Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-07-08 

Recapped: 07/14/2016

What happened: Extreme Tiger (over Rey Escorpion) and La Mascara (over Xtreme Tiger) won 3 points. Women had matches.

What was good: I liked Tiger/Escorpion and the CMLL vs Elite women’s match.

Where can I watch it: It’s on my channel and Azteca’s channel

Match 1: Xtreme Tiger vs Rey Escorpión in a Liga Elite match
Arena México, 07/07/2016
Video: thecubsfan

Winner: Extreme Tiger (top rope wheelbarrow faceslam)
Match Time: 8:30
Notes: Edgar wears a CMLL shirt in the opener. They don’t blur it out, but he’s in an Elite shirt the next time we see it. Escorpión kicks out of the finish three times. Escorpión is filling in for Negro Casas in this match; the announcers say it is Negro who can win the three points if Escorpión wins, but the standings screen show Escorpión taking over the spot entirely.

Review: [good] A match built around a lot of big spots, but not a lot in between them. Match was about setting up those spots, and needed a crowd more into to make it work, but at least those big spots were cool. Rey Escorpión kicking out of the finish blatantly came off as really unprofessional and hurt the match for me. (Though, if it was any other ref than Edgar, I’d assume it was a botch.)

Match 2: Carístico & Michael Elgin vs Kushida & Tama Tonga in a relevos increíbles match
Arena México, 07/07/2016
Video: thecubsfan

1. Kushida & Tama Tonga
   • Kushida hoverboard lock Carístico (2:55)
   • Tama Tonga Gun Stun Michael Elgin (3:22)
2. Carístico & Michael Elgin
   • Michael Elgin shoulder powerslam (2:50)
   • Carístico springboard senton con giro Kushida (2:59)
3. Caristico & Michael Elgin
   • DQ Tama Tonga [foul on Elgin] (2:35)

Winner: Caristico & Michael Elgin
Match Time: 8:56
Notes: Kushida & Carístico do a faceoff with their belts before the match. Kushida & Tama had issues over tactics. Caristicio is in pain as soon as he lands his finish, covering but unable to stand and holding his inner leg. He waves off the stretcher at first, but the pain seems to be getting worse the longer he’s laying there. He’s stretchered out. The match continues as 2 on 1 (or a lot of 1 on 1 with the third guy out like triangle match.) Tama fouls Elgin as he has Kushida up for a powerbomb, then fouls Kushida when he argues about it. Elgin fouls Tama to complete the comedy

Review: [ok] disappointing because of the injury, though it wasn’t going too hot in the second fall before it. Match actually held together relatively well with Mike against two people, but it killed wherever they were going and the finish was just a way out of it. Seemed significant that Carístico hadn’t tried for La Mistica yet; maybe he wouldn’t have gotten it, but they probably would have at least played off it. As it, this wasn’t bad for the work but inconsequential given the injury.

Match 3: Cibernético vs La Máscara in a Liga Elite match
Arena México, 07/07/2016
Video: thecubsfan

Winner: La Mascara (Cibernetico DQ)
Match Time: 4:20
Notes: The opening moments of this match are places in a small box as we watch Carístico being stretchered out instead. It’s not a bad choice. Karonte Jr. is in the ambulance with him. Cibernético shoved Mascara into the ref, unmasked him, fouled him, and covered him but Edgar noticed and called the DQ.

Review: [below average] Short match with bad finish. Cibernético worked harder, but then also he took just about all the offense too, leaving Mascara looking bad. Prior to that, he nearly killed La Mascara with something that might have been a side slam but who knows. Cibernetico’s contributions to this tournament have been low since the opener, and Mascara wasn’t the guy to change that.

Match 4: Ángel de Oro, Golden Magic, Máscara Dorada vs El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Karonte Jr.
Arena México, 07/07/2016
Video: thecubsfan

1. Medics
   • Karonte Jr. springboard moonsault Angel de Oro (2:00)
   • Hijo del Medico Asesino Falcon Arrow Golden Magic (2:06)
2. Team Gold
   • Golden Magic 450 splash Karnote JR. (2:49)
   • Angel de Oro Skayde Special Medico Asesino (2:56)
3. Team Gold
   • Mascara Dorada Dorada Driver Dr. Wagner (0:46)

Winner: Team Gold (2/3)
Match Time: 5:48
Notes: Match is edited, with falls being joined in progress.

