Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-09-17 

Recapped: 10/06/2016

What happened: Rey Escorpión betrayed on Cibernético for no reason. Blue Demon debuted, got hurt, kind of turned heel but it was edited out, and then was back to being a técnico against Cibernético.

What was good:  Nothing. This was long and very boring.

Where can I watch it: It’s on the Liga Elite channel. Azteca never actually put this up on their own website, which isn’t a big loss.

The edecans start off with a dance number to a very empty looking crowd. Shocker rejoins the announcers.

Match 1: LA Park vs Blue Demon, Silver King
Arena Naucalpan, 09/09/2016
Video: Liga Elite

Winner: LA Park
Match Time: 9:33
Notes: This is from last week, so the white ring is suddenly red from Octagon & Fuerza’s blood. Park and King work together to beat up Blue Demon, brawling into the crowd with concern of a DQ. Park hits a bent over Demon in the back with a plastic chair. There’s a replay of that, then King and Park are back in the ring and Demon’s on the other side of the arena being checked by the doctor way off in the background. Announcers don’t really explain it, but Demon’s out of the match at this point with what was said to be a shoulder injury (though it looked more like an angle.) Demon’s in the match for no more than 90 seconds before he’s gone. Two minute later, he just materializes in the ring while Silver King and La Park crawl in the crowd. Demon shows no sign of an injury as he beats up both guys by himself, though Park tries to fix that by catching him by surprise with a chair to the back. It turns into an all for themselves match from there.

Demon fouls Silver King after a ref bump, but Silver kicks out to a slight reaction. Park hits the referee, Demon fouls Park, Demon unmasks Park, and Park kicks out of the pin anyway because no one’s going pinned here. Silver fouls Demon, and the referee decides that gives LA Park the win. Announcers talk over and ignore Demon’s post match promo.

Review: [below average] the low points of main event indie lucha – lame brawling, a million fouls so everyone can kick out, and a nonsensical finish. The match is nothing but guys hitting each I the back with chair like objects for about five minutes and then finishes. No one really sells except when they need to get out of the way to make it one on one. If that’s what you’re looking for, have at it. When they got back in the ring, the action was so slow or the editing was so strong that they seemed to showing replays after every move. This match appeared edited down for TV, and it still was a slow moving and boring match where everyone came off as a rudo

Match 2: Ciclón Ramírez Jr. & Jinzo vs Diamante (CMLL) & Imposible
Arena Naucalpan, 09/14/2016
Video: Liga Elite

1. rudos
   • Imposible powerbomb Ciclon Ramirez Jr. (4:23)
   • (Jinzo is not actually beat?) (4:23)
2. técnicos
   • Jinzo springboard 450 splash Imposible (3:54)
   • Ciclon Ramirez Jr code red Diamante (3:57)
3. rudos
   • Diamante Canadian Destoryer Ciclon Ramirez JR. (3:47)
   • Jinzo suplex backcracker Diamante (4:18)
   • Imposible super gutbuster Jianzo (4:57)

Winner: rudos (1/3)
Match Time: 13:17
Notes: It’s a new show, so the ring has been cleared up, the hard camera is on a different side, and there’s new Elite logos on the white mat. There’s visible empty seats on the floor. Announcers are still positive that the man with “Mendoza” on his gear is named Jinzo. Referee is Chabelo.

Review: [ok] a match with good moments but also a fair bit of sloppiness. Jinzo was really good at hitting people hard, and had a little trouble with his flips. Still, he looked like the best guy here. Imposible has some cool moves that seem to take forever to set up on the outside, and didn’t show what he could do in the ring as much. It was clear they’re going for all action, which takes the mat stuff out of play. Ciclon Ramirez Jr. can do some really nice looking spots, but everything in between needs polish. He’s really unsmooth getting into his moves and doing them. In theory, CMLL is better for him because he needs to get lots of work especially on his basics, but he wasn’t actually working so much there. Diamante was either really nervous to be back on TV, or just not good – he got lost in the first fall exchange with Jinzo, then nearly broke Ciclon in the third fall. Ciclon and Diamante were not a great combination here.

