soup23 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 To say I was hyped about this as a lead into the apuestas would be an understatement. We cut to Villano having Atlantis in a Boston Crab to which Atlantis sits straight up from. The armdrags are beautiful and Villano is able to finish things up with his submission. If something works why not go back to it right? Villano does with some added leverage of his leg wrapped around Atlantis’ head. Atlantis is able to work that into a Gory Special where I would have liked more struggle from. The repertoire of rollups Atlantis rolls through was a nice bit of him throwing the preverbal kitchen sink to try to even things up. Atlantida is hooked and that is a wrap on fall two. Time for the big third fall but wait a minute here comes the doctor. Villano can’t continue and gets carted off to the back! What a rudo piece of shit. Amazing stuff here. All of a sudden Villano comes out from the back and gets hit with a back breaker and a lariat. Villano returns the favor, goes after the leg, locks on a submission and wins! The towel is immediately thrown over Villano who hightails it to the back and something may be awry. Villano gets pelted with garbage and its apparent he switched with his brothers when he went to the back. Atlantis is PISSED! He delivers a spirited promo demanding retribution. Holy shit what a feud. Classical lucha beginning to the biggest stakes by the end. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 27, 2017 Report Share Posted January 27, 2017 I remember seeing the movie Dirty Dancing on TV when I was a kid. I found it interesting that the movie was set in the 1950s, yet everyone had hairstyles that no one in the 1950s would ever have. Despite the attempts at a throwback, the 1980s in which the movie was filmed couldn't help but show. I later noticed that to be the case with most movies set in a different time period. I don't think very many white men who were alive in the 1800s and traveled by horse had long hair they kept in a ponytail, for example, but the westerns might have you believe that. A John Wayne in 2017 would not at all be the same as John Wayne was in his day, even if they were both making movies to represent the same time period. This was my first thought when I saw how much time this match had (18:32, including pre and post-match footage). I believe El Dandy's classic title matches with Angel Azteca and Negro Casas both went nearly 40 minutes. Atlantis and Villano III, who were as versed on that era as anyone since they were part of it, were going to give us throwback title match lucha, but they were going to do it in half the time through a year 2000 lens. It's realistically the most we can expect from a title match airing on Televisa at this point in time, given CMLL's preferred format. It wasn't just the shorter time allotted that was 2000-ish. They worked a mini-angle between the second and third falls teasing that Villano III was out of the match and wouldn't return, only for it to be a swerve, which we will get into in a moment. But that was the first challenge. The second challenge was that this was not the culmination of the feud. Typically in lucha libre, the build happens in the trios matches, and the singles match is the blowoff. In this case, the build happened in the trios matches, and the build continues in the singles match, will continue in more trios matches and will culminate in a high profile apuestas match in a month. So they had to deliver a singles match that maintained interest in the feud, while still working a conventional title match, but do it in half the time. That was the second challenge. The third challenge was that it was a title match in the first place. Prior to this match, the feud was filled with blood, mask ripping, sneak attacks and brawls spilling into the front row seats at Arena Coliseo. However, the tradition of title matches is that they have to be wrestled clean, on the up and up, since they were historically sanctioned by athletic commissions and they needed to create the illusion of legitimacy. So the feud had been building as a blood feud, yet they had to work a fairly straight up scientific style in their match, which would in fact only be used to build to a later match, and would get about half the time that these matches usually needed in order to be great. Whew. Still with me? So all of those obstacles were there before the match even started. Then, the match started and these guys ... sort of made it look easy? It didn't seem like they were rushing anything. Every fall and momentum shift felt fully fleshed out. They did their traditionally great, old-style lucha libre matwork. Villano took the first fall and Atlantis clearly outwrestled him in the second fall and in the process injured Villano's back. Villano retreated to the locker room and the referee made the ultimate decision to start the third fall without him, despite the pleas of Villano's brother. Atlantis loved where this was going, because if Villano could not return to the ring, he would win the match by default with a 2-1 lead in falls. Near the end of the referee's count, Villano bolts into the ring and after a few exchanges where Atlantis dominates him, he finds a quick opening to target Atlantis' knee and get an urgent submission and desperate win before bolting. Everything he did put that over as total desperation and even though it wasn't completely sneaky, he really looked like he weaseled his way through that match and barely retained. So the feud lives on with even more momentum, and they gave us a satisfying match in half the time and within the traditional confines of a title match. Tricky terrain, but two all-time great workers pulled it off. