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ohtani's jacket

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Blog Entries posted by ohtani's jacket

  1. ohtani's jacket
    Back to work for these guys.
     
    Oficiales 911, AK47 y Fierro vs. Zatura, Chico Ché & Freelance, 5/14/09
     
    This is the first Oficiales match I've seen all year. A decent hit out, I suppose, but largely forgettable. It was the type of trios where they pause in the middle for the Freelance show; he hits a bunch of cool spots and then it's back to the same old, same old. The beatdowns were mildly interesting, but it's difficult to care about technicos like Zatura and Chico Ché.
     
    Fuerza Guerrera, Juventud Guerrera & Dr. Cerebro vs. Negro Navarro & Traumas I y II, 5/14/09
     
    This began with some nice matwork between Fuerza and the Trauma kid who always starts off trios matches for Dinastía Navarro. It was low stakes stuff and very much the role the Trauma kid's been assigned to, but on the whole I thought they struck a better balance than Terry and the Navarro kid. Negro and Dr. Cerebro followed that up with an up tempo submission duel. Cerebro has a bunch of cool tricks in his holster and has been quietly having a great year. I thought he was the most consistent of the Terribles Cerebros in their pre-H1N1 feud; just a really good spot worker.
     
    One of my favourite things about trios wrestling is the number of directions a match can take, but it's always a little disappointing when they toss aside the matwork. This turned into a pier six, and while it was reasonably tidy, I stopped paying attention. For some reason, the Guerreras turned on Cerebro and Black Terry made an appearance. I guess the Cerebros and Guerreras will feud, though continuity has never been a strong point in lucha. Juventud's a guy I haven't seen wrestle in ten years. He looks like shit. Can't say I'm excited about him biding his time in IWRG.
     
    Solar vs. Negro Navarro, Campeonáto de las Américas, 5/16/09
     
    Good, mat based title match that probably deserves another watch. I was distracted by my wife wanting to buy a house, but it looked as though there was no quarter asked and no quarter given. I had a problem with the rhythm, however. Title matches are always broken into three falls, but here they were clear "breaks" in the match. There wasn't much in the way of overlapping; they'd start again from the neutral position as though they were recycling the first fall. I need to watch it again to pick up on any shifts, but it seemed to me that this was straight up grappling with nothing much in the way of story. I've got no problems watching them grapple, but they seem to have an aversion towards real finishes, and as a result, it wasn't a step above their usual stuff. At this point, I'd say it's a better tag and trios match-up than a singles one.
     
    EDIT: Watched it again. The second fall was the best, which doesn't surprise me since it was Navarro's fall. There was some overlap between falls, and I liked that Solar had to become more physical to shake Negro, but the finish was weak. If you're serious about matwork, you should stay away from ropework and pins and earn the win the hard way.
  2. ohtani's jacket

    Good lucha

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Dandy/Faraon/Lizmark v Casas/Pierroth/Brazo de Oro, 6/22/92
     
    Casas v. Dandy; whoever booked this feud had a rare stroke of genius.
     
    It only just occurred to me how early this was in Casas' run. By booking Dandy as his first opponent, it brought Dandy out of a slump and saw Casas leapfrog his way to the top.
     
    The booking itself was fairly simple. Casas and Dandy had a bunch of exchanges where neither guy came out on top, and therefore a singles match was a must; but it was remarkably well played by Casas. Just because you're two of the best, doesn't mean you have chemistry. With a guy like Satanico, there was always a hint that he was the superior worker in every feud he had, but Casas didn't mind if the other guy looked better. Skills wise, he and Dandy were evenly matched; and in fact it was Casas who pushed a lot of the action, but Dandy was content to kick back and ride out the early exchanges. If there was an opening, it was going to come later in the match, so he was prepared for that and was in no rush to pin back the shoulders. More often than not, it was Casas who resorted to a pushing and shoving contest, which, as Jose's little old ladies would tell you, was a sign that Casas felt more evenly matched than Dandy. As a competitor, Casas knew Dandy was good. As a rudo, his first instinct was that technicos are bullshit. The line he tread between competitiveness and his rudo instincts was really quite superb. He would've dearly loved to have beaten Dandy cleanly, but cheating was in his blood. It ran through his veins; he'd do it and pass the whole thing off as being the better worker anyway.
     
    What was cool about this trios, however, was that it was one of those nights where they get heat for the main guys, but the secondary guys step up and get even more heat, which means you save your main match-up for another bunch of trios. In this case, it was El Faraon who was all fired up and looking to hand Pierroth; and if you're familiar with Pierroth and Faraon, you'll know that's a very good thing. There was also a subplot about Brazo de Oro having respect for Dandy's abilities, which Pierroth thought was ridiculous, and it led to the rudos turning on him unceremoniously. Another cool touch was seeing Casas/Lizmark exchanges, which is the first time I've seen those guys work together.
     
