Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me…no seriously, nod if you can hear me, I need to know that anyone was there. Yes I know this is a computer. Bloody hell, someone just nod! I’m trying to get a CMLL review started here!
Thank you Mark
Alright, good, that’s out of the way. And no, this isn’t a mirage, this is real; this is a return of the CMLL Super Viernes review at Lucha Central, for all five of you who missed it! What can I say; it was a big show tonight, I was watching it, and I felt like writing. Besides, it hasn’t been that long, only…ALMOST A YEAR?! Alright, so it has been a while. At least I picked a good show to come back to. CMLL is white hot right now, and tonight’s show, headlined by the Torneo Nacional a Parejas Increibles final, was, at worst, just a not below some of the recent shows. For fans who have been watching, this review will confirm most of what you know. For those checking in for the first time in awhile, be prepared for kinder, gentler, better CMLL than you knew. So with that in mind, for old times sake, here’s that picture of Charlton Heston from The Ten Commandments.
Mije & Micro Gemelo Diablo I defeated Atomo & Chamuel after Mije pinned Atomo with a Splash to the Balls and Diablo I pinned Chamuel with the Best Microsault Ever. If you’re one of those who watched CMLL regularly in the before times, you’ll remember that the Micros Division then was aggressively “eh,” save for Microman and Chamuel. Like everything else, it’s improved since then and this match followed along the trends. It wasn’t perfect; Mije, in for Micro Gemelo Diablo II, who was hurt, is a little long in the tooth and not the smoothest in the world. He worked his heart out though and hit some cool hurricanranas, including one off the apron, and the other three did the rest, with Atomo and Chamuel basing well and Micro Gemelo Diablo I looking like an absolute stud. He’s got great athleticism and, while not as charismatic as Microman, seems to have a good connection with the Arena Mexico crowd. Always a good sign for the future. A delightfully fun opener all across the board. *** ¼
Diamond, Sangre Imperial, and Valiente Jr. defeated Disturbio, Enfermero Jr., and Inquisidor two falls to one after Imperial pinned Disturbio with the Seatbelt Cradle. I was all prepared to come on here and explain to you how Sangre Imperial, who was once so bad, he made Flyer look like Volador Jr. by comparison, was still the absolute pits. But I actually didn’t hate watching him tonight, so I can proudly say he has gone from suck to…what’s the word I’m looking for Immortan?
That’s the word!
This match is another perfect encapsulation of the current CMLL compared to the old one. This was not a perfect match by any means, but it felt significantly better than one would expect because the energy of both the crowd and the luchadores is night and day compared to the before times. The crowd was into this entire match, and the luchadores worked their ass off to reward that response, even if these six aren’t quite up to the level to entirely deliver. It’s at least nice to see Disturbio and Inquisidor, two long time good luchadores who looked to be grinded down by CMLL last I saw of them, looking energized and refocused, and they were easy highlights of this match. So was Enfermero, the former Yago, who remains as fun as ever, only he’s less creepy now and looks like Dr. Wagner Sr. right before Solitario took his mask. Seriously, look at Enfermero, and now look at Wagner Sr.
Same guy!