Match 3: El Bandido & Zumbi vs Heddi Karaoui & Herodes Jr.
Arena Naucalpan, 09/14/2016
Video: Liga Elite

1. rudos
   • Heddi Karaoui bully choke Bandido (6:22)
   • Herodes Jr. reverse powerslam Zumbi (6:39)
2. tecnicos
   • Zumbido Volador Spiral Herodes (4:16)
   • Bandido cradle Karaoui (4:22)
3. técnicos
   • Bandido springboard plancha Heddi Karoaui (6:45)
   • Herodes springboard elbow drop Zumbi (6:45)
   • Bandido headscissors armbar (7:14)

Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 18:15

Review: [ok] this was a way too long match that wasn’t really as good as it should be (so it may fit in Arena Naucalpan). Heddi & Herodes seemed like poor choices to work with Bandido, but it also seemed like that was beside the point a large chunck of the match. The rudo dominated the match and threw around the small guys fro such a long time, it seemed like it was actually supposed to be a squash match for the heels. Karaoui & Herodes aren’t good enough to carry it for as long as they needed to, and weren’t really skilled at making the técnicos moves look good. (This was the match that got to do mat wrestling, because they needed to find a way to stretch out the match even longer.) Bandido did the balcony dive and got the win again, but they desperately need to find his Averno instead of sticking him with these guys. It’s funny to think the back about the (debunked) rumor that Zumbi missed weight for the CWC; he looks tremendously thin at the moment, closer to 105 than 205.

Match 4: Blue Demon, Golden Magic, Xtreme Tiger vs Cibernético, Rey Escorpión, Sharlie Rockstar
Arena Naucalpan, 09/14/2016
Video: Liga Elite, R de Rudo

1. rudos
   • Cibernético powerbomb Golden Magic (2:20)
   • Sharlie Rockster el Pozo Xtreme Tiger (2:14)
2. técnicos
   • Blue Demon Jr. el pulpo Sharlie Rockstar (4:38)
   • (no one else beat)
3. técnicos
   • Blue Demon cradle Cibernético (8:43)

Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 15:25
Notes: Cibernético has his belt, which they mention he won when Rush got disqualifed. Not sure why they’d bring that part up. Rey Escorpión has a bat that he’s allowed to use for some reason. He’s got a new Veneno Negro jump suit in his Ingobernables style, and t-shirt underneath (which looks like similar Ingobrenable shirt but without the stuff that’d get him in trouble.) Demon has a shoulder sling this match, and Escorpion works over the arm. Rey Escorpión helped Cibernético during the match, then bizarrely broke up a Cibernético pin on Escorpión late. They shoved, Escoprion got in a foul, and Demon cradled Ciberentico for the win.

Review: [ok] A match with an overly long rudo beatdown follows a match with another only long rudo beatdown. This match dragged so much, and I can’t even blame Demon. It was slow paced and boring more because of the rudos. Rey Escorpión did a great job of taking Tiger’s headscissors to the floor to start the técnico comeback (a very different way of doing it), but he was with Cibernético and Sharlie Rockstar on not being much interesting for about 8 straight minutes. Just like the previous match, these are the wrong rudos for the these técnicos. Elite has a lot of small talented flyers and big rudos who need to work a brawling match. It’s not a greatly configured roster (and they’re hurting particularly on weeks where guys like Magno and Ultimo Ninja aren’t around.) Demon’s offense in the third fall did look not so impressive, and Rye Escorpión had to do the heavy lifting himself in this third fall for the other two. Sharlie tried, but couldn’t keep up and almost let Tiger die. Cibernetico stayed on the apron whenever Demon wasn’t in, and had the most nonsense segment with Demon when they were both in. Rey Escorpión fighting with Cibernético over Demon made nonsense and was a lame way to the end of the match.