    All these subplots and through-lines is what makes trios wrestling so great. Someone should put all these matches together and make a custom comp. There you go; there's an idea for somebody.
     
    Santo/Azteca/Muneco v Satanico/Parka/Psicosis, AAA 1994
     
    RagingNoodles is the king of finding good AAA matches. Angel Azteca has always been a guy I've been fixated with, since in the earliest lucha I watched, they were really building him up as the next great technico, then suddenly -- POOF -- he was barely on TV anymore. If you watch all that TV from '89 and 1990, you'll wonder what the fuck happened to him. Here he is popping up in a '94 trios and he has an unbelievably great exchange with Satancio. Like all great lucha exchanges, it wasn't well worn spots, but creative and completely original stuff. The rest of the match was standard AAA fare, with up tempo rope work and a whole through-line about Tirantes not supporting the rudos, but it was never short of entertaining and I was amazed by how well Super Muneco hung with these guys. Unless he had a bloodbath in Monterrey or somewhere, he's pretty much useless, but he bobbed and weaved his way through this match and it was pat on the back stuff.
     
    Engendro v. Solar v. Negro Navarro, 12/13/08
     
    These triangular matches are a little odd; they're basically one-on-one and you can tag out anytime you like, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but since this had a whole bunch of maestro matwork, it didn't really matter. The early exchanges between Navarro and Solar were the type of matwork that never gets old: it can never get old, since it's the single most skillful thing about professional wrestling. But you've seen it all before and read all about it -- the real story here was Engendro. Engendro's a weird looking guy. I can't figure out if he's the least looking guy to rule it on the mat, or the most likely. I suppose matwork was such a staple of Engendro's era that he was able to work his way through mat exchanges, even if he wasn't the most skillful guy. The Solar/Engendro exchanges in this were really great and the match-up was fresh. I was a little disappointed when Engrendo was the first to go, since Solar and Navarro are inexplicably poor at ending for their singles matches. This was no different, but the match was two thirds goodness.
  3. ohtani's jacket
    Mascarita Dorada vs Pequeño Damian 666, Lucha Fiesta, 3/20/09
     
    I've never been a big fan of lucha in Japan, aside from the 70s when Baba would bring in guys like Mil Máscaras, Dos Caras and Dr. Wagner. The UWF stuff I could never get into. The crowds always felt the need to do something, whether it was booing or cheering, and the hardcores were more interested in the masks, which still fetch a price if they were actually worn. But I was surprised by how well this got over.
     
    I haven't seen anything from the minis this year, and only really watched this to see how Pequeño Damian is doing, but it was cool. It was the same length as a lightning match, and could've easily turned into a juniors style match, but Damian gave a really solid rudo performance and the response didn't sound canned at all. In fact, Damian jawing with a fan is probably the closest you'll get to a Japanese guy acting like a front row fan at Arena Mexico. And Dorada was outrageously good, pulling off all these awesome spots that make you say, "fuck the old school." Well, for five seconds anyway.
     
    But seriously, he was really good. He span like a record at the end and the crowd gave him plenty of coin. He came across like the miniture star that he's supposed to be, and Pequeño Damian might as well be Pequeño Virus the way he carries a Dorada through awesome exchanges.
     
    The different camera angles were cool too, especially the one that showed just how far Dorada leapt from the turnbuckle. It's pretty far when you're that small.
  4. ohtani's jacket
    Valiente vs. Virus, Match Relámpago, 4/3/09
     
    These two guys have gotta be the best workers in CMLL right now.
     
    I've been thinking lately about why their match-up is so good, and I wanna say that it's the old adage that styles make fights. Virus has bulked up a lot since he became a regular sized worker and likes to lead with the shoulder; Valiente prefers the armdrag. Virus uses his strength to lift guys off the mat; Valiente works counters and reversals. Virus is an excellent rudo foil; Valiente a beautiful high flyer. What makes it beautiful is that Valiente has the size to lay in the shots and Virus has the agility to match him hold for hold. It's like a "mini" version of Casas/Dandy in that they have the ability to mix it up any which way they like.
     
    I haven't seen two many Relámpago matches, so I don't know how you work a good one, but I figure you put some exchanges together and go for the win. I'm a little skeptical whether this type of match can ever be great, but they tried. I've seen them have better exchanges in trios matches, but trios matches are about pairing off and a cool spot like Virus' apron bump would see another pair take over. There's no time for resonance in this sort of match, so they kept at it. I'm not sure it swung in Virus' favour enough, but how to you stop Valiente right now? The man is hot.
     
    Since styles make fights, it would be interesting to see a return match between these guys. Lightning matches are probably the only way we'll see them go mano a mano, but it's what we've been begging for. I kinda doubt Virus could win without cheating, but Lord knows I wanna see how he'd counter him next time. Make it happen CMLL.
  5. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry, Cerebro Negro y Dr Cerebro vs Negro Navarro, Trauma I y Trauma II, 4/23/09
     
    There's been a lot of "lost lucha" over the years, but not this feud...
     
