CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-04-08 

What happened: Marco fouled Rush and challenged him to a hair match. Rush said no. La Mascara defeated Angel de Oro to win the CMLL Light Heavyweight title, with some help from Rush. Mascara & Dragon Lee had issues after the match.

What was good: Pretty much everything. The third and fifth matches were the best matches of the night.

Where can I watch it: The main event is on Claro’s website. The show will be on my YouTube channel Tuesday.

Match 1: Magnus & Robin vs Akuma & Espíritu Negro
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. técnicos
   • Magnus senton con giro Espíritu Negro (4:51)
   • Robin senton con giro Akuma (4:51)
2. rudos
   • Espíritu Negro senton con giro Magnus (3:24)
   • Akuma Canadian Destroyer Robin (3:45)
3. técnicos
   • Robin sit down powerbomb Espíritu Negro (2:38)
   • COR Akuma & Magnus (3:00)

Winner: técnicos (2-1)
Match Time: 11:36

Review: [good] Nothing world breaking stuff but a well done opener with a few highlight spots and some unexpected good chemistry. Akuma is crazy enough to take Magnus’ Spanish Fly from the apron, and that’s going to make this match stick out always. Robin and Espíritu Negro have one sequence they do really well, and that alone is one more than these matches usually have. Akuma really should’ve joined in on the senton con giro parade.

Match 2: Lluvia, Marcela, Skadi vs Dalys, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. tecnicas
   • Lluvia corner dropkick Isis (7:07)
   • Marcela titled cloverleaf Dalys (7:11)
2. rudas
   • Reina Isis inverted STF Marcela (3:53)
3. rudas
   • Dalys Code Red Skadi (3:33)
   • Zeuxis La Roca Lluvia (3:5)

Winner: rudas (2-1)
Match Time: 14:54

Review: [good] Better than usual woman’s match. Zeuxis being back is a big upgrade over whoever would be in her spot, but everyone seemed to be working hard. Skadi worked well with Zeuxis, which seems like the first time Skadi worked well with anyone and may mean Zeuxis is the best women’s wrestler alive. (Skadi struggling to make it all the way on a spear to the apron was more usual.) Dalys and Marcela dropkicked each other like they do, Lluvia joined the parade of the corner attacks, and Isis legdropped with the correct leg. I don’t ask much. Match slowed down in the second fall, but there were lots of nice teamwork spots in the third fall – it seems like the first time they’ve done a mother/daughter backbreakers stereo spots – and they even made Skadi being slow as the cause to the rudas losing.

Match 3: Cavernario, Felino, Mr. Niebla vs Rey Cometa, Stuka Jr., Titán
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. Peste Negra
   • Cavernario pump splash Rey Cometa (5:40)
   • Felino inverted figure four Stuka Jr. (6:04)
2. técnicos
   • Stuka torpedo splash Mr. Niebla (3:04)
3. Peste Negra
   • Mr. Niebla top rope splash Stuka Jr. (6:33)
   • Felino superbomb Titan (6:53)

Winner: Peste Negra (2-1)
Match Time: 16:01
Review: [good] Fast paced fun match with solid action the whole way. Plus, some really nice highlights – the triple moonsault from the corner, Cavernario’s dropkick against Titan, the Brillo Cometa, and Rey Cometa being destroyed at the end. Cavernario is really great against the técnicos, it’s just dependent on if the rest of the rudos are felling it, and Felino & Niebla were actively helping in this match. We’re over due for some of these guys having a real singles match, but this is a nice replacement.

Match 4: Ángel de Oro © vs La Máscara for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. La Mascara double knee smash (3:40)
2. Angel de Oro campana (2:34)
3. La Mascara double knee smash (13:20)

Winner: La Mascara, 15^th champion
Match Time: 19:34
Notes: Dragon Lee and Rush are seconds. Rush attacked Angel de Oro during the match, which frustrated Dragon Lee. Angel de Oro got a visual submission on La Mascara in the third fall, but Rush distracted Tirantes. Angel de Oro went to stop that, and La Mascara attacked him from behind to set him up own victory. Dragon Lee protested after the match, La Mascara kicked him, and Rush got in between Mascara and Dragon Lee. Lee wants that match with Mascara though.

Review: [good] still good, but probably the weakest match of the show and the post match tease was more interesting than the match. Angel de Oro is what the Arena Mexico fans seem to think Mascara Dorada is – a guy who can do a few high spots but doesn’t connect with the crowd (and doesn’t seem to try at that), and even an improved La Masara doesn’t have enough personality to make this work. Crowd did not buy Angel de Oro as a big deal, which isn’t a surprise but hurt this match. This also felt like the CMLL formula of the recent past, with them working the usual tope to cavernaria style match. Crowd was cold on this for a long time, but they eventually did enough near falls to bring people in. Still, one kick from La Mascara to Dragon Lee (and Rush stopping more from happening) was more exciting than most of this match.

Match 5: Dragón Lee, Máscara Dorada, Mistico vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. Guerreros
   • Guerreros triple submission técnico (3:51)
2. tecnicos
   • La Mistica on Ultimo Guerrero (1:37)
3. Guerreros
   • Gran Guerrero Toro Slam Mascara Dorada (6:02)
   • Euforia Niravanalock (?) Dragon Lee (6:04)

Winner: Guerreros (2-1)
Match Time: 11:32

Review: [good] This was setup to be a big highspot match, which seemed like it might be tough to pull off after the third match also turned into one. Mascara Dorada, Dragon Lee and Mistico pulled it off, with the double tope spot at the end of the second fall looking crazy and the triple dive sequence looking equally good. They could’ve ended the match there, but kept going for some more near falls. The finish doesn’t seem to make any sense with the Guerreros having no real role right now, but I guess the técnicos don’t have much of one either. Still, fun match.

Match 6: Rush vs Marco Corleone
Arena México, 04/08/2016

1. Rush corner dropkick (2:20)
2. DQ Marco Corleone [foul on Rush] (5:03)

Winner: Rush (2-0)
Match Time: 7:23
Notes: Rush tried to foul Marco, Marco blocked it and fouled him, then attacked referee Edgar. Marco challenged Rush to a hair match, Rush said no, and Marco attacked him again.

Review: [good] completely different from the other matches, a brawl and sometimes a very intense one. Marco being fired up to kill Rush and Rush not taking him as seriously as he probably should’ve worked for their personalities and where they came in, and played into the finish. They put enough into this that doing the hair match soon seems actually plausible (and there’s enough they didn’t do here that it would be a much different match.) This worked as a match and something that progressed their story.