Review: [ok] it turned into a decent highlight reel for the técnicos, but it was mostly edited into not being much. The third fall is simply a triple dive, replays of the dives, and Dorada’s finish. Given they were editing, it made no sense to leave in the obvious errors by Medico (couldn’t catch a Magic plancha) and Karonte (slipped on the careta) in; the last one would’ve been so easy to remove. Not enough care for this stuff, I guess. Neither Karonte nor Medico looked good, though Medico was clearly working thru a knee injury. Wagner might be getting better, or he might have just been helped by the comparison.

The remaining matches are from an all women’s match special which followed the original airing (but was treated as a separate show.) Shocker does not do commentary for these matches, which are pulled from recent weeks and edited.

Match 5: La Jarochita & Lluvia vs Keira & Muñeca De Plata
Arena México, 07/07/2016
Video: thecubsfan

1. Keira & Muneca
   • Keira Devil’s Wings Lluvia (5:14)
   • Munchea de Plata Schwien La Jarcohita (5:22)
2. Jarochita & Lluvia
   • Lluvia running dropkick to the face Muneca (2:55)
   • La Jarochita running boot to the face Keira (3:15)
3. Keira & Muneca
   • Muneca de Plata squash Lluvia (2:19)
   • Keira Furia Roja La Jarochita (2:19)

Winner: Keira & Muneca
Match Time: 10:56

Review: [ok] better than average women’s match on CMLL shows, but lacking in personality. They didn’t even really have a técnica/ruda sides picked out, it was more Japanese with these four people just happening to fight each other today. Keira in Elite isn’t as interesting as Keira elsewhere, but the one clothesline exchange with Jarochita near the end was well done. Muneca did almost no comedy, which was a bit unexpected given how it’s almost all her sister does.

Match 6: Estrellita & Marcela vs Keira & Lady Maravilla
Arena México, 06/09/2016
Video: thecubsfan

1. Keira & Lady Maravilla
   • Keria German suplex Marcela (6:29)
   • Lady Maravilla northern lights suplex Estrellita (6:33)
2. Marcela & Estrellita
   • DQ Keira [shove to referee Babe Richard Jr.] (3:56)
3. Marcela & Estrellita
   • Marcela double stomp Lady Maravilla (3:43)
   • Estrellita Star Gate Keira (3:43)

Winner: Marcela & Esterllita
Match Time: 14:12

Review: [good] slight better than the last match, helped by at least having the idea of story (even if it might just be one invented in my head) of Estrellita & Marcela versus their younger, darker versions. Keira looked better here and better than her partner – watch her kick hanging Estrellita hard in the corner and Maravilla do the same with light tap kicks – but Maravilla’s the one who actually seems more ready to take over her opposite’s role. Lady Maravilla would be a better Estrellita on day 1 if CMLL gave her that spot and push, and her northern lights suplex here looked superb. Marcela deciding she’d just destroy Keir’s back was fun. The indie woman needed more offense if they were going to have to carry such a long middle chunk of the match.

Match 7: Dalys © vs La Jarochita for the CMLL World Women’s Championship
Arena México, 05/21/2016
Video: thecubsfan

1. Dalys sit down powerbomb (0:28)
2. La Jarochita moonsault (1:07)
3. Dalys casita (3:10)

Winner: Dalys (1/3)
Match Time: 4:45
Notes: This is the most obviously edited match of the bunch, though the announcers pretend it’s just a fast moving match and not highlights. Dalys is defending the CMLL championship and the belt is shown, but the word CMLL is apparently prohibited from saying.

Review: [not rated] Doesn’t make any sense to rate it as a match, it really is just a highlight reel. They did pack in a lot of highlights, with Jarochita getting in a few moves but mostly selling big for Dalys’ offense. This is a good showcase for her, with Dalys getting more annoyed and aggressive as the match goes on, but there’s not enough here to even follow most of the action.