To celebrate entry 200, and to clearing out stuff I’ve not finished so maybe I’ll get around to it, here’s the first two matches off the OMLL tape I’ve never finished. Thank you to jtron for sending it to me.
If you read my CMLL reviews, you notice that I usually rate these lucha things on a 0-100 score. Since this is indy wrestling guys, not doing this professionally, I think it’d be an unfair comparision to use the same scale. I’ll just use with qualiatative summaries instead of throwing a number at you, unless something blows me away and then I take all of this back.
Middleweight Battle Royale
This is clipped, and since I’m still not confident about all the names and can’t give you order of elimination, we’ll just skip to the story point. It’s pinfall, submission, or over the top rules, and the people who last longest are the ones who realize you can cover one person with many. We end up with Malefico and El Dorado remaining in the ring. Malefico, the rudo, desires to fight right now, but El Dorado refuses to fight him, passively ignoring Malefico’s shoves and slaps (and random yells of "Shave Your Back" from the crowd – I think those are more at Malefico.) I think initially this might be a rudo vs rudo situation and one rudo wanted solidarity, but the crowd didn’t really need any prompting to know to chant for El Dorado. Must’ve been pre-existing issues; at any rate, Malefico slaps Dorado hard in the face and now El Dorado’s ready to go. Grappling and tussling on the mat with no clear advantage, but Malefico all the sudden gets cold feet and backs off for a second. Slaps to the face, and neither man budges. Trash talking and spitting by Dorado, and now Malefico needs to think this over. Dorado is pumped and now he wants another good slap to get going, but it’s Malefico who doesn’t want to fight. Which turns out okay – they’re not supposed to fight yet, they fight next week for the title. And so…
Malefico vs El Dorado for the (vacant? new?) OMLL Middleweight Title (two of three falls with no time limit)
Malefico has a red mask with a yellow face and big red curled (ram?) horns. Red tights with matching top. Dorado has a gold (duh!) trunks and this time, a humongous sombrero with green/white/red on the peak and Mexico on the bill. Dorado wastes no time in putting it on the head of one of the gringo fans. Dorado’s corner man is Minnesota Vikings Linebacker Dwayne Rudd (or perhaps Infernale modeling a odd choice of jerseys). Malefico’s corner man – well, his name is slipping me at the moment. I’m clued in later that it’s Martin Escobar. The Middleweight Title looks nice for an indy belt, and much to my pleasure, they do the prematch group pose for photos, as required in all lucha title matches. Crowd is solidly behind Dolardo during pre-match introduction. Oooh, they’re even checking for weapons.
Circle. Dorado is distracted by Malefico’s second, and for the crowd cheering for him, but gets back to trying to find an edge. Lockup, Malefico quick behind with a waistlock takedown, and rolls Dorado over in a grounded crucifix, one, reversed by Dorado, one, Malefico slips free and pulls out a single leg, into a stretch muffler! Not wasting any time, I see. Dorado isn’t weakened enough to stay in that, so Malefico switches to sitting on Dorado’s back and trying for an armbar. Corner men watching on, as Dorado gets free and ties up Malefico’s legs. Malefico gets a brief facelock, so Dorado lets go, they both get to their feet and we have a standoff. Clapping is quickly switched to chants for Dorado. High percentage of kids in the audience. Dorado has words with the corner man again. Lockup, no Dorado with a drop toe hold, has to fight for it but gets it. Chinlock is quickly escaped into a Malefico armbar, up to his knees to drag Dorado over by that arm, another armdrag, and Malefico has time to kip up and check to see if his horns are still attached. They are! Malefico got some claps for that exchange, but kids love the gold. Quick look at Infernale, and back to see Malefico regain control with another armdrag. double leg takedown, holding on to the legs to turn it halfway for a Boston Crab, and hooking the non-pinned arm in an armbar. Dorado’s got nowhere to go, he’s done here. (2:45) Escobar and Malefico celebrate the beauty of an early lead as Infernale tries to massage Dorado’s back. Dorado ends up taking a break outside as Infernale does the lucha towel waving. Crowd urges Infernale to wave harder, I think, and he tries his best.
Dorado comes in just as the second fall starts. He seems confident for some reason? Lockup, no Dorado meets Malefico with a kick. Chop, and Malefico is feeling it. Closeups reveal Malefico is really really hairy. Dorado is warned about illegal chops to the throat. He turns to talk this over with Infernale, and gets a shove from Malefico. The ref asks Dorado if he’s actually ready to get going here, and he gets back on track. Circle. Malefico shoots low with a single leg takedown, off the ropes, cartwheel over, dropkick takes Dorado out. Malefico off the far ropes, but fakes the dive with a handstand into the ropes and – well, just a handstand, since the top rope is so loose, his feet went over the top rope instead of in them and he got himself tied up for a second. He tries save it with a roll and a pose, which works. Dorado takes his time recovering on the outside here, back in, dropkick for Malefico. Talking to Malefico. Turnbuckle smash, and the crowd is back to chanting for Dorado again. We catch the end of a slam, I think, and Dorado follows with a senton. Cover one two shoulder up one two three (2:34) Did someone not know that was the finish? It’s tied up. Malefico argues that he had his left shoulder up – Dorado’s cover blocked it from the ref’s view if he did, but it wasn’t up much if it was up. Now both sides are arguing about something? Whatever it is, it gets resoled by doing nothing at all.
