CMLL Line - never aired in the US - 01/24 Televisa tape (#124)
Typed: 10/31/04
Tape via WrestleHolics Video. This is the Return to Arena Mexico show that never aired for whatever reason. It's actual more notable for reasons they kinda give away in the open.
Welcome to the Show: Ultimo Guerrero, giving his thesis of wrestling.
Vignette: Dr. Wagner invites Universo and Black Tiger into his office for a board meeting. OF EVIL. This is a lot easier to figure out when I have captions. Issues seem to include Pierroth (Universo wiped the floor with him), Shocker (who shall be dealt with) and el Volador - everyone lacks at Volador, but Wagner talks him up. Wagner wants to cut the promising young guy off at the knees before he gets too strong. Hahahaha.
Match 1: Dr. Wagner Jr. (c), Universo 2000, Black Tiger vs Atlantis (c), Mr. Niebla, Volador Jr.
Arena Mexico, 01/24/04
Winner: Rudos (2-1)
Match Time: 7:45
Approx Rating: 78
Other Match Notes: Wagner is wearing his half Wagner/half Panther mask, and one of the CMLL Trios titles. Universo 2000 is wearing orange and one of the CMLL Trios titles. Black Tiger is wearing one CMLL the trios titles - that means they know where all three are! They're even announced as trios champions. No prematch attack! As the whistle rings, Atlantis and Wagner stare at each other - while everyone else starts fighting. There's your rudo beatdown.
Atlantis beats looks at Universo beating up Volador and gets kicked down by Wagner, to complete the set. Atlantis still has the taped up shoulder. We've settled down to a normal match, except Wagner is in charge enough to have time to yell and pose. Atlantis whipped, Wagner misses the clothesline and Atlantis lands the plancha, one two no. Wagner up first and dropkicking Atlantis in the knee. Universo and Tiger egg on the crowd while Wagner slowly follows up. Corner whip, reversed, Atlantis rushes into a back elbow, Wagner sits on the top rope and poses, Atlantis gives him a second rope handstand 'rana, then goes up to the second rope for a dropkick, but Wagner avoids that and lands a dropkick to the head. Kneeling pose! Crowd shot, and we've moved ahead to Volador using an up and over headscissors to take both himself and Tiger over the top rope and to the floor. Volador quick to the apron, ASAI MOONSAULT. Universo and Atlantis get into a slap fight, with Atlantis being backed far enough into the corner for Wagner to help from outside. Double team stomp/pose down. Atlantis is corner whipped, Universo charges (and stops) into a Niebla missile dropkick. Wagner with a dropkick to Niebla, off the ropes, into the Atlántida, that'll do it. (2:14) Niebla complete blows a springboard reverse tope for hilarity sake and gets a pin that doesn't seem to matter, but whatever. Universo should've kicked out on general principle. Replay of the Asia Moonsault, and the Atlántida - showing remarkable sense, they stop the replay right as Niebla is going for the reverse tope. OH NO THEY SHOW IT ANYWAY. From the overhead cam - Niebla slipped on the ropes, got no bounce, and just caromed backwards into Universo. Break to recover dignity.
Tiger and Atlantis are in the ring to start fall two, but then Atlantis kicks the middle rope to try and crotch Wagner as he's leaving the ring, and those two head to the floor. Everyone rushes after them, Tiger forearms Atlantis in the back while he's looking at Wagner, and the rudos end up in control after the scrum. Universo and Volador do stuff in the ring we don't see while the other two tecnico are beat up at ringside. We do get to see Volador taking a big flapjack, and Wagner's dropkick to the head. 619! Volador out, Niebla in. Corner chops. Corner whip, corner clothesline, set up on the top rope for a triple inverse crucifix powerbomb! Double elbow drops, and he's held in a double armbar for a submission. I'm sure if they actually get it, because the camera switches to Atlantis coming in, but I think he did. (1:51) Atlantis runs the ropes a lot and gets backdropped. Powerbomb, held upside down for Wagner's dropkick - the weird angle we saw it from and the crowd's reaction makes me think something weird happened, but I'm not sure. That's it. (2:32) Multiple replays - of Universo sitting on top of Atlantis for the pin. Thanks for that. We don't get another angle of the dropkick, so whatever.
