[2000-09-20-WCW-Thunder] Rey Mysterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera

[soup23]

This is the type of match that should have been featured on WCW tv for years and all too often, they got about half this amount of time. Nothing mindblowing but a really strong back and forth match where both guys know their role and still act like partners while also going for the win. Juvy blocks a powerbomb and gets a rollup for the win. Konnan is again good on commentary appreciating the action. *** (6.2)

[AstroBoy]

I liked them taking their time with the matwork at the beginning, culminating with Juvy spiking Rey with a DDT and setting both men off to the body of the match. Juvy takes on the role of subtle heel and cutoff man for the most part, while Rey works from behind and gets some flashy spots to fight back. I think the body of the match kind of lagged and lacked some focus but they kick it into another gear for the finish. The finish run is a little spotty but the spots are nice and these two have good chemistry. Juvy rolls up Rey after getting power bombed, which didn't make a lot of sense in this context but it's still a fine finish between two partners trying to test each other.

 

***

[GSR]

Tony Schiavone sounds very creepy when he says how it’s always good to see Tygress.  A number one contender’s match for the Cruiserweight title, something that Konnan wasn’t overly keen on at first, what with having his fellow Filthy Animals face off against one another.  K-Dogg does a great job putting over the history of these two, talking about their history in Mexico, how they were tag team partners there and how they know each other inside out.  Schiavone calls a ‘Gori special’ a “version of the rack” and Konnan corrects him, saying how it was invented by Chavito Guerrero’s grandfather over forty years ago.  Things start to get a little more heated and Juvi lays in a couple of hard chops.  He misses the big splash in the corner before a double clothesline takes both men down.  A springboard dropkick sends Rey to the floor, but Juvi would rather climb the turnbuckles and play to the fans as opposed to following it up.  Eventually he does and, despite Rey’s efforts to walk around ringside and stay out of his path, catches him with a pescado.  That seems to have taken something out of both and back inside Rey dumps Juvi to the mat on the headscissors.  Konnan informs everyone that Disco Inferno is now no longer part of their group, something that surprises Mike Tenay a fair bit.  An awesome flying headscissors from Rey sends Juvi to the outside which he then follows with another quality variation, starting out by holding onto the ropes and flipping backwards over them to the floor.  He throws him back into the ring but Juvi counters the springboard rana with a powerbomb.  Springboard splash for a near fall as Konnan notes how the crowd are really into this.  A plethora of rapid fire counters and switches as each tries to get the upper hand on the other.  Rey with an Asai moonsault, but Juvi catches him and hits the ‘Juvi Driver’, Rey only just getting a shoulder up.  He escapes the powerbomb and lands one of his own, however as he goes for the bridge, Juvi blocks it, flips him over and gets the three to become the number one contender.  Disco and his duck are out to celebrate with the Animals post-match, but they want nothing to do with him and throw him from the ring, confirming that his time in the group is done.

Konnan is a seriously good commentator when he’s not calling people cranberries and making inside remarks.  No doubt the fact that he was talking about his buddies helped, but he did a tremendous job here giving history on the pair, how they know each other so well, what the other is thinking etc.  A great TV match wrested at a quick pace and with some truly wonderful stuff in there courtesy of Rey.