#vangellys

[lostinyourears]

Arena Mexico Super Friday Report! 05/10/2019

Hijo del Signo & Espanto Jr. vs. Stigma & Magia Blanca

Who’s who?

Signo maskless and Espanto in his white cross mask.

Stigma in dark blue/red and Magia in white. 

How’s the match?

Good, it’s nice to see Stigma and Magia Blanca booked here as CMLL could go with more standard openers. Astral recently left CMLL which has helped open this spot up for better or worse. In this case it was for the better, even if this isn’t an opener that will blow anyone away. Hope to see these two tecnicos more on Friday Night. 

Fuego, Drone & Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. Polvora, Kawato San & Vangellys

Who’s who?

Fuego in orange, Drone in black and Maya in white. 

Polvora in silver mask, Kawato in blue/silver & Vangellys in black.

How’s the match?

Good, but it probably isn’t a good sign that the most memorable moment from this match was Fuego making his his entrance with a blow up doll. It’s hard to care too much about a match like this with rudos that you know aren’t going to be doing much if anything of note in the next few weeks/months/ect.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Amapola Lightning Match

Who’s who?

Kaho in 2 pieces and amapola in a 1 piece black outfit. 

How’s the match?

Meh, this match was a set up match for a potential hair vs. hair match down the line. Not having a finish hurts this, even if the action was good until you got to the ending. Kaho is a good talent and I’d like to see a proper 2/3 falls match out of her. Amapola would be a good choice for that since we already got a full match with Dalys. 

Soberano Jr., Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs. Villano IV, Hijo del Villano III & Rey Bucanero

Who’s who?

Soberano Jr. in blue, Atlantis in white mask with tanktop, Jr. in the same mask without a tanktop to his outfit.

Villano IV the thicker man in the x mask, his nephew thinner and Bucanero maskless with facepaint. 

How’s the match?

Very good, perhaps the best match on the card or at least up there in the 2nd place spot. Interesting ending sequence too. I might just be a sucker for the Villanos vs. Atlantis feud and all the built in foundation it obviously has. Loved the surfboard into suplex move the rudos did in this match as well. 

Los Guerreros Laguneros(Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Euforia) vs. Mascara Ano 2000 & NGD(Sanson & Cuatrero)

Who’s who?

Los Guerreros in green black, Ultimo maskless and Gran in full pants. 

Ano 2000 maskless, Sanson in black boots and Cuatrero in white boots.

How’s the match?

Good, but I don’t think this topped what this same match did the week prior. The rumor is that Ano 2000 vs. Ultimo for the hair might be where this is going. That’s not terribly exciting, but if Ano 2000 needs one more hair payoff before he hangs up his boots for good... Ultimo Guerrero can likely take him to a good farewell match. I simply say that because of course Ano 2000 is in his 60′s and isn’t getting any younger. Any lucha de apuesta could obviously be his last. 

Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario vs. Dragon Lee, Mistico & Volador Jr.

Who’s who?

Lee in black, Mistico in white and Volador maskless in white/red. 

Casas in plain black, Niebla masked and Barbaro looking like a caveman.

How’s the match?

Good, but so brief, why have Dragon Lee fly in from Japan for this? Seems a bit needless since it wasn’t even a big feeling match. I don’t get why you couldn’t have just had this match with anyone other than Lee, but oh well. Was nice to see him one more time before he disappears again for a month or more. 

Highlights :

Arena Mexico Super Friday Highlights 05/10/2019

[lostinyourears]

Super Friday Incredible Pairs Block A Report! 04/12/2019

Akuma & Espanto Jr. vs. Principe Diamante & Robin

Who’s who?

Espanto in black masked & Akuma in facepaint.

Principe in white & Robin in yellow.

How’s the match?

Good, but nothing out of the ordinary though Akuma hitting this combo is pretty cool. Still hard to recommend going out of your way for this one since these 4 aren’t going to be doing much of note in 2019 unless CMLL is about to change how they feel about one of them drastically. You never know though, as CMLL’s annual New Values Cup might boost the profile of one of these men. 

Stuka Jr., Rey Cometa & Black Panther vs. Hechicero, Polvora & Vangellys

Who’s who?

Stuka in blue/black, Rey in facepaint & Black in black. 

Hechicero in suspenders, Polvora in flame mask and Vangellys maskless.

How’s the match?

Very good, Stuka/Hechicero revive their long rivalry just in time to team next week in Incredible Pairs. Cometa/Black are great on the tecnico side and Polvora/Vangellys are bodies for them to work with. No offense to either men, even though Vangellys is probably my least liked guy this high on the card. I can’t recall much either did outside of take offense, but they did all that fine. 