Beatdown goes on. Wagner is going after Atlantis' mask. Universo beats up Volador on the outside. Crowd shot I hope means a clip. Yea, clear past the comeback and on to Universo getting crotched around the ring post by Atlantis and Volador. Niebla adds over the corner slingshot tope on Tiger. Atlantis and Wagner fight into the crowd. They use a crowd shot featuring a guy looking really bored. Some one throws a half filled drink towards the Wagner/Atlantis fight, and security abandons keeping those two from spilling into the crowd to get the person who spilled the drink over a whole section. In the ring, Niebla and Volador are getting the best of Universo, giving him a double tapatia. Wagner and Tiger make it in, observe - and reverse it into a triple tapatia on Volador and Niebla! Atlantis in, and sneaking through the entanglement of arms to cover the rudos while they're on the ground - one two and they let go to escape the pin. Everyone up. Atlantis dropkicks Wagner out, and topes him. Tiger misses a corner dropkick on Niebla and gets slapped, Universo clotheslines Niebla, Volador missile dropkicks Universo. Rudos reverse whips to send the tecnicos into each other, tecnicos revere double teams leading to Volador slingshot splashing both. Boosted 'rana on Universo is reversed into a powerbomb one two three (2:53) Niebla 'rana is rolled thru by Tiger, and Wagner holds Atlantis back from undoing it - one two three. (2:59)
Stellar Moments - Mesala with a top rope splash for Brazo de Oro Jr. Tony Rivera gets monkey flipped into a slingshot tope con giro on Nitro. Volador Asai Moonsaults Averno. Zeta with a great no hands somersault plancha on Super Comando. Neutron lands his ringpost moonsault on Dr. X.
Vignette: Do you want to wrestle in Arena Mexico? Shocker wants YOU! for Guapos 2004.Kiss the muscles. Monito wants to be in the contest - Shocker points he's a little small. Shocker agrees to help him out and carries Monito off. And that's how he ends up with him, I guess.
Match 2: L.A. Park, Shocker (challengers) vs Ultimo
Guerrero and Rey Bucanero (champions) for the CMLL Tag Team Titles
Arena Mexico, 01/24/04
Winner: Tecnicos (2-1) new tag team champions
Match Time: 9:34
Approx Rating: 84
Other Match Notes: We start in the ring for the title presentation. We must've missed some cool entrances. Rey has a cool Infernale ski cap. Extended rules discussion before we start. Rey asks for a handshake from Shocker and gets it without a problem. Park looks for a handshake, and gets knocked down by a big Ultimo chest slap! And we're off.
Park is knocked form the ring, but Shocker protests and checks on his partner before starting this match. Long crowd shot. Park and Rey are in when we return, typical opening match chain moves and at reasonable speed, going to armdrags, and trios for zero before the standoff and the clapping. Park doesn't stand down, going for a couple headlock takedowns only to get blocked. Park breaks, shoves Rey, gets shoved back and gets dropped with something in the neighborhood of a standing enziguri. Wasn't very clean. Tag to Ultimo, who charges right into a drop toe hold off the ropes, dropkick to Ultimo's head. Cover one two no. Ultimo ducks a clothesline, lands a sunset flip, Park rolls thru and knocks Ultimo down with a Shining Wizard. Cover one two no. Park off the ropes, somersault senton to Ultimo's back as he tries to get up. Park tags in Shocker, who goes off the ropes twice before booting Ultimo. Shocker punches Rey as he comes in, and he's pumped up. Big boot for Ultimo again is caught this time, and Ultimo flips him over on to his stomach. Rey comes over to help lift and drops him down for a non-bodyscissors double face first powerbomb. Rey off the ropes, boosted up by Ultimo into a dropkick to Shocker's face. Park in, and unless editing really screwed him, obviously feeds his leg to Ultimo for no clear offensive reason. Ultimo makes Park hop on one leg for a second, then tosses the leg over to Rey for a powerbomb. Rey holds Park down in a toe hold while Ultimo dares Shocker to come back in. Shocker does, kicking Rey to break the submission, but also being caught by Ultimo in a Rock Bottom setup - Rey comes off the ropes to add a clothesline on impact, and Shocker's dropped on Park (Shocker's head hitting Park's back, which probably wasn't the intent.) Champions put on the trademark submissions; Stretch Muffler on Park, STF on Shocker. That'll do it. (2:58) Champions have won the first fall. Look at the wacky Ultimo Guerrero t-shirt. Replay of the submissions.
