regarded around here (to the extent that he's regarded at all) as the capable enough broomstick that was in the ring with Mocho Cota in 1984. Rocca vs Kid Guzman from 1999 is better than anything from Cota's second career. Enfermero Jr./Jaque Mate was technically and mechanically sound, but he had about as much charisma as you or I and was older than Satanico. Was fun as a challenger of the month for Lizmark or in a rudos vs rudos feud against Pierroth. That he got a title run in 1994 showed just how low things had fallen. Wish I could see his hair match with Emilio Charles. Escudero Rojo was an Arena Coliseo gatekeeper in the mid-'90s. If you wanted to move up the cards, you had to go through the Red Baron to do it. Technically competent and sometimes fun, he looked like a miniature Babe Face when he got to cut loose against Gran Apache and Mestizo (Babe Face was a small man to begin with). Felinito/Mach 1/Punch Power was a mini whose approach to working as a smaller version of Felino was to imitate Felino's mannerisms and even exact sequences from Felino matches. I love how literally he took that assignment. He was a good early rival for Mike Segura. The two of them went to AAA together and then to IWRG together, where surviving footage of Punch Power shows a small, dour looking man with his head poking out of a bodysuit as he takes his frustration out on the tecnicos to the extent that his abilities allow. I'm a short dude and not much of a smiler myself, so I can empathize. Lasser is the king of the Mexican journeymen. I can't even imagine who would be in second place. On his Luchawiki page, under the Unmasked By section, it says, "Many people, many times, with more to come." They didn't change it even after he died. That just about sums him up. Mike Segura is the tecnico workhorse of turn of the century IWRG. Anytime you have him vs Dr. Cerebro in that time period it's gonna be good. Had an apuestas match with Fuerza that I really liked, and I have fond memories of Segura, looking like he just finished painting his living room, trying to work skillful exchanges in a match that asked him to sell for a five year old boy and sit back as Super Porky made fart jokes and dick jokes. Tigro! The best of the Thundercats, in my opinion.

Guys with a case for goodness: 53) Art Barr Strengths: Probably the most over wrestler in 1994 Mexico. Weaknesses: Got over with an act that was easy to get over with. It didn't portend big things for Ken Timbs or Sam Adonis outside of one specific time and place, so I'm not convinced it was a sign of future greatness for Barr either. Whenever I see Love Machine paired up with Blue Panther, I react about the same as Barr does to this DDT(?). Peak: I'd guess that at the time he was considered a great worker after he turned rudo in summer '94 all the way up to his death. Wouldn't really complain if someone put him in Mexico's top 10-20 for 1994. Best matches: Barr, Guerrero and Santo vs Fishman, Fuerza and Panther (1993), Barr and Guerrero vs Octagon and Santo (1994) 54) Rayo de Jalisco Jr. Strengths: Fun, cartoonish brawler. With his headbutts and dancing he kind of feels like a main event version of Super Astro. I like Super Astro. He's a good wrestler to be a poor man's version of. Weaknesses: After like 1992 he's a ponderous, cartoonish brawler. Peak: Looks decent in a lot of his '80s footage. Had a nice run in the early days of the TV show with the Cien Caras and Kamala feuds. Would he be a top 20 CMLL worker in 1990 or 1991? Not sure I'd go that far. Best matches: vs Cien Caras (1990), vs Apolo Dantes (1996) 55) Javier Llanes Strengths: Had a great program with Dandy in 1994. Not a lot of great programs happening in 1994. Weaknesses: Not very successful as a wrestler. Did manage to integrate himself into the booking team for a while, and later had a prominent role as a commentator. Peak: January-February 1994. Came out of retirement and suddenly, two months into 1994, had a case as the best wrestler in Mexico. Stopped making TV almost immediately after. Best matches: vs Dandy (1994), all the other matches as part of that feud 56) Canek Strengths: They never took the time to tell you 'bout Canek. Weaknesses: So you had to learn about him in the discotheque. Peak: You'd think that bodyslamming Andre the Giant would rate as the pinnacle of any man's career. In the case of Canek I sincerely hope that it wasn't. Best matches: vs Dos Caras (1992) 57) Octagon Strengths: Octagon is in a lot of great matches, more than many workers who are listed above him here. Weaknesses: He doesn't drag