Dragon Lee, Valiente & Niebla Roja vs. Terrible, Gran Guerrero & Negro Casas

Who’s who?

Lee in black/red, Valiente in blue & Roja in white with no mask.

Terrible shaved + shoulder tapped, Casas with long black hair & Gran in red masked.

How’s the match?

Great, this was Dragon Lee’s last match before going to Japan for an extended tour. That will probably keep him away from CMLL/Mexico for the next few months. Despite that it didn’t dominate the whole match. Valiente/Gran Guerrero & Terrible/Niebla Roja will both be teams in next week’s Incredible Pairs. So that sorta plays into this match. Post match Dragon Lee and Negro Casas shared a moment of respect. This may not be their last match together, but at 59, Negro Casas is closer to retirement than debut. 

Seeding Battle Royal

Not reviewing this, but it played out pretty nicely. 

Round 1 : Mephisto & Caristico vs. Forastero & Flyer 

Who’s who?

Caristico in white/gold, Mephisto in black.

Forastero in white & Flyer in blue. 

How’s the match?

Good, if a little predictable. It’s my top seed vs. like my 7th seed? Mephisto and Caristico were obviously going to win this. Forastero showed a little fight, as did Flyer. When hitting his moonsault Flyer seemingly hurt his leg. Not sure how serious it was, or if it was a work for the countout, but that seems unlikely, but doesn’t mean this is serious. Mephisto went out on a stretcher board on Monday and wrestled tuesday this week and here. So Flyer might have just pulled something, we’ll see if he works next week. 

Round 1 : Angel de Oro & Bestia del Ring vs. Euforia & Guerrero Maya Jr. 

Who’s who?

Angel in white, Bestia in yellow both maskless.

Euforia in blue, Maya in white both masked.

How’s the match?

Very good, my 4th seed vs. my 5th is much closer and it felt it. This was a pretty even match vs. Angel/Bestia’s Flyer/big man team vs. Guerrero Maya/Euforia’s Technical/big man team. It was a cool dynamic with lots of great moments and a  hard to call winner. Bestia/Maya stole the show here. Really think Bestia killed it here with Maya. Best Bestia performance as of late. 

Round 1 : Titan & Barbaro Cavernario vs. Blue Panther & Mascara Ano 2000

Who’s who?

Titan in mask cheetah print and Barbaro maskless long hair.

Blue PAnther in blue/white and 2000 in black

How’s the match?

Very good, if again a bit predictable since Blue Panther/2000 were the least likely team to win this block. Still, Titan/Barbaro gel like butter. They did cool spots here, the topes through the corner being the highlight.

Round 1 : Triton & Rey Bucanero vs. Soberano Jr. & Sanson

Who’s who?

Triton in white and Bucanero in black.

Soberano Jr. in blue and Sanson in black/white.

How’s the match?

Really good, a little brief with some cool spots. Triton/Soberano Jr. were basically testing their flyer skills. It really feels like Sanson tipped the scales for his team. In fact he saves Soberano Jr. in this match near the end as Triton was getting the better of him. Really good match. 

Round 2 : Caristico & Mephisto vs. Euforia & Guerrero Maya Jr. 

Who’s who?

Caristico in white/gold, Mephisto in black both masked.

Euforia in blue, Maya in white both masked.

How’s the match?

Very good, this match went well and it seemed like everyone was trying hard and Maya was trying even harder. He stole the show in these matches tonight and hopefully made a case tonight for why he should get bigger spots. Mephisto/Caristico/Euforia were as smooth as ever too.

Round 2 : Soberano Jr. & Sanson vs. Titan & Barbaro Cavernario

Who’s who?

Soberano Jr. in blue and Sanson in black/white.

Titan in mask cheetah print and Barbaro maskless long hair.

How’s the match?

Great, what a competitive match! I can’t express how wild this was. No one here was going to go quietly so pretty much everyone got a great spot. I think Titan/Barbaro have crazy chemistry together. Great single match this year and now this tournament, they might have some of the best chemistry in wrestling right now. They seem to know each other pretty well.

Block Finals : Caristico & Mephisto vs. Titan & Barbaro Cavernario 

Who’s who?

Caristico in white/gold, Mephisto in black both masked.

Titan in mask cheetah print and Barbaro maskless long hair.

How’s the match?

Great, likely front runner for best tag match of 2019. Both teams really shined here and through the previous matches in the block. Titan/Barbaro as dream team proved to be great on both paper and execution. This block final was great and the full finals will be just as great, no doubt in my mind.    

