CMLL Puebla: 2016-02-01

Recapped: 02/01/2016

What happened: Negro Casas cheated to defeat Volador. Volador wants a singles match still. The big Thunder/Rush battle ended in under seven minutes with Thunder fouling Rush. Mephisto cheated to beat Angel de Oro, which might be a start of a program there.

Oh, and Mascara Dorada is back.

What was good: I liked the opener and the main event, and there were good moments in other matches. There’s no stellar match, but this was one of the better Puebla shows in a while.

Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s YouTube channel. Some matches will air on 52MX on 02/13

Match 1: Asturiano & Black Tiger vs Ares & Espíritu Maligno
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. tecnicos
   • Black Tiger corner dropkick Ares (7:34)
   • COR Espiritu Maligno (7:57)
2. rudos
   • Espiritu Maligno backwards splash senton Black Tiger (3:00)
   • Ares cavernaria Asturaino (3:21)
3. tecnicos
   • Asturiano reverse bodyscissors cradle Ares (4:33)
   • Black Tiger super Michinoku Driver (5:07)

Winner: tecnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 16:25

Review: [good] Easy good match, one of those Puebla opening matches which makes watching this show worthwhile. He and Asturiano did more in the first fall the some of these matches do in three falls, and Ares and Black Tiger held up their end. Espiritu’s second fall winning backwards splash was great. His splash in the third fall was not quite as good, but he was entertaining all along. They put a lot in the third fall and treated it like it was a big deal match for them, rather than the usual opener effort seen elsewhere.

Match 2: Magnus & Metatrón vs Rey Apocalipsis & Toro Bill Jr.
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. Batallon de la Muerte
   • Rey Apocalipsis quebrada Metatrón (4:13)
   • Toro Bill northern lights suplex Magus (4:33)
2. tecnicos
   • Metatrón guillotine legdrop Toro Bill (3:49)
   • Magnus senton con giro Rey Apocalipsis (4:09)
3. Batallon de la Muerte
   • Toro Bill half nelson cradle Metatrón 3656
   • Rey Apocalipsis half crab Magnus 4007

Winner: Batallon de la Muerte (2-1)
Match Time: 11:53

Review: [ok] About what it looked to be on paper. Batallon had their usual good teamwork, and Magnus looked as sharp as he’s ever been. Metatrón was tripping while running around, so there was only so much you could do. Magnus’ second fall comeback was the best part of this match and Rey Apocalipsis sold a lot for him in the third fall. They didn’t get nearly as much time as the last match, but that probably would’ve meant more Metatrón so that’s OK.

Match 3: Blue Panther Jr., Delta, Stigma vs Bobby Z, Pierroth, Sagrado
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. tecnicos
   • Delta crucifix cradle Pierroth (2:37)
2. rudos
   • Pierroth senton Delta (3:41)
3. tecnicos
   • Blue Panther Jr. fujiwara Bobby Z (3:54)
   • Stigma torito Sagrado (3:59)

Winner: tecnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 10:17
Notes: Bobby replaced Misterioso. Rudos throw tortillas and attacked the tecnico on the ramp to start the match, then dominated most of all three falls.

Review: [ok] largely boring Boricua match, with Bobby filling in on the rudo side with the usual bit of goofing up. This was still a largely rudo dominated match and the tecnicos aren’t that sympathetic to make that work. Last ten seconds was great but the ten minutes prior to it were forgettable.

Match 4: Ángel de Oro, Titán, Tritón vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. rudos
   • Hechicero powerbomb Titan (4:31)
   • Luciferno shoulderbreaker Triton (4:31)
2. tecnicos
   • Triton top rope senton con giro Luciferno (4:04)
   • Titan figure four Ephesto (4:04)
3. rudos
   • Luciferno Hooligan Crash Triton (3:43)
   • Angel de Oro campana Luciferno (4:05)
   • Mephisto mask pull Angel de Oro (4:52)

Winner: Hijos del Infierno (2-1)
Match Time: 13:27

Review: [ok] never really got going at a high gear, which seems like the normal thing for Hijos del Infierno matches. They still come off as a tribute group and haven’t even formed a personality of their own. Triton and Titan had good runs in the third fall, and generally looked on, but they have that performance in other matches. The unique part is they actually got to team together, and even that’s happening more often. Angel de Oro/Mephisto doesn’t seem promising.

Match 5: Rush vs Thunder
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. Rush corner dropkick (1:01)
2. Thunder northern lights suplex (1:46)
3. DQ Thunder foul Rush (3:58)

Winner: Rush (2-1)
Match Time: 6:45
Notes: Thunder attacked Rush from behind to start the match.

Review: [below average] neither man was trying hard – well, Rush wasn’t trying hard, it’s tough to tell what Thunder is ever doing. These singles matches aren’t helping him, and he’s shockingly not over for all the time they’ve invested in him. (To be fair, most of that investment has been in Arena Mexico, no here.) His offense looked weak and Rush’s interest in this looked minimal. It wasn’t going to be better with more time, so glad they got it done quick.

Match 6: Dragón Lee, Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr. vs Negro Casas, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero
Arena Puebla, 02/01/2016

1. rudos
   • Rey Bucanero & Ultimo Guerrero Out of Control Dragon Lee (4:05)
   • Rey Bucanero crossface Mascara Dorada (4:21)
2. tecnicos
   • Dragon Lee standing Spanish Fly Rey Bucanero (1:37)
   • Mascara Dorada torito Ultimo Guerrero (1:41)
3. rudos
   • Negro Casas powerbomb feet on the ropes Volador (3:39)

Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 9:41
Notes: Volador demanded one more fall, as usual. Casas declined, because the fans didn’t pay for it, but Volador and Casas did end up fighting (a bit off and on) for a few minutes, with Volador landing the corner running kick and Casas taking a bad spill to the floor.

Review: [good] fun to see Mascara Dorada back, and the announcers were pushing the idea of him and Dragon Lee being a team here for the very first time (and as if it’s something we might see more of going forward.) The rudos were motivated to work with them, and Dorada looked spectacular in the time he was in. There wasn’t much time for a lot more. Volador/Casas was the focus, playing off their Arena Mexico feud, but they didn’t look as sharp as usual and the finish was just off. The post match seemed like a way to make up for it not going right, and was nice added bonus. These guys going for 15 minutes under the right conditions could be great, and it wasn’t bad for the time they did have.