CMLL Arena Mexico: 2016-05-17 

Recapped: 05/17/2016

What happened: Both Skandalo/The Panther and Ultimo Guerrero/Stuka feuded, though it’s unclear if either of those are meant to have a shelf life past this show.

What was good: Nothing really stuck out as good. There were stretched of good stuff in the later matches, but there was a lot of boring wrestling around it.

Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s Youtube channel.

Match 1: Aéreo & Último Dragóncito vs Demus 3:16 & Mercurio
Arena México, 05/17/2016

1. rudos
   • Demus elbow drop Aereo (4:10)
   • COR Ultimo Dragoncito (4:32)
2. técnicos
   • Ultimo Dragoncito huracanrana Demus (4:15)
   • COR Demus (4:39)
3. rudos
   • Demus Driver on Aereo (4:21)
   • Mercurio double underhook piledriver Ultimo Dragoncito (4:21)

Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 13:32

Review: [ok] Decent minis match with absolutely no crowd reaction. They’re using ramp spots as a subsititue for dives, and they’re doing a lot of countout finishes off those spots. Demus’ corner tornillo was cool, and Aereo looked good in his trikcy spots, pulling more of them out than usual. So tired of the piledrivers and the one on Aereo looked completely careless.

Match 2: Flyer, Robin, Metatron vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Canelo Casas, Metálico
Arena México, 05/17/2016

1. rudos
   • Canelo Casas top rope plancha Metatron (8:30)
   • Canelo Casas half nelson release slam Flyer (9:02)
2. técnicos
   • Metatron senton Metálico (3:28)
3. rudos
   • Metálico arm trap armbar Flyer (3:21)

Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 15:51
Notes: Metatron replaced Star Jr.

Review: [below average] this was a boring looking match on paper which turned out to boring looking match on a YouTube stream. Flyer & Robin’s match gear looked nice, they probably should’ve saved it for another match. Metálico tries very hard to be entertaining, maybe too much, but it’s more than you can come up with other people. Metatron may be getting phased out – this is his only appearance here so far this month – and all of the trainees have been more interesting than him. This is only up at this level because they didn’t really botch anything, but a case can be made to put it lower.

Match 3: Soberano Jr. vs Sangre Azteca in a lightning match
Arena México, 05/17/2016

Winner: Soberano
Match Time: 8:23

Review: [ok] Soberano’s dives were good! It felt like those were the only things he got do in the match, with Sangre keeping it on the mat and keeping it boring for most of the way. This setup didn’t benefit either guy, and it didn’t benefit anyone watching it at home.

Match 4: Blue Panther Jr., Oro Jr., The Panther vs El Cuatrero, Sansón, Skándalo
Arena México, 05/17/2016

1. técnicos
   • Sansón springboard kneesmash Oro Jr. (5:03)
   • The Panther fujiwara armbar Skandalo (6:04)
2. técnicos
   • DQ Skandalo [mask pull The Panther] (5:27)

Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 11:31
Notes: Skandalo feuded with the Panther from even before the time the match started, and then kept the mask after taking it off Panther’s head.

Review: [ok] the worst guy in the match got into a feud with the best guy in the match, a strange deal I’d like to not think too much about. Cuatrero & Sansón have really smooth moments for rookies and I’m looking forward to more matches where they get to show what they can do; it feels like we’re only getting 20-30% of them right now. Blue Panther Jr. & Oro Jr. weren’t great but didn’t bring the match down. Skandalo can barely jump high enough to do his low blow dropkicks, which seems like an issue.

Match 5: Blue Panther, Dragón Lee, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Bobby Z, Mephisto, Vangellys
Arena México, 05/17/2016

1. rudos
   • Vangellys cradle suplex Guerrero Maya (7:12)
   • Mephisto Rosa Blue Panther (7:21)
2. tecnicos
   • Guerrero Maya suastica Bobby Z (2:10)
   • Blue Panther facelock Vangellys (2:10)
3. rudos
   • Guerrero Maya splash Vangellys (3:25)
   • Mephisto cover Blue Panther (3:25)
   • Bobby Z dropkick Dragon Lee (5:08)

Winner: rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 14:39

Review: [ok] Dragon Lee returns, does three crazy spots, loses cleanly for no particular reason. This was a CMLL booked match for sure. Match unexpectedly dragged early, or this entire show has just killed my enthusiasm for watching the rest of the show. It’ll definitely look a lot more exciting in GIFs. Third fall was more exciting than the previous two had been.

Match 6: Máscara Dorada, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero
Arena México, 05/17/2016

1. rudos
   • Pulpo Guerrero on Volador Jr. (5:10)
2. técnicos
   • Volador Jr. cradle Gran Guerrero (1:46)
   • Mascara Dorada sling blade Rey Bucanero (1:56)
3. técnicos
   • Stuka torpedo splash Ultimo Guerrero (4:21)

Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 11:17
Notes: Ultimo Guerrero feuded with Stuka Jr., but no challenges followed Stuka beating UG in the main event.

Review: [ok] match got hot in the fall with the técnicos running thru their offense. The first two falls were forgettable, but the last four minutes were in a whole new gear. Stuka/UG seems straight out of the random feud generator, but maybe it’s a one week thing since they didn’t follow up at all after the match.