    Chapter four started off with a lengthy mat sequence between Black Terry and one of the Trauma kids. It wasn't a bad mat sequence, but it was fairly typical of IWRG matwork in that the guy applying the hold allowed for a reset, which to me isn't much of a mat contest. I realise that it's largely about machismo and letting the other guy know you've got the upper hand, but they trade holds a bit too evenly. If you watch some great trios matwork, you'll notice that one worker dominates the mat for several exchanges at a time before the other guy shows his wares. Terry's a bit too generous, which, to my mind, lessens whatever impact there is in the age and experience gap and the fact the Cerebros are champs. Nevertheless, the matwork was more than perfunctory and I thought the Trauma kid, whichever one it was, had a far better stance than usual.
     
    Lately, these guys have been working a lot of individual exchanges, but this saw a bit of a departure from that. Trios wrestling actually came into play, with the champs deciding to use the numbers. The Navarro family fought back in an aggressive manner and I guess the big story here was that Negro was in no mood to be fucked with. This was presumably because Terry low blowed him in the previous match; if in fact we're allowed to give wrestlers the benefit of the doubt that they follow-up on their previous matches. Anyway, Negro was surly here. You could see it early on when Terry had his kid in a hold, and he was staring at it like, "fuck, is that all?"
     
    Negro's been threatening to cut loose in recent weeks and maul someone, which we know he can do 'cos he's a monster, but it was actually one of his kids who got the best shot in. He nailed Terry with a wicked kick, which left me in two minds about whether it really connected. It was all business from there -- Negro was in no mood to be fucked with and the Cerebros were a little disorganised, so it wrapped up quickly. The eminent mike187 says this was a MOTYC, but I dunno if I'd go to the wall for a MOTYC that doesn't have a big finish.
     
    In fact, this feud reminds me a lot of the old Infernales/Intocables feud in that every match is entertaining but none of them stand out as classics. Still, I dunno when we'll be seeing new IWRG, due to the swine flu, which made its way back home to New Zealand. So, we might have to wait a while for the next part in the serial. In the mean time, enjoy the shoot kick action.
  6. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry, Cerebro Negro y Dr Cerebro vs Negro Navarro, Trauma I y Trauma II, Distrito Federal Trios Championship, 4/16/09
     
    This is the third Terribles Cerebros/Dinastía Navarro match to find its way onto youtube in the past few weeks and lo and behold there were multiple versions of it. Watching the handheld copy, I wasn't that impressed, but the televised version ended up being far more enjoyable.
     
    In a longer, mat-based match like this, there are a lot of details which you can only pick-up on with the camera in close, and switching angles not only provides you with a fresh perspective, but shows the work from the dominant side.
     
    This was a long-ish title match with two solid falls of matwork. The biggest difference between uploads was Terry's work. It was a lot better than I originally thought, so I didn't pick up on the injury theme. Terry's a guy who's been looking noticeably older in the past few weeks and I haven't been overly impressed with his work against the Navarro kids. At first I thought it was the size difference, since Terry was going great guns against both Turbo and Freelance, but watching this two or three times it's clear that the Traumas ain't no chip off the old block. I don't think it's a coincidence that the only time they're interesting on the mat is when they're working with Dr. Cerebro. With Cerebro, they can tie each other up in knots and do all sorts of wacky submissions. In fact, Cerebro's work here was reminiscent of when he first came to attention; prior to losing his mask. Terry's more of a takedown guy and I don't think Navarro's kids are particularly good from a vertical base. Working with Cerebro allows for constant movement and mat "highspots"; and if there's one thing younger workers crave, it's highspots.
     
    The first two falls were good. If I had any criticisms it would be that they were kinda slow and didn't have the greatest rhythm, but they made up for it with some heavy duty selling, which you don't always see in lucha, and their new found love of chokeholds. Negro Navarro was badass in that respect and his submission finisher in the first fall is one of the highlights of my lucha viewing this year.
     
    The third fall was a bit of a waste, since it was clearly designed to set-up the revancha, but the build-up to Terry vs. Navarro was interesting. It was a bit lighthearted at first, as Navarro, in a former life, was often times a comedy bumper (if you can believe that), but things grew serious in the final fall. They had this fantastic exchange where they were beating the living daylights out of each other; Terry contemplated tagging out, but thought better of it and circled back round. If they'd gone back out it, it would've ruled, but these guys haven't quite reached the MOTYC level that some of us are hoping for.
     
    So, yeah, good match, but I keep thinking there's more where this came from.
  7. ohtani's jacket

    CMLL matches

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Centella de Oro, Sensei & Starman vs. Espíritu Maligno, Inquisidor & Pólvora, 4/6/09
     
    Spirited Puebla opener, this time in front of a full house. Centella de Oro and Espíritu Maligno are two guys you need to check out whenever they make TV. The match wasn't overly special, but the work was smooth and the larger attandence helped.
     
