It is 3:04 a.m. right now and I have finally, FINALLY, completed this Triplemania XXX: Monterrey review. What is my life? A pretty good one now that I think of it; there’s Luchabag’s and everything! Alas it is late and I don’t want to waste much time, so allow me to sum things up nicely before we get to the meat of things; Triplemania XXX: Monterrey was not a perfect show. One match was a colossal disaster. The finishes for the last five matches ranged from the bad to the ugly to the “NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!” And I’m still not sure why Microman‘s big Copa Triplemania victory (featuring the returns of Charly Manson and Toscano) didn’t air! Yet despite all that, I really had a great time watching this show, a show that had a lot to live up to taking place 29 years to the day of the first-ever Triplemania. Even with the shit finishes, I felt all the matches (save the one) were above solid, and three I thought were great. Many performers stepped up tonight in a big way, and two solidified their cases as all-time greats. The crowd, even with bad audio at times, was great. Joe Dombrowski and Larry Dallas took a strong foundation from their Rey de Reyes work and turned in an outstanding performance on commentary. All in all, I came into this show excited and came out of it excited for Triplemania XXX: Tijuana in June. There is work to be done, but by in large I’d call this fun, successful way to spend $20 and four hours. And on that note, let’s relieve it all again with a review.
Ultimo Dragon defeated Pentagon Jr. after pinning Pentagon with an Asai DDT. With the loss, Pentagon Jr. will advance to the semi-finals of the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament at Triplemania XXX Tijuana in June. This was a good start to the show, though by the end of the show it honestly feels a bit underwhelming. That’s what happens when you start off with normal and then head straight long into bat shit, Hunter S. Thompson style insanity. These two kept it basic, worked hard, had some nice moments (Dragon hit a Destroyer), and put on a perfectly respectable match. That’s good, and also kind of the problem on a night where many others put on far more electrifying performances. We know Pentagon is capable of more and, to be frank, it seemed like Dragon is too as he was moving just fine throughout. Whatever the case, they kept it simple and the result was good but unremarkable compared to the rest of the show. On the plus side, the finish was at least good and clean, which is more than one can say for the rest of the festivities. *** ¼
Sammy Guevera & Tay Conti defeated Arez & Chik Tormenta (c), Lady Maravilla & Latigo and Komander & Sexy Star to win the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championships. The finish came after Tay Conti laid out Arez with a kick and Chik Tormenta with a TayKO, followed by Guevera pinning Arez and Conti pinning Tormenta. This match kicked the show into high gear, with a big assist from La Parka Negra. The story of the match was that Guevara couldn’t go due to injuries suffered on Dynamite Wednesday and him picking Parka Negra to replace him. That ultimately turned out to be a ruse, with Guevara then replacing Negra late in the match (it’s Lucha Libre AAA, the rules are faster and looser than a Sergio Leone picture) to secure him and Tay the gold. It was an angle intended both to protect Sammy and keep the match looking strong with another high caliber worker replacing him and boy did it work. This was a super fun match all the way through, with Tay Conti having no difficulty adapting to the environment, and adding her own bit of flavor with what she does best (strikes and the occasional flip). The stars of the show here however were Arez and Tormenta, clicking and innovating at a high level as always, and Komander, who replaced Octagon Jr. and just went full ham. He did stuff in here that only Hijo del Vikingo thinks about doing, and pulled it off with aplomb, stepping up huge in a show with a huge spotlight on him. Everybody came off strong in the end I thought, with not a single weak performance to be found. I’d call this borderline great, though I wouldn’t blame anyone for going a little high or a little lower. *** ¾
L.A. Park defeated Villano IV after reversing a suplex attempt into a Small Package style pin. With the loss, Villano IV will advance to the semi-finals of the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament at Triplemania XXX Tijuana in June. Sports fans, when someone (hopefully me) writes the L.A. Park biography in the near distant future, this match will be talked about in great detail. Why? Because it’s the greatest proof in the history of how unbelievably great this man is as a performer. I thought this match had no chance going in, only for Park to somehow will it into greatness, as if he was J.S. Giguere carrying the Ducks in 2003.
