CMLL Super Viernes: Block A Kind of Day

Sorry sports fans; we’re not going to waste too much time with the intro on this column. Blame it on there being yet another CMLL/AAA doubleheader tonight and the fact that getting through both shows was like trying to Dungeons and Dragons twice in a row. You’ll see that it started off promising enough with this CMLL show, only for the tournament matches to begin and everything to go full mediocre from there. But don’t just take my word for it; take my word for it. Give me a break alright, I’m tired. Just enjoy the Moses meme and get reading!

El Coyote & Templario defeated Astral & Eléctrico two falls to one

If only Eléctrico hadn’t chipped a tooth while going for a splash on Templario. That moment alone kept this from being great, because it turned the third fall into an improvised minute and a half sequence that ended with Templario doing a Space Tiger Moonsault from the ramp to the ring. If that comes after a hard fought third fall we’re talking great. Instead we’re just talking really good, which is still impressive overall. His goof aside, Eléctrico continued to show the energy he had last week, although he was massively overshadowed by Astral, who showed just what he was capable of when given great rudos to work with. Did you see that rana to the floor he did? MAJESTIC! It wouldn’t have been majestic without Templario though. It is truly Último Guerrero/Hechicero esq how great he is; one moment he can base like it’s no one’s business, then he’s flying around like he’s Soberano. There have been many great performances from him in his CMLL run but this was his best; he made everyone look like a million bucks in this match, including his own partner Coyote, who is no slouch himself. It’s a shame it had to be cut short because I imagine he would’ve turned Astral and Eléctrico into Volador and Mistico in fall three. Alas, for what we got, it was top notch. A strong CMLL opener.

Audaz, Pegasso, Rey Cometa defeated Kawato San, Misterioso, Virus two falls to one

This lived up to the hype and then some! You knew it was going well when Misterioso of all people was working this match like it was an Aniversario. He and Pegasso were definitely the bottom feeders of this match, but both worked very hard and got some cool stuff in, with Pegasso even hitting his tornillo. The big stories were as expected though; the continuation of Audaz-Virus and the debut of Kawato. The latter was better than I expected. There were a few times Kawato got lost, but overall he seemed to blend in very well, especially during one on one situation, and got better as he went along. That German Suplex he hit on Cometa was particularly impressive, and overall this match was a great sign for what he can deliver going forward. But even he couldn’t keep up with the awesomeness that was Audaz vs. Virus. Their sequence in the first fall was faster than The Flash, and they closed the match with an even better sequence that saw Audaz jump the triangle for a moonsault attempt, only for Virus to block it. It was breathtaking and my goodness if that doesn’t convince CMLL to do an Apuesta match between the two at H2L then they’re out of their minds. There’s magic between those two I tell you. I don’t know if it was quite enough to make this great, but this was a highly watchable match that promised only good things to come from all these guys going forward.

Torneo a Parejas Increibles Block A

Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero defeated Blue Panther & Sam Adonis

I’ll give this match this much; the heat was OFF THE CHARTS! Credit Sam Adonis for being his usual love to hate self, Gran Guerrero for being ridiculously over for whatever reason and Blue Panther for being Blue Panther. Those factors, as well as Panther turning on Sam, helped give this match a little kick, even though it was barely even five minutes. Solid, heated, and a nice start to the proceedings.

Mistico & Mephisto defeated Soberano Jr. & Hechicero

The action was solid; the result was predictably lame. Shocking I know. Not that I have a problem with the Mistico-Mephisto team and I get that they were definitely holding back for the later rounds in this match…but come on CMLL; we know who the more talented team here was and it wasn’t Mistico-Mephisto. If anything the five minutes this lasted only made that all the more apparent; both Soberano and Hechicero looked great in their few minutes, with Soberano giving us a slightly toned down version of his excellence while Hechicero took the opportunity to break out his brand new over the rope suicide dive yet again. Great stuff. It’s such a shame that’s all they got to do, as well as a shame that the match ended rather suddenly with Mistico getting a quick La Mistica and Mephisto hitting an absurd Canadian Destroyer. I think that may have made the result even lamer honestly. Okay stuff, but the predictability and the stupid ending made me wish I had watched AAA at this point instead. And that show had Dave the Clown vs. Niño Hamburguesa going on!

Volador Jr. & Último Guerrero defeated Titán & Cavernario

Pretty much the same as the last two matches, only the finish was significantly better. How much better? Try having Volador hit a Super Rana over UG/Titán and onto Cavernario right before UG took Titán to the woodshed with the Guerrero Special!

Right? If that’s not the War for the Planet of the Apes of tag team finishes then I don’t know what is. The match wasn’t much besides this other than some energetic Cavernario moments and a gnarly Titán tope con hilo that I’m pretty sure UG was supposed to catch, but that’s to be expected. The fact that the finish was as cool as it was makes it all worth it.

