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ohtani's jacket

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  1. ohtani's jacket
    Blue Panther vs. Negro Casas, CMLL 4/24/11
     
    Neither of these guys rank among my favourite lucha libre vets but this was an excellent mano a mano bout. I think it's fair to say that mano a mano bouts don't have the grandest of traditions in lucha libre. Historically, they remind me of studio matches from the territories system where the purpose was to further an angle or tease an arena match. For the most part, they were an excuse for both guys to spill a little blood before a wager match while holding back their big moves and doing the sort of fluff you see in the first two falls of any hair or mask match. Things don't really work like that anymore, but to be honest the classic mano a mano probably works best in a dark, dingy arena with a promoter who's teasing a wager match that will never, ever happen in his territory.
     
    What made this Casas/Panther match so good was that it was more or less worked like a straight-up singles match between the two. They also kept it really tight. I still don't like maskless Panther and I hate the way he waddles around the ring, but his work was snug in this match and I felt like he was keeping everything close quarters like in an old school mano a mano bout. I've mentioned many times in this blog that I think Panther's brawling is suspect, while acknowledging the times when it's been very, very good, but he managed to pull off what I'd describe as "technically minded brawling" in this particular bout; something that Negro Navarro and the Villanos are very good at. He's nowhere near as vicious at it as those examples, but then he's not a prime candidate for a hair match either. Nevertheless, he was looking to exploit Casas' injuries through submission and the finish was a ridiculously good shoot move.
     
    As for Casas' performance, I'm a big Casas fan without being a huge Casas fan. I agree with people who claim that Casas is one of the greatest workers of all-time, but for my mind it's a very old-school Casas that's one of the greatest workers ever. Casas was a guy who could generate massive amounts of heat through his magnetism and flamboyance, his sheer ability to get under people's skins, and many other things that didn't involve ring work. As times changed and wrestling became more and more offense driven, Casas had to move with the times, but offense was never Casas' biggest strength. Others may praise him for adapting to a changing wrestling environment and staying at the top or thereabouts for so many years, but for me the appeal of Casas begins to wear thin from about 1998 onwards. This match had pared down offense and a very dogged focus, but there was a long submission struggle that didn't really work for me where I thought it was clear that Casas came off second best in terms of pure technique. Mind you, even in the work from his prime I think he's been overrated as a mat wrestler.
     
    Sluggish matwork was really the only fault in what was otherwise an enjoyable mano a mano bout, however. Considering how forgettable most mano a mano bouts are even when they have blood and mask ripping and pillar to post brawling, this was a really decent match.
  2. ohtani's jacket
    Villano III vs. Rambo, mask vs. mask, 10/25/87
     
    This was awesome. I don't know how much of it exists on tape since it was a Cronicas y leyendas de la lucha libre hatchet job that I watched, but I presume it's the whole thing since it's a handheld shot from ringside. Whatever the case, it was every bit as bloody and violent as the pictures suggest:
     

     
    And everything you'd expect from a Rambo vs. Villano mask match. In fact, having watched their later hair matches it's pretty much the capper. In lieu of a review let me just say that you know you're watching a hair match when Villano looks like that in the opening fall.
  3. ohtani's jacket
    El Canek vs. Don Corleone, UWA World Heavyweight Championship, 2/14/82
     
    This was okay, but I was expecting something different. I guess I was anticipating some sort of non-existent Ray Mendoza mat game from Canek, but it was pretty much your run-of-the-mill Canek match from this era. Canek was a guy who could do a lot of things athletically, but he was a bit of a boring prick really. The highlight here was Don Corelone, who had a great build for pro-wrestling and moved really beautifully. He was spry throughout this bout and did a number of cool spots, but they never went anywhere because of how lazy Canek's pacing was. Heavyweight bouts are obviously going to be wrestled slower than other lucha libre bouts to distinguish the weight classes from each other, but Canek loved the resthold/action/resthold/action pattern of heavyweight wrestling and seledom did anything to lengthen or shorten the periods of action and inaction. There was no flow to this and no discernable theme, but it all built to a tope like a lucha libre title match is supposed to, so I suppose it was job done as far as Canek was concerned. It didn't help that the crowd wasn't mic'ed, either. Without crowd noise, matches always look muted. The handheld footage of this show is much better than the Japanese TV coverage, IMO.
  4. ohtani's jacket
    Atlantis vs. La Fiera, NWA World Middleweight Championship, 4/3/92
     
    It's weird watching a match where one of the participants gets stabbed to death years later but that's wrestling I guess. I'm not going to eulogise La Fiera too much, but he was part of that generation of luchadores who debut in the late 70s and ushered in a more contemporary style of lucha libre. By the time the 90s rolled around, his body was already showing the effects of that new working style, but he managed to make the transition into "seasoned vet" and remained a useful player. He also stuck with CMLL when everyone jumped to AAA, which protected his spot somewhat, partly out of loyalty and partly out of necessity. This match was somewhere between the Fiera of old and the seasoned vet, and probably a good example of how you manage a pro-wrestling career (Atlantis) and how you don't (Fiera); but let's just concentrate on the match.
     
    Atlantis was in his absolute prime here. Much like "real" athletes, wrestlers only have two or three years where they're at their true peak. They may be good workers either side of that peak, but if you look back in retrospect there's a clear crest. The first fall here was among Atlantis' career best. One of the things that people complain about when it comes to lucha is the length of the opening falls, which are almost always too short for people used to other styles of wrestling. By and large the third fall is the one that counts, but as I've documented many times in this blog, the workers have choices about what they can do in the first, second and third falls. Here, they worked in essence a "mini match" in the primera caida. From the lock-up to the break, and the matwork and submissions to the standing exchanges, there was a clear arc between the opening bell and Atlantis winning fall.
     
    I'm not sure what the heat between Atlantis and Fiera was, but the part where Atlantis ignored Fiera's handshake and used it as a takedown instead was boss. There was an edge to their lock-up work and it continued in a competitive vein on the mat with great side headlocks from Atlantis and niggly counters from Fiera. The side headlock for all its simplicity is an amazingly visceral move when done correctly and this would be exhibit A in how to make it look good. The finish saw them return to their feet, which is something that drives me up the wall about the NWA style matwork that influenced this match, but this was about as natural a transition from matwork to standing exchanges as you'll ever see. Fiera scored a rope break off a nice counter-reversal from Atlantis and the match was reset. Atlantis positioned himself for the lock-up, but was caught by surprise by a kick to the gut and whipped into the corner. This set-up the chain of events which led to the finish, and while it may seem rather elementary when I type it up, rarely do you see workers link the matwork and the stand-up exchanges together like that. Nine times out of ten, they simply release the hold, back-off and reset the match with a whip into the ropes. Here, it seemed like Fiera seized an opportunity to change tack, which had the added effect of making it seem like Fiera was thinking about the win and not simply going through the motions of a typical primera caida. Unfortunately for him, Atlantis was stellar on his feet and reeled off a sequence of offence that was good enough to be the finish to the entire match. This ended up being a problem later in the match, but more on that in a bit. The first fall was a cracker as far as first falls go in lucha.
     
    The second fall was designed for Fiera to hit back straight away, but was entertaining all the same. Atlantis continued to have the upper exchange in the standing exchanges, which was a nice bit of overlapping from the first fall, and Fiera wasn't getting much purchase with his signature kicks (which were noticeably lower than in his prime; something us aging guys can sympathise with.) Fiera's opening here wasn't quite as strong as in the first fall as he did the over top rope bump that Pirata Morgan and Emilio Charles Jr. were fond of but didn't sell it to any great extent. Back in the ring, he finally clipped Atlantis with one of his kicks and that was the set-up for a massive swan dive plancha that they replayed over and over again. This was an unnaturally big finish for a second fall, which left me wondering how they were going to top things in the final caida, but there certainly wasn't any short changing of the fans in falls one and two.
     
    Unfortunately, they weren't able to top their efforts in the final caida. Ironically, it may have been a case that the first two falls had too much action. Traditionally, the reason why the first two falls are short in lucha is because the third fall is supposed to be a big 50/50 fall where the winner takes all and both guys come desperately close to winning on numerous occasions. This can stretch believability at times because the pinfalls and submissions often come simply in the opening caidas and take a superhuman effort in the finale, but the basic idea is that the jeopardy increases and the tension and drama escalates. If you pack too much into the first two falls, it's like a movie that runs out of story or a record release that has great singles put not enough songs to make an album. Fiera slowed the match to a crawl by working over Atlantis' arm, which was an understandable strategy, but completely out of place in a tercera caida where the action should flow back and forth. Atlantis sold it well, but it really needed to start in the segunda caida (as Fiera's avenue back into the match) to have any dramatic effect. The idea was that Atlantis would get heat for fighting off Fiera, but they needed to establish it as more of a turning point, i.e. Atlantis is in control of the match until Fiera injures him.
     
