Tag: 2017 catchup

healthy and normal behavior

The final one of these posts this year! About half The Crash and one-forth regrets. There’s eight matches here, so a total of 80 matches over these extra roun ups. Hope they’ve been useful.

Volador Jr. vs Mephisto
(CMLL @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara on 11/14, 8:16, ok, via thecubsfan)

An abbreviated version of exactly the match you’d expect from these. Short on term, though really short only about two of the near falls you’d expect. (No time for the ground floor Devil’s Wings, direct to the super version.) The pace is worked a little bit faster at the start but it doesn’t really amount to anything, and the TV network actually loses the picture during the finish. You get the replay and you can figure out what it’s going to be in advance, but this isn’t worth the time even for a Volador or Mephisto completest.

Rey Fénix vs Flamita
(The Crash @ Auditorio Miguel Barragan, San Luis Potosí in 11/29, excellent, 15:42, excellent, via Juan Zárate)

This is out of order; I saved this one for last so I knew I’d have something good to watch. This absolutely delivered on that. Flamita & Fenix were going fast and big the entire match, pulling off sequences with and against each other that I’m not sure if anyone else could do. The 619 avoidance segment, partially blocked out by a referee who involved himself in the match a bit too much early, is otherworldy. My notes for this match aren’t much, I was too into the match, but they looked sharp thru the match. Fenix breaking out a farmer’s roll out of a torito was a random as all get out and a great curveball to the usual cradle battle bit . There’s sections of this match where the crowd isn’t make much noise. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s a rare lucha crowd so into the match that they don’t make a lot of sounds while the action is going. They do after big turns of events, and go more deliriously crazy as the match goes on – the San Luis Potosi fans lose their minds on Fenix’s triple springboard double stomp. This is a surprisingly pro-Flamita crowd at times, and I appreciate that they’re having these finishes go back and forth even though Fenix seems like the bigger star in the rivalry. They probably could’ve added more to go even longer, but it felt like it built well at the time they had, and hopefully they’ll keep having chances to mix more stuff in.

Aramis, Astrolux, Black Boy vs Látigo, Tiago, Toxin
(The Crash @ Arena Neza on 12/15, 6:00, great, via Adrian Martinez)

The time didn’t seem right when I checked the video, but both version of this match are about as long. It is edited in a t least one moment, but this is mostly just a hyper speed sprint, guys flying around just to try and get what they can in while they can. Aramis stands out the most, looking strong against Tiago, getting knock for a loop and pulling out a beautiful dive moments later. I don’t think that I can say everyone had their moments because there just wasn’t enough time for moments, but there was always something crazy to look at. It’s about as good as six minute flippy indie match is going to get, which makes it a very slight Great for me.

Neza Kid & Séptimo Dragón vs El Bandido & Laredo Kid
(The Crash @ Arena Neza on 12/15, 7:10, ok, via Adrian Martinez)

Lots of action, and yet still a little unsatisfying. It’s a tag match which doesn’t at all feel like one. They’re all going at the same time, coming off more like a four way and I’d imagine it’s pretty easy to get confused on teams. Everyone did a lot in the short time they got, but the crowd really just reacted like it was a missable opener match in the video I saw. The crowd reacts to the dives – which seem to turn into a contest about who can most overshoot their target and hit the guardrail – though it’s definitely helped there by the luchadors giving the crowd a moment to react to the dives coming rather than just speeding thru them. I like fast action but it’s also somehow got to register and a lot of the more physically impressive stuff just melded together into one piece. I didn’t hate it but it could’ve been better.

Daga © vs Mike Segura vs  Willie Mack for a LWA Championship
(The Crash @ Arena Neza on 12/15, 13:05, good, via Adrian Martinez)

This was much better than the tag match for having less people in it (so much so that I had to reconsider my grade for that.) Willie Mack most was just in random trios for 2017 The Crash and shows here he could do so much more. The Neza crowd really wanted to root for Daga and Mack stole the match. This was a lot of one on one, which made it feel like Mack wrestled Segura & Daga back to back. (Mike disappears on the outside for the last four and half minutes; it was so unusual that I thought he got eliminated somehow.) Mack comes across as a monster again both smaller opponents, knocking Segura around and making it more impressive when Daga’s able to suplex him over and over again. He wasn’t really playing rudo, no one was, but he was shocking the crowd with the agile stuff he usually does. The was about as good has looked lately too. He’s not taking over a match the way he used to, but he does have a nice run here.