    Blue Panther/Maximo/El Hijo Del Fantasma v. Negro Casas, Felino & Heavy Metal, 4/10/09
     
    This was entertaining. I dunno if I'll ever get used to Blue Panther without a mask, but he looked sharp here and had some great exchanges with both Casas and Felino. This was the first time I've enjoyed the Casas brothers' comedy act, which is so sketch based that it breaks kayfabe. I can deal with the stop/start stuff if the actual work is good. Maximo is one of the stranger exotico gimmicks I've seen, and while I'm not inclined to check out the rest of his work, he was OK here. Heavy Metal, on the other hand, did nothing.
     
    Máscara Dorada, Metro & Valiente vs. Okumura, Skándalo & Virus, 4/17/09
     
    Dorada, Metro and Valiente are rapidly becoming a must-see trios. The Valiente/Viruse exchanges in this match were incredible. Those two guys are the best match-up in Mexico right now, and Valiente is making a push for worker of the year, but the encouraging thing is how well the others are doing. They're hitting their spots cleanly and making smart decisions on offence. When you've got guys clicking and backing each other up, that's when you can fully enjoy the Valiente spots. That tope spot was hot buttered.
     
    I tell you what -- CMLL is far less offensive when you watch it on youtube.
  8. ohtani's jacket
    Satanico vs. Super Astro, mano a mano, 1984
     
    Satanico's hair was awesome in this.
     
    I wasn't digging his work to begin with. It was good, but not the genius you'd expect from Satanico. And I thought they made a mistake giving the first fall to Super Astro, especially since he turned on a dime to make his comeback, instead of fighting his way out of a corner. They went straight back to the beatdown, which isn't the overlap you'd expect, but the third fall was really good. Super Astro made a brawling comeback, and as we all know, brawling comebacks are where Lopez kicks it up a gear. Super Astro bit his forehead open and the maestro was incensed. That's when the genius began to emerge -- they dropped the cliched story of the technico not being big enough and fought it out.
     
    I always thought Super Astro was a worker who couldn't use his fists, but he pelted Satanico a couple of times and turned his tope into an awesome headbutt. They did this really cool spot where they were trading blows on their knees and Super Astro bent all the way back, touched the mat with his head and popped back up with a headbutt.
     
    The finish wasn't the greatest, but the lead-in was vintage Satanico. There was a great visual of him pulling on a hold -- blood pouring from his head, spit flying from his mouth. Just a fantastic image of the effort needed to win a match. He's a guy who put so much into his finishes. You watch a Satanico match and his selling tells the whole story. It doesn't matter whether you're in the front row, back row or sitting at home, the guy was just a genius at selling. And he understood structure and the need for an arch. He'd clue you to why he lost, then bullshit himself and everyone else.
     
    Just a hell of a performer.
  9. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry, Cerebro Negro y Dr Cerebro vs Negro Navarro, Trauma I y Trauma II, 3/28/09
     
    There was something a bit off about Terry's matwork in this match and even Navarro was a bit skew-whiff. I'm not sure that he should out and out dominate Dr.Cerebro like that. The match stayed on an even keel, but the only explosive moments where when Terry and Navarro brawled and even that wasn't outstanding. I think they're building to a title match, so we can live in hope, but shorter mat sequences with the Navarro kids and more of a focus on Negro vs. Terry would probably help.
  10. ohtani's jacket
    Mascara Dorada, Metro, Valiente vs Euforia, Nosferatu, Virus, 4/10/09
     
    This was really good. It started off with an extended mat sequence between Valiente and Virus, which is a hell of a match-up, but what made this match was the rhythm. The timing on the dives was perfect and I think the crowd picked up on that. A tidy match with good, clean progressions. Nobody overplayed their hand and the bumping & catching was strong. Valiente might just be prettier than Super Astro.
  11. ohtani's jacket
    Atlantis/El Hijo del Santo/Tony Salazar vs. El Satanico/El Dandy/Espectro Jr., mid-80s
     
    This was pretty cool. Not the three fall classic you're looking for; in fact the technicos ran away with it, but if you're into your technicos then this was irresistable.
     
    Santo did the kind of things you've seen him do a million times before, but at three times the speed. Even though he's Santo, it was staggerly how cleanly he hit everything. Whenever a match pops up from his UWA period, it always seems so much fresher and I've no doubt that this was the peak of his athleticism. Not to be outdone, Atlantis and Dandy couldn't match him for pace but put together some ridiculously intricate exchanges. Atlantis was a special luchador in his youth and it's almost impossible to pin him as the same guy today.
     