Third fall starts and the fans are chanting for Dorado. And Dorado is – taking a walk outside the ring. Okay, now he’s ready. I think. Maybe he needs more people to yell Dorado. Are there some people chanting for Malefico? I guess that’s what that chant is for. It’s a small enough building that even just five people yelling can make a lot of noise. Malefico headlock, shot off , back with a shoulderblock and Dorado is the only one going down (barely). Malefico, enthused by his ability to stay vertical, bounces off the ropes, gets waved by one one pass and backdropped on the next by Dorado. Dorado with a step over armbar – but Malefico gets a foot on the ropes. Malefico’s corner man pulls him out to make sure he’s got some life in that arm, and they take a walk around the ring to help it. Circle. Dorado with a kick to the leg. Armbar, and Malefico is yelling in pain. Dorado lets go and, Malefico begs off – only for Dorado to put it on again and twist. Malefico is screaming in pain on the mat but won’t give up. Armbar, and he’s run into the corner arm first. Again, Malefico gets out of the ring to recover. Dorado buys his opponent some time by trying to get out and the ref neglecting to count Malefico out till Dorado is topped. Dorado escapes out of the ring a few second later anyway, and the referee keeps Dorado from attacking Malefico rather than continue the count, so Malefico has plenty of rest time. Finally, Dorado sneaks out of the ring unstopped by the referee, and Malefico is knocked into the ring post, bad shoulder first. Dorado and Escobar corner man have standoff, with Dorado looking for a way to get at Malefico. Malefico comes back in the ring, so there’s the way – and Malefico kicks Dorado, so that’s the end of that way. Whip, running kick to the midsection. Dorado is hurting in the corner from the big kick. Having a seizure, perhaps, and Malefico following it up with more kicks don’t help. Malefico decides revenge is better than winning right now, and stretches Dorado’s right arm around the ropes as he puts a boot to it. He’s warned for using the ropes but I don’t think he cares much. Malefico’s keeping his right arm in tight, and he’s a little too much worried about pointing at the crowd than following up. Dorado is picked up, but dropkicks Malefico. Malefico retreats, Dorado comes after him with another clothesline, and this time, the referee gets it. (Sorta. Almost. Close enough for him to sell it.) Dorado ‘ranas Malefico, but of course there/s no one to count. Infernale comes in to tell the referee to count, and the referee shows great ability in telling Infernale to get out of the ring without noticing Escobar turn over the pin not three feet to the side of him. Escobar leaves, the ref notices to make a count, one two NO. Dorado hops on Malefico’s shoulders again, this time for a victory roll, but Malefico blocks it and adjusts his mask, sitting down to cover one two Reversed one two NO. Escobar came in the ring to break it up but managed to go in, do nothing because he’s too late, and out behind the ref’s back. Ref is doing the dramatic slow count, too. Malefico off the ropes with a sunset flip, Dorado tries to block it but gets pulled over, one……two……NO. Dorado with a shoulderblock, off the ropes, Malefico drops down for a monkey flip so Dorado just stops and covers him, one….two…NO. Both men are tired. Malefico with a shoulderblock, and heads for the corner, probably for that springboard (WOW) crossbody. It doesn’t work out, and we don’t get a good shot of why but it’s probably safe to assume the loose ropes. Malefico tries to fix it, but Dorado just grabs him in a sleeper and pulls him down to the mat. The referee gets distracted by Escobar, so Infernale runs in and gives Malefico a hard stomp to the midsection. Dorado lets go of the sleeper and covers him, one two….THREE. (7:34, 12:13) Dorado is your OMLL Welterweight Champion. He can’t believe it at first, but then is quite excited. Of course, Malefico and Escobar aren’t happy about the way it went down – Escobar spits at Dorado, but Dorado is too thrilled to let it bug him. Malefico tries to cut a promo to complain, but I don’t think it’s going to help him. Malefico is presented with the belt, much to the rudo’s team complaints. Dorado celebrates with the belt, Malefico complains, but it’s not going any further tonight. After Malefico gives up his complains, we get a random run in by "unidentified man", who looks an awful lot like CMLL’s Bestia Salvaje, but this doesn’t get followed up on so who knows.
This is one the crowd dug far more than I did; I thought it was okay, but they were reacting to it a lot stronger. I liked Malefico here more than El Dorado.
Probably just do a quicker thoughts type thing on the next match, if there’s interest. I’ll see if I can pull the comments I made about the Hero tape together next.
Awesome. Thanks for the insight; I’d be psyched to hear your thoughts on the rest of the tape.