    It was an odd fall, really, as they both wanted to put the match over but didn't give themselves a hell of a lot to do. The finishing stretch and everything leading into it was pretty lacklustre. I don't know if they ran out of steam or if they were just out of synch at the end, but it didn't do the match any favours. My take on it is that they got the order of the spots wrong, which hurt the progression of the match. They should've split the armwork over two falls and saved the big plancha for later in the match where it would have more impact. It's strange that two guys as experienced as this would falter like they do, but there's no denying the match falls flat. It's still worth watching even if it isn't perfect; you just have to downgrade what was a pretty promising match.
  5. ohtani's jacket
    Haven't checked in on my favourite mat worker for a while. This may come as a shock, but he's still wrestling Solar.
     
    Negro Navarro vs. Solar, Ultimo Dragon Produce, 7/19/10
    Negro Navarro vs. Solar, AAA Arena Neza, 1/8/11
     
    It was interesting watching these back-to-back. The Korakuen Hall bout was their typical touring match which we've seen them do in Japan before, while the match from Nezahualcoyotl was a lucha libre title match for the belt Navarro holds. On the surface, it seems like the Arena Neza match is the more serious of the two because it's a title match being wrestled in Mexico, but a closer look at both matches reveals that this is not really the case. In fact, the only real difference between the two is that one is pro shot and the other is a handheld. The crowd has more of a hum about it in Mexico, whereas the Japanese fans are happy to sit back and watch the match and laugh at "chotto matte" jokes, but that doesn't appear to have any impact on how they work the matches. For all intents and purposes, they're the same match.
     
    At first glance, the Neza match appears to be all business, but I think that has a lot to do with the uploader editing out the parts where Navarro and Solar play to the crowd. You could maybe argue that there are less holds and that they're held for longer, but the matches basically build to the same finish in exactly the same way. Whether this means they've tweaked their touring match, I'm not sure, but these guys are pretty much tireless when it comes to adding new variations to the holds they work. There was one awesome stretch in the Tokyo match where they started out doing a Dos Caras-like submission, hooked each other on the mat with leglocks around the head, and turned this contortionist act into a Fujiwara-like chinlock submission. Quite the gauntlet.
     
    Neither match was what you'd call a traditional lucha libre singles match (with a three fall structure and proper arc), but they did have a throughline (what you'd call the theme of the work, if you were to think about a match in literary terms.) Solar and Navarro are often accused of being "exhibitiony," but I think it's the finishes that hurt them more their tendencies to give up or release a hold. I'm not sure why they keep short-changing us on the finish. There's no reason that I can think of why there can't be a winner. When you finish a match the way they do here (it was a double pin in both matches), you pretty much consign things to the "that was a nice bit of wrestling" basket. It really takes the wind out of a match's sails, because there's no way that you can really say you saw a match, with all the connotations that implies. On the other hand, it's a bit like those maestro tags, where you just have to accept that they're never going to be worked with a satisfying match structure.
     
    Unnecessary finishes aside, I enjoyed both these matches. The Nezahualcoyotl match wasn't quite as special as I thought it was before I had the bright idea to compare it to the Korakuen bout (which was very good for a lucha in Japan match, I must add), so that takes it down a few points in terms of the best of 2011, but it really is amazing that these guys are still wrestling at such a high level ten years after they started this junket.
     
    Negro Navarro/Black Terry vs El Apache/Angel Mortal, IWRG, 1/9/11
    Negro Navarro/Black Terry vs El Apache/Angel Mortal, IWRG, 1/16/11
     
    Speaking of maestro tags, these are the matches that are getting everyone excited in the small lucha indy community on the net.
     
    A few years back, maestro tags were the high point of the lucha year because of how difficult it was to get indy footage (think Terry/Navarro vs. Mano Negra/Solar), but with more footage available it's been easier to become critical. Most of the maestro stuff in recent times has struck me as a waste of talent because of the way everyone not named Solar or Negro Navarro is reduced to a passenger, as well as the refusal to swap partners and work a proper match with shifts in momentum, overlapping falls, and all the rest. But these were interpromotional maestro tags; a fact which managed to breathe new life into an old dog.
     
    The difference between the first tag and other matches that BTjr has shot is plain to see. One of my biggest complaints about maestro tags (at least the Solar/Navarro ones) is that there's nothing to tie the falls together; no through line to give the matches any sort of focus. The reason for this is that they forgo the traditional lucha structure of overlapping the falls, whereby the momentum from one fall carries over into the next, leading to a turning point in the present fall where momentum shifts back the other way. Since lucha is ultimately a back and forth, 50/50 style of working, this toing and froing helps build overall momentum in the match, leaving it unclear who's going to win heading into the third. In theory, anyway. The through line here was pretty simple -- the worker's competitive instincts boiling over (or however you want to describe it) -- but they executed it fairly well. I wouldn't say it was worthy of excessive praise, but I was pleased that they shifted from Terry/Apache and Navarro/Mortal to Apache/Navarro and Terry/Mortal and back again. There's nothing worse than watching these matches and seeing guys seagull on the apron. The only gripe I had with the way they worked the match was the finish. I'm not the first person to mention this, but it really was stupid.
     
    Forgetting for a moment the miscommunication spot between the AAA guys (since there was a revancha instead of them not teaming again), the reason for the aggression in the match was because Navarro was behaving like a bastard gym teacher. Watch how he behaves when he squares off with Apache to start the second caida. Maybe it's just me, but as soon as Apache retaliates to let Navarro know that they can grapple too (essentially), the AAA guys automatically become the technicos to me and not some outside rudos. Terry's comeback was (or rather would have been) a decent finish, but I actually think the AAA guys should've won, which would've added more fuel to the fire and been earnt in my eyes.
     
    Still, it didn't really matter because the revancha was awesome.
     
    The first fall was a neat "let's forget the last match happened and start again" fall and finishes with a reminder that the last match did happen when Apache and Mortal lose again. The second fall is the lucha equivalent of hitting below the belt in a title fight; well, luchadores do hit below the belt in some title fights, but what I really mean is that there are unwritten laws in lucha about how you work a hold and the parts of the body you target and the AAA guys were purposefully shitty in the second fall. As for the third fall, it was as good as any Terry brawl since I started taking notice of his stuff three or four years ago. Terry's a good mat worker, an excellent mat worker even, but as a brawler he may very well the best of all-time. The only guy who'd give him a run for his money (and I'm talking about in lucha here) would be Sangre Chicana. Other guys have been better at doing the brawling, but it's Terry's selling that sets him apart. Most people who read this blog are going to go ahead and watch this match on youtube anyway (or already have), so I won't go into great detail describing what Terry does, but the whole thing reminded me of the intro to the Lee Van Cleef spaghetti western The Big Gundown. Just an epic piece of violence.
  6. ohtani's jacket
    Pierrothito vs. Demus 3:16, CMLL 8/24/10
     
    I can't be the only one who didn't know that Pequeño Damián 666 changed his name to Demus 3:16, can I?
     
    This was the final of a "Bicentenial tournament" to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence and the 18th anniversary of CMLL's Mini-Estrella division, with the winner earning a shot in the regular CMLL weight classes much like Virus did many years ago. The finalists were determined with torneo cibernetico elimination matches, and in a neat piece of booking the final was rudo vs. rudo. Pequeño Damián has been one of the best workers in Mexico for a number of years now, and Pierrothito is a respected veteran of the Mini-Estrella division and a great worker in his own right, so this was one of those rare match-ups where you have two really good workers facing each other.
     
    The first two falls here were a perfect example of how you can be compact but still natural through beautiful execution. The first caida was full of jockeying both on the mat and with pin attempts, and there were some neat shows of strength as both guys engaged in the lucha equivalent of puffing your chest out. Demus is a beast in terms of both his look and physique (probably the complete package in Mexico right now) and had Pierrothito's barrel chest to line up in this match, so he brought the stiffness early on. Both these guys are built like a brick shithouse with Pierrothito looking like a smaller version of Rick Steiner and Demus being a hefty guy with a big upper body, and given that they weigh more than many of their compadres they also have the force of that extra weight behind their moves. Demus did a plancha in the second caida, for example, that had some extra venom to it because of his larger build. Stiffness wasn't the only standout feature, however. The finishing stretch to the second caida was a really standard stringing together of moves, but the pacing was just right, and the moves were weighted in such a way that it was an important two or three moves which had been strung together. That may seem a lot of fuss over small details but getting those first two falls to mean something takes some skill in lucha libre. There are thousands of matches worked in Mexico each year; many of which are really quite innocuous or tepid at best (I'm trying to be more polite this year.) This match was for promotion into the higher ranks, and I, for one, appreciated the extra effort.
     