those matches down, but for a lot of them his contributions aren't really what push the match towards greatness, nor would they be difficult for any other tecnico to reproduce. Other than stock exchanges, spends most of his time waving on the crowd, yelling at Tirantes and rolling around holding his groin. Peak: Supposedly he got out of shape and lazy by 1994, but I can't really tell the difference between 1991 and 1994 Octagon. Was in a lot of praised AAA matches from mid-'94 through mid-'95. Best matches: vs Fuerza Guerrera (1991), Octagon and Santo vs Barr and Guerrero (When Worlds Collide), the definitive AAA 3v3 (March 1995), the definitive AAA 4v4 (June 1995), the even better AAA 4v4 (July 8 1995) 58) Kung Fu Strengths: Kung Fu usually got reactions, and that's what counts in the grand scheme of things. Brought out a lot of fire in Atlantis. Had some fun moments as a Memphis-esque heel in 1990-91. Weaknesses: Not a good brawler. Not breathtaking or even fast in 3v3 exchanges off the ropes. As a tecnico everything he does is out of a third rate martial arts movie. As a rudo everything he does is out of a third rate Eddie Gilbert match. Peak: Probably with the Fantasticos. Best matches: There are people who like the mask match with Atlantis (1990). 59) Konnan Strengths: Konnan's matches were generally heated. Weaknesses: They weren't heated because of what he did in the ring. It was because he was over as a muscleman, or a rapper, or a gangster or the WCW version of the Road Dogg. By 1998 he probably had less athletic ability than Road Dogg. Konnan always wrestled like he knew what he was supposed to do to get a reaction, but there was this weird detachment from it. I don't think he ever totally bought into the zany make believe world of pro wrestling. Sensible enough, but who wants to watch a performer in any medium who isn't completely invested in their performance? Peak: 1991-92. His overness did play a part in those fun heavyweight 3v3s from the first few months of 1992. Best matches: In addition to those fun heavyweight 3v3s (1992), there's the match with Perro Aguayo in which he lost his mask (1991). That match got four stars in the Observer. Now, it's not a **** match, and in fact it just looks like Konnan's out there trying to do as many cool moves as he can. But it was an incredibly important match and it got four stars, and I can't understand why it's never generated any discussion in the English speaking lucha fanbase.

Hey, you totally forgot: 37.5) Gran Apache Strengths: Gran Apache was good at everything. Weaknesses: Was usually doomed to wrestle matches that weren't supposed to be great. Peak: That eight day period in 1993 when they let him work a couple of dramatic matches at Arena Coliseo. Best matches: Indios Bravos vs Malditos (1993), Indios Bravos vs Malditos (1993, hair vs hair), vs Oscar Sevilla (2000, rainy) (Apache should rank between Bestia Salvaje and Pantera Sureña. I just forgot about him.) Good but not great: 44) Demus Strengths: Hard hitter who's capable of working as a violent bruiser despite his small stature. Clearly wants to be someone special. Weaknesses: I respect that he took off the CMLL shackles and went his own way, but a lot of his indy work involves light tubes and convoluted table spots that are beneath his ability. Peak: I think that in 2010-11 he was still super solid and he was also clearly trying to be something more than just solid, but he wasn't yet able to do whatever crazy hardcore idea popped into his head. Best matches: vs Pierrothito (2010), vs Pequeño Warrior (2011), vs Virus (2019) 45) Juventud Guerrera Strengths: What impresses me most about Juvi is how he legitimately got over in WCW. Love him or think he's a fucking weirdo, the guy had charisma. Weaknesses: A lot of his prime is spent wrestling a style (WCW cruiser) that I don't think has aged well. Peak: 1998-99, even if I don't believe the old line about him being the best worker in the US in '98. Best matches: vs Rey Misterio Jr. (1994), vs Rey Misterio Jr. (March 1996, ECW), vs Billy Kidman (all of 1998), vs Blitzkrieg (1999) 46) Cien Caras Strengths: Charisma. His matches had that big match feel because they were legitimately big matches. Weaknesses: Not a good technical wrestler or brawler. Peak: I think it was actually 1990-92, when he was already in his forties. Probably not top 15 even in his own promotion. Best matches: vs Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (1990), Caras, Mascara Año 2000 and Sangre Chicana vs Perro Aguayo, Konnan and Rayo Jr. (1992) 47) Silver King Strengths: