[2000-10-08-Monterrey] El Dandy & Shocker & Zumbido & Blue Panther vs Negro Casas & Antifaz del Norte & La Parka & Tarzan Boy

[soup23]

Lucha in 2000 is becoming a conodrum for me. This was a very good match and the talent is amazing but there is still something missing and overall, I miss the bevy of hot feuds that seemed to populate the scene at the beginning of the year. In one way it is commendable that most of these men can have these “roll out of bed” good matches on a consistent basis. On the other hand, you can see how someone like Casas could be a top 10 worldwide worker for the year and just based on booking and the style I can’t in good conscience rank him that high. Him and Dandy go after each other here a lot and Panther also mixes in some good work. Shocker and Zumbido were a little more low key but they did continue to get some interesting beats out of Tarzan Boy. A very good match but one where I hoped for a great one going in so overall perhaps a bit of a victim of circumstances style match. ***1/2 (6.9)

[ohtani's jacket]

This started on the best possible note by having El Dandy square off with Casas. Remember their classic from '92? Well, they had the same chemistry eight years later. Their exchanges weren't blow away great but they were creative and original and the kind of exchanges you only see when two masters of their craft square off with each other. There was a noticeable difference to how Dandy approached the Casas exchanges compared to his work with everyone else and it was one of the few times all year that he's looked like the Dandy of old.

 

Following on the heels of Casas and Dandy were Zumbido and Antifaz and Panther and Tarzan Boy. Something appears to be stewing between Zumbido and Antifaz as they were paired together a lot during the bout. Their work was okay but not as engaging as the others. Tarzan Boy earns my vote for Most Improved Worker. If you'd told me at the beginning of the year that he'd be holding his own in technical exchanges I would have never believed it. Least of all with Panther. He was doing his Arena Mexico shtick of wanting to roll with the rudos which overshadowed his contribution to the match but he had one other polished exchange with Dandy that supported my claims. The last pairing was the main course, Shocker vs. Parka. It was strictly comedy but the good kind that cracks you up. I loved the stooge spots especially the face plant on the apron.

 

After a long primera caida where everyone worked respect pairings the match ran out of steam. It was too long and the heat segment meandered with the rudos strolling about while the crowd waited for a tecnico flourish that never really came. I liked the opening fall but the match died on the vine when the rudos took control. That's too bad given the talent involved but there are no guarantees when you watch a lucha trios. None whatsoever. You can have a great match between unknown workers or a mediocre one between star talent. You never know. Still, it's worth watching the first fall here if you're a guy or a gal who likes a lucha exchange. Or if you wanna see a wee bit more Casas vs. Dandy and even a bit of Casas vs. Panther. If you're a lucha fan you take that kind of stuff whenever you can get it. So I wouldn't say this was a total loss. Just a missed opportunity to have the best trios match of the year, potentially. For the record, I would say that bout where Pierroth electrocuted Villano III would probably win my vote for trios MOTY.

[AstroBoy]

I adored Casas and Dandy going at it to start things off.  The smallest things, like Casas needing to get aggressive and punch away at the midsection of Dandy to turn him over for a crab, were fantastic.  They gave a sense of urgency while remaining deliberate.  Good stuff.  The other stuff here was not so memorable, and I'll agree about a just meandering and wandering rudo control segment that didn't build to a great payoff.  There were some fun individual moments but this was not anything memorable.

 

**3/4

[Tim Evans]

I liked how in the first fall, everyone was being respectful but it was getting more and more intense. Dandy/Casas ruled even Panther/Tarzan was good. Match broke down as it went on but it was still decent. Surprisingly little Monterrey BS.