Mecha Wolf & Sammy Guevara vs Flamita & The King
(The Crash @ Arena Neza on 12/15, great, 10:06, via Adrian Martinez)

Fenix & Flamita are such an absurdly great make shift team that it makes this match worth seeking out even if there had been nothing more to it. Guevera & Wolf are good, though they’ve had better nights, but it feels like the wrong when they get a questionable win. Fenix & Flamita are just super humanly fast when they’re working together and spectacular when they’re fighting alone. Fenix’s ramp running dropkick look so spectacular that I’m pretty sure all Fenix matches should have a ramp now. Flamita & Guevera taking the backwards bump over the top rope to the floor to set up the finish was crazy. The result seemed to set up a rematch or Fenix/Mecha, but who knows with The Crash.

Imposible vs Dr. Cerebro
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 12/17, 4:38, ok, via IWRG tv)

I didn’t realize this was so short until getting ready to watch this match, and then it’s even shorter than it seems. They try to go fast to make the most of the time, but you’d have to absolutely nail it to make it work in under five minutes and they’re not that close. Imposible standing still while Dr. Cerebro slipped and recovered on the ropes was not the greatest moment. It just comes across as a lot of stuff and then a sudden finish.

Arez, Bombero Infernal, Dr. Cerebro, Fantasma de la Ópera, Internacional Pantera, Oficial 911, Robin Maravilla, Yakuza vs Akira San, Cadilac, Diablo Jr., Dragón Bane, Fulgor II, Lacerado Kid, Moto Cross, X-Corpio in a cibernetico match
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 12/20, 27:10, good, via thecubsfan)

This is the teachers versus students version of Copa High Power. I thought this was decent though I’m a sucker for elimination matches and the logic didn’t make much sense: this is students versus teachers, shouldn’t the teachers have a pretty easy win here? The finish was not much good no matter what the set up was. I also have no member of Arez being in this match so don’t go be watching this if you’re looking for him. This is the AYM broadcast so the announcers (with Avisman?) have no clue who’s who in this sort of match, making identifing the unknown rookies a challenge. The one who stood out the most was “Lacerado Kid”, who normally spells it Lasserado Kid. He’s a Pantera trainee from Guanajuato who showed superior agility, busting out a Triton like moonsault at one point. He’d be a guy to watch if it was actually possible to watch him; whoever put the match knew what they have to let him go very long at least. The kid in orange – might have been Yakuza’s trainee Akira San? – was also impressive in spurts. I got two names to look for out of this, so it wasn’t all bad by any means.

Caifan vs Mr. Niebla
(Lucha Memes @ Arena Naucalpan on 11/20, 12:40, great, via +LuchaTV)

I watched this one much later the the rest in this back, when I looked at match of the year listings and realized this was the big lucha match that had slipped past me this year.

Caifan decides the right away to approach this match is to hit Mr. Niebla with a loaded punch as soon as possible. He appears to be correct! Caifan is so dominant in this match, Niebla doesn’t even get in a shot in the first six minutes. Caifan comes off as so strong and in control that the CMLL guys winning with his finish move at the end feels shockingly like some sort of upset. Caifan is great, great enough that he was set to make this match worthwhile even if bad Mr. Niebla had shown up, so great that I’m heartbroken that this will be has last great match if his retirement actually sticks. I can see him moving awkwardly at times with his knees bugging him, I’m sure it makes sense for him to stop wrestling when there’s no big money payoff coming if one hasn’t come already, it’s still sad to see.

Niebla turns out to be game for this, which turns this match into something close to a Rush/LA Park brawl than you’re likely to see elsewhere. Bottles of beer get involved, there’s a wooden box sitting in the ring for an extended period of time, fans are frightened by luchadors fighting inches away from them. There’s even a Park tribute ludicrous ref bump, though Caifan’s casual foul later on is great. Niebla keeps talking about wanting to do the match with Atlantis, but he’s the guy who should be going after Rush if he can find a way to fight like he did here.