Speed, offense. Had a style that translated well outside of Mexico. Weaknesses: Not much of a technical worker, and I've never loved his praised 1995 matches. Peak: I'd guess it started in 1992 with Los Cowboys and came to an end around the time he jumped to WCW. Probably a top 10 CMLL worker in 1995. Best matches: King, Texano and Hamada vs Casas, Wagner and Tigre Canadiense (1992), King, Texano and Hamada vs Casas, Wagner and Rambo (1992), vs Apolo Dantes (1995) 48) Herodes Strengths: Fun, charismatic big man bumper. Weaknesses: Not a lot of big Herodes performances on video, just that one match with Tony Salazar. Peak: I'll say first half of the '80s. Best matches: vs Tony Salazar (1984) 49) Arkangel de la Muerte Strengths: Solid athletically gifted rudo who lasted a long time. Weaknesses: There have been countless rudos with his skillset in the country's history. I don't know what makes Arkangel stand out, except perhaps longevity. Peak: Probably around 1998-2002. Best matches: I don't even know what the signature Arkangel matches are supposed to be. I liked when he'd match up with Mascara Magica in 3v3s. 50) Mascara Sagrada Strengths: He was over, and he put more effort into his work than he needed to. More than someone like Octagon did. Weaknesses: They used to say he was an all time terrible worker. He wasn't, but he could be very clunky or sometimes just kind of a load. Peak: 1991-94. Might have sneaked into Mexico's top 15 in 1994, more through his performances than through skill. Best matches: vs Pierroth Jr. (1991), vs Pirata Morgan (1991), vs Black Cat (1994), vs Black Cat (1994, mask vs mask) (The Pierroth match got 3.75 stars in the Observer. The full version of the mask vs mask match hasn't made its way to the internet yet, but it got 4.75 stars. No typo.) 51) El Brazo Strengths: Effusive character work. Not as iconic a character as Brazo de Plata nor as gifted a technician as Brazo de Oro, but he was a big part of their legendary team as well. Big bleeder. Weaknesses: Not really cut out for individual work. He needed the team more than either of his brothers did. Peak: Shrug. Best matches: Brazos vs Bucaneros (1989, super libre), Brazos vs Renegados (1990, title match), vs Rambo (1996) 52) Norman Smiley Strengths: Versatility. Had a degree of success in three totally disparate styles of wrestling, each in a different place. Weaknesses: Capable in multiple styles but not great in any one of them. Peak: I kind of think that the ridiculousness of 1999-2000 WCW best suited his personality, but it was also the worst place to have good matches. Best matches: vs Kazuo Yamazaki (1988), vs Fiera (1992), vs Chavo Guerrero Jr. (1999)

I'm not sure what an info dump is. Does El McKell's post qualify? That more or less summed it up. There had been 3v3s before the Misioneros and even one very famous team of three (the original Ola Blanca), but Navarro, Signo and Texano got so over that promotions began creating whole bunches of trios to feud with or imitate them. At the start of the decade the dominant format in Mexico was 2v2, and by the end it was 3v3. The Misioneros didn't just play a part in establishing how a 3v3 match worked. They were the driving force in making it the prevailing type of match in cards all over the country. The development of maestros/llave matches isn't as well discussed in lucha lore. It's generally treated as part of a necessary reinvention by a guy who seemed to have been passed up by time, to which he responded by leaning into that and deliberately working as a throwback. I don't know of anyone in Mexico before him wrestling matches with the goal of being as intricate and visually impressive with submissions as possible. That was PART of many championship matches, but never really the goal in and of itself. It hasn't become anywhere near as widespread as a standard 3v3, but it did spread beyond Navarro himself. I don't mean that it's objectively something that you have to consider or give him credit for. I've been a fan for long enough to know how many people find 3v3s inscrutable, and maestros matches even more so. It just impresses me (more than any of his actual in-ring performances) that first he was part of such a sensation that it overhauled the way things were done in Mexico, and then, when he no longer had a place in the country's landscape, he carved out a spot for himself by inventing a whole new kind of match. Down to about sixty. There are probably twenty or so nominated luchadores that I didn't form an opinion of. No one interesting is left, unless you're a big Octagon fan.