    The third fall was the kicker, of course. Phil Schneider described the way the heavy hitting broke down into an actual slugfest as being like Frye vs. Takayama, which is an apt and clever description, but really the structure of the entire fall was brilliant. The only part that didn't work was the mask ripping and bladejob, which felt out of place but was clearly done to create a visual. It didn't really hamstring the match, however, as they were back to brawling within a few seconds, and to be honest it was better than IWRG. Early on in the third, they were like two bulls charging at each other, and then later, Pierrothito's headbutt and Demus' punch combos were just sick. This was a hell of a fight and probably my match of the year for 2010 lucha libre. Both of these guys have worked incredibly hard over the years and I was thrilled that they were able to have a match this good. And thanks to CMLL for letting it happen!
     
    Pierrothito/Demus 3:16/Pequeño Warrior vs. Astral/Mascarita Dorada/Ultimo Dragoncito, CMLL 8/13/10
     
    This was a beautiful match. On a certain level it was what you'd expect from the CMLL Mini-Estrella division, but either I haven't watched the minis in a while or they hit upon the perfect rhythm, because I thought this was sensational. It wasn't a particularly long match, but well balanced over the three falls. Particularly impressive was the beatdown section on Mascarita Dorada. One of the things that turned me off CMLL was that the rudos would basically do the same beatdown in the same order in every match on the card, but the beatdown here struck me as far more imaginative -- making good use of not only Dorada's size, but also enjoying their work. If you were a rudo, then Mascarita Dorada would be the perfect target: this small, weedy guy, who looks like the runt of the litter but at the same time is extremely virtuous. The enjoyment in beating the shit out of Mascarita Dorada would be quite the adrenaline rush, I imagine. Dorada, for his part, did a good job underfoot. It's hard for him to sell anything in his suit (aside from shaking his head about and flapping his arms), so bumping becomes more important and I liked the way he was chewed up and spat out in this match. He really is awesome. His big offensive run in the third caida was exciting as shit and everyone followed suit with cool spots. Even spots that are hopelessly set-up looked awesome in this match, and the finish was Demus at his decapitating best. The minis rule.
     
    Two excellent matches from CMLL.
  7. ohtani's jacket
    Comando Negro vs. Pollo, mask vs. mask, IWRG 12/26/10
     
    This is the fantastic mask vs. mask match from Boxing Day between Comando Negro and a guy in a chicken suit. Just an outstanding rudo performance from Comando Negro -- everything you'd want from a rudo beating up a guy in a chicken suit. I really can't overstate how perfectly this worked. First you had Comando Negro completely and utterly outclassing his opponent, stepping out of the way on the best missed dive I've seen in ages. Then you had a really classic technico comeback with the chicken all battered and bloody and woozy, and a third fall where the chicken would not be vanquished. I mentioned in my previous entry that it's difficult to have great matches at Arena Naucalpan but this was positively epic. The crowd were in full voice and right behind Pollo, which gave them a nice rhythm to work from, but the timing on the selling was equally great. Pollo surprised me by throwing both himself and unfolded chairs with equal abandon; I never expected the chicken to put up such a fight. The timing on everything was positively old-school and if there was any sloppiness it didn't matter because it was a guy in a chicken suit who'd lost a bucket of blood. Comando Negro was far from sloppy, however. I don't know if this was his coming out party but it sure as hell impressed me. His finisher was sick.
     
    Thoroughly entertaining.
  8. ohtani's jacket
    Chico Che vs. Comando Negro, hair vs. mask, IWRG 12/9/10
     
    Chico Che had a fantastic year in 2010. Last year it was Trauma II getting all the plaudits as most improved; this year it has to be Che. He started off as something of a fatboy novelty I suppose, but this match confirms what a good worker he's become. Usually, I'd fire off a bit of hyperbole about how much better he is than everyone else for the hell of it, but the message I want to get across is that he's a guy who everyone should be following. If you have even an inkling of interest in lucha then Che is a guy who can spark that interest further. He reminds me of a latter day version of prime Brazo de Plata, which is another way of saying that he reminds me of the characters who first drew me to lucha. Plata was part of a carefully orchestrated and successful act and as such used a lot more schtick than Che, but you can see a lot of Plata in Che particularly in the way he moves.
     
    We've seen a lot of good offence from Che this year and some fine brawling and selling in his trios matches with the Cerebros, but I was surprised to see it all come together here. This wasn't a great apuestas match, but in terms of what passes for a good apuestas in IWRG it was really good. You could tell that both guys were drawing upon every hair and mask match they'd ever seen, and there were a number of cool touches that in the hundreds of matches I've reviewed for this blog I've come to view as real staples of lucha apuestas matches. There were a few moments which were less than desirable, but you get that with any match. What I liked here was the attempt to make the match meaning something.
     
    The first two caidas are often the most difficult in an apuestas match because you have to get them out of the way before the big back and forth third caida, and that was pretty much the case here despite some nice looking punches from Chico. The third fall, however, was a real gem. That was where the brawling and the blood and the topes all came together. I haven't seen much lucha in the past few months, but there seemed to be an edge to Chico's work. He threw his full weight into each move and his offence was almighty. Comando Negro looked the part mainly by having a ripped mask and bloodied forehead, but I was also impressed with his impact moves. Arena Naucalpan is a difficult place to have a great match because it's so small. You have to hold back a bit and realise that smaller is bigger when there's bugger all people watching. With this in mind, I thought they did a good job of picking their spots. Their transitions could do with a bit of work and they could spend more time selling instead of pausing a beat or two before continuing but it's not a big arena match and I know these things are difficult to concentrate on. The end result was that there was blood, controversy, a bit of heat and some classy, classy offence from Che.
  9. ohtani's jacket

    AAA season

    By ohtani's jacket,

    El Hijo Del Santo, Octagon, Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Psicosis (AAA 6/30/95)
     
    Perhaps it's just me, but I've always considered Santo/Octagon/Mysterio Jr vs. Blue Panther/Psicosis/Fuerza Guerrera to be the premier trios match-up from this era of AAA. I guess it's because their 3/16/95 match was one of the first tapes that was recommended to me when I was starting out. I can still remember the enjoyment I got from that early taste of lucha libre; and while I've seen many better matches since, I would be remiss in ignoring the role it played in my infatuation with lucha. These days, much of my enjoyment of pro-wrestling comes from discovering new and better matches/workers, which often smacks of revisionism (in so much as one can revise something which has had as little written about it as the wrestling which I presently enjoy); but after watching two more matches from these two teams, I can safely say that their position is unchallenged despite my natural bent towards revisionism. In other words, their matches are still good.
     
    This wasn't a huge, operatic trios, but it was a well worked match, and as I've said many times on this blog I take great heart in watching professionals perform lucha libre well. It was a match where the rudos essentially decided to pick on Rey Misterio Jr; not excessive rudoism, but sometimes the rudos' general demeanour is all it takes to piss off a technico. It was the technicos who started throwing punches in this match with Santo throwing better rights than when he was a rudo. He had some awesome exchanges with Psicosis, who was having one of those nights where his contribution was immeasurable. Their exchanges were wilder, and far better, than anything they ever did against other in singles competition. The real star of the match, however, was Rey Misterio Jr., who had the heat put on him early and rose to the occasion with one of the best performances of his young career. I'm not always impressed by early Rey, but he had wonderful control here and the timing of his moves matched the narrative well. The only downer was the finish, which, while not completely unrelated to what had gone before, was gutless in light of Misterio's strong performance.
     
    Nice body to this match. I recommend checking it out on youtube.
  10. ohtani's jacket

    AAA season

    By ohtani's jacket,

    El Hijo Del Santo, El Mariachi, El Mexicano, Octagon vs. Blue Panther, Espanto Jr., Fuerza Guerrera, Psicosis, AAA 8/19/94
     
    I was expecting this to be mat heavy since it read Blue Panther vs. El Mariachi, but actually I don't think it had much to do with Blue Panther vs. El Mariachi at all. It was loosely structured around Fuerza and Mariachi ripping each other's masks, but the action was more tit for tat than anything else. I can't think of a solitary reason why anyone would watch this beyond the week it aired, but I will say that the work itself was extremely fluid.
     
