Tag: 2020 catch up

this is the last of the 2020 stuff I’m squeezing in for 2020. What’s left

• all the IWTV Lucha Memes shows (watched, posts maybe next week)
• some Mas Lucha Premium shows (watching this weekend?)
• any remaining AAA AutoLuchas shows (no idea how many)
• maybe some CMLL shows, but I have no idea how I’m going to handle the cutoff
  • they’re capable of airing 2020 stuff well in to 2021 (there is no reason to any of this)
  • they’re incapable of taping before the week of 01/11
  • it usually takes CMLL about a week to get those to air, so maybe everything up to 01/17 is “2020”.

Here are so matches and some thoughts on those matches.

Baby Camaleón, Karma II, Perseo vs Enjambre, Hantar, Misterik
(11/29 Car The Crash, 15:27, good, Estrellas del Ring)

You should definitely go to 8:16 and watch that spot. Hantar’s outfit makes him look like old friend Dark Dragon (or maybe Dark Dragon was dressed like Hantar), and he does a similar base job Camaleon’s headscissors. The tecnico dominated the last half slowed down too much for me, but Perseo was very willing to throw himself into a dive. The dive train ends well, but then it just keeps going for some reason. This is more enjoyable than a good CMLL trios – the bigger moments are more fun – but also a bit more self-indulgent.

Látigo © vs Freelance [IAW CHAMP]
(11/01 @ WR, 8:39, ok, +LuchaTV)

I’ve enjoyed Latigo’s title run this year, and I’m not sure if I would’ve made time to watch it if there were a more normal amount of choices. This is a decent defense too, but it gets repurposed into a referee grabbing exhibition for a promotional feud I do not care about at all. Freelance is better in a tag situation generally, still shows enough here against Latigo to make this worthwhile. The finishing stuff just dragged it down for me.

Silver vs Kaoma Jr.
(10/16 @ Arena Universal Matamoros, 12:07, good, El Mina de Luchavídeos)

This was a solid match from people I have not seen much of before. The matwork to start was good, the finish was a well-executed idea. There was a code red spot that didn’t go well but they kept moving. This worked for this level. It was also nice to see a referee count at a normal speed before diving back into CMLL.

Mephisto vs Soberano Jr.
(“10/23”, 11:50, good, Google Drive)

I wondered if it had been so long since I watched a “normal” CMLL singles match that the style would feel fresh again. Not yet. They’ve had better efforts. Soberano slips at a crucial time and never really gets rolling. Mephisto is straddling the line between “wow, it’s impressive he can do things at 52” and “he’s really old and maybe should stop doing things.” He’s so winded by the final stretch that’s not much of a stretch. It’s probably generous to have this finish on the good side of the ledger.

Rey Cometa vs Raziel
(“11/20” CMLL, 10:58, great, Google Drive)

Raziel’s leg trap into a tapatia is incredible work, and the sort of stuff you never see him from normally. Rey Cometa brings out the best in a lot of people, but it also seems like giving a guy like Raziel even the slightest bit of something to do brings out a better performance. Maybe CMLL wouldn’t have been dreadful for months if they did this for more guys. The Spanish Fly to end the second fall looks particularly unfun, though suitably devastating. They go hard in the third fall, they don’t stick to your move my move, and I was only left wishing they went a little farther. I’m concerned I’m rating this on a curve because CMLL people trying this hard is rare, but this match would be worth watching in any situation.

Atlantis Jr. & Flyer vs Hijo del Villano III & Tiger for the Mexican National Tag Team Championship
(“11/14” CMLL, 19:03, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

It’s a match. There’s enough here that people who are already fans of these four will likely be satisfied. It’s not painful like the tag title final. It’s also just nothing special. Atlantis looks like a good athlete, Tiger can do things and is a good foil, the other two aren’t there. Villano shows some improvement and personality, but he’s got moves that don’t fit his size – the first fall spear needs to get out of his arsenal – and his timing isn’t there. He broke up a pin at about four, not the most useful tactic. Flyer is a CMLL wrestling robot and not even a particularly entertaining one; his lifelessness at least helps Atlantis stand out more, but it doesn’t help the match when he’s slowly going to his next spot before the rudo has had a chance to react to the last one. Flyer’s not doing anything to show he should be at this level besides wear a Volador family mask. And maybe that’s enough.