Guys with a case for greatness: 31) Javier Cruz Strengths: He was good as a spunky unmasked tecnico (talk about a dead art) and good as a snotty rudo. Some of his his high flying was brilliant stuff. There's no real weak period of his career. Weaknesses: Seemed to struggle to have a great match if he was the more spectacular of the two workers. He's more the type of guy who'll be there when Ciclon Ramirez or Jerry Estrada is having their signature performance, and it's like, "Oh yeah, Cruz was good in that match too." Peak: Cruz's prime probably started at some point in the second half of the 1980s and then ended in 1991, right around the time he was told to change gimmicks and then to become a rudo. During that stretch he was a top 25-30 worker for Mexico. His peak year, though, was 1994, when he had a fantastic match against Ciclon Ramirez and tried his best to carry a team of himself, Cachorro Mendoza and Mogur to some exciting matches. He was a candidate for best worker in the country that year. Best matches: vs Hombre Bala (1989), vs Jerry Estrada (1989), vs Ciclon Ramirez (1994), vs Barbaro Cavernario (2012) 32) Brazo de Oro Strengths: Very good technician who was vital to the Brazos' reputation as an all-around great trio. Has the best resume of the three. Weaknesses: In lucha lore, Brazo de Oro could have been a superstar but subjugated that potential for the good of the team and the family. Personally, I never saw him as having much personality, certainly not enough to have ended up as a star on his own. The Brazos as a unit were charismatic, but I think his brothers were the ones who made it that way. Peak: Dunno. We don't really have the best impression of what the Brazos were like in the 1980s. I'd have him in Mexico's top 5 for 1991. Best matches: Brazos vs Bucaneros (1989, super libre), vs Pirata Morgan (1989), vs Hijo del Santo (1991), Brazos vs Infernales (1991) 33) Hombre Bala Strengths: Excellent worker as part of a trio. Great at comedy sequences. Weaknesses: Utterly lacking in star power. Much less effective in random 3v3s when he isn't teaming with a regular partner. Peak: It's gotta be the Bucaneros run from 1987-89. Maybe top 20 for Mexico in 1989. Best matches: Bucaneros vs Alfonso Dantes, Atlantis and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (1987), Bucaneros vs Angel Azteca, Atlantis and Ringo Mendoza (1988), vs Javier Cruz (1989), Bucaneros vs Atlantis, Super Astro and Mascara Sagrada (1989), Bucaneros vs Brazos (1989, super libre) 34) Solar Strengths: One of the classic lucha technical workers. Weaknesses: I love watching Solar wrestle, but I don't really love any one of his matches. I made a list of my top 100 Mexican matches some time back and IIRC he wasn't on it. Peak: Possibly the 1980s or even the late '70s when he was winning titles at multiple levels and in multiple weight classes, or possibly in this century when he was going around the country displaying his technical skill against Negro Navarro. My favorite year for Solar is 1994, when he got a lot of action and even an updated gimmick in AAA. He's in a dogfight with Javier Cruz and La Parka for best worker in the country that year. Best matches: Mariachi vs Blue Panther (1994), vs Negro Navarro (luchadb has them with 115 1v1 matches, I think the most popular one might be the 2009 version?) (A lot of Solar's 1v1 matches on video, pre-maestro era, are with guys who aren't really peers. Random Panamanian talent, solid journeymen like Arkangel or Bombero Infernal, etc.) 35) Dr. Wagner Jr. Strengths: Charisma, mostly. Actually a very well rounded worker when he wants to be. Weaknesses: He has matches that are great in the moment, and then I can't remember anything about them a couple of weeks later. Peak: Some point in the aughts. That's after the period for which I have a decent idea of who ranked where. Best matches: vs Atlantis (January 2001), vs Shocker (2005), vs LA Park (2013) (My favorite Parka vs Wagner match was from 2006 in Arena Mexico, but I think that consensus has their TxT match as the ultimate version of that matchup.) 