    From the rudo side, I was impressed with Fuerza and Espanto. This wasn't the type of match where the rudos impose their will on proceedings and stem the flow of technico offence; it was the type of match where one worker takes over from the last and the exchanges continue along the same rhythm. To that end, I thought Fuerza and Espanto made near perfect working decisions. Wrestling is as much about the choices workers make as anything else. I've long admired the ability wrestlers have to make choices on the spur of the moment, but what set Fuerza and Espanto apart is the effort they put into even the most basic of choices. Even their transitions in and out of the ring were convincing, and that sort of care and attention to detail was in direct contrast to Blue Panther who had an off night. His open-handed strikes swiped the air a lot and his kicks weren't much better. As a result, he had a tendency to wander in and out of the match a lot. Psicosis was much tidier, but his participation was limited to guillotines off the top and so forth.
     
    The technicos were all pretty good in this. It wasn't a match with huge momentum shifts or important turning points, so the transitions onto technico offence were all pretty soft, but once they started busting out the ring clearing exchanges, the match had, for the briefest of moments, the sort of cracking pace and electrifying exchanges that wow even the most hardened of fans. This is one of the reasons why I don't like to criticise Octagon. While he'll never win the Palme d'Or for lucha workers, he was perfectly capable of pulling out these Black Man moments when a trios demanded it. Credit often goes to the rudo who bumped, but Octagon had a spectacular way of contorting his body. Santo was also industrious in this match and gave a good performance.
     
    Solid stuff, but like I said, not a lot to immortalise it beyond August of 1994.
  11. ohtani's jacket

    AAA season

    By ohtani's jacket,

    7/29/94 AAA: El Hijo Del Santo/Octagon/Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Blue Panther/Fuerza Guerrera/Jerry Estrada - Arena Coliseo De Monterrey
     
    Not a lot going on in this match. It seemed like they wanted to put their 20 minutes in and get it over with. The structure wasn't bad, since these guys know how to put on a 20 minute trios match, but there wasn't the extra bit of effort that's need to make a trios stand out from the hundreds of others that are wrestled each year. Can't say I blame them considering they probably worked somewhere else the same day or were on a back-to-back or something, but there wasn't a single highlight in 20 minutes of wrestling. Forgettable, really.
  12. ohtani's jacket

    AAA season

    By ohtani's jacket,

    The cover to Love and Rockets 46 reminds me I have a blog to update.
     
    7/15/94 AAA: El Hijo Del Santo/Octagon/Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Blue Panther/Fuerza Guerrera/Psicosis - Gimnasio Juan De La Barera
     
    After saying my piece about Santo last time, allow me to turn around and praise him this week. Santo was phenomenal here and gave arguably his best AAA performance in this little known trios match.
     
    The difference between this and a lot of Santo's other performances is that this actually started out on the mat. One of the things that bugs me most about this era of AAA is the lack of matwork. The other day I was watching a match where Satanico squared off with Solar. Rather foolishly, I expected them to work like maestros, and well, you can imagine how I felt when all they did were shoulder-checks.
     
    I understand why AAA had the style that it did and I realise that my tastes in lucha are far more in line with Juan Herrera than Antonio Peña. I also acknowlege that there was a large fanbase for Peña's ideas and that many of them made money, but that money has been long since spent and it's just so frustrating to see great workers tumbling when they should be working the mat.
     
    That's what made this much such a wonderful exception. Santo and Panther wrestled on the mat for a good two to three minutes; and while it may not have been as deep or as long as some people would like, it was matwork that Blue Panther and Atlantis would be proud of. The thing that struck me most about watching them work is that unlike the lousy, assisted matwork of the Psicosis title match, their knowledge of the ins and outs of each hold extended to the proper counters, which meant that none of their escapes looked aided or assisted. It's not a very original thing to say, but for once the term "mat clinic" can be applied without sounding like a lazy cop out.
     
    I was also impressed with their second go-around, which was much more in keeping with the "Bull and the Matador" routine where one luchador clears the ring of the other but more inspired than usual. To top it all off, Santo produced once of the most exciting finishes to a caida I've ever seen. Octagon had Psicosis in the set-up position for a powerbomb, and all in one motion, Santo managed to turn a leapfrog into a forward somersault and a forward somersault into a huracarrana and the pin. Just a fantastic piece of athleticism from El Hijo del Santo and a kickass way for a technico to prove their superiority.
     
    The rest of the match was fairly decent too. It was pretty much standard fare for AAA with the technicos looking to get out on the break and the rudos being fooled into running with them, but it went down to the wire and had an exciting final play. AAA trios basically amount to either a technico showcase or a bone for the rudos and this was a case of the latter. None of the other parties gave an outstanding performance and Santo was less involved after the first caida, but he absolutely flew on one of this planchas to further prove he was on point.
  13. ohtani's jacket
    Los Intocables vs. Octagon/Apolo Dantes/Mascara Sagrada, 4/3/92
     
    Los Intocables was the trios Pierroth Jr. formed in 1992 with Masakre and Jaque Mate, which represented probably the highwater mark of Pierroth's career. Individually, they weren't as good as the Brazos or Infernales, or even some of the more randomly thrown together trios in Mexico at the time; in fact, you could probably argue that in this case the whole was equal to the sum of the parts, but the trios gave Pierroth a chance to shine as leader of a group and he took the bull by both horns and had a fantastic 1992. This wasn't a particularly outstanding match (in truth none of Los Intocables' matches were), but it was interesting to see what the rudos did with their share of the match. Pierroth was always a guy with a flair for the dramatic. He used to take the kraziest of bumps in even the most banal trios matches until a particularly nasty one almost marked the end of Pierroth Jr. Now that he was starting to get noticed, he shelves the killer bumps, but he still loved attention and nowhere was that more noticeable than in the extended and incredibly detailed sell he did from a slap to the face. For a guy wearing a mask, you'd swear he was Brando. The rudo beatdown was good too. I swear it was more measured than all of the rudo beatdowns in the last three years of CMLL combined. How difficult is it to kick, punch or knee someone then sell like you think you're great for kicking or punching someone? Here's another thing I swear, the next guy who watches old tapes and copies this will be declared a genius new wrestler.
     
    The other interesting thing about this match was watching a young Apolo Dantes. Dantes would go on to become a good worker and modest star, but man was his style all over the place. Somebody should've put him on the straight and narrow. The great failing of lucha is similar to Japan in that the next generation of great wrestlers never emerged. Workers like Dantes should've taken us through to an early 2000s full of great matches but it never happened and the seeds for that are back in the early 90s as good as that period was.
     
    Mano Negra/Gallo Tapado/El Misterioso vs. Espectro Jr./Espectro de Ultratumba/Fuerza Guerrera, 2/24/91
     
    This was part of the fun mini-feud between Fuerza Guerrera and Gallo Tapado, the Rooster. CMLL had a habit during this era of bringing in older guys who were willing to drop their masks to rudos like Fuerza and Pierroth Jr. who could benefit from an apuestas win. It was all very respectfully done and in this case Gallo Tapado was a maestro of Fuerza, so there were no problems. Fuerza is a guy who I always forget about for the sole reason that he doesn't have a lot of singles programs that made tape, so this is a rare-ish opportunity to see him in a lead role and to be honest I think his charisma is on parallel with someone like Negro Casas. Casas was a little different in that he was maskless (along with being one of the greatest actors in the history of professional wrestling, as well as one of the most multi-faceted characters), but for a guy with a mask Fuerza was remarkably expressive. It seems that for awhile their careers were on a similar trajectory, but Fuerza never really got that career defining push possibly because he was too small. Anyway, this wasn't a great match, otherwise I would've devoted an entire entry to it, but it had its fair share of fun moments. Some nice comedy from the Espectros.
     
    El Satanico/Kamala/Pierroth vs. Rayo de Jalisco Jr./Black Magic/Ringo Mendoza, 3/24/91
     
    Kamala vs. Rayo de Jalisco Jr is worthy of a Jack Kirby splash page. This was another fun "Kamala in Mexico" match. It didn't quite live up to the last Kamala match I commented on, but there was a krazy Pierroth bump (as referred to above), a glorious experiment in how to remove a limb from its joint between falls (whatever happened to that sort of work?), and a rough end to the night for El Gran Davis. Lucha should be fun and that's exactly what this was.
     
    Los Misioneros de la Muerte (Negro Navarro/El Signo/El Texano) vs. Jason/Leatherface/Chessman, LLL, 11/16/03
     
    Disappointing. It would be easy to blame the AAA guys and say they can't work but the Misioneros were just as uninspiring.
     
    Villanos III, IV & V vs. Blue Panther, Pimpinela & Enterrador, 5/18/00
     
    Decent "scientific" match. I love that term -- scientific wrestling. The only problem with the match was that it was too slow. The Villanos have always been a trios that struggled with rhythm and IWRG matches are wrestled at a slower pace than most lucha but this was slow even by those standards. In isolation it may not have been a problem, but contrasting it with those early 90s matches it seemed a bit faded.
  14. ohtani's jacket
    El Satanico/Herodes/Kamala vs. El Dandy/Atlantis/Rayo De Jalisco Jr., 11/30/90
     
    You can't judge a book by looking at the cover and you can't judge a trios by looking at the workers.
     