I think it’s possible every other promotion in the world running a taped show would’ve stopped the match between the second and third fall to allow Flyer to get a replacement mask after the rudos did too effective of a job ripping it. CMLL pauses no longer than usual, Flyer just making it back to the ring as the fall whistle blows. CMLL’s stubborn unwillingness to adapt to their circumstances is occasionally amazing and always counterproductive.

Euforia vs Stuka Jr.
(“12/17” CMLL, 12:20, good, currently only on NJPW; probably on CMLL’s YouTube on 01/10)

Stuka basically just runs through his big moves, but it transcends the checklist because of some good emotion and Euforia as an opponent. Stuka’s not pulling off the rope bounce powerbomb reversal into a headscissors with most anyone else. The early brawling sets a good tone, even if they don’t get back to it a lot. (Euforia does seem to miss the catch on Stuka’s torpedo dive to the floor, a rarity for him.) This is one that might have done even better with fans and is still watchable without.

Cobre & Tromba vs Shun Skywalker & Yoshioka
(07/31 Lucha Madre, 19:56, good, mluchatv)

I didn’t really recognize how small Cobre is until this match. Maybe the giant referee really skews things. His small size was an asset, because it made Team Dragon Gate come off as even more evil as they trapped Cobre in the ring for an extended portion of this match. Skywalker & Yoshioka didn’t often work overtly rudo as they did here, and they were good at it. The Mexican team showed good team work and kept up at times, but both Cobre & Tromba had slips at just the wrong time. Tromba’s house of fire run after Cobra finally made the tag seemed to hit a wall after he had trouble on a springboard, and Cobre’s biggest spot in the ring on Yoshoika didn’t go well for either man. It was an exciting end, though the unusually strictly enforced tag rules seemed to confuse everyone.

Látigo vs Baby Camaleón
(10/18 CLL, 12:27, good, CHARLY 316)

2020 hasn’t been good for many, but Latigo has at least excelled at being a sort of touring champion. Give him your guy who wrestled twice a month and he’ll do his best to pull an entertaining match out of it. Baby Camaleon is not bad, but he comes off as a generic indie flyer. Latigo works in this role of making sure the challengers’ biggest moves come together while still getting a definite win in the end. I’ve liked some of the other matches better, this still was good enough for weird pandemic wrestling.

Arez vs Blue Win
(10/18 CLL, 13:10, great, CHARLY 316)

Arez working the teacher side of teacher/student matches makes me feel very old. This was young Blue Win throwing everything he had at Arez, looking impressive doing so, and also not getting all that close to winning because Arez is on a much higher level. That gap is so big that I’m not sure completely sure how good Blue Win is and how much of that was Arez; there were parts where the match definitely would’ve gone bad had it been against someone more on Blue Win’s experience level. This match occasionally felt too rehearsed, but it still maintained creativity. The Arez hook kick into another move is cool every time he does it.

León Dorado vs Charro Negro
(11/21 AULL, 15:16, good, mluchatv)

This was a little sloppy early on, with a Charro headscissors spot going very well. He looked cool the rest of the way, peaking with the double backbreaker into a cradle count bit. They stayed away from flying more I’d expect, with Dorado trying a lot of submissions that miss a little bit of intensity. Charro shows off surprising strength at times; the finish was good but Charro seemed like the more impressive guy.

Freelance vs Impulso for the AULL Lightweight Championship
(11/21 AULL, 14:33, great, mluchatv)

A title match worked like the apuesta match – which makes some sense, even an AULL championship might be more valuable than either of these frequently shaved heads. Still, Freelance’s face being covered in blood before he gets in one offensive move may be different than what you’re expecting. It works, Freelance remains a compelling underdog even if he’s not as a graceful flyer as in past years. Impulso holds it together, gets crushed a bit, and crushes Freelance well on the finish. Well worth the time.