    The captains were Satanico and Tony Salazar, who, as you'd imagine, had heat with each other. It seems Satanico's had an issue with everyone at one point or another. Satanico wanted to throw away the contest and have a boxing match, and when the refs put a stop to that, the crowd took great delight in Salazar delivering the bulldog.
     
    The finish was a popular one in the 80s, with the rudo avoiding one technico's dive and getting blindsided by another's. Considering the technicos were Santo and Atlantis, I won't lie, it was a bit of a mark-out moment. And when Santo hit his dive proper, a bit of a fuck yeah.
     
    Friend of the blog, Robert Bihari, talks about all luchadores wanting to up the pace of things in their youth, and it's true -- Santo, Atlantis and Dandy were dramatically quicker than Caras, Wagner and Mendoza, but the kids today don't do shit this good. Even Freelance can't touch this stuff and he's the best thing going down. Something has gone awry with the modern luchador. Mind you, something's gone awry with all modern things. Perhaps I have entered my old age. I have arrived. I wonder if you can pinpoint the whole thing to Diablo Velazco's death. Robert's a great champion of the younger guys, but jeez they get shown up on even the most limited footage of the older days.
  12. ohtani's jacket
    Dos Caras Sr. vs. Dr. Wagner Sr., All Japan Pro-Wrestling
     
    I remember Jose telling me about this match when we hung out one time.
     
    Now that I've seen it, I can honestly say it's one of the high points of my lucha fandom.
     
    Caras was mobbed on his way to the ring. The crowd were on their feet, trying to get a glimpse of him, and kids rushed from everywhere to touch him. And there, waiting for him, was the Doctor. In full attire.
     
    The TV producers cut to the body of each fall, but what was shown was the most beautiful lucha you'll ever witness. Watching this, I saw the lucha contest in its full light. The gracefulness of Dos Caras and the sheer physicality of Dr. Wagner Sr. Caras was sublime in all his movements, while the Doctor was coarser, but the contest was such that at one point the sweat was just pouring from their masks. And the selling was exquisite.
     
    After a Caras plancha, a young boy was brave enough to run up to him, and you could sense it was unlike anything the crowd had seen before. There were the slower, exaggerated spots, then the perfect dives... the exact turns and rolling bumps. Caras flew through the air with his headbutts and the Doctor's remedy for everything was brute strength and forearm smashes. If it were a work of art, you'd make a pilgrimage to see it.
     
    And the thing is that it was so short, just a few minutes... but those minutes were priceless. And I was fortunate to see them.
  13. ohtani's jacket
    LOS TEMERARIOS (Shu el Guerrero, Black Terry y Jose Luis Feliciano) vs LOS FANTASTICOS (Kato Kung Lee, Kendo y Blackman), 3/16/02
     
    This was from some UWA tribute show back in '02.
     
    It was a typical Fantasticos match, with a bunch of dueling takedowns leading into Space Cadets type spots, and Blackman in particular was really good at that shit, but what impressed me were the Los Temerarios. It was like they hadn't skipped a beat. Terry had this really awesome slap exchange with Kato Kung Lee, where he got backhanded by a slicing karate chop and sold the fuck out of his nose. Shu asserted himself as the patron saint of this blog by doing the greatest trip up ever. It was classic Shu -- planting himself face first, then going after the ref, accusing him of pulling on the top rope. And Jose Luis Feliciano, I dunno where he is these days or what he's doing, but he ought to be working 'cos he was all class. The rudos strung together some nifty spots and even better than that -- nifty reactions to the technicos, who were dancing like technicos should. Watch Terry's selling in the finish. Beautiful.
     
    Black Terry, Cerebro Negro y Dr Cerebro vs Negro Navarro, Trauma I y Trauma II, March/April '09
     
    This kinda reminded me of 2008 BattlARTS -- lots of stiff shots and nasty looking submissions, with Navarro and Terry playing the Ishikawa and Ikeda roles. I'm not sold on Navarro as a brawler, but man, you do not want to piss him off. The big Navarro and Terry exchanges were awesome, following on from the clips we saw last year. At this point, it's a toss-up whether you wanna see Navarro face Solar or Terry. I kinda lean towards Terry because you know they'll bash the shit out of each other. Terribles Cerebros are becoming a really fun trios, but get the fuck out of the way and let's see a singles match again.
     
    Is there any bigger legend than Black Terry? His work this year has been better than anything Casas has done in years. One thing I want to say about the Casas love this year is that his skipping in that Mistico match was fucking embarrassing and I just knew that people would point to it as classic Casas. Enough. We will be canonising Black Terry this year.
  14. ohtani's jacket

    IWRG 3/26/09

    By ohtani's jacket,

    IWRG 3/26/09
     
    Freelance, Turbo & Chico Che vs. Black Thunder, Black Terry & Capitán Muerte
     
    IWRG is back and it'll only take a few seconds of matwork to make you realise what you've missed.
     