A live look at L.A. Park tonight, if he was a white French Canadian with a beard
Now to be fair, Villano IV does deserve a slither of credit. He worked his ass off and gave everything he had, which sadly isn’t that much as the man proved to be the first of three luchadores in Ruleta de la Muerte that can barely move. It didn’t matter though because L.A. Park was at peak levels of L.A. Park. The crowd LOVED him (so much so it carried over through the questionable audio at the start) and he responded by giving the tour de force performance we’ve seen countless times before. There was brawling, blood, Park working with his mask all but torn off, an incredible punch exchange late in the match, incredible heat; perhaps most impressive is that the match told the great story of how Park went from a guy wanting to lose, in order to get the big mask match in Mexico City this fall, to a man determined to win. All of this was miraculous. It may not have been the most miraculous thing all night, but it was miraculous nonetheless, and a crowning achievement for Park in a career full of them. I’m sad he won because it means less him and more Villano IV but beyond that? Outstanding. This exceeded every expectation imaginable. **** ¼
After all that came a special ceremony for Latin Lover, the Lucha Libre AAA star of the 90s and 2000s, with Lucha Libre AAA president Dorian Roldan presenting him with a lifetime achievement plaque, or something of that nature. In reality, it was all a setup for Double J, Jeff Jarrett, to come out with Karen Jarrett and Rey Escorpion (apparently the rest of La Empresa was elsewhere) and insult Lover until he attacked Jarrett. He did, Jarrett and Escorpion laid him out, leading to Vampiro, looking like he just came off the set of a Mike Ness biopic, making the save and potentially setting up a future match. Your mileage may vary on stuff involving Jarrett and Vamp and I groaned at Latin Lover’s forced kiss spot on Karen (the second of the night following Maravilla and Latigo earlier), but overall I didn’t mind this. Latin Lover looked good with his in-ring work too (he’s kept in great shape), a good sign if Lucha Libre AAA will be booking him in a match in either Tijuana or Mexico City. If you do him, Vamp, and two other guys vs. Jarrett and the rest of La Empresa, there could be something there.
Johnny Superstar & Taurus defeated Jack Cartwheel & Laredo Kid and Dragon Lee & Dralistico after Superstar pinned Laredo Kid after a foul and a small package. This was the beginning of a not-so-great trend on this show where the matches themselves would be great and then the finishes would suck. I understand wanting to protect Laredo Kid; he’s great and all. But there was no harm in Johnny beating him clean here to set up a future match, and the low blow finish, on a show full of ball shots, was unnecessary and lame. Aside from that? Tremendous stuff. Jack Cartwheel needs to maybe give up the Standing Shooting Star Press, but he was an absolute stud besides that, continuing to take to Lucha Libre AAA as the Deftones do to great records. Laredo Kid once again was an absolute boss (rattling off an all-time great tornillo), Johnny was at his peak rudo powers and Dralistico continues to look motivated and far better than his CMLL run, helped by the effort level and performers being a higher caliber. The stars though were Dragon Lee and Taurus. Taurus was an absolute machine as per usual, and he was at his best with Lee, who finally looked like the guy we used to see in CMLL and New Japan. Those two made some sweet music together, whether it be with the athleticism or the hard-hitting. I will gladly take a singles match between those two soon! To be honest, this was probably a 4 star plus match, but the ending knocks it down a few pegs. A shame, because everyone here was great, and their efforts deserved a conclusion better than what they got. *** ¾
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Blue Demon Jr. after pinning Demon Jr. following a guitar shot. With the loss, Blue Demon Jr. will advance to the semi-finals of the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament at Triplemania XXX Tijuana in June. Unless something goes horribly wrong, this is likely to be the worst Lucha Libre AAA match of the year and one of the worst matches of the year. Sonic the Hedgehog 2007 wasn’t this bad, and that shit was bad. Credit to Blue Demon Jr.; he worked hard and tried his best, but there’s only so much he can do at this stage, especially with a Rayo de Jalisco Jr. The only good thing I can say about that guy is at least he won and is out of this tournament. He was immobile, he was as smooth a drive on a dirt road and he was so uncharismatic that Dean Malenko couldn’t believe it. Cien Caras, who’s even more immobile than Rayo and had to come out with a cane, showed more charisma and life than Rayo for crying out loud. Oh yeah; Caras, Mascara Ano 2000, and the NGD (Cuatrero, Forastero, and Sanson) all came out at the end to attack Rayo, which backfired, leading to the guitar shot, Rayo’s win, and Demon’s hilarious stretcher job (for again, a guitar shot) while the Dinamitas attacked Rayo, Demon and security. Have I mentioned this sucked?! This show had flaws, but this was the only thing that was truly an eyesore. -**
Bandido, Pagano, and Taya defeated Andrade El Idolo, Cibernetico, and Deonna Purrazzo by DQ after Andrade, Ciber and Deonna were DQ’d by Hijo del Tirantes when they sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. Yes; you read that finish correctly. Do you know what the most amazing thing is? As dumb as this finish was (and it was stupid), it wasn’t even the worse finish Tirantes was involved in all night. When it comes to being bad at his job, the man makes Nickelback look like Sleater-Kinney, and may Grodd strike me down if I make that comparison ever again.