Centella Oriental © vs Villano III Jr. for the AULL Welterweight Championship
(11/29 AULL, 14:47, good, mluchatv)

Is it possible Villano III Jr. left AAA because it was taking time away from his true passion, questionable body art? I don’t know how to evaluate body art, maybe it is great, it is definitely now plentiful. This is a Villano III who wants to press all the buttons: Centella de Oro gets hit by a box full of beer bottles and a row of seats in the first half of this match. Villano III Jr. stops the match to sweep the debris out of the ring, then of course breaks the broom on Centella de Oro; he’s like someone who grew up watching Black Terry Jr. filmed brawls and finally being free to reenact his favorite moments. Centella’s comeback is outshined by Villano III’s willingness to take big and painful-looking backdrops. The third fall develops into Villano giving tackling dummy Centella a variety of big moves and pinning him very close to the ropes before Centella makes his comeback by moving slightly and trying an ill-designed cover. The Spanish Fly spot looks nice and would’ve been a fine finish except for the apparently necessary fooling around which follows. Centella’s win made him look like a fluke, though the Arena Lopez Mateos seemed to enjoy it. I wonder how much of this Villano we’re going to see when he faces someone he sees more on his level.

Freelance, Mike Segura, Yakuza vs Arashi, Belial, Impulso
(AULL @ 11/15, 19:38, good, mluchatv)

Mas Lucha had this as a MOTYC. I didn’t see it at that level, though it was an enjoyable match that built to the singles match (Impulso/Freelance) that was spinning out of it. Those two had a good back and forth brawl which would’ve been better if it was in the ring where people could see it. The years have gotten to Freelance – he was grimacing on the apron when he wasn’t in – but his dive over the barricade still looked great. The other four were solid but didn’t have a great effect on the match. Yakuza doesn’t look much like Yakuza these days.

Hijo de Canis Lupus © vs Fresero Jr. for the IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
(IWRG @ 10/11/2020, 17:17, ok, mluchatv)

Never a satisfying sign when a match ends and I’m yelling “is that it? Is that really it?” at the screen. There was a lot of fat here and not a lot of what either man does well. The opening eight minutes are low-interest mat wrestling, with the crowd whistling. Everything after that is a tease of the match picking up and then calming back down. It never pays off, it’s never that great. Maybe just a bad pairing but an easy skip.

Rugido vs Jorge El Salvaje in a tournament semifinal match
(WTMB @ 10/07, 9:52, ok, mluchatv)

This is the first of three semifinals in Welcome to Mi Barrio’s initial title tournament, which I’m finishing out watching completely. I feel like that if you knock someone out with a cookie sheet for long enough to tie their shoe to the bottom rope and remove a turnbuckle, you probably should try pinning them. That’s just my thought, Jorge el Salvaje is free to wrestle the way he feels fit. These guys went too long and looked terrible after the nine minute marks. The big spot was Jorge taking a headscissors into that exposed buckle, only Jorge couldn’t take a headscissors and fell lamely. Rugido trying a mounted submission following that was a sign he was following a plan that had existed and not adjusting to what happened. (So was Jorge obviously blading.)

Verzal vs Hijo del Pantera in a tournament semifinal match
(WTMB @ 10/14, 3:06, n/r, mluchatv)

The match effectively ends in less than two minutes with Hijo del Pantera claiming an ankle injury. It takes a bit longer for it to get called, waiting for Verzal to put Pantera in a submission move for him to give up. Verzal is very confused and unhappy to win. Pantera never tries an offensive move.

Hijo del Pantera showed no interest in this match from the moment it started. I’m uncertain if he came in injured, came in not wanting to take a loss toVerzal or actually got hurt. If Pantera was actually hurt, Verzal did a terrible job of handling it. I don’t think that’s what happened. This is not even something worth rating, much less watching.

Hijo Del Payaso Purasanta vs Pantera Jr. in a semifinal match
(WTMB @ 10/21, 5:47, good, mluchatv)

This was a breath of fresh air after the other two semifinals. These guys went hard from the start, their energy overwhelming any sloppiness. The Payaso Purasantas suffer a bit from being another an indistinct clown gimmick, but the ‘son’ showed great work going after Pantera’s knee before the crushing finale. Pantera’s are one of the few people who are going to make that knee work mean a lot too. There was good quick back and forth, their kicks connected well, and I was mostly left wishing they had gotten a more time.