El Bandido vs Astrolux
(WMC @ Salón Balumcanan on 08/20, 11:21, great, Estrellas del Ring)

The first few moments of this match feel strange. It took my mind a little time to adjust to little Bandido embracing his inner Último Guerrero and wrestling as the strong rudo in this match. It totally work. He came off as Astrolux’s best opponent, throwing him around incredibly (especially on the finish) while also basing in a way to make Astrolux’s offense look great. This might be the best Astrolux ever just for Bandido’s effort. There’s not many people Bandido can really work like a rudo like this for, but he can absolutely do it if needed. Astrolux and Bandido seem to get lost a bit for a minute before the finish, and the match would’ve been better just cutting it out, but this whole thing is worth seeing.

Estrellas del Ring matches are still joined in progress for whatever reason, but it’s unedited from there and they’re more complete than in past years. Got to be happy with incremental improvements in Mexico. (Still, Astrolux does a flip rana that’s just out of frame, making me wish for professional cameras.)

Iron Kid vs Demus 3:16
(LuchaMemes @ Coliseo Coacalco on 06/18, 7:25, great, via +LuchaTV)
Demus freed from the shackles of CMLL minis division is a fantastic thing. He was always capable of great matches there, but clearly was bored out of his mind for most of the last few years. This year’s indie run has really got his juices flowing again – or, with a fork from a helpful fan, has allowed him to get others juices running. This was a CMLL lightning match taken to the dirt of Coacalco, with Demus allowing Iron Kid a few moments of glory before knocking the life out of him with the scariest version of his piledriver yet. Iron Kid’s dives looked spectacular, as did his fling in to the pole to start the match. A match this short needs to go full ace the entire way and it seemed to slow down a bit to me, but it’s still worth your time. It won’t take long.

Black Taurus & Hijo de LA Park vs Daga & Rey Fénix
(WWCI/ANCLA @ Arena Lopez Mateos on 09/30, 24:40, good, via hector godfrey)

Note: There’s no opening whistle here. They finally get down to two people in the ring at about 2:15, but there’s more stalling from there. You can jump it at 5:00 if you just want the action.

Review:  A good match to half pay attention too. There’s no great flow here, the match actively drags at points, and they’re making it up as they go so stuff like the row of seats being thrown in goes nowhere when the referee ushers them back out. There’s plenty of cool spots to make a highlight video of this match, but it takes a long time to settle into something more than spots. d I’m not sure it ever really did. I know this is good action but I also know I didn’t find it altogether interesting as a package.

Flyer, Magnus, Oro Jr., Príncipe Diamante, Robin, Star Jr. vs Esfinge, Explosivo, Mágico, Omar Brunetti, Star Black, Vaquero Jr. in a cibernetico match
(CMLL @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara on 10/03, 27:37, good, via thecubsfan)

Notes:

for the Guadalajara side

• Magico is in blue and black.

• Explosivo is in white with red/orange flames, and a black/white mask.

• Star Black is black and white, with a big star on the back of his gear.

• Omar Brunetti is unmasked in Superman gear.

• Vaquero Jr. is unmasked in black and silver.

I always like the concept of locals versus Mexico City guys, and it’s always helpful to have an idea of the local guys to see if anyone stands out. The action was alright, but no one really had that kind of stand out performance. Star Black is the one being pushed the most, though not in this match. They have him doing some Rayo spots to get him over with this crowd. It feels forced, and he doens’t connect much with the crowd otherwise. Omar Brunetti feels like the most complete of the Guadalajara crew and could be placed in the DF midcard without being a problem, but doesn’t feel like he has much more upside ethan that. (He also has the Dragon Rojo thigh band going on, which make me wonder if him disappearing at times from Guadalajara is actually injury related.) Vaquero seemed to get the best reaction, and was OK. Magico is a veteran feeling guy, Explosivo is a skinny rookie. The Ciudad de Mexico guys were just fine too, with Star Jr. having the best night. People cheered Esfinge winning, so that was nice for him.

