LUCHA LIBRE ON GALAVISION

December 4, 2001

-CMLL-

1. (Best of 3 Falls): Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras, Universo 2000, Mascara Ano) 2000 vs Villanos 3, 4 & 5

PRIMERA CAIDA: V-4 and Mascara traded offense early and looked better than usual. V-5 backdropped Universo over the top rope to the floor. Caras countered a monkey flip from V-3 but V-3 hit a flying bodypress. V-4 applied a modified torture rack/backbreaker on Mascara and V-3 pinned Caras with a sunset flip to win the fall at 3:03. Not a bad fall, but no better than watchable.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: Mascara got the better of V-4 early. A 6-way brawl broke out. V-4 was triple teamed by the heels. V-5 fought with Mascara outside the ring and rammed his head into the ringpost. Los Villanos partially ripped Universo’s mask but not enough to be DQed. V-4 and Universo clotheslined each other. Caras gained a near fall on V-4 and V-3 gained a near fall on Universo. Universo powerslammed V-4 but missed a senton. Universo kicked V-4 low (foul) and went for the pin but one ref stopped the other from counting because he saw the foul and so Los Villanos won the fall and match at 3:53. Nice and short, just how one would want a match with these six to be. Actually, it wasn’t that bad as I’ve seen Caras & co. look worse. Also, V-4 carried his team well, so this was a watchable match. *1/4

Momentos Estelares was next. The highlight saw Ultimo Dragoncito hit a great somersault tope suicida on someone in a minis tag team match.

2. (Best of 3 Falls): Nicho El Millionario, Juventud Guerrera, Halloween & Damien 666 vs Negro Casas, El Hombre Sin Nombre, Rey Misterio Jr. & El Hijo Del Santo

PRIMERA CAIDA: Nicho and co. got the better of Casas early. Nicho hit a power legdrop on Casas. Nicho gave Misterio a spinning powerbomb. He charged the corner but Misterio kicked him. Santo gave Nicho a top rope spinning huracanrana. Misterio and Santo threw Nicho and Halloween under the bottom rope to the floor in a neat spot. Santo then hit a running tope suicida on Nicho as Misterio hit a somersault plancha on Halloween in the corner. Casas pinned Damien after an inverted DDT and Hijo Sin Nombre pinned Guerrera by turning a Fujiwara armbar into a backslide (and stood on his head!) in one of the neatest spots ever to come from a rookie to win the first fall in 3:13. Great fall with Misterio, Santo and Nicho looking great and others chipping in good work as well.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: Hijo Sin Nombre gave Nicho a neckbreaker and traded chops with Halloween. Guerrera spin kicked Misterio. Halloween launched Damien and Damien legdropped and pinned Misterio. Halloween pinned Santo at 2:16 to win the fall. Good action, but fairly nondescript.
TERCERA CAIDA: Nicho missed a corner splash on Misterio, crashed shoulder first into the ringpost and took one of his great bumps to the floor. Damien went for a ropewalk spot on Nombre but Nombre pulled him down and crotched him on the top rope. Nombre then knocked Damien into the third row with a tope suicida. Misterio hit a second rope tornado DDT on Halloween but Halloween then crotched him on the top rope. Halloween attempted a top rope huracanrana but Misterio crotched him on the top rope and gave him a great top rope spinning huracanrana from the apron to the floor. Back in the ring Nicho and Guerrera simultaneously dropkicked Santo and Casas. Nicho spin kicked Santo and Guerrera slammed Casas onto Santo. Nicho hit a face first suplex on Casas as Guerrera powerbombed Santo, after which both gained near falls. Nicho went for a top rope spin kick but Casas moved and Nicho hit Guerrera. Casas held Guerrera and Santo hit a top rope somersault senton. Casas elevated Nicho and Santo hit a top rope flying headbutt. Santo locked a camel clutch on Guerrera as Casas gave Nicho la magistral. Damien ran in and attacked the faces with a kendo stick, resulting in a DQ of the heels in 3:09. A cheap finish to a very good match. Everyone looked good, with Santo continuing to look like the world class worker he was years ago. Nicho wasn’t in peak form, but worked very hard and took his share of neat bumps. ***1/4

