[1986-08-31-Monterrey] El Hijo del Santo vs Espanto Jr. (Mask vs Mask)

[Microstatistics]

The highest stakes possible prompted Espanto to come in with a clear strategy, which he executed to near perfection for almost two whole falls. He consistently targeted Santo’s back and neck and smothered him at every turn, leading to a one fall lead and continued domination into the second fall. But his frustration got the better of him as he started to rip away at Santo’s mask after the latter refused to roll over. This allowed Santo back into the match with a huge running knee, and he managed to tie things up. Espanto regaining control in the third fall after Santo’s damaged back came back to haunt him was outstanding psychology. The match then turned into a war of attrition with aggressive mask ripping, blood, desperate pins, and some huge dives. Santo eventually capitalized on a mistake to apply the camel clutch and claim Espanto’s mask while saving his own. The poor quality and some jump cuts are far from ideal but don’t hurt the match too badly. Overall, one of the best apuesta matches. ****3/8

[cactus]

Highly enjoyable apuesta match. Santo really sells the idea that he might be unmasked when he spents a minute on the outside regaining his composure after losing the first fall. Kids rush up to him for encouragement and it's a sweet moment. Santo takes back control after Espanto is given the Chris Hamrick bump. Espanto partially ripping Santo's mask made for a good visual. The poor quality of the tape might of put a damper on my enjoyment of this, but this is definitely worth making time for if you are a lucha fan. 

★★★★