Tigre Rojo vs Bárbaro I, mask vs hair
(Arena Coliseo San Ramón on 10/15, 23:14, good, via Diiva Moxha)

Barbaro got very heavy, or this is a different one than I saw long ago in Arena Puebla and Monterrey. I couldn’t figure out where he was bleeding from in the second fall, then I realized Tigre Rojo was bleeding so heavily that his opponent was getting soaked in his blood. That’s a lot blood. Barbaro caught up with Tigre Rojo in the third, and is completely red by the end of the match. This was the massive bleeding apuesta match that you’re unlikely to see outside of indie shows now, which makes it a feel very different. This is a simple match in what they do with it – the risky dives are the biggest things attempted – but the mask match stipulation and the blood produce a lot of drama. It’s slow paced, either due to both men losing so much blood or at least selling that destruction. The speed makes some of the later reversal spots hard to believe. The other Babraros interfere in the match to distraction, which doesn’t add much but gets the crowd more annoyed. This might be one where I’d be more into it if I had see them outside of this one isolated match. The home building fans seem very into it.

Kalibus vs Cobre vs Centvrión vs Rafy vs Low Rider
(Mexa Wrestling @ Arena San Juan Pantitlan on 10/21, 14:07, great, via Adrian Martinez)

I’m not sure if it was translation issues or silliness to call this match Five Star Match, but it comes crazily close to living up to the name with the outstanding insanity all the way thru. All the more impressive for the weirdo crew from different parts of the indie scene. Cobre’s a DTU guy, Low Rider is a northern Mexico/Texas guy now who rarely makes it to Mexico City, Centvrion & Rafy both dip into IWRG but rarely are against each other nowadays and Kalibus is a Neza local. They make it work, great chemistry for a match which often featured three or more people fighting at the same time. Cobre is murdered by Centvrion before the finish, which is too bad because he’s a guy want to see more of. You can see why DTU is high on him with some of his flying here. Rafy is the best wrestler in the world at points. Low Rider is an immense character who can also wrestle. Everyone contributes to the madness well.

 

Ángel Oriental, Aramis, Atomic Star, Black Dragón, Demonio Infernal, Dinamic Black, Power Bull, Skanda vs Aero Boy (Arena 23 De Junio), Centella Salazar, Danny Barrio, Homerito, Payachucho, Richy Beda, Último Conde, Xcorpio [Torneo FILL]
(IWRG FILL @ Arena Naucalpan on 08/23, 29:47, good, iwrgtv)

Review:

This was another fun cibernetico, though just short of great for me. It plays out differently than the previous version, with Aramis being a bit player instead of the big winner. (The crowd explodes when Black Dragon comes thru at the end, and I’m still confused by him losing the mask match.) Danny Barrio & Payachucho feel like they get bigger runs in this match, a lot against Dinamic Black. Dinamic is not a big deal but he absolutely towers over those dudes. They’re still very entertaining and a fun team I’d like to see more of. There’s no one feeling like a weaklink this time – even Fake Aeroboy is better this time – but maybe not the intensity of last matches’ brawl and not a strong feeling finish. You do get something different out of watching them both, and I wish they could combine the best parts into one best match.

Bombero Infernal vs Eterno, hair vs hair
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/03, 27:52, great, +LuchaTV)

Review: This was a wild feeling brawl. The brawl itself was crazy at times – the weird faceoff between Eterno and a fan was strange – but it also felt like the técnico/rudo sides switched multiple times during the match. Or that it wasn’t even that structure. It was a bit like the teacher giving his student one final test. It was also a lot like the crime boss’ underling trying to make a play to knock off his leader, getting caught and beaten unmercifully, gutting thru the pain and getting in the lucky/smart shot at the end. Eterno got stretched apart for an unusually long time for a third fall of a big match – maybe too long without getting comebacks, but the crowd still wanted to see him fight his way back to win. The veteran Bombero naturally should come off as the hero of this story, but it was Eterno who just kept surviving hold after hold to keep going. IWRG does blood better than AAA and is at it’s best when it can get emotion out of long term regulars in big matches, and this was both of those things. This feels like the best IWRG match of the year and could see people enjoying it even more than I did.

Villano III Jr. vs Imposible
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/03, 10:02, good, via +LuchaTV)

Review: Villano III Jr. has been more fun than expected in AAA, and Impossible is always good, so this made the list to see what a competitive match between the two would look like. This is not really that; this is barely a competitive match. Imposible squashes V3 for the first two thirds of the match. I was surprised when the crowd was still into it when V3 finally got in something (even then, they were mostly behind Impossible.) There’s enough going on here that this is watchable, but they probably have a much more complete match in them if they ever got a chance.