Gilbert El Boricua vs. Volador Jr.

Who’s who?

Gilbert with long hair & Volador in saiyan gear with short hair. 

How’s the match?

Good, a let down after the block finals and the whole block of pretty good matches. The ending was obviously a bit of a let down. Not awful, though this was fine, but the “You lied about being kicked in the dick so next week I’m going to lie about being kick in the dick next week” trope is a bit annoying. That drags it down hard for me. Poor ending to the 1st Gilbert singles match, but hopefully this leads to a great match down the line.   

Highlights :

[lostinyourears]

Blue Panther irish whipped into a tope.

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Homage to 2 Legends Report! 03/15/2019

WARNING SPOILERS BELOW AS I NEED TO SPOIL TO TALK ABOUT SOME MATCHES

Vangellys, Polvora & El Hijo del Villano III vs. Triton, Audaz & Esfinge

Who’s who?

Vangellys in red, Polvora in flame mask and Villano in Villanos signature pink.

Triton/Esfinge in matching gear, with Tritons boots both being white and Audaz as always is in gold. 

How’s the match?

Good, much better than any opener you’ll see on CMLL with a normal broadcast. Obviously because this is thie big spring event and normally the 2nd biggest show of the year. I’d suggest watching this, the rudo team is pretty whatever outside of El Hijo del Villano III, who is still green/new to CMLL, but did a good job here one of the few times we have seen him without uncle Villano IV teaming with him. Polvora/Vangellys aren’t bad, but Polvora does best when paired with teammate Dragon Rojo Jr., who is currently injured. I don’t like Vangellys a great deal, but he held his own in this contest.  

Microman, Atomo & Gallito vs. Chamuel, Mije & Perico Zakarias 

Who’s who?

Microman in blue, Atomo in red & Gallito in red/white masked.

Chamuel in black, Mije in white & Perico with a bird mask. 

How’s the match?

Good, this isn’t a standout match from the smaller class of mini, but they so seldomly have matches that each time they come out it’s plenty of fun. Microman as always is a star and Chamuel very recently ditched his clown mask for a more luchador looking mask. It’s a fun match, but not a highlight of the night. With AAA pretty much not having a mini’s division anymore, this is the place to get mini’s action and I’m glad CMLL included them on the PPV. As all these guys train and work hard like the rest of the roster and deserve to shine. Though at the same time, I wonder why the luchadoras didn’t make this card. Even more confusing when they have Kaho in from Japan and a spot on this card would have given her more exposure, but oh well. 

Diamante Azul, Titan & Soberano Jr. vs. Mephisto, Ephesto & Templario.

Who’s who?

Azul/Soberano both in white, with Azul being bigger & Titan in blue.

Mephisto in Blue Demon tribute mask, Ephesto having ram like horns and Templario in silver.

How’s the match?

Very good, the card picks up here and begins to feel more like a PPV. Not offense to the opener or minis, but both felt like they could have been on any show. This could have easily been on any Super Friday, but on any Super Friday it would be praised as one of the best matches on the card, if not the best match on the card. The tecnico team in particular worked so well and are all so varied that CMLL should think about putting them together more often. Mephisto too, as always has the best tribute mask of the night. Honestly, I’m surprised Azul wasn’t looking more like Blue Demon, as his repackaging years was meant to make basically another Blue Demon and his first big win as this name was the tournament in honor of Blue Demon.   

NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero) vs. La Peste Negra(Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario) + Gilbert El Boricua

Who’s who?

NGD are told apart easily by boots. Sanson in black, Cuatrero in white and Forastero in gold. They have different mask and tight designs too, but the boots are the easier go to if you’re new and confused as to who is who. 

Negro Casas is in his signature plain black gear, Barbaro is the cave man & Gilbert in camo pants.

How’s the match?

Great, I was expecting a good match here, but I think this even surpassed my expectations. NGD are big match players who tend to change up their normal team offense or at least kick it up a notch when called to do so. They made this match grea, but that’s not to diminish the efforts of the other team either. In fact this is probably Gilbert’s best CMLL or trios match since arriving in the company for the first time last year. Barbaro/Casas did good too. This is the return for Negro after being sidelined for a leg injury, which is even referenced in this match. One of the best match of the week/month/year in CMLL so far. 

Los Guerreros Laguneros(Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Euforia) vs. Caristico, Volador Jr. & Dragon Lee for the CMLL World Trios Championships

Who’s who?

Ultimo maskless, Euforia the tall man and Gran in Ultimo’s old mask design and all three in the stables signature colors of green and black.