Rugido vs Hijo Del Payaso Purasanta vs Verzal in a tournament final match
(WTMB @ 10/28, 9:39, ok, +LuchaTV)

Rugido leaving this match with a ref stop arm injury sure was weird coming after a previous match where they didn’t stop it when someone had a leg injury. Maybe there were meetings to fix that situation. This was a weird shift from Purasanta looking dominant to being caught and beat in twenty seconds. It makes sense in real life but it is unlike how matches are normally worked here. The match felt short as a result. The audio and video are noticeably worse for this final match than the rest of the tournament.

Some non-Ticketmaster matches that seemed interesting from about a month ago. Most of them turned out not be interesting.

Dulce Gardenia vs Virus
(12:17, 10/03, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

There’s probably a good Gardenia/Virus there but the energy wasn’t there without a crowd. Dulce is good enough that he should be able to have an entertaining match with those reactions, but I haven’t seen it yet. CMLL hasn’t used him much in anything significant, so maybe they have similar concerns.

Tiger & Virus vs Espíritu Negro & Rey Cometa
(15:11, 10/09, good, Google Drive)

Easily enjoyable tag match, the kind of match hoped for on the B-shows. This appears taped before the Aniversario show – Espiritu Negro doesn’t have his new gear yet – and fits in with the tags the Atrapasuenos were doing in the lead up to the tag title match. Rey Cometa & Tiger have faced each other so many times that they’ve been molded into great opponents for each other. Cometa eats it on Tiger’s superkick and powerbomb, Tiger’s a rare rudo who actually sells something instead of standing blankly waiting for the stage dive. 

Súper Astro Jr. vs Sonic
(10:36, 10/10, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

I’m not sure the lightweight title ever needs to return but this seems like a good idea for the final. That title match would probably be better than this, which felt like a disjointed lightning match thanks to the fall breaks. (Why aren’t they running lightning matches?) There’s no great chemistry here but they’re both spectacular enough to do more if asked.

Soberano Jr. vs Forastero
(15:17, 10/10, good, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Entertaining enough for CMLL empty arena wrestling but a little bit sloppy at times. The action-packed Soberano matches work with if the action looks good. They couldn’t get it totally together, especially early. There also was a lot of spot communicating that was hard to ignore, and Metalico blew a pinfall count in the second fall. This a lot of criticism for a match I generally liked, but it also showed neither of these guys are yet good enough to carry a match on their own. 

Diamante Azul & El Bandido vs Cuatrero & Sansón
(14:27, 10/20, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Just average match, feeling thrown together. Diamante Azul currently has the plodding speed of an ogre. He also threw a lot of punches for a guy who’s not good at punches. He’s got to be close to retiring the ramp dive bit because it keeps coming closer to disaster; Azul barely made it over this time. Bandido is another outsider who comes into CMLL and seems less special than more he’s around.

Flyer & Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Disturbio & Virus
(14:12, 10/16, ok, Google Drive)

I hoped this would be Maya & Virus working against each other, but they mostly face the other person on the team. This turns out to be a pattern; Maya and Virus keep wrestling tag matches on the empty arena shows but don’t actually wrestle each other all that much. It’s fun to see Maya be mean to Disturbio but it’s outweighed by Flyer submitting Virus later on. Flyer’s current state is currently personified by the second fall finish here, a huracanrana on Disturbio where Flyer looks for the legs to hook with his arms on the pin, continues to look, realizes he has failed, and simply gives up.

Mephisto vs Soberano Jr.
(12:10, 10/23, ok, Google Drive)

Fine, but nothing to see unless you want to see Mephisto do a Canadian Destroyer. He’s going to have as an interesting match as the person he’s facing, Soberano is a guy who wants to do a lot of the same spots, so this match wasn’t going to be much beyond those familiar spots. It needed a crowd who cared, and the fake crowd noise working hard wasn’t enough in this one.