Pantera I © vs Aramis for the IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/17, 12:56, good, via IWRG tv)

Review: Aramis continues to look pretty good, if he still has a rough moment here or there. The first fall is a really good exhibition for what he can do. It slows down a bit from there until Aramis kills himself with a dive, and feels like it ends a bit too easily for a Pantera win, but he pulls off a lot of sharp looking spots here. Pantera works with him well, and the stuff that gets messy in the first fall never completely derails. Aramis comes off as a guy who’s close but not quite there, and might get there in 2018.

Emperador Azteca © vs Hijo del Pantera for the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 09/17, 10:45, good, IWRG tv)

Review: This match picked up in the last few minutes, but felt like it was missing something in the middle. They were selling exhaustion and desperation big moves sooner than I was expecting, and it hurt the pace of the match. Not having lights was a distraction, just for me, but they also didn’t seem completely sharp. I’m still searching for that match where it comes together totally for either of these guys in a big match. This was good, but if that match.

Eterno, Trauma I, Trauma II vs Arez, Centvrión, Séptimo Rayo
(IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan on 10/11, 25:01, great, IWRG tv)

Review: This match wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The young-ish guys spent two falls working like old lucha libre maestros, for a match built around exchange holds instead of big high spots and dives. The latter ones do come in to the third fall, but the exchanges before it are really interesting. Both the Centvrion/Trauma II and Arez/Eterno long back and forth include creative submissions; this didn’t feel like the rote usual holds, but some unique stuff done to impress. It did impress. Trauma I/Septimo Rayo wasn’t the same level, which made it more interesting that it led to a pinfall. The third fall got wrapped up a little easy compared to what happened before, and I felt like they could’ve gone even father if they wanted, but this is still a match worth going out of your way to watch.

Here’s a free idea I haven’t been able to shake for months. I’m never going to promote a lucha libre show but if I did, my idea right now would be to steal the concept of CHIKARA’s Johnny Kidd Invitational, a techinically tournament, just with Mexican luchadors. Every (old) media person says that’s the style of wrestling they would like to see and, while I’m not convinced fans would feel the same, it would make really easy to get attention for your show if you can sell it right. Anything that makes your show different and special compared to the million other indie shows is a big help. I’d lean heavily towards guys like in this match rather than loading it up all with Solar/Navarro types, because you can more easily make a memorable performance with someone surprising with their technically ability than the guys who always do that style. (You probably need one ‘Solar’, but you also need to have seven clean finishes, no draws, and that’s tough to do with a Solar.) They showed they could do it if they’re put in a position to do it here, they just need the right context.

More reviews of selection matches not on my usual TV recap list.

Rush vs LA Park (BARACAL at Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, Ciudad de México on 03/11/2017, via +LuchaTV, 22:46, GREAT): Another fun Park/Rush brawl, both great at beating each other up and willing to take punishment and bump big for the other. It never got quite to the anything could happen place of last year, but it was still worthwhile in watching their own. The two own the crowd as well as anyone. Park got beat up for about eight minutes, but they didn’t lose the fans and they were fired up when he fired up and fought back. The spear near fall looked awesome, and a lot of stuff looked good, though there was more messy than the other stuff. I’m willing to forgive messy more in a brawl like this. A DQ finish for a mask pull in a match which featured full boxes of bottles of beers being thrown and the referee being punched in the face is a little bit weak, but it’s about normal for LA Park.

Juventud Guerrera vs Arez vs Rico Rodríguez © vs Laredo Kid for the win the Llaves y Candados Cruisereweight Championship
(Llaves y Candados at Arena Coliseo Monterrey on 04/09/2017, via LlavesyCandados, 9:28, GOOD) – a fun four way exhibition match, with everyone having moments and maybe suffering for everyone having their moments. There’s not much more to it than everyone cycling thru to take their turns for moves. It definite puts everyone as equals, which is probably as best Rico can ask for if he’s going to lose his title here, but I kind of wanted more of Laredo being awesome and there wasn’t really a stretch where anyone could take over for much. They all looked good and it was entertaining while it lasted.