We go on to fall two without a break. Someone's got a nice Bucanero El Mejor banner in the third row. Champions hold the ring as the fall start, but back up to their corner when the tecnico come in and try to intimidate them. Tecnicos decide Park will start, and Rey for the other - no, Ultimo sneak attacks Park from behind, and we've got a beatdown. Double whip for Park, double drop toe hold, double elbow drop. Double whip, double dropkick. More stuff is going on, but we watching Park leave and then get a long crowd shot. And then we come back to Shocker and Park doing stereo top rope splashes on the champions. Great. One two NO. Cutting all that out still sucks, but I'm shocked that wasn't the fall right there. Ultimo and Rey are dropkicked out of the ring, and Park does his running slingshot corkscrew plancha on both. Shocker waits for them to get up, runs, and nearly accidentally murders Park on a tope when Ultimo moves! That was Black Warrior type impact, and both guys got crushed. Both sides are getting counted out now, so GdI bring Shocker back in. Shocker's worked over in the corner, and we miss action while looking at Park on the floor. Shocker does the handspring backflip over two clotheslines, but runs into a double hiptoss into a double Fujiwara - that'll do it. (2:10) All they need is Park to win. Please don't do the bodyscissors cradle finish. Park in, corner whip, side steps Ultimo s charge, and Rey collides into his partner. Rey charges out into a hiptoss, Park covers, Ultimo drops an elbow, Park moves and Rey gets it. Park off the ropes to dropkick Ultimo out, and Park follows with his tope armdrag on Ultimo. Shocker roots his partner on from the floor. Park meets Rey at the apron, stops him with a shoulderblock, and drops him with the top rope corkscrew plancha one two three. (3:00) Next pin takes the fall. Long crowd shot, and we're back just in time for what I've now decided should be called a reverse bodyscissors powerbomb because it makes more sense, one two three. (3:18) Park's saved it for his team. Replays.
Third fall, no breaks at all here. Here we go. Rey and Shocker to start, Rey missing a clothesline but spinning Shocker out on a backdrop. Rey stomps, and elbow drops Shocker. One two no. Look at the crowd, another clip I'd guess. Back live, Rey uses a spinning front facelock on Ultimo (with Ultimo providing the spin) dropkick Shocker out of the ring, hard camera side. Ultimo drops down to his back, Rey goes off the ropes and charges into the monkey flip slingshot tope con giro on Shocker, connecting with Shocker and the front row. As usual, there's appears to be less room on this 'near' side of the ring as opposed to the 'left' and 'right' areas. Shocker wedges Rey's foot in the gap between the back and the seat, using it to pin Rey in place while pounding him with a big boot and punches. In the ring, Park is covering Ultimo, but we've got no idea why - one two no. Rey wants out of the hole, but Shocker's keeping him there with punches. In the ring, Park appears to miss a corner dropkick when Ultimo walks out of the way. Long lingering crowd shot on a kid, though I don't if it's much of a clip; now, Ultimo is outside of the ring, directly in front of Shocker and Rey, who haven't moved. Park topes into Ultimo, who reels backwards on impact, into Shocker, Rey, and the row of seats, collapsing them into the row behind. You can immediately hear Rey start screaming in pain; the camera focuses on Park, who's down and either selling or hurt on the dive as well. Shocker and Ultimo clear room for Rey as soon as they realize something's up, and the referees try to extract him from the chairs. Rey's crying from the pain. Replay of the dive. Rey is freed from the chairs but collapses in a heap when he tries to stand, pounding the floor in paniced state as the ringside doctor checks on him. It hurts so much, Rey doesn't want anyone even touching. Crowd clip here - obviously from a different moment, because everyone's now looking at the ring instead of outside it. Ultimo and Shocker are now in the ring, Ultimo getting Shocker in the reinera, Shocker slipping out and pulling an inside cradle, one two NO. Shocker can't believe it. Shocker pumps himself out. Cameramen are close to the ring and directed at the attention. No sign of Rey or Park. Shocker is up first, drawing the crowd in, and Ultimo runs into the hammerlock/headscissors cradle one two three. (3:18) Rey is out, so New Tag Team Champions. Now I see Park jumping up and down on the apron and in the ring, but only from far away. (We didn't see Park getting pinned by Ultimo Guerrero, which happened in the actual match.)
While I'm not sure this match would've blown people away, this was typical editing cutting what might've been a really good match into much lesser pieces. Lots of crowd clips cut this down to the moments of the match, reducing much of the details that make matches fun.
The fact Park won the second fall after Shocker went out makes me think the plan was for Shocker to return the favor and do the same in the third fall; Park's otherwise pointless elimination backs this up. While Park's got a top spot in the company, Shocker's their franchise and it wouldn't make sense to have him be the lesser part of a tag team. If the tecnicos were supposed to lose, either Shocker wins the second fall by himself like Park did or they do the usual simultaneous pin stuff, I'd thin.
Next Week: Atlantis, Tarzan Boy, Black Warrior, Shocker, Ultimo Guerrero, Mascara Ano 200, Lizmark, Universo 2000, Mascara Magica, and much more.
Replays of the third fall - Rey's dive, Park's dive and Rey's injury, Ultimo giving Park the Guerrero Special (always odd when they show clipped out stuff), and Shocker winning the match. You can here Ultimo and Shocker talking to each other on the microphone. In the ring, Shocker and Park are given the tag team titles, and put them on. Replay of the finish again; this time, an overhead camera reveals something I didn't notice before - somehow, Rey was still around, and reached in the ring at the very end to try and break up the pin (which was a good twelve feet from him). I figured he was stretchered out by that point, but no.
That's the show.