2016 watch later catch up, part 9 of ∞

Matches reviewed in this post

• Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther vs Puma & Tiger for the Arena Coliseo (DF) Tag Team Championship, Arena Coliseo, 02/27/2016
• Laredo Kid vs Flamita, Aerostar, Séptimo Dragón, 8105 Campo Bowie West Blvd, Benbrook, Texas, 06/03/2016 
• Hechicero & Máscara Dorada vs Ángel Blanco Jr. & Flamita, Arena San Juan Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México, 09/03/2016 
• Arez vs Sammy Guevara, Arena Coliseo Monterrey, 09/04/2016 
• Heddi Karaoui © vs Imposible for the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship, Arena Naucalpan, 09/04/2016 
• Drastik Boy & Jinzo vs Genio del Aire & Próximo and Aero Boy & Black Boy, Arena Nacionalista, Mexicali, Baja California, 11/27/2016 

I’m trying to mix up who I watch, and that’s leading to some weird combination of matches. I’m actually done with February! It’s only 11 months later, doing pretty good.

Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther vs Puma & Tiger for the Arena Coliseo (DF) Tag Team Championship
Arena Coliseo, 02/27/2016

1. técnicos
   • Guerrero Maya Jr. top rope splash Tiger & Puma (7:55)
2. rudos
   • Puma sit down powerbomb The Panther (2:18)
   • Puma double stomp Guerrero Maya (2:50
3. técnicos
   • Tiger & Panther double pin on a tapatia (4:46)
   • Guerrero Maya Sacrifica Maya (7:16)

Winner: Guerrero Maya & the Panther
Match Time: 18:01

Review: [good] a solid good match, disappointing when you were hoping for some great lost classic. It’s the stuff they normally do well, but it’s just the stuff they do normally. They had competent and slightly more complicated than average mat work to start, both Maya and the rudos got to show off their usual offense in the second fall, and the third fall was a collection of nice dives spots leading into a few near falls. Maya & Panther wrestle like individuals but, outside of the powerbomb/backracker spots in the second fall, Puma & Tiger mostly do as well. This is plenty to send the crowd home happy, but being in a title match didn’t push them to some higher level.

Laredo Kid vs Flamita, Aerostar, Séptimo Dragón
8105 Campo Bowie West Blvd, Benbrook, Texas, 06/03/2016
Video: victor Martinez

Winner: Laredo Kid (front suplex on Aerostar)
Match Time: 7:45

Review: [good] a really good spotfest considering they visibly didn’t trust the top rope all that much. Aerostar did the Brillo Dorada, screwed up a springboard, and it seems toned down from there. I can’t remember if this is the show it broke, but the condition of this promotion’s ring is not a great mix with the people they bring in. This had a lot of cool spots, and didn’t feel like like a normal routine match like I’m dinging other matches. The nature of the fourway just left no build to the finish, and it was just action going along at a medium clip until it was suddenly over. There were just guys fighting guys; they teased something like Air Force versus the other two at the very start, but then they fought each other too. Elimination or single fall usually doesn’t make a difference, btu it might have made for more meaning at the end, rather than just coming to a halt. Flamita had a great run in the middle of the match, and Septimo Dragon seemed to get steadier as the match went on. Laredo looks super impressive on the finish, though Aerostar had no idea how to take it. He looked like he tried to protect himself and still got hurt.

Hechicero & Máscara Dorada vs Ángel Blanco Jr. & Flamita
Arena San Juan Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México, 09/03/2016
Video: Sensacional de Luchadores, TVLuchaMundial, +LuchaTV

1. Team Dorada/Hechicero
   • Mascara Dorada figure four Flamita (8:19)
   • Hechicero legscissors armbar (8:29)
2. Team Angel/Flamita
   • Angel Blanco step over tirabuzon Hechicero (3:50)
   • Flamita Fly on Mascara Dorada (3:53)
3. Team CMLL
   • Mascara Dorada Dorada Screwdriver Flamita (6:06)
   • Hechicero corner knee smash Angel Blanco Jr. (6:06)

Winner: Team CMLL
Match Time: 18:28
Notes: I actually own this DVD! A lucha DVD, what a concept. There’s a moment about 3 minutes in to the third fall where Referee Rafael el Maya appears to count three on a Hechicero pin of Flamtia, which would’ve made me angry if that was the end already, He decided it’s a two count and they kept going thankfully.

Review: [good] another fair enough match, with Angel Blanco’s older style not really holding back the match at all. It just never graduates out of an exhibition feel match outside of the last minute at the end, and the teams just feel like randomly assembled people. There’s usual spots done well, but no face/rudo or otherwise structure to the match. It’s Hechicero doing Blanco’s mat work, and then more people showing off their routines. They mostly work their natural rivals too, which probably created the best match in the moment but didn’t help the feel. It’s still executed good, but it doesn’t come off as anything special.