Daga & Rey Fénix (US) vs Sammy Guevara & Último Ninja (LyC in Arena Coliseo Monterrey on 04/09/2017, via LlavesyCandados, 16:26, GREAT) – a total fireworks show for 16 minutes. It was limited only by not giving the crowd a clear rooting interesting, so they were only ooohing and aahing to the big spots but not really invested in either side winning. This felt like the most complete Guevera match I’ve seen of him, coming across as more consistent than usual and an equal to Fenix – when Sammy almost had him beat, it felt like it something was happening. Fenix & Daga were surprisingly efficient as a team, though this leaned more heavily to a long string of one on one matches with the other guys wiping out. They could’ve changed the other or dropped some things, the seemingly obligatory Canadian Destroyer spot is treated as a big moment but the match just goes on, but the quality of the moves was really high. Definitely worth checking out.

It takes 10:42 for them to get to the match here – some of that is a Santo promo to sell that upcoming show, but there’s a lot of introductory video packages that don’t add anything. All the LyC videos are still being produced like it’s a TV show and not YouTube, which feels like not understanding the format. You don’t have to sell people on the concept for three minutes when they click on a YouTube link, they’ve already gone out of their way to find you, they’re there. You do have to get it to quick, people are going to drop off quick if you don’t give them something to watch.

Garza Jr., Penta El Zero M, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Bestia 666, Damián 666, Nicho el Millionario (LyC & Arena Coliseo Monterrey in 04/09/2017, via LlavesyCandados, 16:45, OK): crowd really dug it, but it went too long for me and was just kind of the Tuesday touring trios match going off the novelty of seeing these guys together in this environment. Standard técnico showcase (most with Bestia, since he’s the only rudo who could move), rudos bringing in weapons, and the técnicos hitting all their trademark spots. Monterrey still hates Garza. Mysterio’s black and gold Rebellion gear did look cool. The reactions may make this more watchable than I’m giving credit here.

Diablo Jr. vs Black Dragón (IWRG at Arena Naucalpan on 03/22/2017, via thecubsfan, 5:08, OK): a shortage CMLL lightning style match, which is decent when it starts but hard to recommend when they so obviously get lost and started restarting spots two minutes in. Diablo Jr. is more experienced and it’s hard not see it. Black Dragon isn’t bad either, this is just not his strongest match. In pure AYM form, the names of the announcers are displayed on screen but the luchadors are not similarly identified.

Pantera vs Demonio Infernal (IWRG at Arena Naucalpan on 03/22/2017, via +LuchaTV , 6:09, BELOW AVERAGE): Pantera takes most of the match, Demonio Infernal bleeds, Pantera dropkicks the referee and immediately submits Infernal, but loses on the ref attack DQ. This was useless, a bad choice to watch, and missing the point of having youngsters work with veterans. Demonio Infernral looked bad until the post match brawl, which should’ve been the match. This set up a title match that the crowd audibly didn’t want to see after this match. That title match sounds like it went better, but it’s probably not worth the time investment. This one definitely wasn’t.

Hey, I’m doing this again.

Rayo Star & Titán (CMLL) vs Black Terry & Toxin in a Juventud y Gloria quarterfinal (CaraLucha in Arena San Juan Pantitlan, 02/04/2017, via TVLuchaMundial, 25:30, good): a satisfying unique partners match, where the veterans felt more like the stars of the show but the youngsters were never out classed. Toxin & Terry took control of the match by turning it into a brawl and away from Titan’s usual style. Titan kept up and rallied back, but it was not his usual showcase. The chops sounded very strong and the headbutts looked good. Titan and Terry went a lot longer than we usually get after a couple eliminations, and Titan’s big sell off the moonsault counter made a spot that’s never a finish come off as a convincing one. I could see going higher and there’s no strong reason against it, it was just missing that next gear or someone really standing out.

Rey Hechicero & Solar I vs Caifan & Negro Navarro (Arena Lopez Mateos, 02/04/2017, 22:52, via +LuchaTV): [good] generally the expected exchange of holds that gets easy reaction from the fans who did show up to this one (which doesn’t appear to be many.) A Negro Navarro/Hechicero issue comes up naturally, with the vet easily getting under the skin of the CMLL luchador. Both men play off it for the rest of the match, though it never really gets paid off in the one. Hechicero kind of works backwards, getting in a lot of his usual spots in early and leaving of the match in a position where there’s no real build to a finish, just a steady back and forth move change until suddenly it’s time to end. Pleasant a lot but only really needed for completists of this style.