36) Psicosis Strengths: High energy rudo who simply had a lot of highly praised matches in a lot of places. Underrated choice for Rey Misterio's top opponent. Weaknesses: That WCW run seemed to take a lot out of him as a worker. Peaked early and some of his big matches aren't quite as revered as they used to be. Peak: In 1995 he's a solid choice for best Mexican worker and he had such good chemistry with Rey Misterio Jr. that they took their act all over the wrestling world. Best matches: The definitive AAA 3v3 (March 1996), vs Rey Misterio Jr. (September 1995), vs Rey Misterio Jr. (July 1996) 37) Bestia Salvaje Strengths: One of the best choices to fill out a team of rudos. Great left hand. Weaknesses: Peaked as a physical talent in 1989-92. Peaked as a personality in the second half of the '90s, when he had lost a step. Never quite the total package. Peak: Probably 1992. Top 10-15 worker in Mexico. Best matches: vs Huracan Sevilla (1992), Bestia and Scorpio Jr. vs Santo and Casas (March 1999, apuestas) (Meltzer had that Sevilla match as his lucha MOTY.) 38) Pantera Sureña Strengths: The top two women's matches from Mexico that I've seen are Pantera vs Jaguar Yokota (1985) and Pantera vs Lola Gonzalez (1988). Had a really good match in Houston vs Estela Molina. Weaknesses: Didn't really do all that much to elevate the typical women's 3v3s. Peak: Probably the first half of the '80s. Best matches: I already listed three of them. Her feud with Jaguar Yokota in Japan, where she wrestled as La Galactica, has a decent amount of fans. 39) Rambo Strengths: Had just about everything you'd want from a rudo, minus top flight athleticism. Forget Atlantis, this guy is the definitive Villano III rival. Weaknesses: Usually solid, but you're not going to see any mindblowing technical work or character work from him. Peak: Dude, Rambo had an entire career before even adopting the Rambo character. He was damn near forty when he first appeared on TV. No idea when he was at his best. Best matches: vs Villano III (1987), vs Villano III (1993), vs Villano III (2000), vs Villano III (2000) 40) Brazo de Plata Strengths: Unparalleled comedy wrestler. Even if the joke doesn't land it's hard not to admire him for trying. Driving force of one of Mexico's definitive trios. Weaknesses: Past, like, the mid-'80s, he's not really capable of conventional greatness. Peak: On video, it's probably 1989-91, when the Brazos were a new act in Arena Mexico and on television. Before that, who knows? Astonishingly svelte in some of the Brazos matches on video from the mid-1980s, to the point that he's unrecognizable. Best matches: Brazos vs Bucaneros (super libre, 1989), Brazos vs Dandy, Popitekus and Super Astro (1991), Brazos vs Infernales (1991) 41) Ultimo Dragon Strengths: Such a talented offensive wrestler that he was able to get over everywhere he went except WWE, where it was more important that he was... Weaknesses: ...boring as shit as a personality. Peak: In Mexico, 1993. Probably in the country's top 10 that year. Best matches: vs Fiera (1992), vs Negro Casas (1993), vs Shinjiro Ohtani (1996), vs Rey Misterio Jr. (1996) 42) Perro Aguayo Strengths: One of the definitive lucha brawlers, and also perhaps the most visibly adored wrestler ever. Weaknesses: I find him hokey a lot of the time. Even before he's an old man. Like bringing scissors into the ring, come on. Peak: World War II was still going on when Perro was conceived. He probably peaked in the '70s. Maybe I should have listed that as a strength, that he impresses so many people even though most of what we have from him is so far removed from his peak. Best matches: vs Sangre Chicana (1986), vs Mascara Año 2000 (1993) 43) Negro Navarro Strengths: Supremely talented technician. Played a major part in the development of two types of match that endure to this day. That latter statement is an objective truth, not really subject to debate or difference of opinion. Weaknesses: At some point in the second half of the aughts, he decided that he wanted to work holds without any of the struggle to counter or escape. Just slap on a hold to show off your knowledge and then let go. He threw away like half of what makes technical work engrossing. And great workers like Blue Panther, Virus, Dr. Cerebro and Black Terry, guys who know better, would happily play along. That's maybe the worst thing you can say about a wrestler, that he made his opponents worse. Peak: We have almost none of his Misioneros work on video. I'd go with the first half of the aughts, when he was revolutionizing the maestros style without selling out the competitiveness of it. Best matches: vs Dandy (2001), vs Engendro (2003), vs Solar (pick one, I'm not watching all 26 available matches), vs Zack Sabre Jr. (2017)

Flawed or borderline greats: 24) Blue Panther Strengths: Technically proficient, knows what pops the crowd, extreme longevity. Weaknesses: My experience with Panther is that the more you look, the less you see. At his worst, he's well below the standards of a great worker and actually quite average. Even at his best you often have to wade through slop such as lazy transitions and Life Alert worthy selling. Not really much for details (more of an action guy). Peak: When WAS his peak? Meltzer had him with three **** matches in 1992 and probably would have called him Mexico's finest that year. I've heard people say that turn of the century Panther is the peak version. I thought he was one of the country's top ten