Tenese Sarwieh Posted May 15, 2020 Report Share Posted May 15, 2020 This had high stakes with this one, mask vs mask. Both feel each other out with strong mat work trying their best to get in a submission for the first fall. They had cool looking transitions setting up their holds leading to the big surprising finish with Aereo submitting Villano III Jr with a Atlántida, the same move Atlantis used to put away Jr's father Villano III in their legendary mask vs mask match in 2000. The pace picks up in the second fall with the Aereo hitting high spots and the desperate Villano III Jr faking a knee injury to gain the upper advantage and hitting some high spots of his own. The big spot of this fall was Villano III Jr hitting a tope suicida busting open both in the process, another callback to the 2000 Atlantis/Villano III classic. Things got tied up when Jr nailed a senton to even the falls to 1-1. And came the third fall which was an all out fight. They went through the crowd using every and any they could find to inflict as much punshment they could. then came a series of false finishes that the crowd and myself bit on. This lead to one of the most creative finishes to a mask vs mask match I've ever seen giving Villano III Jr the win for the final fall. This was brilliant storytelling, they paid homage to Atlanis/Villano III while implementing elements that made their match unique and special in it's own right. Both men gave it their all with performances that will forever be etched in my mind, this is the MOTY for 2020. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted August 12, 2020 Report Share Posted August 12, 2020 Here's a video essay I did covering this particular match. https://youtu.be/xPYxU0EnjrI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makai Club #1 Posted August 12, 2020 Report Share Posted August 12, 2020 The first fall was decent. There was some good lucha mat-work, with the headstand slap exchange sequence to boot. The second fall wasn't great but it set up some good elements like Villano showing more rudo tendencies with Villano III Jr injuring his leg seemingly but it turning out that he was faking it and then captalized on that when Aereo was distracted. And the blood being drawn with Villano III Jr hitting a tope that nailed Aereo in the face. Both looked to have drawn blood from it. And I'm not comparing it to Atlantis vs Villano III as a whole match but that spot was pretty much the same - now that's a good way to emulate a great match. Villano III Jr didn't take long to finish the fall after that. The third fall was good in parts. Villano throwing Aereo in the crowd ruled. He did it so recklessly too. And with the camera being fixed to a certain point, we only saw him being thrown and if he landed on anyone which was probably for the best. This big tin thing was thrown at both guys heads. The brawling was pretty violent and honestly chaotic in ways most brawls aren't. Villano took a nutty bump onto some chairs which transitioned into a crazy dive Aereo took from the light structure. But I oddly felt uninvested in the nearfalls and the big final struggle for the win. The key for the apuestas matches is their high level drama and maybe it's just not really being into either luchador but this didn't have that. And that gave the entire match a ceiling for how much I enjoy the match overall. And that finish. I'm unsure if it was a shoot but that was a lame duck of a finish. A count out? What a way to lose your mask. Ah. This had me and then it didn't by the end. Good match that probably needs revisiting but right now, it's good to a point but not great like you'd expect. ***1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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