Rey Misterio Jr v Chavo Guerrero Jr

[Loss]

Rey Misterio Jr v Chavo Guerrero Jr - WWE No Way Out 2004

 

June apparently comes before February in Lossland, because I'm watching this match after watching the other. So, while I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it, you can continue using your severely outdated "calendar" with "dates" and "numbers". I'm on crack. Rey and Chavo aren't. You'd think they were selling drugs, though, based on how much the crowd reacts perfectly to everything they're doing. Rey and Chavo are as squeaky clean as Mother Theresa, though; they sell the rana, not the reefer. Cole does his job and gives me a quick reminder of why these guys are fighting -- Chavo accuses Rey of not being proud of his culture and heritage. It's simple. It works. It's a hell of a heat magnet. So is trying to rip off your opponent's mask, which Guerrero does pretty quickly. Rey stops him and fires back, to the millions of people who never saw his face in WCW's delight, and a story starts developing. Rey and Chavo both have really effective seconds at ringside, and Paez getting ejected for punching Chavo Classic gets the biggest heel pop of the match. Chavo works over Rey's sternum and back throughout the match, giving us cool moves like the top-rope gutbuster, the Gory special and a face-first vertical suplex. Rey takes Chavo's three and raises him 20, pulling out a moonsault for the ages, along with a fabulous jumping DDT off the ring apron. His kicks to Chavo's face look and sound stiff. Even the small moves look awesome; check out the way Chavo locks his arms behind his back when he applies the abdominal stretch on Rey.

 

There are some really good nearfalls here, but overall the work is a little more transparent than what we'd get at the Great American Bash. What I mean by that is that this seems like it would be better -- there are bigger moves, there's better booking, there's more heat, I believe it runs a few minutes longer and the match is a little more historically significant, since it's a title change. The difference is in the way it all comes together. GAB saw them build progressively from spot to spot, from beginning to end, and a key part of its success was the transition from one stage of the match to the next. Here, that tightness and coherence isn't so much in play. That's not so much a weakness to this match as it is a testament to the Bash. This is still something I'd recommend anyone see, but come to Lossland and watch the Bash match first. I think it'll make you appreciate the place of both.

 

***1/4