[2002-10-22-CMLL] Atlantis vs Blue Panther

[ohtani's jacket]

Awesome match. Not sure that it would have worked in Arena Mexico, but it was perfect for Arena Coliseo. It was equal parts heated mano a mano brawl and sublime technical wrestling. There were a surprising number of nearfalls for a mano a mano bout, and a clean finish to boot. It wasn't until afterward when Atlantis demanded a title shot that I realized the significance of the tercera caida and all of the nearfalls. I'm biased because I love this pairing, and their 1991 and 1997 bouts are two of my favorite matches of all-time, but I honestly thought this was one of the best matches of 2002, especially when you consider how badly CMLL has struggled with delivering compelling singles matches. This hit all the right notes. The falls were decisive and the match never lost its rhythm. I kept waiting for some derailing moment like a DQ or a double pin, but surprised the heck out of me with the finish. And the technique was sublime, especially from Panther's end. Total under-the-radar bout.