Emperador Azteca vs Diablo Jr. (Arena Naucalpan, 02/15/2017, via thecubsfan, 6:04) [good]: IWRG seems like they’ve cut down their match times this year, with most singles matches only one fall. That leads to crazy sprints like this, where Emperador Azteca loses his mind on his first dive and adds two more later on. Azteca takes most of the match, with Diablo just getting in enough shots to survive and catching the técnico at the end. The finish looks cool, but it is a bit too easy. Still, we’d be raving about this for weeks if showed up as a CMLL lightning match.

Golden Magic vs Pirata Morgan Jr., mask contra hair (IWRG/Arena Naucalpan, 02/12/2017 ,via iwrgtv, 22:46, good)

1. Pirata Morgan Jr. guillotine legdrop 4:45

2. Golden Magic top rope splash 7:45

3. Golden Magic 450 splash 10:16

Pirata Morgan Jr. looked awesome early on, throttling Golden Magic around ringside for four minutes, with the super slam into the chairs and the unexpected flying legdrop; this looked like it was something that was going to be amazing. It turned out to be something that was just good, because Pirata Jr. is gassed after those few minutes and really can’t add much more. The second fall drags until Golden Magic takes over, and the third fall is all Golden Magic moving Pirata around to get in spots. It works, because Golden Magic can do a lot of things and the blood adds some drama, but it’s a one man match for a long way and that’s a little disappointing from where it started. Still a nice Golden Magic outing.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Jinzo (Martinez Promotions/Turf Zone Arena, Kennedale, Texas, taped 01/14/2017, via victor Martinez, 24:21, great): I’m a sucker for long Mendoza matches, but this doesn’t feel like it’s even going to be a good one for a long while. The submission wrestling is met with quiet for about the first ten minutes of the match – respectful quiet, but it’s doesn’t seem to be clicking with this audience (and not the easiest match to watch when there’s a cameraman blocking the mat work.) And then, Sabre starts cinching and smashing bodyparts, Ronnie screams in pain a lot, and the fans seem to buy into it. It works as Ronnie trying and not really able to match ZSJ when he’s fighting his kind of match, but being able to fight out of it at times and put Sabre in to some danger. The last half of this match is generally strong and dramatic, though it comes off a match that might have been better received in front of an super indie crowd than a lucha crowd (which reacts stronger to the chop battle than the kick in the chest one.) Finish doesn’t look perfect and is kind of unexpected as a finish, but it’s nice upset win.

Eterno vs Demonio Infernal (Arena Naucalpan, 02/05/2017, via IWRG tv, 13:30, good): this is a heated and bloody brawl where Eterno brings Demonio Infernal up to his level. Unfortunately, the finish takes it down a level or two. Demonio Infernal small packages Eterno, both roll so neither men are down, referee looks at the possible pin from all angles and then waves off the match – because it’s a double submission, apparently. Neither man was acting like they were putting each other in a hold or hurt from a hold, it’s nonsense. A draw may have made sense in this part of the feud but one that looks like this makes it hard to drop in and watch. Still, this fits with the overall improved nature of these IWRG young guy singles match; this was shorter and improved for being one fall, with the guys keeping a good pace all around. Eterno & Atomic Star specifically parodying the Daga & Eterno run-in on the Crash (just a few days before this) was amusing, and fit with Eterno not totally taking the novato totally seriously and being annoyed with how tough it turned out to be. This was really good showing for Infernal.

In this post,

• Rey Hechicero vs Caifan
  Cholo de Tijuana, Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, 01/06/2017 
• Blue Panther, Stigma, The Panther vs Puma, Tiger, Virus
  CMLL, Arena Coliseo, 01/21/2017
• Freelance vs Aramis vs Araña de Plata vs Demonio Infernal vs Black Dragón
  IWRG, Arena Naucalpan, 01/22/2017 
• Imposible vs Relámpago for the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship in a super libre match
  IWRG, Arena Naucalpan, 01/22/2017 
• Templario © vs Corsario Negro Jr. [CaraLucha The Best]
  Cara Lucha, Arena San Juan Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México, 02/04/2017 
• Volador Jr. vs Fénix El Rey
  Cara Lucha, Arena San Juan Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México, 02/04/2017 

I’m kind of forcing myself to get started with this, because I’ve got more time now to do it (though these seem to take a lot longer than normal TV recaps) and maybe I won’t have the time later. There’s still a bunch left from the first two months of the year to catch up with, it just does not stop.

The MOTYC list should go up soon.

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