    This was fucking choice. It was on the undercard of the Fabuloso Blondy/Ringo Mendoza fight (a neat memphis style performance from Timbs let down by some inconsistent selling from Mendoza) and was really just a precursor for the action later that night, but it continued the ridiculously awesome cat and mouse game Satanico and Dandy were playing at this time. Kamala, for his part, was actually really good and certainly beat out a lot of other superheavyweights I've seen in Mexico. His selling was fantastic and his reactions really added to a match that wasn't meant to be taken that seriously. This was a ton of fun. All of the Kamala spots were awesome.
     
    Sangre Chicana vs. Heavy Metal, Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, 6/15/97 (clipped)
     
    This was a bloody street fight that couldn't have been more 1997 if it had tried. Half the clip was spent tracking the workers through the crowd with a spotlight. When they finally made it back into the ring, there were some typically good punches from both guys before a shitty AAA finish, but there was enough here to suggest that maybe (just maybe) there exist some quality AAA Sangre Chicana brawls. I dunno who Heavy Metal was trying to style himself after here, but he was straightening his hair to look like someone. Perhaps the dude from Type O Negative?
     
    Blue Panther/Negro Navarro/Enterrador vs. El Dandy/Mr. Niebla/Super Parka. IWRG, 4/5/01
     
    Only worth watching for the El Dandy/Negro Navarro exchanges, but well worth watching for those exchanges. Has it really been ten years since the DVDVR guys were pimping this shit? Almost.
     
    El Hijo del Santo vs. Perro Aguayo, Sr.
     
    I'm not sure when this took place but Aguayo was fairly old. It was *exactly* what you'd expect a Santo vs. Perro Aguayo match to be like. You could've sat down before the match, blocked it out and got it almost exactly right, but in the end it was still fun as hell. I guess that sums El Hijo del Santo up for me: predictable as hell *and* fun as all hell. There were familiar elements from some of the Monterrey brawls Santo has had in the past and Aguayo was a relentless old bastard who wouldn't stop coming at him. The finish was cool and surprisingly decisive.
  15. ohtani's jacket
    Los Infernales vs. Los Brazos, Arena Coliseo, 1991
     
    This wasn't their famous match from Arena Mexico but a smaller match from Arena Coliseo. There appeared to be missing a fall, and the finish was pretty crappy, but the main thing I took away from this was just how good everyone was in 1991. Six of the greatest trios workers ever, each of them capable of playing the lead role. I've thought long and hard in this blog about the differences between old-school and modern lucha, and finally I believe it boils down to this: these guys were able to take exchanges they'd done a thousand times before and make them seem original. Modern guys take exchanges they've done a thousand times before and make it seem like the thousandth time. And while I think there are huge problems with pacing in modern lucha, it's really the performance aspects that are the biggest thing holding it back. The Infernales and the Brazos were over the top characters that had a unique lucha charm, but there was also a flesh and blood element to them that made them compelling. These days nobody can act anymore and I can't understand why the promoters don't see fit to change that since characters are ultimately their lifeblood.
     
    Negro Casas/Satanico/Mano Negra vs. El Dandy/El Brazo/Ultimo Dragon, CMLL 1/17/93
     
    You know you're watching real lucha when the picture has snowy reception. This was another match from Arena Coliseo, which is generally speaking an easier night's work for most wrestlers, but it speaks volumes of these guys that they were able to put on a compelling match without exerting themselves too much. The match was wrapped around the simple idea of El Dandy having to fend off his two biggest rivals at the time, Negro Casas and El Satanico Daniel Lopez. Satanico was starting to show his age here and 1993 would mark the beginning of his decline, but he was still good enough to make Ultimo Dragon look like a passable luchador, which was no mean feat at this stage. Negro Casas, on the other hand, was flirting with the peak of his powers. It's a shame that as Casas was approaching the peak of his powers, CMLL had the core of its talent ripped out and that many of the UWA guys choose to go with the hotter ticket, as Casas spent a number of years without any true competition. I say this as a fan of course, since he cemented a CMLL position for life and will still be wrestling there when I'm long gone, but you can almost leapfrog the years between the Casas/Dandy feud and the Casas/Santo feud and that's a shame really. He was going through his football player phase here, complete with socks and boots, and was letting his ass hang out too. But more on that another time! He lined up a lot of goals during this era and his aim was true. The other cool thing about this match was the scrapping between Mano Negra and El Brazo. I kept thinking how cool it would've been if Brazo had taken Negra's mask instead of Atlantis. It probably wouldn't have drawn as well, but it would've surely been a better match.
     
    Los Villanos I, IV & V vs. Apolo Dantes/El Texano/Mascara Sagrada, 4/22/90
     
    This was a rare appearance by the Villanos on the CMLL undercard during the tail era of the CMLL/UWA working relationship. For some reason or another, it didn't have a very big arc, whether that was because it was an undercard match, a "guest" appearance by outside workers or simply the short comings of the workers, but it was rock solid and as technically good as you'd expect from Los Villanos. Villano I is another guy whose name you can add to the list of guys who've made Mascara Sagrada look good (and he really did make him look surprising competent on the mat) and the mat exchange between Villano IV and Texano was off the charts good. It's easy to forget how much of a beast Texano was on the mat, but the guy was phenomenal and tore shit up with cuatro
     
    Satanico/Emilio Charles, Jr./Fuerza Guerrera vs. Atlantis/Kato Kung Lee/Octagon, 1991
     
    This was beautiful. To be honest, I watched a lot of awful matches for this "random matches" entry, to the point where I was wondering whether I liked lucha anymore; but this right here, this reminded me why I eat this shit up. The match started off in the best possible way that any lucha match can start off and that's by having Satanico get into it with somebody. There are certain wrestlers (not many, but a few) who can get into it with anybody, and Satanico is one of those wrestlers for the simple reason that he fucks everyone off. I've told this story before, but it's like my father used to say about Precious Pupp: "he had a face that just made you wanna kick him up the backside." Invariably, the best guys for Satanico to get into it with are veterans (think Ringo Mendoza and Gran Cochisse), and Kato Kung Lee did not disappoint. They were building towards an Arena Mexico hair match with this trios, and if there's ever a Satanico comp made anything that's available from this feud ought to be included because this shit was tight. One of the things that Satanico truly excels at (and this is no faint praise since he excels at everything) is the "second go around." The second go around is my term for when wrestlers pair up for a second time in the same fall. I've seen Satanico do this a hundred times but it never ceases to entertain me when Satanico gets a head of steam up and gets his ass handed to him. Sometimes he recovers to win the fall, sometimes he doesn't, but it's a great example of how a well-honed act is what sustains a wrestling career. Other highlights in this match include quality exchanges between Fuerza and Octagon and Emilio Charles, Jr. and Atlantis, including an awazing series of punches from Emilio worthy of some local district belt. Watching the Octagon/Fuerza stuff, I still maintain that Octagon gets a bum rap. Yeah, Fuerza bumped for him better than anyone but that was some tricked out, intricate shit that Octagon was pulling off. The dude was a perfectly good poor man's Black Man.
  16. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry, Cerebro Negro, Dr. Cerebro vs. Bombero Infernal, Maldito Jr., Samot [captains hair], 6/24/10
     
    Black Terry rides again!
     
    This was uploaded by an occasional source for IWRG on youtube and shot from the balcony, giving it a more classic handheld look. The first fall was rubbish, really, as both Maldito Jr. and Samot are useless at delivering a rudo beatdown. How you can be useless at your bread and butter is beyond me, but the next two falls were impressive. Los Terribles Cerebros have been resurgent of late after going through a late season funk last year. This match swung on their comeback and from the balcony it was noticeable how much the Cerebros' brawling opens up a match.
     
    You don't often see carries in IWRG. The workers tend to wrestle exactly to their level and the good matches are predominantly wrestled by the good workers, but this was a strong carry. The Cerebros struck me as the only old-school trios left in wrestling and looked resplendent in their matching outfits. Cerebro Negro hit a couple of topes that looked fantastic from the balcony and there were some cracking exchanges between Dr. Cerebro and Bombero Infernal. Terry was less prominent than usual, but that's okay since the best trios have always been three-pronged attacks. The "Cerebros" picked up the slack here and the third fall was geninuely good stuff.
  17. ohtani's jacket
    Sometime around the beginning of the year, I asked the question: "which will last longer, Black Terry Jr.'s handhelds or this good patch IWRG are going through?" Fortunately for us, they both lasted longer than expected.
     
