[2000-10-27-CMLL] Atlantis vs Tarzan Boy

[soup23]

This was exactly what it needed to be. Atlantis starts off pissed and is ready to take TB to the woodshed but TB will have none of that and gets vicious winning the first fall. He continues the attack in the second fall even after Atlantis gets looked at by a doctor. Nothing is really cheating per say but it is really chippy. Atlantis comes back with La Atlantida and wins the second fall. Third fall starts with Atlantis going ape on TB on the outside ramming him into the post and giving him a stiff clothesline. The crowd is nuclear and Emilio Charles is telling him to put TB back inside the ring. Atlantis mounts and just punches away before they go to the entrance ramp. Punt kick from Atlantis and TB is checking his teeth. Atlantis lifts him up and throws him back into the ring. Surfboard and Atlantis is killing him. Just then, TB hits a foul with the kick and gets win by celebrating like he just won an apuestas match. Even Emilio and Villano III as seconds are arguing. Trash gets pelted into the ring. Interview with TB and he is cocky as ever. This was exactly what this match needed to be and is a tremendous feud. When TB goes full rudo, it is going to be so glorious. **** (8)

[ohtani's jacket]

This was a decent mano a mano bout. Mano a mano bouts are meant to build heat and tease a future apuesta match and that's exactly what they accomplished. Atlantis showed his range as a performer with a fine performance as the spurned partner seeking vengeance and Tarzan Boy did well in the unfamiliar role of rudo. There are question marks over whether he's talented enough to play the rudo role but the beef here was enough to carry the action and Atlantis was excellent in his role. The finish was crap but the outcome wasn't meant to be definitive. Lucha history is littered with mano a manos that had no blowoff and I feel we're headed that way here but it was promising while it lasted especially during Atlantis' comeback.