    The match itself was low-key. There wasn't much of a crowd and they didn't bite on the switch-up in the first fall, which, considering the technicos snuck a fall they should've lost, kinda killed the tone for the rest of the match. The rudos played it a bit loose after that, but the work was good. The Black Terry matwork was awesome and Freelance was able to bust a move or two from the mat without killing himself.
     
    Fuerza Guerrera vs. Oficial 911 [Campeonato Intercontinental Welter IWRG]
     
    Hadn't seen Fuerza in awhile and wasn't sure if he still had it. He still has it. In spades.
     
    He's a lot heavier and slower than the Fuerza I remember, and his body can't move or bump like it used to, but it's all about the top two inches and Fuerza's as keen as ever. Through two falls he looked better than Blue Panther and Negro Casas combined, but they worked this awful finish that was straight out of '94-95 AAA with an Americanised twist. What a gaffe. You could see it coming, actually -- they passed up on some awesome finishes and you knew the beat beyond would be shit. Still, the finer points in this were awesome.
  15. ohtani's jacket
    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.
  16. ohtani's jacket
    Signo, Negro Navarro y Black Power vs. Solar, Fantasma y Psicodelico, early 90s
     
    This was really cool. Hard-hitting, fast-paced lucha, with more action than you see these days. Guys kept hitting the ring and working cool exchanges. Clipping may have sped it up, but the Misioneros were going flat tack. Signo was motoring and must've been a dynamo in his prime. He led with the headbutt and Psicodelico got so pissed with the smash mouth tactics that he started grabbing people by the ears and fish hooking them. Solar was amazingly athletic and did a classic 3-on-1 spot. He was shit talking after that, as tomk puts it. Navarro wasn't the maestro he'd become (i.e. the best mat worker on the planet), but there were glimpses of it. He worked a few rope exchanges with Solar and it was as slick as you'd expect. The Misioneros were a smooth unit even with BP in their ranks. They hit the ground running and I swear you don't see guys work this hard or fast anymore. Awesome bumping and rapidfire exchanges. Not a dive in sight yet the technicos were spectacular.
     
    You've gotta love real pros.
     
     
  17. ohtani's jacket
    Valiente vs. Rey Hechicero, WWA World Middleweight Championship, 1/27/08
     
    This was good stuff. If I'd seen it earlier, I would've voted for it in the Tapatía Awards.
     
    It was a genuine attempt at a lucha title match, with Valiente showing how skillful and competent he is on the mat. I'm sick of sounding like a broken record, but I can't understand why CMLL don't give us matches like this. With the numerous TV shows they have, you'd think they could throw out something authentic from time to time. There's no reason why you can't mix the old with the new, as this match aptly demonstrated. It was chock full of matwork and submissions, but had newish moves and pretty flying -- modern moves with a classic structure.
     
    I'm sick of guys hiding how good they are on CMLL cards. Shit this good shouldn't be a throwback.
     
    Anyway, y'all need to watch this and appreciate what a guy like Valiente is capable of. Rey Hechicero also looked like a quality worker and it was a deft little encounter. Some great struggles on the mat, smart use of the dives, jinking footwork. Good showing.
  18. ohtani's jacket
    Los Oficiales vs. Freelance, Marco Rivera, Veneno, 8/9/2007
     
    With no new IWRG, I figured it's worth checking out the back catalogue. I dunno if it was the low bit-resolution or the fact the Oficiales were only a few months into their run, but they seemed fresher here. They were a well-oiled machine in this, cutting off the ring and working slick triple teams. Their brawling had a real snap to it and it was great to see them working as a unit.
     
    As for Freelance -- the first chance he got, he almost killed himself. I realise that happens in every Freelance match, but this was amazing. He took off for a plancha suicida like he was taking off from the free throw line, but overshot the Oficial and landed head first on the floor. The doc seemed concerned, but in true Freelance fashion he shrugged it off and worked the most spectacular exchange of the match.
     
    Everyone followed suit hitting big moves and wiping each other out. If lucha was this exciting all the time, I wouldn't have any cynicism about the younger generation.
  19. ohtani's jacket
    Brazo de Plata vs. Asesino Negro, hair vs. hair, Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 6/6/04
     
    BATTLE OF THE SUPERHEAVYWEIGHTS! This is why lucha is so much fun. Just an awesome brawl between two fat guys. The crowd loved this and there were kids jumping up on the apron, despite a hideous double bladejob. I loved the front on collision when they charged at each other and all of their brawling. I also loved how Asesino Negro wouldn't accept the loss. That's right, Asesino. It ain't ever over. Colossal stuff.
  20. ohtani's jacket
    Cassandro vs. Rubi Gardenia, Chikara Welterweight title, Lucha Libre London, 12/7/08
     
    From a star of the golden age to one of the biggest stars of 2008. Or at least I thought so. Judging by the Tapatia Awards, I'm completely out of touch with the lucha fanbase. Mind you, Cassandro was 8th in the Best Wrestler category and 5th in Best Technico, and I forgot to vote for him in both.
     