workers in 1997. Much more of a longevity/consistency case than someone who blew away his contemporaries for a stretch of time. Best matches: vs Atlantis (1991), vs Mariachi (1994), vs Atlantis (1997), vs Hijo del Santo (April 2000), vs Negro Casas (2012), vs Bryan Danielson (the boyhood dream has come true) 25) El Texano Strengths: Up until about 1993 or 1994, Texano pretty much always looks awesome. Weaknesses: Doesn't have the resume of the guys around him for filmed matches. There just aren't a lot of Texano spotlights, and for most of his prime his promotion had no TV. Peak: I'd guess his best years were the late '80s into the early '90s. By the time he becomes a fulltime CMLL guy (1994?) he's past his prime. 1992 might be his best bet, as he has his Cowboys run with Silver King and a really good underrated title match with Signo. Probably in the top 10-20 for Mexico that year just from what's on video. Best matches: Texano vs Signo (1992). Most of his best stuff is in other people's 3v3s. 26) Villano III Strengths: Has the look and feel of a classic '80s brawler. Is in one of the common choices for best lucha match ever. Looks the better of the two workers in that match. Weaknesses: The Atlantis match and the Rambo matches provide the outline of an all time great but the middle isn't quite filled in. Not many great 3v3s, not many matches in which he works outside of his comfort zone. Villano was very much a formula worker, and his was a lazier and less satisfying formula than Santo's. Peak: Almost certainly before he started appearing on TV. There's actually a solid chance we have not a single match from his peak on film. Had an excellent 2000, with the classic mask match, some fiery unmasked tecnico work, and an IWRG feud with Rambo. Best matches: vs Rambo (1987), vs Rambo (1993), vs Atlantis (March 2000) 27) Jerry Estrada Strengths: Bombastic comedy almost on the level of Fuerza Guerrera, and he could turn on a dime into a thug and a bully, with a little more blood and guts to his work than Fuerza. Weaknesses: Not very consistent over the course of a match. Like I said about Blue Panther, even the best Estrada matches often feature some awkward or ugly moments. Peak: While inconsistent from moment to moment, Estrada was extremely consistent from year to year. His prime runs from 1989 (maybe as far back as 1987 with the Bucaneros) through 1994, and he doesn't have a standout year in that stretch. Generally a top 15-30 worker in Mexico for a long time. Best matches: His best matches are probably vs Fiera (1991) and vs Lizmark (1993). To me, the matches that best demonstrate what he was about are vs Javier Cruz (1989) and vs Stuka (1994). Once upon a time, those were considered lucha classics, and if you get through them thinking they had more good than bad, then you're a real Estrada fan. 28) Pequeño Pierroth Strengths: Extremely solid. Rarely in a bad match before he entered his fifties. Weaknesses: Not really a big match worker. Benefited from working with the same crew night after night. Large swaths of his career unaccounted for. Peak: I'd be lying if I told you that I knew. One of the better workers in the famed '97 minis division, but below Virus (and possibly Cicloncito) in the rankings. Best matches: Pierrothito and Damiancito vs Dragoncito and Cicloncito (March 1997), the famous minis 3v3 (October 1997), vs Demus (2010), vs Shockercito (2017) 29) Dos Caras Strengths: Technical proficiency, ability to project himself as a star in foreign territories. Weaknesses: Is there any Dos Caras in Mexico on video from before he turned forty? His foreign work might be better than his domestic work. Peak: No clue. Best matches: vs Jumbo Tsuruta (1979), vs Canek (1992), vs Blue Panther (2004?) 30) Angel Azteca Strengths: Technical ability, graceful flying. In 1990 they consistently stuck him with some of the best CMLL workers and he usually came away looking just as good as they did. Weaknesses: Not as explosive as contemporary tecnicos Lizmark and Atlantis. After the first half of 1990, had a real hard time getting into any important matches. His best matches were generally against great workers. Peak: In 1990 he was one of the top five or ten workers in Mexico. Probably not a darkhorse best in the world candidate, because he appeared on TV a lot less in the second half of the year. Might have continued improving as a worker after that, but never again had the chance to put together the collection of matches that he did in 1990. Best matches: Angel and Atlantis vs Dandy and Texano (1989), vs Emilio Charles (1990), all those matches where he teamed up with Javier Cruz against El Dandy's teams (1990), vs Dandy (June 1990), vs Blue Panther (1992) (Meltzer loved that Blue Panther match. No one talks about it today though.)