CMLL on Marca: 2019-05-17

Recapped: 05/18/2019

This is definitely something I thought I posted weeks ago.

Matches:

Akuma & Espanto Jr. beat Magia Blanca & Star Jr.
(11:33 [4:40, 3:29, 3:24], 2/3, ok, 00:00:59)

Kaho Kobayashi, Marcela, Sanely beat Amapola, Metálica, Tiffany
(13:09 [5:34, 3:04, 4:31], 1/3, ok, 00:19:24)

Felino, Hechicero, Tiger beat Esfinge, Rey Cometa, Tritón
(13:50 [5:08, 4:31, 4:11], 1/3, ok, 00:43:25)

Negro Casas beat Soberano Jr. in a lightning match
(8:43, casita, good, 01:08:06)

Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero beat Ephesto, Máscara Año 2000, Mephisto
(8:52 [2:35, 2:40, 3:37], 2/3 DQ, below average, 01:22:37)

Cavernario, Cuatrero, Sansón beat Carístico, Místico, Valiente
(6:33 [1:54, 4:39], 1/2, below average, 01:42:58)

What happened:

Cavernario cheated to beat Místico in the main event, setting up a singles match next week

Sansón & Cuatrero ran in to attack Último Guerrero when Mascara 2000 was in danger of being put in the Pulpo Guerrero.

Tiger beat both Triton and Esfinge to win, though that seemed partly because Hechicero got himself eliminated after suffering thru an injury. He wasn’t shown again.

Kaho hyped the hair match after her trios match.

Thoughts:

The main was totally disappointing, a sub 7-minute match with not the action to make up for the time. The técnico offense was nearly limited to the same Místico led dive run that happens in every match with him. They could’ve done a lot more and still gotten to the same ending and they instead ended with one of the quickest shows in recent memory. This wasn’t acceptable as a main event.

The semi-main was surprisingly not over for a feud scheduled to headline the next major CMLL show in two weeks. The crowd was way into the previous match but this didn’t do a thing for them. It didn’t do much for me either, with the Guerreros not doing any of their flying and the Hijos del Infienro not doing anything in particular. Mascara & UG have a wild brawling spot and not much more, and that wasn’t close to enough here.

Negro Casas did a lot more in the lightning match than normal and survived it better than Soberano. The Canadian Destroyer wasn’t needed, didn’t look good, and didn’t get the reaction the casita did, but everything else went well. The dive catch post spot looked brutal, as did the powerbomb Soberano almost lost him out, but that part enhanced the match. I wouldn’t have tried the fosberry flop dive on Negro Casas but Soberano trusted him and it worked out, like most of the match.

First two falls of the tercera were pretty hot. Not as much in the third fall to keep it that level. Maybe it was derailed a bit by Hechicero’s injury, though Tiger beating two técnicos made for a different ending than usual. Cometa was the best técnico easily.

The women’s match went a while, built towards big spots at the end and had a quick happy ending. No surprise the crowd liked it. It felt too similar to everything else I’m using to seeing from them for it really to stand out for me, but the effort was still strong. Kaho is likeable enough for the Mexico crowd not to just to root for the (evil) Mexican, which is pretty hard to do.

Magia Blanca was generally better working with Akuma this week than when he was with Espanto last week but still made some hysterically bad looking moves. The Silver King headscissors spot was a good try gone wrong. The first fall springboard headscissors was never going to work unless gravity was suddenly disabled. Everyone else was fine, Espanto wasn’t as horrendous as last week. It wasn’t boring.