    Now that Terry has quit his handhelds, all that remains is to thank him. I think we're all indebted to BTJr. for capturing a unique period of lucha libre history on film. Hopefully, it can be perserved in a more durable form than internet video sharing files, and hopefully this isn't the last we've seen of our Naucalpan favourites. Though it's poetic in a way, isn't it?
     
    Los Terribles Cerebros vs. Los Gringos VIP, Distrito Federal Trios Championship, 5/20/10
     
    The ongoing Cerebros vs. Gringos feud has produced most of the top matches in Mexico this year despite the fact that it doesn't have an ascertainable storyline. After watching lucha for a number of years, I have decided that the key feature of lucha booking is creating gimmicks. Once a gimmick sticks, a worker or group of workers can prosper for a mighty long time by going through the same basic cycles. This is in direct contrast to the fidgety booking styles of US companies, who'd sooner have the Gringos turn on one another than have the gimmick meander on forever. Lucha can be a bit rudderless at times, and this match was a case in point.
     
    Title belts on brawling rudos is a cheap prop, in my opinion. Brawling rudos winning trios titles from their rivals is an acceptable piece of booking but brawling rudos winning a trios title tournament is wonky in my view. I'm probably forgetting a thousand instances where this type of thing happened in the past, and lucha title booking is a bit of a merry-go-round at the best times, but if you can't mount a lucha title defence to any great degree then I don't think you should be wearing the props.
     
    Avisman is the most capable of the three on the mat and should probably be working as the lead-off guy because of his stature within the group, but the problem with that is that it leaves the less talented workers as first and second drop, and there's never really been a memorable trios match where they weren't building better and better exchanges with each pairing. Hijo del Diablo did some fun stuff with Dr. Cerebro on the mat this year but it's questionable how much of that he can reproduce outside of his ring time with the doctor. I think Diablo has a good captain's fall in him, but Gringo Loco is the "gringo" in Los Gringos VIPs and there's not much happening on the mat there. He's improving in his general exchanges with people, but his matwork is a below par version of the stuff Cerebro Negro passes off as matwork. Since the group dynamics prevent them from having their best worker as the ace in their pocket, they're an awkward bunch when it comes to title matches and the upshot of all this was that this match was more like your standard trios match than a proper lucha libre title match.
     
    And by standard, I really mean the kind of record that was massed produced when the gramophone was first invented. Not the world's most original trios match this. My advice is to stick to the brawls.
     
    Los Terribles Cerebros vs. Los Gringos VIP, 6/5/10
     
    This was more like it. The first fall was too compact for my liking but they ratcheted up the match in the second fall to the point where I thought perhaps they were easing their way into the match in the first fall and I had been too harsh. The catalyst for all the excitement was all three members of Los Terribles Cerebros blading and the galvanising effect it had on their comeback effort. Easily the best Terribles Cerebros performance since their performances started to go South towards the end of last year. If this is the last I see of Terry for a while (or indeed ever), we can be rest assured that camera or no camera Terry will keep brawling into the sunset.
  18. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry y Negro Navarro vs. Ultraman y Solar, 5/1/10
     
    Since the Celtics couldn't grab a rebound to save themselves, I thought I'd drown my sorrows in some professional lucha libre where the results are fixed and the outcome doesn't matter that much. And people wonder why Dave Meltzer wishes the world was booked.
     
    (I've got to admit, Celtics/Lakers was probably booked the right way storywise but it still sucks.)
     
    This was your typical sort of maestros match. The focus here was on the exchanges with not much else holding the match together; not the sort of match you watch if you want to see how great wrestling can be as a storytelling medium, but definitely worth watching if you want to see how cool lucha libre exchanges can be. There wasn't a lot of matwork this time round, but this sort of middle ground between matwork and running the ropes has long been one of my favourite parts of lucha libre. Solar and Navarro, in particular, really excel at working the middle ground. I know I've complained about too much of a good thing when it comes to Solar and Navarro but some of the stuff they did in this match was ultra slick.
     
    The first two falls of this match were pretty crips with everything humming along nicely. The third fall wasn't the greatest in terms of ideas or execution but it was still pretty fab. It was a great crowd and you kind of wish they'd turned it up a bit in the third caida but the lucha indy circuit isn't much of a Chitlin' Circuit in terms of raw soul. Stilll, it was an easy watch on a lazy afternoon and helped chase the blues away.
  19. ohtani's jacket
    Black Terry y Cerebro Negro vs. Trauma I y Trauma II, IWRG 4/29/10
     
    I took a bit of a break from lucha over the past couple of months. It wasn't something I intended to do, but I'm back and ready to talk about the Grupo Internacional Revolución.
     
    The IWRG style of wrestling isn't perfect, but one thing's clear and that's that their workers try harder than just about anyone in the business. In wrestling you can either work big or small depending on he venue and the size of the crowd. With an arena the size of Arena Naucalpan, IWRG workers are forced to work small all the time. There's no distinction between studio and arena match like there was in the old US territories or in companies where multiple venues are used. When you work small, you need to work small and sell big. That means working with the type of energy and charisma that draws people's attention and builds that interest into heat. Wrestling like you're working in front of a hundred people, selling like you're performing for ten thousand. This, of course, is easier said than done. Oftentimes, IWRG matches never get off the ground. They become bogged down in half complete ideas and lack any sort of forward momentum, which often occurs when the performances aren't "big" enough.
     
    As wrestling fans we tend to make a big deal out of big performances and often exercise our own creative juices when describing a big match performance and the story that came out of it. That's a fan's prerogative and I have no problem with a bit of artistic license, but it struck me while watching this match that a little bit of antagonism is all it takes to charge a professional wrestling match and give it the spur it needs. When you think that all story is based on conflict and all professional wrestling is based on fighting, that makes sense I believe. But what really made this match work was how the workers turned that conflict into forward momentum.
     
    I was impressed with how each detail in this match was followed up on and expanded upon as the match progressed. Now the idea that a Black Terry match would become chippy and confrontational is a pretty simple idea narrative wise and not particularly startling considering it happens in practically every Black Terry match, but I don't think workers ever get enough credit for stringing together a central theme in "real time." To lay out all those details, build off them and pay them off without the ability to go back and edit and revise anything and to just adlib and juggle it all in your heads makes wrestlers far more talented performers than they're given credit for. As a viewer, it's easy to watch a match and piece things together (and even easier to criticise when there's nothing to piece together) but for workers to work structure on the spot, so to speak, never ceases to amaze me.
     
    Make no mistake about it, this wasa big performance from Black Terry. The other workers were all good but it was Terry's charisma and selling that made this a more compelling match than usual. If you ask me, Black Terry is the Most Interesting Man in the World and certainly the most badass 57 year-old on the planet. I'm starting to wonder if a reasonable case can be made for Black Terry as a top 10 lucha guy all-time at least in regard to what exists on tape. Terry's reached a level like Satanico or Casas where you'd consider his performing to be acting. He may not be a real actor in the stage sense or anything like that, but in terms of wrestling his performance skills are on a far higher level than the average worker. I mean when you think about it, this was a two-on-two tag match, a form of wrestling that most luchadores are uncomfortable with and matches that tend to underwhelm even in IWRG, yet Terry's personality still dominated.
     
    On a side note, this was the first time I'd seen Cerebro Negro wrestle in quite some time. I wasn't sure whether he'd been injured or if he was in the doghouse but it was a solid return. His early exchanges with Trauma II surprised me as I couldn't remember him being so quick with the type of armdrag/judo throws that they were working. I did think the end of their exchange petered out a bit, however. Particuarly in comparison to the upward swing that Terry usually leaves his exchanges on.
     
    Anyway, it's good to see that IWRG is still kicking out the matches. Which begs the question: is this one of the greatest indy runs ever?
  20. ohtani's jacket

    Monterrey

    By ohtani's jacket,

    Got some catching up to do.
     
    3/21 - Gimnasio Nuevo Leon
     
    Los Cadetes del Espacio (Solar I/Super Astro/Ultraman) vs. Black Terry/Negro Navarro/El Signo
     
    Have people watched this match yet? Because I thought it was tremendous.
     