3. Hair vs Hair; Best of 3 Falls: Emilio Charles Jr. (w/Scorpio Jr.) vs Apollo Dantes (w/Shocker)

PRIMERA CAIDA: Charles attacked Dantes before the bell. Charles rammed Dantes’s head into the ringpost. Back in the ring Charles gave Dantes a standing spinebuster as Apollo’s girl as well as the lady involved in the Shocker-Charles feud looked on. Charles continued to dominate Dantes and clotheslined him. However, Dantes fought back with a northern lights suplex and pinned Charles to win the fall at 2:35. A decent fall with an overly sudden ending. Fans popped for Dantes, who to them was less of a heel than Charles.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: Charles regained the advantage at the start of the fall. Dantes gave Charles a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Dantes dropkicked Charles and hit a top rope dropkick. Dantes applied an abdominal stretch but Scorpio came in and chopped him. Charles reversed the hold, rolled up Dantes and pinned him to win the fall in 1:40. Another decent fall, but very short.
TERCERA CAIDA: Dantes bulldogged Charles at the start of the fall. Charles fought back but Dantes rolled him up for a near fall. Dantes attempted a huracanrana but Charles countered with a powerbomb for a near fall. Charles clotheslined Dantes over the top rope to the floor and hit a Thesz press off the apron. Back in the ring they traded offense and Dantes backdropped Charles over the top rope to the floor. Dantes then hit a pretty good tope suicida but Charles moved and Dantes knocked Scorpio instead into the first few rows at ringside. Dantes played to the crowd as he teased doing a top rope headbutt although he didn’t. Charles fought back and came off the top rope with a somersault senton but Dantes moved. Dantes gained a near fall as the ref made a slow count. Dantes attempted a Romero special, but grabbed Charles’s hair so the ref pushed him off and Dantes fell to the mat in a funny spot. Dantes briefly applied a Gori special and turned the move into a pin attempt for a near fall. Dantes hit a second rope bodypress for a near fall, but Charles pushed him off and onto the ref. Scorpio handed Charles a flower pot and Charles broke it over Dantes’s head, causing him to briefly bleed a gusher. The ref recovered and Charles scored the pin at win the fall and match in 7:00. A pretty decent fall with some good spots and drama. Neither wrester lived up to their potential, but did a fine job given their abilities. **1/2
After the match an officer nabbed Apollo’s fan, whose hair was on the line apparently. Charles and Shocker exchanged words. Dantes then had his head shaved as confetti rained down throughout Arena Mexico.

-AAA-

4. Best of 3 Falls: Oscar Sevilla, Alan, Decnnis & Billy Boy vs Brandon, Uri, Vangelly & Keivy

PRIMERA CAIDA: Its frustrating not being able to distinguish Brandon & co. because I’ve never seen then before. Pretty nondescript action early. I believe Brandon and Uri did a decent double team spot on Sevilla early reminiscent of the Beverly Brothers of WWF fame. Brandon did some weird twisting headbutt/splash on Sevilla. Brandon and I believe Vangelly hit a double top rope headbutt on Decnnis. They then pinned Decnnis. The heels in black and red trunks (almost thongs) gave Alan a double stunner and the other two hit a double dropkick. The heels carried Alan and almost marched across the ring in a funny spot, then slammed him and made him submit to win the fall in 3:37. Neither good nor bad, just sorta there.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: The heels attacked their opponents at the start of the fall. The heel in red trunks kicked Sevilla low but the ref didn’t see it. There was a mess of a spot where the heels tried to whip the faces into each other, but they countered and tried moves on the heels, but the heels just shrugged them off and the faces sorta collided. A mess, albeit entertaining. All four heels missed corner splashes in the 6-sided ring. The faces (Sevilla & co.) then all hit planchas from different corners for a big pop. The heel in white trunks (Vangelly?) was slammed onto a skateboard and Decnnis gave him a Guerrero-like slingshot senton. They made the heel submit at 2:11 and then attacked the heel in red (Keivy?). Decnnis and Sevilla double suplexed and double elbowsmashed him. Decnnis and Sevilla set up a wood board on two stands and Billy drove the heel through the wood with a top rope senton that appeared to completely miss to win the fall IN 3:17. Very nondescript action, although there were some good spots, although also many sloppy ones.
TERCERA CAIDA: Billy got the better of the heel in red and hit a somersault plancha. Decnnis dropkicked the heel in black out of the ring and hit a tope suicida. The heel in black kicked Decnnis low. The ref didn’t see the foul, and the heel in white pinned Decnnis to win the fall and match in 1:41. A higher percentage of good spots in this fall than the others, but too much of the match was nondescript and unfocused to give it a decent rating. Most of the wrestlers did show talent and potential, but they clearly need to be carried by more experienced and polished workers. 3/4*

5. Best of 3 Falls: Mascara Sagrada, La Parka (AAA version), Hijo De Dos Caras & Randy vs Sangre Chicana, Pirata Morgan, Jerry Estrada & Texano

