Day: January 5, 2018

Ángel Oriental, Aramis, Atomic Star, Black Dragón, Demonio Infernal, Dinamic Black, Power Bull, Skanda vs Aero Boy (Arena 23 De Junio), Centella Salazar, Danny Barrio, Homerito, Payachucho, Richy Beda, Último Conde, Xcorpio [Torneo FILL]
(IWRG FILL @ Arena Naucalpan on 08/23, 29:47, good, iwrgtv)

Review:

This was another fun cibernetico, though just short of great for me. It plays out differently than the previous version, with Aramis being a bit player instead of the big winner. (The crowd explodes when Black Dragon comes thru at the end, and I’m still confused by him losing the mask match.) Danny Barrio & Payachucho feel like they get bigger runs in this match, a lot against Dinamic Black. Dinamic is not a big deal but he absolutely towers over those dudes. They’re still very entertaining and a fun team I’d like to see more of. There’s no one feeling like a weaklink this time – even Fake Aeroboy is better this time – but maybe not the intensity of last matches’ brawl and not a strong feeling finish. You do get something different out of watching them both, and I wish they could combine the best parts into one best match.

Bombero Infernal vs Eterno, hair vs hair
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/03, 27:52, great, +LuchaTV)

Review: This was a wild feeling brawl. The brawl itself was crazy at times – the weird faceoff between Eterno and a fan was strange – but it also felt like the técnico/rudo sides switched multiple times during the match. Or that it wasn’t even that structure. It was a bit like the teacher giving his student one final test. It was also a lot like the crime boss’ underling trying to make a play to knock off his leader, getting caught and beaten unmercifully, gutting thru the pain and getting in the lucky/smart shot at the end. Eterno got stretched apart for an unusually long time for a third fall of a big match – maybe too long without getting comebacks, but the crowd still wanted to see him fight his way back to win. The veteran Bombero naturally should come off as the hero of this story, but it was Eterno who just kept surviving hold after hold to keep going. IWRG does blood better than AAA and is at it’s best when it can get emotion out of long term regulars in big matches, and this was both of those things. This feels like the best IWRG match of the year and could see people enjoying it even more than I did.

Villano III Jr. vs Imposible
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/03, 10:02, good, via +LuchaTV)

Review: Villano III Jr. has been more fun than expected in AAA, and Impossible is always good, so this made the list to see what a competitive match between the two would look like. This is not really that; this is barely a competitive match. Imposible squashes V3 for the first two thirds of the match. I was surprised when the crowd was still into it when V3 finally got in something (even then, they were mostly behind Impossible.) There’s enough going on here that this is watchable, but they probably have a much more complete match in them if they ever got a chance.

Pantera I © vs Aramis for the IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/17, 12:56, good, via IWRG tv)

Review: Aramis continues to look pretty good, if he still has a rough moment here or there. The first fall is a really good exhibition for what he can do. It slows down a bit from there until Aramis kills himself with a dive, and feels like it ends a bit too easily for a Pantera win, but he pulls off a lot of sharp looking spots here. Pantera works with him well, and the stuff that gets messy in the first fall never completely derails. Aramis comes off as a guy who’s close but not quite there, and might get there in 2018.

Emperador Azteca © vs Hijo del Pantera for the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/17, 10:45, good, IWRG tv)

Review: This match picked up in the last few minutes, but felt like it was missing something in the middle. They were selling exhaustion and desperation big moves sooner than I was expecting, and it hurt the pace of the match. Not having lights was a distraction, just for me, but they also didn’t seem completely sharp. I’m still searching for that match where it comes together totally for either of these guys in a big match. This was good, but if that match.

Eterno, Trauma I, Trauma II vs Arez, Centvrión, Séptimo Rayo
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 10/11, 25:01, great, IWRG tv)

Review: This match wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The young-ish guys spent two falls working like old lucha libre maestros, for a match built around exchange holds instead of big high spots and dives. The latter ones do come in to the third fall, but the exchanges before it are really interesting. Both the Centvrion/Trauma II and Arez/Eterno long back and forth include creative submissions; this didn’t feel like the rote usual holds, but some unique stuff done to impress. It did impress. Trauma I/Septimo Rayo wasn’t the same level, which made it more interesting that it led to a pinfall. The third fall got wrapped up a little easy compared to what happened before, and I felt like they could’ve gone even father if they wanted, but this is still a match worth going out of your way to watch.

Here’s a free idea I haven’t been able to shake for months. I’m never going to promote a lucha libre show but if I did, my idea right now would be to steal the concept of CHIKARA’s Johnny Kidd Invitational, a techinically tournament, just with Mexican luchadors. Every (old) media person says that’s the style of wrestling they would like to see and, while I’m not convinced fans would feel the same, it would make really easy to get attention for your show if you can sell it right. Anything that makes your show different and special compared to the million other indie shows is a big help. I’d lean heavily towards guys like in this match rather than loading it up all with Solar/Navarro types, because you can more easily make a memorable performance with someone surprising with their technically ability than the guys who always do that style. (You probably need one ‘Solar’, but you also need to have seven clean finishes, no draws, and that’s tough to do with a Solar.) They showed they could do it if they’re put in a position to do it here, they just need the right context.