CMLL Martes de Nuevo Valores: 2017-02-14

Recapped: 02/16/2017

What happened: Ephesto pinned Volador twice to get a title shot next week. That’s about it.

Also, there’s a new Roshfrans mat. Or at least it seemed new to me. It’s very black. The CMLL logo is now on screen the entire show (which is how it is often on the NJPW World version of this show.)

What was good: a This was one of those shows where I rated pretty much everything OK. They’re always different levels of OK, but they’re all in the same range where you don’t really need to go back to watch them.

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

Match 1: Shockercito & Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Nitro & Pequeño Olímpico
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

1. técnicos
   • Shockercito huracanrana Pequeño Nitro (6:29)
   • Último Dragoncito standing octopus Pequeño Olímpico (6:37)
2. rudos
   • Pequeño Nitro powerbomb Último Dragoncito (3:24)
   • COR Shockercito [dropkick off the middle rope by Pequeño Nitro] (3:43)
3. técnicos
   • Último Dragoncito grounded octopus Pequeño Olímpico (5:35)
• Shockercito reinera Pequeño Nitro (5:39)

Winner: técnicos (1/3)
Match Time: 15:59

Review: [ok] blah match, passable but not at all interesting. This was a toned down version of Shockercito who wasn’t doing headscissors, much less multiple rotations like on a Friday. The rudos took most of the match but didn’t do much with it, much like any other Tuesday opener. The bump from sitting on the ropes to falling on the ramp because of a dropkick seems about as dangerous as anything Dragon Lee does (frequent heads whiplashing on the ramp) and means so much less. It probably should go first if you’re going to ban moves.

Match 2: Magia Blanca, Marvel, Sangre Imperial vs Grako, Raziel, Sangre Azteca
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

1. rudos
   • Raziel STF Magic Blanca (5:38)
2. técnicos
   • Marvel legs tied arm trap Raziel (5:21)
3. rudos
   • Drako assisted missile dropkick Meyer (4:37)
   • Drako powerbomb Sangre Imperial (4:47)

Winner: rudos (1/3)
Match Time: 15:46

Review: [below average] the rookies brought this one down themselves. Marvel and Sangre Imperial were so slow on the springboard armdrag and the follow up to that looked like a mess. The sunset flip was horrendous. Marvel & Sangre Imperial hesitate and don’t have good timing. Marvel was clumisy near the end. Magia Blanca benefits from being in these matches, because he looks so much better than those goofs (the opposite of when he’s around Bandido.) Avoid.

Match 3: Soberano Jr., Star Jr., Stigma vs Okumura, Skándalo, Virus
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

1. rudos
   • Okumura hanging DDT Star JR. (5:08)
   • Skandalo butt dropkick Soberano (5:53)
2. técnicos
   • Star Jr. moonsault Skandalo (2:52)
   • Stigma Stigmatica Okumura (3:21)
3. técnicos
   • Soberano seated armbar Virus (5:31)

Winner: técnicos (2/3)
Match Time: 14:45

Review: [ok] so, if Soberano beating Virus was a thing you could do, why not do it yesterday when it would’ve meant a lot more than today? Because CMLL doesn’t make sense. This dragged for about a fall and a half (with much more Stigma/Skandalo than in Puebla too) but really picked up the energy with the comeback. Star Jr.’s closing moonsault came out of nowhere and looked great. It wasn’t enough to make the whole match worth watching for me, but the closing bit was nice.

Match 4: Pegasso vs Disturbio in a lightning match
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

Winner: Pegasso (cradle)
Match Time: 6:14
Notes: Disturbio gives Pegasso a present to distract him, and then punches him to start the match.

Review: [ok] Disturbio is kind of a little better in lightning matches; he’s more charismatic and a little more aggressive. You get a little more random stuff like the present to Pegasso. Pegasso gave him a lot of the match and Disturbio kicked out of two his normal finishes (the headscissors inside cradle and a huracanrana), which doesn’t mean anything unless you’re really into Pegasso matches but was a nice touch to build to the surprise win. Pegaso had out something to win because his usual stuff wasn’t working. This needed a little more but wasn’t far off from being good.

Match 5: Ángel de Oro, Johnny Idol, Rey Cometa vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Vangellys
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

1. TGR
   • Vangellys senton Johnny Idol (6:03)
   • Rey Bucanero seated abdominal stretch Angel de Oro (6:29)
2. técnicos
   • Rey Cometa huracanrana Terrible (1:55)
3. TGR
   • Vangellys northern lights suplex Johnny Idol (5:03)
   • Terrible powerbomb Rey Cometa (5:10)

Winner: TGT (1/3)
Match Time: 13:34

Review: [ok] TGR matches with Vangellys instead of Shocker are slightly better, if you really measure closely, but no so much to make this worthwhile. It was dumb for me to actually watch about it, there was little chance of the match changing what I felt about the match going in, but I’m obviously a sucker for boring matches at this point. I was kind of wondering if they would bother to follow up on the Angel de Oro/Rey Bucanero stuff from Friday. The answer was “not really, they just did some spots and were together on the finish.” This was the generic brawling build up to a triple dive that seems to happen on most every Tuesday, and not executed all that interesting. Angel de Oro was the best guy on his side, with Idol not looking good and Rey Cometa not involved much.

Match 6: Marco Corleone, Máximo Sexy, Volador Jr. vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
Arena México, 02/14/2017
Video: VideosOficialesCMLL

1. Hijos del Infierno
   • Ephesto tapatia Volador (4:56)
2. Hijos del Infierno
   • Ephesto shoulderbreaker Máximo (5:18)
   • Trapa Ephesto on Volador (5:31)

Winner: Hijos del Infierno
Match Time: 10:27
Notes: There’s a bit in the second fall where the doctor comes to the técnico corner, because he’s concerned Volador is actually hurt. Volador is busy in the ring selling a leg, but it definitely comes off more like selling than an injury. Still, the rudos eventually send him out so the doctor can check on him. He comes back in, with his kneepad around his angle, and still limping around, but limping around enough to start the comeback.

Ephesto challenges for a title match, Volador offers a fall right now, Ephesto starts to walk out, Volador offers a title match. Ephesto struggles responding and is shook by the crowd, then pauses for three people to chant Ephesto. And then he just attacks Volador.

Review: [ok] this is the right away to set up a guy for a title shot but very much not the right guy to do it with. Máximo does nothing in this match. Volador was the one doing the injury bit, but Máximo was the one exerting little energy. His biggest contribution to the match was being the victim of Ephesto’s blown finish. I noticed Luciferno even less, didn’t notice he had changed his mask until the match was over.