CMLL Lucha Azteca: 2015-05-16

Recapped: 05/22/2015

Reyes del Aires was a cibernetico that just happened to take place.

Match 1: La Sombra vs Ángel de Oro, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., Dragon Lee, Stuka Jr., Tritón, Fuego, Niebla Roja, Gran Guerrero, Bárbaro Cavernario, Kamaitachi, Misterioso Jr., Virus, Tiger, Puma in a CMLL’s Reyes del Aire Tournament match
Arena México, 05/01/2015

1. Tiger Canadian Destroyer Triton (2:34)
2. Puma pop up powerbomb Guerrero Maya (4:12)
3. Virus Triangular del Solar Fuego (5:42)
4. Angel de Oro mecedora Puma (7:16)
5. Kamiatachi ramp running dropkick Delta (8:58)
6. Dragon Lee hanging double stomp Tiger (9:50)
7. Kamiatachi pin Dragon Lee (9:59)
8. Dragon Lee pin Kamiatachi (9:59)
9. Stuka inside cradle Misterioso (10:13)
10. Niebla Roja springboard splash + quebrada Virus (10:58)
11. Gran Guerrero Toro Slam Angel de Oro (11:35)
12. Cavernario cavernaria Gran Guerrero (12:17)
13. La Sombra double moonsault Niebla Roja (14:08)
14. Stuka torpedo splash Barbaro Cavernario (15:37)
15. La Sombra double knee smash Stuka Jr. (21:40)

Winner: La Sombra
Match Time: 21:40
Rating: good
Notes: Sides are set by battle royal, not shown.

A: Angel de Oro, Fuego, Guerrero Maya Jr., Barbaro Cavernario, Misterioso Jr., Tiger, Kamaitachi, Niebla Roja

B: Virus, Delta, Gran Guerrero, Triton, Stuka Jr., Dragon Lee, Puma, La Sombra

As usual, Sombra refused to even stand in the same corner as his team to start. He sat on the ramp instead, but eventually joined his side after the first time he came in. Sombra also randomly got involved in the match when he thought Puma and Angel de Oro weren’t fighting hard enough. Cavernario hurts a knee after trying a springboard plancha dive onto Virus about halfway thru, and limps thru his final stretch. He appears to be stretchered out, though they hide it while Sombra yanks Stuka’s mask. Rush distracted Stuka and the referee after Stuka landed the torpedo splash on Stuka. Sombra snuck in the Shadow Driver while Stuka was looking at Rush, Stuka kicked out of that, but the double knee smash finished him. Sombra spiked the trophy into the mat immediately after being given it, then Rush picked up to spit on it and spike it the same.

Review: [good] Remember the Gran Alternativa that Yujiro and Okumura won? This was the Reyes del Aire version of that. This actually would’ve been fine if it was just a random cibernetico, because it came off as a random cibernetico by the end. It did not come off as the happy high flying exciting Reyes del Aire. The match really dipped down after Kamiatachi and Dragon Lee were double eliminated, and it didn’t seem a completely coincidence that every Lagunero (and Cavernario) were the ones left for the finale. That still would’ve been fine if they were the right guys for the match, but they either weren’t or were on Angel de Oro autopilot. The match got a lot of time for a Azteca airing, but still felt edited down quite a bit; the aired version led us to believe some luchadors were eliminated before everyone else made it in (never happens) and that Misterioso worked all of 50 seconds of this match (actually not impossible.) Even as short as it was, Misterioso and Gran Guerrero fighting each other was the antithesis of what this tournament, as really was the ending stuff with Stuka & Sombra. The one good part is they’ve done the tease of Stuka versus the Ingobernables nearly as much as they’ve done the tease of Volador versus La Mascara, and the last six minutes were as close to actually doing that match as CMLL will ever manage to get. The bad part is isn’t wasn’t that good, Stuka really keeping up with Sombra and Sombra going full cheap shot rudo complete with a distraction finish when the tecnico hit his move. Even the bit at the end, with Sombra spiking the trophy in an obvious riff off what Perro Aguayo Jr. did years ago (and was replayed recently), felt not as impressive as it should’ve been. Maybe give him a trophy that’ll actually break.

The first half of the match felt rushed, because so much of the opening was probably edited out, but it had the best moments of the match. Puma looked very good in the time he had. Angel de Oro may not do a lot memorable on offense but he took Dragon Lee’s over the top headscissors like a pro. The Dragon Lee/Kamiatchi sequence is reliable good, but both guys looked good with everyone. And Dragon Lee’s mystery thigh injury finally healed – or Puma just stole al the tape to put around his shoulder instead.

Match 2: Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
Arena México, 05/01/2015

1. Sky Team
   • Volador Jr. guillotine legdrop Luciferno (0:44)
   • Valiente half crab armbar Ephesto (0:55)
2. Hijos del Infierno
   • Luciferno Hooligan Crash Valiente (1:38)
   • Ephesto shoulderbreaker Místico (2:04)
3. Hijos del Infienro
   • DQ Volador [Mephisto foul fake] (4:40)

Winner: Hijos del Infierno
Match Time: 7:39
Rating: ok

Review: [ok] I watched this one about two days after last ewke’s show, and I could not be sure I had not watched this already at first – this two was rushed/clipped match where the Sky Team looked like a fun trio and Hijos del Infierno looked like a tribute band. They only stopped hurrying when it came to the end game, but the finish turned out not be good. I’m not convinced this rudo team has much to offer except for the ability to catch the headscissors, but no one’s going to find out they way they’ve been showcased and edited.