[1994-12-27-CMLL] El Pantera vs Felino

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

The kind of lucha match I'm a sucker for, with all the great matwork and slow build to a satisfying, three fall match. Who would I better know Pantera as, as he looks great here? Another AAA match in '94 -- and this seems to be a theme -- that feels more like a CMLL match, which tells me maybe my initial perceptions of what an "AAA match" looks like were too narrow. Felino was always great and continues to be.

[FLIK]

Who would I better know Pantera as, as he looks great here?

No one really, he's had minor stints under other gimmicks but he's been around for atlest 20 years and has just been Pantera for most of his career.

 

I have that reaction a lot too, in Mexico guys have these long careers that you never know about until you randomly stumble across a match one day that blows you away and you're like "who the fuck is this guy and why have I never heard of him before" but that's lucha for ya

[Tim Evans]

I'm pretty sure this is from CMLL cause Felino wasn't in AAA till 99/2000.

[FLIK]

According to the all mighty match finder http://www.thecubsfan.com/cmll/roster/matchfinder.php you are correct.

 

For the CMLL welterweight title too. Dunno if they exist on tape or not but there were 4 other Pantera/Felino singles matches in the previous few months leading up to this

[goodhelmet]

Loss, who did we get this from because it was listed as AAA?

[Loss]

I don't know.

[soup23]

This was really fun and feels like it may be a career match for Pantera. Great working of holds and each finish was built to nicely and had a great finishing run.

[PeteF3]

Holy shit, is this the lucha MOTY? I'm not sure that it is, but it's damn close. Felino continues his streak of showing up for one incredible performance per Yearbook before disappearing again. Loved the subtle low blows and all-around dick cheating from him, plus the careful mid-match instant replays. I have GOT to see more of this guy. Pantera was sort of along for the ride for the first two falls but came to play in the third, unleashing some killer dives. There were awesome countermoves all throughout this and the third-fall reversal finish was perfect from both a booking and execution standpoint.

[Zenjo]

Panther vs Tiger = Battlekat.

 

Though a title bout, the power of the Commission ain't what it used to be. Felino and his second were engaging in plenty of rudo chicanery. That helped him maintain control through the opening half. For the most part it was decent enough quality without being the most dynamic or engaging of contests. Things picked up big time towards the end. The finish was a really neat play off the opening fall conclusion. Top 100 list filler.