CMLL Sabado Retro: 2018-04-08 

Recapped: 04/15/2018

Matches:

Magnus & Robin beat Akuma & Príncipe Odín Jr.
(9:39 [3:47, 2:53, 2:59], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Amapola, La Seductora, Zeuxis beat Dalys, Estrellita, Marcela 
(10:02 [4:53, 2:26, 2:43], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa beat Puma, Tiger, Virus
(16:14 [7:06, 2:57, 6:11], 2/3, great, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja beat Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible
(11:16 [5:58, 5:18], 1/2 DQ, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Máscara Año 2000 & Negro Casas beat Solar I & Súper Astro  
(12:26 [5:32, 2:54, 4:00], 1/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Atlantis & Blue Panther beat Fuerza Guerrera & Satánico
(18:42 [6:46, 4:29, 7:27], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

What happened:

This is the 75^th Anniversary celebration for Arena Coliseo. CMLL brought back some legends and uploaded it on one day delay to YouTube. At least for this show, they brought back the old “CMLL” letter sign boards from the 00s Arena Mexico set up and put them above the Coliseo entrance. The building seems like it’s darker in the past, when they usually had a lot less people.

Prior to semimain, El Fantasma appeared to the ring as part of the celebration, and to approve of Super Astro, Mascara Año 2000 and Blue Panther to use their masks on this show. They did make them unmask after the match. Blue Panther does not understand this before his match, and unmasks before it starts. Everyone is baffled. Satacnio does not wear his mask.

Rey Bucanero fouled Angel de Oro for no real reason in the second fall.

The women’s match Estrellita’s return after being off for school for a lot of months. Dalys, filling in, wears a ruda shirt and hugs the rudas before the match. I had planned on watching the entire show but there didn’t seem to be a point in watching this match at that point. Neither Dalys nor the rudas are interesting in fighting each other, and she turns on them in the third fall to get the DQ.

Thoughts:

The main event was the more cohrenet of the two legends matches. Everyone still looked very old. Blue Panther & Satanico messed up a sequence right before the end that left them both baffled. Atlantis had trouble getting Fuerza Guerrera up for La Atlantida, and Fuerza is not a big man. They would’ve been better cutting down the time, and coming to an end after the técnicos got in the third fall offense instead of going for more. Satanico and Fuerza still have the presence of stars, and Fuerza was all in on trying to create a mask feud with Atlantis to perhaps get him that mythical payday yet. Blue Panther looked more active here than in the singles match with Hechicero (that I happened to watch this same day) and maybe the best of all four wrestlers. Still, when even the Good legends aren’t having Good matches any more, I’m really dreading these legends shows.

I didn’t grasp what a weird combination of people were in the semimain. They really needed a big guy to brawl with Mascara 2000 or a technical guy to feud with Solar. The problem is everyone is getting old and there’s not enough people left to make sensible matches Negro Navarro would probably be in this match, but may not be back at this point. We were somehow spared a Rayo de Jalisco Jr. appearance, and mayeb that means he’s never going to be back, at least in a match. The effect is this was a different match than usual, not the Navarro/Solar match work draw we’ve seen before, which didn’t really bring out the best of anyone. Super Astro looked fine but really din’t get to do much. Solar & Mascara brawled a lot for lack fo anything else to do, and Mascara really needs to stop trying the step over submission he can’t lock on any more. This wasn’t terrible but it was awkward and the money being thrown in was generous.

The story of the fourth match, as I was best able to determine is Shocker is still doing the Guapo gimmick and Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja think this is hilarious. Also, there were slaps to the face. Action was good when mostly revolving around the slaps to the face but never got much better than OK. I wasn’t sure what Shocker was oding half the match, and especially when he got in the way of the monkey flips. Rey Bucanero has become one of the worst guys at catching dives this year and I’m not sure why. I keep seeing him move backwards when he shouldn’t be. I’m not sure why two matches on this Anniversary show had to be total wastes but it is CMLL.

The tercera match stood as among the best that pool of guys will have. The stuff down regularly, like Tiger’s new headscissors counter into a powerbomb or Maya’s armdrags, came off sharp. Audaz looked the best he has on the mat with Virus, coming off as competitive against a guy who usually looks dominant against rookies. Cometa brings more reactions and selling than we usually get when they’re speeding thru these matches. It all added up nicely into something that felt like the best of a this microstyle. I kind of find myself wanting one real near fall to consider these matches great, which is a weird arbitrary rule to separate exhibitions from fights people are trying to win. This really didn’t have one of those, but that’s not what they were going for. They did what they were going for.

The opener was a basic match, only slightly more action than the usual opener. Doing the rudo dives right after the técnicos dives was a ‘surprise’ which didn’t feel like it worked. Robin was wearing the full Brazo outfit for the occasion and was looking in very Brazo shape.