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 27, 2017 Report Share Posted January 27, 2017 Talked to soup and I think the ambiguous (and highly likely) Villano switchout escaped me. I rewatched and think he's totally right. That makes me love this even more. I'm going ****1/2 now for the obstacles they had to overcome and the execution of everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Skinner Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 This was an excellent match with maybe one of the most brilliant dirty finishes I have ever seen in wrestling. People talk about Atlantis' legendary apuestas matches all the time but I thought he was excellent here working the title match style doing some slick matwork with Villano. As soon as I saw Villano go to the back I knew something fishy was about to happen. At first I thought Villano was just going to show up through the crowd and roll up Atlantis for the win. But the switcheroo they did is so much better. Probably would go ****1/2 because I thought the finish was executed so fantastically by everyone involved from Atlantis losing his mind, the Villanos bailing out of the arena with the crowd throwing drinks at them. Just great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microstatistics Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 This match did a terrific job establishing the threat of the Atlantida for the apuestas match. The way I saw it was V3 was presented as the superior wrestler: he out wrestled Atlantis in the 1st fall and controlled the 2nd but the Atlantida was the great equalizer which significantly hurt him and made him desperate. Which led to the 3rd fall playing out the way it did . Great storytelling. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Until the end of the second fall, I thought this was pretty bad. Both guys were working pretty slow and I wasn't feeling the hate that this feud has produced so much of so far. The injury angle was outstanding. You don't expect such great storytelling from CMLL but this was peak Vince type. The Villanos doing the switcharoo was awesome and fresh and I've never seen Atlantis so animated. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 This was so badly clipped in the first two falls that it was hard to get any idea of how the match was flowing. The third caida was slightly better, but the switcheroo made the entire thing seem like an angle, which it was, really. If you ask me, the build to Atlantis vs. Villano has been less than perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laney Posted February 25, 2017 Report Share Posted February 25, 2017 I enjoyed this more as an angle than as a match. Everything they did in-ring was solid, but it seemed a bit short. I guess in that sense it does a good job of showing how good these guys are together and leaves you thirsty for more. Great angle, great feud build-up, but not quite enough to the match to make it great in itself. ***3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonsault Marvin Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 This was a great angle. Even if Villano just went to the back to swing momentum like a tennis bathroom break, it would be heelish, but it does look like he went further and pulled the switcheroo with the fresh brother. The justifiably angry Atlantis is ready to put the masks on the line in a final battle against Villano III. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroBoy Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 An awesome piece of business this was. I was totally on board with the opening matwork, thought it looked smooth and natural. First two falls felt more like a tentative feeling out than anything with either guy catching a fall. The real hook of the match comes, though, at the end of the second fall of course. It's a believable quasi-injury angle and Atlantis stands in the ring presumably thinking he deserves the title while the other Villano protests. The build and anticipation during the countout tease was so perfect and led to the very shady Villano "return". I didn't know for sure they were going for a switch angle but that's how I read it as I watched it and it just works so well. The attack on the knee of Atlantis and quick submission to escape with the title was a perfect cap on the angle and the fans go ballistic in the post-match. Atlantis sells his anger and outrage brilliantly and makes the challenge for the mascara contra mascara and I can't wait to see this progress to that point. Really great mixture of solid work and a pitch-perfect angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Liska Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 I enjoyed this quite a bit, some nice CMLL title match style wrestling, with an interesting angle before the third fall. Very excited to get to the apuestas match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted November 14, 2017 Report Share Posted November 14, 2017 I love pro-wrestling. I love this feud. The booking of the switch in the final fall so Villano steals it was pretty glorious. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew wardlaw Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Wow that switch was so good. Going in I was thinking this was the apuestas match but obviously it wasnt, but man I cant wait to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grendel Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 I really enjoyed this one, especially the last fall. Amazing switch that makes me want to see the apuestas match so bad. Lucha was great in 2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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