It should tell you a lot that despite this shitty DQ finish (a DQ in Lucha Libre AAA, where there are no rules!), this match was still great. And it was largely great because it featured two world-class luchadores, Andrade and Bandido, putting forth world-class performances IN THE RAIN! Sure Cibernetico and Pagano tried hard, but they put forth just as many putrid sequences as they did good ones. And while Taya and Deonna were far better than those two, they also weren’t designed to get as much shine; hell Deonna at times felt like a ghost (though her standing up to Pagano was cool). The whole point of this match was to get Bandido and Andrade on opposite sides, pair them up and let them cut loose. And when that happened, it was magic. Andrade has been a house of fire ever since he shook off the WWEitis he was suffering from post-release, and he clicked with Bandido even better than he has with Pac, Darby, Sammy, and the Codeman. And Bandido was Vikingo Esq, doing all sorts of crazy stuff on the slick ropes and even crazier stuff in the ring, lifting the 230+ lb Andrade over his head. If you put these two one on one, gave them 15 minutes, and just let them go? There’s no telling what they could accomplish. Their performances here, and what Taya and Deonna gave as well in limited supporting roles, were enough to overcome Ciber, Pagano and a shit finish and make this a great match. Now just imagine if the finish had been good! ****
El Canek defeated Psycho Clown after pinning Psycho Clown with an elbow drop following interference from a returning Dr. Wagner Jr. With the loss, Psycho Clown El Canek will advance to the semi-finals of the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament at Triplemania XXX Tijuana in June. That may be a blessing for Psycho; he was attacked by Andrade and Wagner after the match, with Andrade and Wagner then forming a new team and paying off Vinnie Massaro’s “there’s is another son” tweet from Triplemania XXV. Now if only I could find that tweet and prove it’s real. Perhaps it isn’t real and I’ve gone mad. Or maybe it’s the sun.
Remember how I said earlier there was a match more miraculous than L.A. Park vs. Villano IV? It was this one. This wasn’t better than that match, not even close, but that it was even solid is one of the greatest achievements in wrestling history. Grodd bless El Canek; he’s a legend, he slammed Andre, he unmasked Owen Hart, he’s for sure one of the biggest stars of all time, all that jazz. The sad fact is that only Rayo de Jalisco Jr. looked slower than him on this show, and at 69 years old Canek should be as far from a ring as possible. That this match was as close to good as it was tells you all you need to know about THE ACE, and that’s that he’s one of the best workers in the world. He worked his ass off here, bumping like mad, diving nowhere and selling like he was starring in Glengarry Glen Ross to make Canek look good. And by in large? It worked. There’s only so much Canek can give and only so much Psycho could do to make this work, but in the end, Canek gave all he had, Psycho did as much as he could and the result? A passable match. I didn’t even mind the finish that much and would’ve been even better with it if Lucha Libre AAA hadn’t had three shit ones in a row. This won’t make any MOTYC lists, but given everything working against it, this being a solid match is a massive success. If you still believe Psycho Clown isn’t an elite performer after what he did here, you are lost. **
Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks) defeated Fenix & Hijo del Vikingo after Matt Jackson pinned Vikingo following a Meltzer Driver. This is where Tirantes reared his ugly head again. All he needed to do was count a three after the Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver on Vikingo; instead, he botched the count, leading to him counting again and leading to Matt Jackson forcing Tirantes to count again to get the heat back. It was such a deflating end, and as such I’m probably punishing this match a bit more than I’d like because OH MY GRODD THE STUFF IN THIS BOUT! With a better ending and a few more minutes, this would’ve been the Match of the Year if I’m being honest. It was everything you’d hope for; the Bucks came in working with a full effort, Vikingo and Fenix were fully healthy and they just tore the house down, sequence after sequence, dive after dive. Vikingo in particular made the most of his minutes, and likely delivered the defining moment of the year (until his next one) when he hit a BRILL 630 ONTO THE RAMP! I didn’t think it was possible to do that, and he did it like it was as simple as me heating pizza in a microwave. The man is too good sports fans; he stole the show, and that’s saying something because Fenix and the Bucks were world-class here. Along with L.A. Park, Psycho Clown, Bandido, Andrade, and the commentary team, they were the standouts on a show with many great performances. AND THAT JUST MAKES IT ALL THE SADDER THAT TIRANTES SCREWED UP THE FINISH! Oh, there also was an AEW vs. Lucha Libre AAA angle after where the Bucks, Sammy, Tay, and non-AEW wrestler Johnny Superstar (maybe he will be Johnny Elite?!) came out to attack Fenix and Vikingo, followed by a Pentagon save. And there was a brief Vikingo–Fenix tease too! It paled in comparison to the match, but it at least chased the bad finish off a tad I suppose. Oh well; in the end, the finish sucked but the ride down? Brilliant. **** ½
And with that sports fans, my watch has ended. I’ll see you in a few days; I have some Ruleta de la Muerte thoughts. TILL THEN!
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