    This was a fun 10 minute match with a little bit of everything. They floated through some dives and matwork and there was a bunch of hair pulling and bitchy slaps. It was a perfectly good houseshow match, with Casandro working the crowd like you'd expect. There was a cry of "C'mon, Wonder Woman!" which prompted Cassandro to leap over the barricade to find thes guy. The lucky bugger got a peck on the cheek. Gardenia was a good base and bumped well, and I think the comments about him being somewhat worthless are somewhat unfair.
     
    Cassandro just happens to be the perfect mix of charisma and working ability, and the fact he's playing technico means he can show what an awesome worker he is without having to stooge. Thus, his star shines brighter. But Gardenia was everywhere he needed to be in this, he rolled with his bumps, sprang to his feet and got into position again. And that made for a tidy little showcase.
     
    Nice one fall match.
  21. ohtani's jacket
    Ray Mendoza vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, El Toreo, 8/13/78
     
    Very cool.
     
    Cubsfan pulled out a quote recently from El Santo's final interview, where he said: "back in my day, we wrestled on the mat - using holds that could kill a man - and now all they do is flying and clown stuff." It's the same lament you hear from every generation, but after watching Mendoza, I'm inclined to believe it. This was the twilight of his career, one of his last competitive fights before retiring in 1983. Even with a dodgy knee, his takedowns and matwork were phenomenal. Whatever skepticism there is over the halcyon days, there's no denying that this guy could wrestle.
     
    Based on this match alone, I'd say he was the best mat worker I've seen. I love Satanico and his matches against Gran Cochisse and Ringo Mendoza, and I dug Mocho Coto v. Americo Rocca, but those guys were pinballs by comparison. Mendoza was fierce and had the look of a wrestler. If it had stayed on the mat, I have no doubt he could've killed Fujinami. Fujinami was a flashy junior, who fully embraced that 70s trope of leaving the mat to win a fall. He was a fantastic athlete (back when Japanese wrestling could attract fantastic athletes), but all limbs. Watching Mendoza school him with takedowns and leg locks was nothing short of amazing.
     
    When he overpowered him to win the fall, I found a new lucha hero.
     
     
  22. ohtani's jacket
    Black Tiger, Centella de Oro, Tigre Rojo vs. Karisma, Mr. Rafaga, Siki Ozama Jr., 1/5/09
     
    What I like about the Puebla locals is how they come in all shapes and sizes. Add to that the weird assortment of gimmicks and you have the sort of charm that's been missing from CMLL since they decided to push guys with abs. I also like how they stick to the game plan, regardless of how good they are. The first caida is matwork, the second is either a rudo beatdown or a technico comeback and the third is the crowd pleaser. It's a faster paced style than classic lucha, but everyone works the mat, the finishes are intricate and they aren't chained to the dives. Centella de Oro is just about the best technico worker you'll see on a CMLL card. Not all of the locals are good and they sometimes get bogged down, but Centella de Oro always comes up trumps and worked the smoothest of exchanges with Siki Ozama Jr.
     
    Akira & King Jaguar vs. Mr. Rafaga & Toro Bill Jr., 1/19/09
     
    TORO BILL JR. is awesome. Remember that name, you'll be hearing a lot more about him in the future. Not only is he ridiculously good at just about every aspect of lucha libre, it's all wrapped in a Dick Togo package. And damnit if he isn't a rudo. He actually had the gumption to tear King Jaguar's mask completely, and they were about an inch away from what would've been a bladejob in days gone by. He bit Jaguar's forehead and even gnawed on Akira's fingers when he had him in a wristlock, and his headbutts to the stomach were reminiscent of how rudos used to work. His partner in this was an older rudo by the name of Mr. Rafaga, who was only semi-good, but together they put a lot of guys to shame. They did the dirty work and let the technicos get the better of them, whether it was on the mat or off the ropes. Toro Bill Jr. took a nasty bump over the turnbuckle, ate a spectacular plancha from King Jaguar, had his mask torn off, ate all of Jaguar's best shit and jobbed hard. All in a day's work.
     