    Space Cadets and Terry & the Misioneros in a match where everybody looks good? Don't tell me Black Terry Jr. handhelds have spoiled folks. This was only a one fall match, but they really went to town here. Definitely, the slickest this group has looked in a while. Usually, I complain about how much Solar vs. Navarro dominates these matches but in this case everybody got a chance to shine and the match was considerably better for it. El Signo has been resurgent of late, which may have something to do with him announcing his retirement. He may be paving the way for a comeback by leaving folks with a good impression, but no matter, Signo is busting ass again and has leapfrogged a great many luchadores in my estimation. Like I said, there will be no complaining about Solar and Navarro this time. Quite the opposite, as I thought they produced some of their best ever work in this match. Maybe I was caught up in the rhythm, but I thought they built to their usual crescendo with amazing aplomb. Instead of slowing the pace, they built on the rhythm that Signo and Astro and Terry and Ultraman had set. Navarro and Solar working fast is a beautiful thing and I was really pleased that they worked this like a Space Cadets match instead of Navarro's usual pace. After liftin' things higher and higher, they reached their usual impasse and then everyone changed partners!! Hallelujah! The second half of the match was the best non-Puebla classic lucha I've seen in ages. We got a glimpse of Solar vs. Terry in this quasi-fall and it was good. Very good. They had a match last year, but it was before Black Terry Jr reinvented the internet. Anyway, it was fantastic and built to topes from the Space Cadets and the greatest fucking showdown at the end between Navarro and Solar. They did the most kick ass submssion finish they've ever done and for a while I felt like testifying. This was a serious groove.
     
    Mascara contra Caballera: Rey Hechicero vs. Caifan Rockero I
     
    This was a real indy style mascara contra caballera match and not traditional in the slightest. Watching this, I wondered if I could live with this as the modern style of lucha libre wrestling. Quickly decided I couldn't, but Rey Hechicero is a fun worker.
  21. ohtani's jacket
    Haven't done one of these for a while. Would you please welcome back, Mr. Raging Noodles!
     
    PERRO AGUAYO Y PERRO AGUAYO JR VS. CIEN CARAS Y MASCARA ANO 2000, hair vs. hair, CMLL 3/18/05
    aka The Blowoff to Perros vs. Dinamitas
     
    RN:
     
    The Perros started off with a lot of fire, Perrito looked fantastic running in with his rapid fire brawling. Perro really looked to be hurting and struggling at times, but he's always so interesting to watch and no one matches the emotion and charisma he brings to pro wrestling. I mean, at this point I really think Perro Aguayo Sr. may be the most charismatic pro wrestler ever. No doubt I've seen bad matches with Perro Aguayo Sr. in them, but I've never been bored or ever thought of turning it off, he has a real star presence and his battered scarred up face is iconic (also I can't imagine wrestlers 50 years from now having the sort of legendary faces that Perro Sr. or Villano III have). When I first watched "When World's Collide", the most memorable image of the show was of teenage girls hugging and kissing the battered Perro Aguayo, who happened to be covered in blood in the most gruesome violent manner possible. Also, I must admit that sentimental value may be involved here since Perro Aguayo Sr. was the first genuine star I ever saw as a kid at a live pro wrestling show in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
     
    As expected, the first two falls are very short and quick, but what really stood out was how great Los Hermanos Dinamitas were at working these two short falls. Both guys were eating Perro and Perrito's offense in a very entertaining fashion, but what was even better was how great their teamwork was. Everything they did together offensively, from hitting simultaneous moves or hitting the same moves one after another just flowed so smoothly. It was pretty simple but it was so pleasing to watch what they were doing. As the final fall opens and we see some more great work from the brothers, it dawns on me that this is one of the great career matches of Mascara Año 2000. He was incredible at everything in this match. He was awesome dishing out hard headbutts and strikes to Perro Aguayo Sr. and just as cool when he was beating the shit out of Perrito by slamming him on the steel rampway. I was really impressed at how he would eat Perrito's dropkick during transitions and how he would throw himself and fly to the outside in such a spectacular way. Mascara Año 2000 was so great in here, he's one of the main reasons why this match is as good as it turned out to be. Perrito is also great at making a big comeback in the third fall, and beating the shit out of a Mascara Año 2000 (especially when he was stuck to a ringside chair). I can see how some people would be turned off by how histrionic and how much of a scene-chewer Perrito could be at times, but I just really dig how much energy he brings to these type of matches.
     
    What I really loved about this whole spectacle, was the layout of the match (especially the way the tercera caida unfolds) and I was thrilled at how well it worked for this match. It was so precise and tight, it made this whole thing feel epic in a way that we don't see often anymore. It was like a formula B-movie that exceeded its expectations due to some fine craftmanship, the talent and charisma of its performers. I don't really want to spoil exactly what happens in the third fall since it's a very exciting conclusion but I'll give some details. They manage to fill this final portion of the match with some pretty clever twists, exciting nearfalls (from great high-end moves executed from Mascara Año 2000 and sold perfectly by Perrito), failed double team moves, well timed eliminations, outside interference, momentum changes, referee distractions (and referee bumps), and miscommunication spots. During the third fall, I was thinking how much better this would have been if Black Terry Jr. was at ringside filming this, just so we could get a good taste at how hot this Arena Mexico crowd was. They really seemed like the hottest crowd ever, but we'll never know thanks to how terrible Mexican TV audio is. But back to the main point, this match really delivered the goods.
     
    OJ:
     
    It's funny how things change. There was a time when I would've balked at watching this match. After all, I grew up in an era where Los Hermanos Dinamita were synonymous with bad wrestling. If the Wrestling Observer had been some bizarro publication that covered mainly lucha, Cien Caras would have won all those Worst Wrestler of the Year categories year after year and I wouldn't have bat an eyelid because it was accepted that headliners were stiffs who could barely move a muscle. The Aguayos, Rayos and Dinamitas were the Hogans of Mexico and that's pretty much how we made sense of lucha libre. Turns out we were wrong and Los Hermanos Dinamita were just about the perfect main eventers.
     
    This match is pretty much your atypical, latter day main event. There's no blood of course and not enough time for any real control segments, so you have to create drama in other ways, booking twists and turns in the match and blocking it out so that the wrestlers know where their marks are and when to be in position. It's basically a WWE style of working, right down to the Spanish equivalent of "Good God almighty" commentating. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with working to a formula -- it helps wrestlers to structure their matches and is something that every worker should learn -- it's when the match seems choreographed that there's a problem. This match (Perros vs. Dinamitas) came awfully close to looking choreographed and was saved by one thing and one thing alone -- selling. That's right! The "S" word. The most important thing in wrestling. The dividing line between good and bad. And the saving grace of the CMLL style.
     
    In the second caida, for example, there's a transition that would've looked completely choreographed if not for some awesome selling from Caras. The transition occurs when the Perros are double teaming Caras and Perro Jr signals for Senior to use the ropes to put some oomph into the attack, but they telegraph it too much and Caras ducks out of the way. It's a fairly standard transition -- a trigger spot for the rudos to take over -- but you can see Caras eyeing his chance as the Perros line him up and when Perro hits his son, you know it's game on. Y'see, this was the last hurrah for the Dinamitas. Caras had come out of retirement to do this angle and it was pretty much the end of the road for Los Capos. What you had here was one final assault. Los Capos was a really fun era of Los Hermanos Dinamita. I liked how Caras dyed his hair jet black and used his real name to great effect, Carmelo being an awesome name for a capo. Noodles is right that Mascara Año 2000 was the guy holding this together (and had pretty much as close to a Black Terry performance as Mascara Año 2000 can get), but Caras was the guy marshalling the attack. The thing about Caras is that he looked like the sort of prick you could meet in everyday life -- a teacher, a co-worker, a coach, an inlaw -- he had this sort of universal "prick face." He always reminded me of the all-American asshole in that Dennis Leary song, except that he was Mexican. There's a part where he cheats in the tercera caida to eliminate Aguayo and I swear his shit eating grin makes him look like the world's biggest asshole. The "rudo segment" of this match was no longer than the ones we see today but the brawling seemed to have far more urgency to it. Strange that a 55 year-old guy beating on a 59 year-old guy should look better than anything since. The fact that both guys were slow and could barely raise their legs was a big part of why the pacing was good, but I'm still trying to figure out why this is good and Flair vs. Hogan sucks. It's a curious thing why veteran wrestling is better everywhere in the world except the US.
     
    The Dinamitas basically succeeded in churning out something entertaining in the modern CMLL style, which few, if any, rudos have done since. Perro Aguayo Jr. brought good energy to this match and later matches as a rudo, but he was a blatantly modern worker. He charged about looking like he knew what he was doing but he was heavily reliant on those turning points in a match where something controversial happens. Take away those crutches and he looks like the myth that El Hijo del Santo created. It seems so simple that for every move you do -- whether you're on the receiving end or attacking -- you should sell. I mean that's as simple as reacting, but for some reason CMLL guys are like drones. I suppose I could come around to them like I did with Los Hermanos Dinamita. That's pressuming that the next generation of luchadores is even worse than the current lot (which seems more than likely.) But Jesus, those air horns. And the lack of selling. And the lack of asshole rudos like Caras. The Dinamitas rode off into the sunset after this match and cast a long shadow on the lucha that was to come. I wonder if we'll ever see their like again? It would be wrong to say that they were fantastic workers as they could be pretty terrible at times, but when they had their working boots on they knew how to entertain.
     