Arez vs Sammy Guevara
Arena Coliseo Monterrey, 09/04/2016
Video: LlavesyCandados, thecubsfan, +LuchaTV

Winner: Sammy Guevera
Match Time: 9:42
Notes: this match starts with Sammy Guevera trying to cut a promo, being cut off guard about them playing the music, and sounding confused until they cut off his mic. They start fighting but the lights are down, so there’s a headscissors off the ramp that’s just a blob of humanity. That looks so minor league. The ring announcer, way turned down, is still doing introductions as they’re fightning.

Review: [ok] possibly the worst produced match outside of IWRG and some of Elite? These guys are doing a spotfest, or at least attempting to it, and the people in charge can restrain themselves from showing replays while other spots are going on. And showing multiple replays from the same angle of the same move. Multiples times, we saw spots going on and could heard the live sound of people hitting the mat, and never found out what had happened. It really peaks when they show Arez doing the same double stomp four times in a row while other things are clearly happening. The match itself is one of more Arez’ most sloppy matches, with a lot of stuff just looking bad. Guevera was okay, but wasn’t presented as a star and didn’t seem like a big deal when this was over. The referee unknowingly standing in the exact position to block Guevera’s big 630 from being seen at the end was a great capper. Like much else, it’s something that could’ve been fixed if someone re-edited the match after the fact, but they left it as mess. I have “OK” up there and that might be too high.

Heddi Karaoui © vs Imposible for the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship
Arena Naucalpan, 09/04/2016
Video: Estrellas del Ring, thecubsfan, +LuchaTV, mluchatv

1. Heddi Karouo wristlock (5:05)
2. Imposible rolling cradle (7:18)
3. Imposible arm trap half crab with armabr (4:15)

Winner: Imposible (2/3)
Match Time: 16:38
Notes: Hijo del Diablo, with a wrapped head, is there to be Imposible’s second. Hip Hop Man is Karaoui’s second. Imposible gave up the lightweight belt to get this shot. Karaoui is wearing the WWA Middleweight title too for whatever reason.

Review: [good] Of all the foreign luchadors whos how up often in Mexico, Hedi Karaoui always feels the most like an interloper, like someone playing the part of a luchador but not really getting it. It came when he was brought into CMLL briefly as sort of an equal for Hechicero, but his schitck feels like an act there (and his opponent here comes up closer to being Hechicero anyway.) That feeling of insincerity comes across strongest in the first fall of this match, where he’s doing all the fancy maestro spots but feels slow and unnatural. The fake-MMA stuff they do early on feels similarly unnatural. They are doing it, just like he is doing the spots, but it feels like affection he’s putting on. This is built up in my mind from years of seeing Karaoui make random appearances, and I wonder if someone fresher might be willing to give him more of a break for what he’s learned. The match does feel more real as they go on, with Heddi’s (accidental) bleeding never really mattering much but giving the match a little bit of an edge, as does the much larger than usual crowd. The third fall being built more around complicated rolls into submissions rather than the big move two counts gives it a different feel, though the double edge is the holds are so exotic that none feel particularly like it could be it until it, until it suddenly just is the right combination. Impossible was good here, but I’ve liked him more in other matches. I haven’t liked Karaoui much otherwise, and this was a good match, so maybe it’s the best one I’ve seen him in.

Drastik Boy & Jinzo vs Genio del Aire & Próximo and Aero Boy & Black Boy

Arena Nacionalista, Mexicali, Baja California, 11/27/2016 
Video: 126f Pro Wrestling Magazine

Winner: Drastick Boy & Jinzo
Match Time: 8:30

Review: [good] this is something like an extended highlight package, Everything 126f posts is that way, which is why I usually pass on reviewing those matches. Rob pointed out this was very good, and that’s absolutely correct: this match looks spectacular, a fast paced action fight. I wish I’ve seen more Drastick Boy & Jinzo this year, because they’re on fire as a team by this point, setting each other up as well. They are in a lot of matches though, and what makes this one sticks out are the locals keep up and push them just as much. I don’t think I’ve seen Proximo and Genio del Aire before, but they’re as efficient and effective as the other duos, from pulling out their own tag team sequence to trading blows with the Golden Generacion too. Aero Boy & Black Boy are good too, there’s no weak links here, and this seems better than anything that aired on the Crash the prior day. I can’t rate this as highly as other because there’s so many jump cuts, but maybe it’s still worth checking out anyway.