2017 watch later catch up, part 6 of ∞

Lady Maravilla vs Keyra vs Diosa Atenea [for the AULL Women’s Championship
(AULL @ Arena Lopez Mateos, 06/03/2017, 8:36, good, via +LuchaTV)

I picked this one out after really liking the Lady Maravilla/Keyra ending of The Crash match. This is like that. It’s literally like that, with them repeating a bunch of the same sequences. Diosa Atenea is first out and doesn’t seem on their on the level at all. Early on, she forgets she’s supposed to stay on Maravilla so Maravilla can bridge out, so she goes back to cover her and the whole thing looks silly. Atenea might have had a better showing if she wasn’t eliminated early by what seemed like a bad referee count. Maravilla and Keyra are absurdly hard hitting, much harder than Maravilla goes in CMLL matches. It’s almost too much at times, and it was nothing like any other women are doing in Mexico.

Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto © vs Negro Casas, Puma, Tiger for the Mexican National Trios Championship
(CMLL @ Arena México, 06/04/2017, 16:17, good, via Pumaking Casa)

This was the long delayed title shot that was pawned off on a Sunday show. (Mostly so we’d stop bringing it up, I still presume.) It’s weird watching a match without hearing the mat. The Casas family haven’t played técnicos much of late and feel awkward doing it here. They’re also not quite in form as a team, with Tiger and Negro Casas almost landing on each other in an early spot. Crowd doesn’t seem to know what to make of it early, but they got behind Casas and the match by the third fall. The dives were the turning point in the intensity but it still felt like it missed something to be a big match; maybe just watching it so far out of context is the problem. Still a good effort. Puma and Tiger refusing to shake hands with the Hijos and trying to stop Negro Casas was an odd deal that doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere.

Trauma I & Trauma II vs Oficial AK47 & Oficial Fierro for in a Number One Contenders for the IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan, 06/04/2017, 10:11, ok, via IWRG tv)

The Oficials aren’t around IWRG much this year – AK-47’s Gym Zeus shirt is a clue – but I still wanted to get a match with them. It was alright. The brawling was good, but not enough of it or strong enough to make this super memorial. Trauma II either always had bad clothesline and I didn’t notice until now, or had some bad ones just here. The Oficiales look like they’ve slowed down a bit, or they just didn’t put quite as much into this. The finish is usual screwy IWRG stuff. This is not bad but, even as they stomp the Traumas like big time rudos at the end, it kind of feels like an act from the past.

IWRG (Alas de Acero, Aramis, Black Dragón, Demonio Infernal, Diablo Jr., Dinamic Black, Eterno, Golden Magic) vs Indy Nation (Fly Star, Fly Warrior, Fulgor I, Fulgor II, Glenn Calavera, Jerry Calavera, Mr. Leo, Séptimo Rayo) in a Copa Higher Power
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan, 08/09/2017, 26:04, great, via IWRG tv,)

A fun cibernetico, feeling a little more polished than usual IWRG ciberneticos. The Indy Nation guys are still crazy people by normal wrestlers standards, but more polished and experienced than the usual outside team. There’s some bumps here and there but it’s still reliably exciting with a few super moves. The Calaveras come off really well as a team who’s got these characters down and fit together. Diablo Jr. looked good in his sequences, and Fulgor II stood out positively too. I wish Mr. Leo hung around longer, and the machine gun speed eliminations are always a little disappointing. The big near finish was amazing. Not the coach Centvrion throwing a chair at Black Dragon’s head, I’ve seen that, but Fly Warrior lost his mask while Dragon reversed a powerbomb into a huracanrana. Dragon nicely smacked the mask towards Fly Warrior while he was selling, which was nice of him. The actual finish was the usual Naucalpan overbooking, but at least explained why Black Dragon was the last guy over so many other people.

Emperador Azteca © vs Arez for the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan, 08/09/2017, 13:22, good, via iwrgtv)

A really strong one man show by Arez, who looks great most of this match. Emperador Azteca is as vanilla as ever, with his main contribution to this match being a willingness to take a lot of punishment before the finish. This match is handicapped a couple ways: the mat is wet from Indy Nation’s beer celebration in the last match which might have caused Arez’ to come woefully short on a tope, and the second fall spends a lot of time on the seconds which slows down the match without setting up anything in particular. Still, Arez looks really sharp when he’s running the match, and handles Azteca’s mask coming loose really well. It felt like the better man lost.

Black Dragón vs Gallo Frances, mask vs mask
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan, 08/13/2017, 16:50, good, via IWRG tv)

This has a big match feel, and has a crowd really passionate about Black Dragon winning and keeping his mask. It has a really ordinary feeling mask match inside of it. It could just be what I’m looking for – I want moves and dives and wild action, and this is more a brawl with a standard bit of wrestling between. I like a fast pace, and this is more leisurely trips to the freezer. They both go the Naucalpan freezer, because it’s that kind of match, but neither grabs a beer bottle, because it’s not actually that kind of match. This is an IWRG mask match you can feel safe to bring your kids to, though not one that will resonate as seriously. Neither plays to the crowd a lot, which doesn’t hurt the crowd’s enthusiasm at more. This seems like one that would’ve been more fun to attend live.