PRIMERA CAIDA: This fall might have been joined in progress. Chicana and Caras traded offense early. Sagrada and Texano then had an exchange, including a funny moment where Sagrada teased a tope, and in the process of running for cover Texano ran into one of the ringposts. Morgan and Parka exchanged offense along with some comedy spots. Parka flipped both Morgan and Estrada. Sagarada hit a top rope flying bodypress on Morgan. Texano and Chicana went to elbowsmash Sagrada but Sagrada moved and they hit Morgan instead. Caras then big splashed all three heels as did Sagrada. Randy then hit a top rope splash on the three and he, Sagrada and Caras piled on the heels and pinned them to win the fall in 3:21. Somewhat nondescript, but mostly entertaining with some good action and comedy spots, along with more focused work than the previous match.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: The heels regained the advantage as the fall began. Texano attacked Caras with a rope. Estrada hit a top rope kneedrop on Caras, whose ribs appeared to be injured. Morgan pinned Caras. The heels then ganged up on and pinned Parka to win the fall in 1:39. Not much of note in this fall.
TERCERA CAIDA: Estrada slammed Randy twice near the entrance as the fall began. Parka and Sagrada were dominated in the ring as Caras received medical attention. Morgan and Texano superbombed Sagrada. Parka recovered, goosed Texano and attacked the other heels. Parka then dodged the heels and bailed out over the top rope in a comedy spot. To add even more comedy, Sagrada pulled off the same spot, but Randy nearly got ambushed when he tried the same spot, although the faces pulled him over the top rope. Chicana went for a tope suicida but Randy moved and Chicana hit Estrada. Texano attempted a superbomb but this time Sagrada countered with a huracanrana. Parka pinned Morgan as Sagrada held Texano at bay to win the fall and match in 3:04. The pacing was too even (and not necessarily fast) to make this good, but it was watchable with plenty of entertaining comedy and some good spots. Chicana was the best work-wise. *3/4

6. AAA National Tag Team Title, Best of 3 Falls: Pirata Morgan & El Texano (c) vs La Parka & Mascara Sagrada

PRIMERA CAIDA: Texano and Sagrada traded armdrags and armbars early. Morgan got the better of Parka and applied a cobra clutch of sorts. Parka fought back with a snapmare but Morgan responded with a clothesline. Morgan then piledrove Parka, a move I thought was illegal in lucha libre, and pinned him. Texano gave Sagrada a pumphandle slam and an elbowsmash. Morgan hit a senton and both heels pinned Sagrada to win the fall in 5:13. Not great in terms of action or intensity, but watchable.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: The heels were upset that this was a three fall instead of a one fall match that had become common for title matches. Parka was double teamed and Morgan gained a near fall. Texano came off the top rope with a dropkick but Parka moved and Texano hit Morgan instead. Parka gave Texano a top rope huracanrana and Sagrada followed with a top rope splash. Sagrada then pinned Texano. The faces took apart Morgan and made him submit to win the fall in 2:28. Not bad, not great, but not quite as good as these guys are capable of.
TERCERA CAIDA: Parka rolled up Morgan for a near fall early. Parka hit a cross bodyblock but Morgan then crotched him on the top rope. Morgan dropkicked Parka but Parka fought back with a neckbreaker. Parka dropkicked Morgan out of the ring and hit a tope suicida. Sagrada drove Texano neck first onto the top rope in a stunner-like move at the apron. Sagrada hit a somersault plancha over the ringpost onto Texano in a great spot. Sagrada hit a top rope flying bodypress on Texano, Texano reversed the momentum, and moved and Parka then accidentally hit Sagrada with a senton. Morgan rolled up Parka for a near fall. Sagrada dropkicked Morgan out of the ring at the same time, and on the same side Texano dropkicked Parka out of the ring. Texano and Sagrada then hit tope suicidas, but their opponents had switched sides so they struck their tag team partners instead in a somewhat weird but entertaining spot. Back in the ring Texano pinned Parka to eliminate him. Morgan gave Sagrada a senton for a near fall. Texano accidentally clotheslined Morgan out of the ring when Sagrada moved. Texano attempted a figure 4 leglock but Sagrada rolled him up and pinned him. Morgan and Sagrada traded clotheslines. Sagrada then gave Morgan a victory roll and pinned him for a big pop to win the fall, match and title in 6:11. Although they didn’t cut a fast pace, all four definitely turned it up a notch in the third fall. Overall this wasn’t a great match and at times it wasn’t good. However, the third fall ended the match well and the pacing was better here than in the other two AAA matches. In some ways this was very similar to Dantes-Charles, with slightly better action and slightly weaker pacing. **1/2

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