    Asturiano, Centella de Oro, Lestat vs. Policeman, Toro Bill Jr., Toro Bill Sr., 2/2/09
     
    This was a wild match that threatened to go off the rails, but managed to stay on track because of how good the rudos were. Toro Bill Sr. was having a whale of a time. He's a fat, older rudo, who knows he's a fat, older rudo and has fun with it. I loved how he bit on the tope fake by falling ass backwards into the crowd. There was a great shot of the big man sitting on a couple of guy's laps, wiping his forehead after such a close shave. And he was pretty spry for an older guy. He bumped well, ran the ropes at a reasonable clip and used his girth like a battering ram. Policeman is a journeyman type, who I wasn't sold on until he started having the most awesome punch exchange with Centella de Oro that demanded a singles match somewhere. And Toro Bill Jr. was incredible again, especially his tope. Heads clashed, just like they're supposed to. I wasn't too high on the other technicos, but sometimes three rudos and a good technico is all you need and watching Centella de Oro fight back was fun. The finish was something only a couple of luchadores are capable of.
  23. ohtani's jacket

    Some IWRG

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Hijo de Cien Caras, Mascara Año 2000 Jr. y Negro Navarro vs. El Pantera, Mano Negra y Halcon Ortiz, 8/21/08
     
    No matwork in this one, just a soft brawl. Still it was pretty harmless. Mano Negra and Pantera did some neat spots off the ropes and Halcon Ortiz looked better than Mil Máscaras.
     
    Los Oficiales vs. Fantasma de la Opera, Dr. Cerebro y Cerebro Negro, Distrito Federal Trios Championship, 8/24/08
     
    I really dug this. They may have been a little safe with the structure, but it was at least recognisable as lucha libre. Nothing outwardly spectacular, just guys chiming in at the right time. There were some decent mat exchanges between 911 and Dr. Cerebro & Fierro and Cerebro Negro, and Fantasma de la Opera did a good job as the guy who swings the momentum. It was a little telegraphed, but a cautious approach to structure is better than no structure at all.
     
    The Oficiales lack the journeyman instincts that a lot of older rudos have, and I get the feeling that they don't have much in the way of shtick, but what I'd like to see from them (if IWRG ever gets TV again) is more bite. Fantasma de la Opera & Co. were chippy here, and I think in a better trios match they would've made more out of that, but the Oficiales tend to rotate the strike. 911 was the captain, but there was never a sense that he was the key guy or that 911 vs. Fantasma de la Opera was the key match-up, because they don't pair off enough. They're great at backing each other up. They'll hit the ring and build off the previous exchange, and either retaliate or take the bump, but what's lacking is the chieftain factor. I hate to bring Satanico up, but he was a master at singling out the mano a mano contest within a trios match, and I think the Oficiales need to take turns being the chief. You don't need to be feuding over a singles title to work an inbuilt rivalry into a trios match, you just need to take charge and single each other out. The way Black Terry singled out 911 in their September title match.
     
    Despite all that it was still a good match. You could pretty much call it, and it was a little cushioned, but damn it feels good to watch something that makes sense.
  24. ohtani's jacket

    Puebla locals

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Asturiano/Black Tiger/Centella De Oro vs Espiritu Maligno/Fuerza Chicana/Siki Ozama Jr., Arena Puebla, 1/26/09
     
    This was my first look at the Puebla locals and I was impressed.
     
    It wasn't a perfect match, but cubsfan nailed it when he said: "being there to hit your move just as the guy turns around to take [it] is such a great skill but one seemingly missing from a lot of CMLL guys." These guys showed that with the right timing you can hit upon a far better rhythm than "baseless" lucha. Add to that some colourful characters and a Black Terry-ish veteran in Centella De Oro and you have the best undercard action since 1997. The match was mostly spots and guys acting as bases for each other, but even in the slower patches I thought the work was good. In most trios matches, the falls overlap each other. If the rudos win a fall, they'll pick up where they left off, forcing the technicos to mount a comeback. It's a transition period of sorts, and can be difficult to execute, but in recent times the tendency has been to view it as dead air. Workers have started skipping over it or culling it altogether, but without that down time, the comeback is forgettable. These guys weren't exactly seamless with their transitions, but they carried momentum through three falls and filled in the early parts of each falll, and for that they ought to be saluted. Fun match.
  25. ohtani's jacket

    Casas Brothers

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Negro Casas/Felino/Heavy Metal v. Sagrado/Mascara/ El Volador, Arena Puebla, 2/8/09
     
    So, Negro Casas fits the mainevent scene like a glove, Heavy Metal has his working boots on and it's great that Felino's getting some sort of push again; potentially the Casas Brothers are a really good trios. But what a sorry bunch of technicos. They all look the same, they wrestle the same and I don't know how I'm supposed to tell them apart. If it were up to me, I'd shoot the lot. Obviously that's not going to happen, so the onus is on the rudos to have better matches with them, and if you think the rudos did that here, you're glossing over how utterly crap this was.
     
    There was some semblance of trios structure, but no focus. If you don't pair off at the beginning, then you just end up going through the motions. The Arena Puebla crowd were in good voice and banged away on their drums merrily. The problem these days is no one gives a fuck. Casas was even joking around with a photographer. I wouldn't say they mailed it in, but I don't wanna see fat cat comedian Felino. I wanna see the Felino that tears it up with Virus. And when a technico gets a pop for taking his shirt off, I'm sorry that's just pathetic.
     
    Not a good start for the Casas Brothers.
     
    They shoot technicos, don't they?
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