So I watched the Ultimo

So I watched the Ultimo Dragon/Dragon Kid vs. Ultimo Guerrero/Rey Buccanero match (from the GdI’s swing though Toryumon) last night. To no one’s surprise, it was a really good match.

To avoid confusion, in the next few paragraphs Dragon = Ultimo Dragon, Kid = Dragon Kid, Ultimo = Ultimo Guerrero, and Rey = Rey Buccanero.

It took me a moment to recognize Rey: he wore a bandana on his noggin to cover up his shaved head (although it did come off in the match) and didn’t wear his Ultimate Warrior makeup for whatever reason.

Basic thrust of the match was Dragon and Kid befuddling the Mexican duo with their speed until Rey and Ultimo take over with double teams, and things progress until you get your bazillion nearfalls. Dragon consistently going for the Dragon sleeper was a cool little subplot.

Best part was the Ultimo tossing the diminutive Kid around like no one’s business, including a monster chokeslam, a huge second rope powerbomb, and the win place and show best Ultimo Special ever (the inverted superplex, in which he actually held Kid up in the air for a half second in a scary and rewindable moment).

Humorous moment where everyone is brawling on the outside and Rey and Ultimo prepare to double suplex Dragon into the crowd and the spectators slowly realize “Oh crap, we’d better move” and everyone scrambles.

If I had any complaints, it’d be that Rey and Ultimo didn’t get to show off their cool double team moves (the double suplex may have been the extent of their arsenal). Perhaps the lack of a rudo beatdown segment precluded that? Maybe. And things did seem to get a little off track near the end, but still a very enjoyable match.

The match was part of an Ultimo Dragon comeback special, which also has matches where Dragon takes on Bestia Salvaje and Negro Casas. I think I’ve seen the former match on a comp. Dragon wasn’t even Dragon yet, just Yoshihiro Asai, and the match was probably the best Bestia match I’ve ever seen (it was also from 1990). Curious to see how the Casas match turns out.