CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2017-12-29 

Recapped: 12/29/2017

Matches:

Universo 2000 Jr. & Metálico beat Magia Blanca & Robin
(11:08 [5:08, 3:27, 2:33], 1/3, below average, YouTube)

Puma, Sagrado, Tiger beat Blue Panther Jr., Star Jr., The Panther  
(11:36 [3:21, 3:14, 5:01], 1/3, good, YouTube)

Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón beat Ángel de Oro, Rey Cometa, Titán  
(16:08 [5:22, 3:27, 7:19], 1/3, good, YouTube)

Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas beat  Johnny Idol, Okumura, Sam Adonis
(7:59 [4:25, 3:34], 1 DQ/2 DQ, ok, YouTube)

Gran Guerrero, Shocker, Último Guerrero beat Marco Corleone, Niebla Roja, Valiente
(11:34 [5:25, 2:06, 4:03], 1/3, ok, YouTube)

Volador Jr. © beat Carístico for the NWA World Welterweight Championship
(19:21, good, YouTube)

1. Carístico headscissors small package (2:26)
2. Volador backcracker (0:47)
3. Volador Canadian Destroyer (16:08)

Gif: 5528/5846/6511

What happened: 

Flyer & Titan were the seconds in the title match. That proved pivotal, with Flyer distracting Tirantes as Carístico applied La Mistica for the certain win. (Flyer was probably a sub for Mistico.) Carístico let go, and was soon hit with a Canadian Destroyer for the win.

The post match was a race to see who could take control of the narrative. Volador tried to brag about beating Carístico, but Carístico hurried in to put the belt on Volador to prove he’s a bigger man and also didn’t care all that much about losing. It came off both unprofessional and very clear CMLL was not going any farther with the program any time soon.

The rudos stomped on Casas until they were Dqed in the first, then Adonis used the flag to hit and choke Casas for the DQ in the second fall.

Universo 2000 Jr. replaced Arkangel de la Muerte in the opener

Thoughts: 

The main event felt a bit similar to last week, but Volador is so good at playing subtle heel and the crowd was very into Carístico. It still worked. They used Carístico missing the crowd dive instead of missing the one out of the ring, they varied up the highspots a bit and the moves looked cleaner. It was taken down by the first two falls being such a thumb to the eye of the concept of three falls. The first fall was almost nothing before the finish, the second fall was little more. It takes you out of the match when they put so little into it.

The semimain was a very regular match. Shocker wore camouflage, which fit because the better part of the match as where he blended into the background. Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero wrestle all the time and no one cares, so it’s like August all over again.

The crowd is ready for the hair match, and the Casas/Adonis match was just about demonstrating. Casas too; the silent angry he showed watching Adonis walk out was really good, as was his selling of the choke. Casas getting the comeback and the choke was probably too soon, but they sold that match big.

The NGD put on a very strong performance in the tercera. Forastero stuck out the most of me of the trio, with his reactions and his selling as much as smartly catching a pointing Cometa into an armscissors. Titan & Rey Cometa have good timing with these guys and Angel de Oro runs in place amusingly. It does feel like Angel de Oro is doing the stage dive onto a Dinamita every week but they may be going somewhere with him.

The second was a fun action match that was a drastic improvement over the match that preceded it. The Panthers and the felinos have faced each other so many times but they did manage to mix it up this time. Sagrado handled Star Jr’s slip better than anyone did in the opener. The more power spots Panther does, the better of he is as a way to separate himself from everyone else.

The opener’s first fall was so nothing that I quickly shifted to figuring out what else was going on. This was a good call, because this match ended in a disaster. Robin had a really great idea for an exciting springboard headscissors, it’s too bad he’s not capable of doing it at this point, at least not with Metalico. The ramp run went ever worse. Keep reaching for the stars.