Diamante Azul & Pierroth defeated Valiente & Rey Bucanero

I’m pretty sure there are episodes of kids animated shows that lasted longer than this match. On the one hand, good; I don’t have any desire to see Rey Rey Buc or a team of Diamante Azul and Pierroth in a match longer than a minute. On the other hand, nothing of note happened at all and it was so quick that Valiente, who is honest to Grodd good, didn’t get to do a single thing. Not even one Valiente Special. I think people are sometimes way too hard on these tag matches, but this was one that should’ve just been kept in the planning stages. The only reason to watch this match is to cure insomnia, and even that won’t work as it’ll be over before you’ve even gotten remotely sleepy.

Mistico & Mephisto defeated Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero

I’m sure greater minds will differ, but the tournament turned around for me with this match. Why? Because it somehow managed to be longer than all the first round matches combined! What a novel concept; give these guys time and good things will happen. Both Roja and the GG got to break out some dives early on and the match sort of descended into the general big match feel, with the GG and Mistico having a nice long sequence, Mephisto and Roja having a nice quick sequence and then Roja and the GG breaking down into an awesome slap fight before Mistico and Mephisto took advantage with roll ups to advance. Nothing that will reset the wheel, but overall I really liked what I saw here. Perhaps now that Roja and GG have mastered the singles thing, maybe they can become a great tag team. And yes, I’m aware that they were just part of a stable together last year. Who cares; I NEED MORE ROJA AND GG DAMMIT!

Volador Jr. & Último Guerrero defeated Diamante Azul & Pierroth

Quick, painless, and most importantly the right result. What more do you need to know than that, other than this may be the shortest description for a match I’ve ever written. Dude, Where’s My Car? wasn’t as short as this.

Volador Jr. & Último Guerrero defeated Mistico & Mephisto

As per usual, the best match of the Block was the last one and as usual, it probably would’ve been better if it had been given the time. Such is life in the CMLL tag tourneys. I could’ve done with a little less of the greatest hits and a bit more variety (especially from Mistico and Mephisto, who were kind of just there at times), but overall this was fun. The double dive to start the match from Mistico and Mephisto was cool, Volador worked well with Mephisto during the middle stages and gorramit if the UG isn’t so great that even doing something as simple as toughing out multiple clotheslines is captivating. The spot where he shrugged off Mephisto clotheslining him while simultaneously screaming at Volador to get his ass up was tops, peak UG if there ever was peak UG. Frankly that might’ve been the thing missing most from the match, aside from that sequence. It was good while it lasted, but energy wise, I’ve seen better. Hopefully we’ll see better come next week in Block B.

Ángel de Oro, Atlantis, Carístico defeated Cuatrero, Euforia, Sansón two falls to none

Even with the tournament not going as long as expected, this match was wrestled as if everyone was trying to make the reservation. It did have some cool stuff granted, with Carístico and Euforia picking up where they left off just a few Tuesday’s ago and while Atlantis and Sansón made me want to see them wrestle by them merely standing near each other. Was I the only one there? It’s pretty clear Atlantis still isn’t all the way back (though he is improving at a vast rate), but the charisma is still there and Sansón appears to be a dude who can match him in that department at least. Hell Sansón may be a guy, at his age and pedigree, who’d be a worthy luchador of unmasking Atlantis. What they did was cool and what Carístico and Euforia did was cooler…naturally CMLL decided that would all be secondary in favor of building up Ángel de Oro vs. Cuatrero for a mask match at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas.

Let’s be real sports fans; there’s nothing wrong with either Oro or Cuatrero. The latter is in fact very good for his age and Oro, when he wants to be, is a very fun luchador to watch. But this match? As the headliner of Homenaje a Dos Leyendas? It’s certainly better than Diamante Azul vs. Pierroth, but a can of Pizza Pringles vs. a Surge Soda would be better than that catastrophe. And compared to what else was going on in the match, Ángel de Oro vs. Cuatrero feels less like a must see match and more like Niebla Roja-Gran Guerrero did last year. Of course that ended up working out well for both Roja and the GG and, just like those two, Cuatrero and Oro are guys who haven’t been pushed, which makes this another attempt by CMLL to push new stars. I don’t know; I’m just not feeling this one, and it’s going to take a lot to get me excited for this match. Perhaps they will. For now though, this was a disappointing glimpse into CMLL’s immediate future, especially since the rest of the match featured options far more promising.

That’s game sports fans. I’m off to watch AAA’s on demand stuff because that promises to be a whole lot better than AAA’s current on air stuff. Trust me; watch tonight’s show back if you don’t believe me. Till we meet again some sunny day, THIS!

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