Tecnicos in all white, Mistico in full pants, Dragon Lee in trunks and Volador Jr. without mask. 

How’s the match?

Great, for most this will be the match of the show and it’s easy to see why. I might prefer the previous match for the main reason of it being something we haven’t seen as much. This feels plenty like Los Guerrero Laguneros title defenses of the past. It’s still very good, but it just isn’t something so new that I’m going to gush about it. Still very good and the finish stretch was a great combo of moves/moments. For sure a great match, but too similar to other matches Los Guerreros Laguneros had the last 2 years. It’s a shame Fenix/Pentagon couldn’t make this match. As it would make this feel more fresh. Dragon Lee is new here, but Volador/Mistico/Valiente is pretty close to his team with Caristico and Mistico even having the same finisher. I also don’t understand the thought of putting Dragon Lee here instead of Mistico, with the line-up of Mistico/Caristico/Volador Jr. in recent weeks feuding with Los Guerreros Laguneros/NGD as Dream Team. Seems bizarre to not follow that string of matches with a title match here. 

Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs. Terrible & Bestia del Ring, Hairs vs. Hairs

Who’s who?

Oro in gold and Roja in red.

 Terrible with facial hair and Bestia in western boots. 

How’s the match?

Good, but unsatisfying as a main event. I don’t want to shit on this main event as I think all involved tried hard and that it went bad because of an injury. It’s really too bad as this was Oro/Rojo’s moment of redemption after both being unmasked at 2/3 last major CMLL events. Terrible in the big ending moments between him and Oro right after Rojo/Bestia had been eliminated in the 3rd fall, dislocated his arm. This meant that the long segment he and Oro likely had planned was thrown out and the finish came what felt much too soon. Good show, but the main event, which was the main selling point didn’t land well. 

Highlights : (Cannot upload gifs to imgur at the place I’m house sitting has weak wifi, will put album here in about a week or so)

[lostinyourears]

Stigma tope!

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Arena Mexico Puebla Report! 12/17/2018

Vangellys, Kawato San & Okumura vs. Blue Panther Jr., Black Panther & Stigma

Who’s who?

Vangellys in black, Kawato in red & Okumura in orange.

Blue Panther Jr. in blue, Black in black & Stigma in black/red.

How’s the match?

Good, but just as this match is picking up... it ends. So as far as I’m concerned this is one of the more underwhelming matches from the Kawato/Okumura vs. Panther Bros. feud/series of matches. Which in turn makes this a pretty skippable affair, I’d just suggest one check out one of the plenty of other matches in this series from 2018. When this series started via Kawato San coming to CMLL from his home promotion NJPW. I was actually pretty shocked when the finish came as it felt like this match should’ve/could’ve gone one for a few more minutes.  

Stuka Jr., Valiente & Diamante Azul vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Euforia

Who’s who?

Stuka Jr. in light blue, Valiente in metallic blue and Azul in dark blue. 

Ultimo maskless, Gran in shorts and Euforia the biggest in full pants/masked.

How’s the match?

Very good, Los Guerreros Laguneros are pretty good at putting together a fun trios match even when it’s just a semi-main on Puebla. They also have a good trio of tecnicos to work off of. This had all the Guerreros spots you’d expect and even the catapult off the ramp that Stuka/Valiente have been known to bust out. Honestly, I think those two would make better tag champs than Azul/Diamante Azul, but that’s not really all that important here. I’d perhaps even give this a great, but 2018 has been a baller year for Los Guerreros Laguneros. So this sorta doesn’t stack up to their best matches this year. Stuka Jr. had to be stretchered out post match, hopefully it’s not too serious. They did a slow mo replay and the landing didn’t look too nasty.

Caristico, Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Rey Bucanero & Hechicero

Who’s who?

Caristico in white, Oro in gold/silver & Roja in red/gold.

Barbaro looking like a caveman, Bucanero bald & Hechicero masked.

How’s the match?

Very good, this was a fun main event match. The main feud here was Caristico vs. Barbaro Cavernario. While the Universal Championship seems like it may not happen at all, if it were to happen those two being in the finals has to seem somewhat likely and we got a preview of what that might mean here. Niebla Roja and Bucanero feuded a little bit here as well, still falling out from the shaving of Bucanero. The ending here was a little predictable, but for a Monday Puebla main event, that’s sorta called for. I’m glad we got an ending instead of just a DQ who cares ending like often happens on these secondary show main events. 

Highlights :

Arena Puebla Highlights 12/14/2018

[lostinyourears]

Rey Cometa eats a spear from the returning Vangellys

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Cuije and Kraneo double leg drops.