    Anyone who says rudos like Los Hermanos Dinamita can't get over at Arena Mexico anymore is kidding themselves. That type of thinking is an excuse for how poor the rudos are today. If the Dinamitas were younger, they'd do it again, taking the lucha world by storm.
  22. ohtani's jacket

    IWRG 3/14

    By ohtani's jacket,

    IWRG 3/14
     
    Los Traumas vs. Oficial 911 y Fierro
     
    This wasn't as balls out awesome as it could've been, but what a crowd. Dhani Jones draws?
     
    The most noteworthy/amusing thing about this match was when Trauma II was getting worked over in the ropes. The action switched to Trauma I on the outside, and when Terry panned back to II, the mask was there but the body was missing. Having read a bunch of old Doom Patrols recently it was kind of surreal to see a mask just swinging from the ropes.
     
    Black Terry, Dr. Cerebro y Chico Che vs. Gringo Loco, El Hijo del Diablo y Avisman
     
    God, this was awesome. MOTYC for sure. Recently, I've been wondering why the Cerebros have been so tame in this feud, just letting the Gringo Locos pussy whip them in every match, but the Cerebros fought back in this match and there was hell to pay. Hell, hell up in Naucalpan.
     
    Black Terry was sublime in this match. Quite possibly one of the best performances I've seen him give. Last week, he was the angry victim. This week he was mad as hell and not going to take it. The slow burn on this was masterful, and when he finally decided to dish out some hell to Avisman it was fantastic since Avisman has the perfect face for begging off. The crowd were totally into Terry raising hell, digging every bit of stooging and every piece of payback. I wonder what the walk-up gate was like on this show. It was as though everyone who goes to Arena Naucalpan in the course of a month all decided to show up on the same night. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these people hadn't been to an IWRG show for five years. The Black Terry fans were there in full force and they were loving it. Everyone was loving this. And in the middle of it all was Black Terry Jr., chronicling all of the chaos like a war correspondent. Give this man a Pulitzer!
     
    Perhaps the best thing about this match was the Chico Che chant in the third caida. Fuck yeah. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chico Che, he's a fatboy IWRG worker who wears a t-shirt and overalls and works a tribute gimmick to the famous Mexican musician Chico Che. He's fucking awesome and deserves his own spinoff show. The crowd wanted Che and he didn't disappoint. Cerebro was also great in this. His schtick with the refs was some of the best ref schtick I've seen in a while and led to a great finish. IWRG has dramatically improved the finishes this year and there's money in this feud yet. I dunno how they're going to top this with their Super Libre match, but I hope some of these folks come back to see it.
  23. ohtani's jacket

    IWRG 3/8

    By ohtani's jacket,

    I'm having trouble writing without the aid of cigarettes, so bear with me if this seems like a nothing review.
     
    IWRG 3/8
     
    Freelance, Jack, Ultraman Jr. vs. Oficial 911, Trauma I, Trauma II
     
    This was an enjoyable match and made up for how dull the past few shows have been.
     
    What I liked about this match was how organic it felt. IWRG is a company that doesn't have a lot of great matches. Most of the stuff they run is in the mid-range, and a lot of the time you get the feeling that "oh, they're going one long, two short on the falls" or "this Oficiales schtick is too much of a precursor for the technico comeback," but this felt more natural. The Ultraman injury probably helped in that regard, if that's the right choice of words, but it was pleasing to see guys using their talent instead of pumping out another rank and file trios.
     
    There's been a lot of talk about how good Freelance looked in this match, but I think that's overstating things. He may be back into his groove, but it wasn't a match where he carried the technico side or overshadowed the contributions of everyone else. In fact, I thought he was holding back against "The Big Kahuna" 911 due to the angle at the end. The match started off with some neat submission work between Jack and Trauma II. There were comments over on the IWRG board about the lack of reversals, but it's Jack -- he's that thing from The Nightmare Before Christmas not Negro Navarro. I dug it myself, as I think Trauma II works best with small guys and Jack does an admirable job of moving like Jack Skellington. It's not a character I'm particularly fond of, but he plays it well and I enjoyed his comedy with 911. Mind you, I'm a sucker for as much variety as possible in a trios match. Freelance worked well with 911 without giving too much away and the turning point was the corner tope from Ultraman where he bit the guard rail. Ultraman smashed his front teeth up pretty bad and had to leave. Freelance took over from there and did most of his signature dives w/ 911's bumping biggest probably the single biggest contribution to the third caida. Match was pretty rocking. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
     
    Black Terry, Chico Che, Dr. Cerebro vs. Avisman, El Hijo del Diablo, Gringo Loco
     
    I wasn't as high on this as everyone else. I couldn't understand why they bled so much in a standard trios brawl. Some may argue that they don't need a reason to bleed, but I couldn't find anything compelling about the rudos' performance here and I wasn't buying Black Terry's angry victim act. Dr. Cerebro seemed to drift in this as well, and it's my opinion that the Cerebros are better as out and out rudos. The only thing that I particularly dug was the performance of Chico Che. It says a lot about the "new" IWRG that you can have both Jack and Chico Che in with the good workers this week and both of them held their own.
  24. ohtani's jacket
    Black Jaguar vs. Latin Brother, mask vs. mask, 2/28/10
     
    This was a mask match from Coliseo Coacalco, which for the unfamiliar is an outdoor venue in Coacalco (http://coliseocoacalco.com.mx/COLISEO_COACALCO_360.exe). It's really cool -- kind of like sticking your head into a tent at a school fair or flea market and paying a few bucks to watch two guys beat the shit out of each other. Guys were standing around talking while the luchadores brawled at their feet, and cheered them on like you'd tell your kids to run and go play. The match itself was what you'd expect from indy workers, but it was extremely well paced and the selling was excellent. Latin Brother's cut was so bad I was worried it would turn septic. Definitely a match that captured the spirt of a mask match. Black Terry Jr. is a legend for shooting this stuff.
     
    Todo x el Todo Brussels, 2/27/10
     
    Cassandro vs. Magno
    Negro Navarro vs. Solar
     
    This was similar to Lucha Libre London from two years ago. Nice to see that Cassandro has lost none of his star power and still does the sharpest WCWSN lucha match around. Navarro vs. Solar was wrestled for people who don't know who Solar and Negro Navarro are. Personally, I thought it was better than their London match and proof that Solar and Navarro are continuously improving against one another.
     
    IWRG
     
    Dr. Cerebro vs. Hijo del Pantera, IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Championship, 3/4/10
     
    Well this sucked. I quit smoking a week ago, so I'm in no mood to mince words.... this was shit. It's one thing to have a bad match, but to not even try is a waste of time. No excuses here, they just didn't bother. Without a doubt the worst match I've seen all year.
  25. ohtani's jacket

    IWRG 2/25

    By ohtani's jacket,

    IWRG 2/25
     
    Dr. Cerebro, Trauma I y Hijo del Signo vs. Pantera, Hijo del Pantera y Zatura [captains hair]
     
    This was another solid match from the month of February. No-one gave a particularly outstanding performance, but it reminded me of those old-school trios matches that were used to set-up Satanico/Dandy and other such feuds. Dr. Cerebro wasn't able to impose himself on the match to the degree that Black Terry can, but Terry is a big lynchpin to remove and I thought they did fairly well in his absence.
     
    Structurally, this trios was different from the IWRG norm. Instead of having the matwork build into a brawl, they brawled through two falls and held off on the matwork until the tercera caida. It probably could've done with some blood and a grandstand finish, but it was clear from the booking that they're not ready to blow this off yet. Personally, I liked last week's match better, but there was enough to tie me over until next week.
     
    Based on the fallout from this match, Hijo del Pantera will challenge Dr. Cerebro for his Lightweight Championship on Thursday. That may not seem like a compelling match, but short programs like these are miles better than the type of booking that saw Suicida take Cerebro's hair late last year. I'm not sure if Hijo del Pantera is ready for a singles match yet, but for the past few years I've been watching lucha in the hope that my favourite workers will spend five minutes on the mat. The enjoyment that I get from lucha has amounted to a few minutes here and a few minutes there. Dr. Cerebro vs. Hijo del Pantera may not be match of the year, but at least IWRG are giving us something to follow on a weekly basis. Add Pantera and Black Terry as seconds and you've got a compelling reason to watch now that it's up to Hijo del Pantera to avenge his father.
     
    It ought to be a good litmus test to see whether Cerebro is ready for this leadership role he's assumed; right now, I'd say he's still better hunting in a pack than he is on his own, but a strong rudo performance next week could change all that. Here's hoping.
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