CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2015-10-16

Recapped: 10/16/2015

What happened: Atlantis won this year’s Universal tournament, although it was mostly because Ultimo Guerrero gave up the match to get punched by Thunder. (Fans booed Atlantis winning in this manner.) Shockercito took Demus’ hair, though it was partially because Demus landed his finishing move and wandered around the ring for 37 seconds before trying to cover. The Ingobernables sent Volador out on a stretcher. Boby Zavala is now Boby Z, and no one’s quite sure why.

What was good: The hair match was really good for the time it got. The trios which followed were pretty good. The main event was not as interesting as the other matches.

How can you watch? I’ll have it up on YouTube in the next few days, though the opener is in poor quality. Some of the matches from this show will air on Lucha Azteca on 10/31.

Match 1: Hombre Bala Jr., Súper Halcón Jr., The Panther vs Artillero, Sangre Azteca, Súper Comando
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. rudos

   • Sangre Azteca low blow dropkick Hombre Bala Jr. (8:32)

   • wheelbarrow cutter on Super Halcon Jr. (8:51)

2. tecnicos

   • Hombre Bala handstand double knee smash Sangre Azteca (4:42)

   • Super Halcon moonsault Artillero (4:49)

3. tecnicos

   • DQ Super Comando [foul to The Panther] (4:04)

Winner: tecnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 17:44

Review: [ok] First fall was good and then it started to get messy after that, but I’m not sure if I’m talking about the match or my feed. It was really hard to watch for me with the constant downgrading and jumping ahead, then upgrading and pausing. From what I could see of the second fall, guys were getting in each other ways and tripping over each other. It was not a smooth experience on any level, but I think it did get better in the third. This was not a normal opener, but one where they were allowed to go mostly all out and got to do some dives. Sangre Azteca is not a help in these, and the finish wasn’t so great, but there was some good stuff. I hope you find a better way to watch it. (The rest of the show recorded better.)

Match 2: Estrellita, La Vaquerita, Marcela vs Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. tecnicas

   • Marcela double stomp Tiffany (5:49)

   • Estrellita huracanrana Dalys (5:52)

2. rudas

   • Dalys powerbomb Marcela (3:32)

3. rudas

   • Tiffany short powerbomb Vauqeirta (2:35)

   • Amapola Devil’s Wings Estrellita (3:01)

Winner: rudas (2-1)
Match Time: 12:25

Review: [ok] very much A Match. I’d like to see what Vaquerita could do against someone good. She got Tiffany here, and Tiffany is definitely not good. This is one of the better lineups they could do with the talent on hand – there’s just not much of that. Dalys is improved but she’s not great. Amapoal’s Devil Wings for the finish looked great. I can’t believe the minis match got less time.

Match 3: Shockercito vs Demus 3:16 for the hair
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. Shockercito reinera (:56)

2. Demus valagueza (3:32)

3. Shockercito triple headscissors into armbar (5:27)

Winner: Shockercito
Match Time: 9:55
Notes: Seconds were Ultimo Dragoncito and Akuma… Demus tried jumping Shockercito, but that failed. Edgar was referee for an apuesta match again. Demus gave Shockercito a valagueza in the third fall, rolled around the ring celebrating for a while, stood and started at the crowd for a while, then covered. It did not get three, and he lost soon after via armabr.

Review: [great] not extraordinary, but exciting for how long it lasted with some good near falls. Should’ve gotten more time, kind of fixed it by the quick first fall, and did have some time for the drama. Demus standing and not going for a pin pretty much exposed what was going to happen – couldn’t tell if the fans were booing because he was a rudo or because of how much fake it looked. Shockercito’s dives were scary and Demus dropped him hard on the armbar reversal into the powerbomb, but the armbars worked out for Shockercito in the end.

Match 4: Dragon Lee, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stuka Jr. vs Boby Zavala, Kamaitachi, Virus
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. tecnicos

   • Dragon Lee counter dropkick Kamaitachi (6:11)

2. rudos

   • Stuka torpedo splash Virus (3:32)

   • Kamaitahci double german suplex Dragon Lee (3:52)

3. tecnicos

   • DQ Boby Zavala [mask pull on Guerrero Maya] (5:17)

Winner: tecnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 15:20
Notes: Boby Zavala was announced as Boby Z.

Review: [great] An unusually good trios match for a four match. They had two really good feuds. Kamaitachi and Dragon Lee remain great against each other, hitting all their high notes in this match. And Zavala did really was an irritant to Maya, messing with him on every occasion and building up their fight. The Bobby Z name seems like no improvement, but this was better interaction between them then their big match. Virus & Stuka were the odd men out but fit in well. Even the DQ worked since they set it up well and Boby was angry enough to still attack Maya afterwords. This is worth checking out.

Match 5: Máximo, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs La Sombra, Marco Corleone, Rush
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. Ingobernables

   • double suplex + punch Maximo (2:31)

   • Rush corner dropkick Valiente (2:53)

2. tecnicos

   • Valiente inside cradle Marco Corlone (2:39)

   • Maximo running hip smash Rush (2:55)

3. Ingobernables

   • La Sombra double knee smash Volador (5:31)

Winner: Ingobernables (2-1)
Match Time: 11:19
Notes: Volador had Sombra beat after a mid ring Volador Spiral, but Rush pulled out the referee to stop the count. Sombra connected on the corner double knee smash to win right after. Volador was not moving after the finish and was stretchered out after the match.

Review: [good] not quite at the level of the last match, but really good for what it was for. The tecnicos came out fired out to finally stop the Ingobernables and were fired up for the match – Maximo clearing house against the numbers was a highlight – but they Ingobernables were just too good at working together to be stopped. Crowd was way into this match too. The matchups left Valiente and Marco together as an odd fit, but it mostly worked out. The superkick to cut Marco off in the second fall looked great, and the third fall pin break segment came off as less cliché than usual.

Match 6: Atlantis vs Último Guerrero  in the CMLL Universal final
Arena México, 10/16/2015

1. Atlantis casadora cradle (5:13)

2. Ultimo Guerrero Atlantida (1:20)

3. Atlantis Atlantida (7:48)

Winner: Atlantis
Match Time: 14:21
Notes: Tirantes was referee. Ultimo Guerrero dropped Atlantis with the Guerrero Special, but gave up pinning at two to look at Thunder, who was (late) running to the ring. Thunder punched Ultimo Guerrero into an Atlantida for the loss. Fans booed when Atlantis was given the belt.

Review: [ok] not as rote as the previous matches, but still pretty by the numbers. For the second time on the show, a loser had the clear win and gave it up. That’s just lame. Both guys worked hard but the match was diminished by the finish so maybe they shouldn’t have bothered? The one positive thing is if they were going to do this finish anyway to the tournament, then they might as well have just given it to Atlantis. A young or new guy wouldn’t have gotten anything out of this win, might as well check Atlantis off the list so they’re not tempted to do it next year. But this entire tournament was just a plot device in the not interesting Thunder/Ultimo Guerrero issue.