Valiente Jr. looks to have something as well; he’s not quite refined yet, but he has great athleticism and seems ambitious enough that he could really be something with enough reps. His Valiente Special variation, which has looked spectacular in the past, didn’t quite come together tonight though, a sign that there’s still a ways to go. At least he has that, whereas Diamond and Sangre Imperial seem very much who they are; two guys with a little bit, but not a lot, and thus doomed to walk these second matches for eternity. So it goes! The opener was better, and the effort was there more than the execution, but the energy made this a good enough bout. ***
Cancerbero, Luciferno, and Virus defeated El Coyote, Okumura, and Polvora two falls to one after Virus submitted Coyote with a Scorpion Cross Lock. The crowd EXPLODED when Virus got this victory; good to see we’re all recognizing how great he remains, even in his mid 50s. This was six veterans working hard with a really strong crowd on their side, while also pulling out some unexpected tricks. They even ended one fall with La Estrella; the last time that happened, Kevin Kleinrock was still high school, saving up for the Bad Religion/Social Distortion double bill. While that cool, I could’ve lived without seeing Okumura here (he was shot four years ago), and Luciferno was looking a little rocky at times. By in large though, the action was very good when Cancerbero, Polvora, Coyote, and Virus were in there, and it was at times humming with Virus and Coyote. Like Blue Panther, Virus just gets better with age, his submissions still top notch, his speed still great and his striking on point. If I was Tony Khan, Virus is even more reason to drop AAA, get with CMLL, and put him against Wheeler YUTA for the Pure Title. Would be great stuff, even better than this, which was good stuff. *** ½
Marcela and Zeuxis wrestled to a ten minute draw in a Lighting Match. The two brawled a little bit after the match, so you know the issues aren’t resolved there. What was resolved was I GOT TO SEE THE QUEEN OF LUCHA LIBRE ZEUXIS IN ARENA MEXICO AGAIN!
You know what the best part about seeing Zeuxis again, aside from seeing her knee Marcela’s face into the front row? She’s still got it. Zeuxis was easily the best part of a horrifying CMLL luchadoras division years ago, and she seems to still be the best one now, even as the division has improved leaps and bounds. She worked her ass off here, hitting hard and with impact, and getting a whole lot out of Marcela, who is very much on the miss spectrum of “hit or miss” these days. When motivated though, she is capable of what we saw tonight, and she and Zeuxis seem to have some nice chemistry that could translate even better if they can have a regular match, with a real finish. This seemed to be building to that, as well as the Ciberetico at H2L, so I guess we’ll see if they get the chance. All in all, this was another good match though, and a nice time to pull off the first Lightning Match draw in about a year. *** ½
Angel de Oro, Barbaro Cavernario, Rocky Romero, and Titan defeated Gran Guerrero, Oraculo, Ultimo Guerrero, and Volador Jr. two falls to none after Romero pinned Volador with a Backcracker. A lot of buildup to the four way at H2L here, with the primary story being Romero and Oro not getting along, despite being teammates, and Romero ultimately costing Oro a chance to beat Oraculo, so he could then beat Volador. They don’t call him the King of Sneaky Style for no reason! Given that Gran Guerrero and Ultimo Guerrero existed in this match just to catch people, I was very entertained by all this. Cavernario and Titan made the most of their limited minutes, and the four way build was very entertaining. Angel de Oro has really rounded out into a great performer, and you cannot take your eyes off Rocky and Volador when they’re in there together. Just incredible chemistry, and CMLL would be wise to roll with those two for the real H2L main event. Will they be? Time will tell! Overall, the action was very effective, and they set out what they were trying to do. *** ½
Averno & Mistico defeated Soberano Jr. & Templario to win the Torneo Nacional a Parejas Increibles, after Mistico submitted Templario with La Mistico and Averno submitted Soberano with a Rolling Armbar. This is Mistico’s second Toreno Nacional a Parejas Increibles win, having previously won the tournament with Forastero in 2020, and Averno’s first. Most impressively, everyone got through this match without betraying each other; it was like watching a Shyamalan film, only if there was no twist.
Makes you think, huh?
As solid as the rest of the show was, everyone, including this Arena Mexico crowd, was waiting for this one, and the only crime it committed was it didn’t quite deliver on the level of say, Rocky Romero vs. Volador Jr. Alas, it was merely just an excellent match as opposed to a Match of the Year contender. There were a couple of rough spots, and I maybe would’ve trimmed a minute, but those are nitpicks. All four men were on their A-game, and to my surprise CMLL went away from what felt like the more natural pairings (Mistico/Templario, Soberano/Averno) in favor of splitting the sequences right down the middle. It worked, as everyone gelled together, and the crowd, hot all night, turned absolutely electric. They hated Templario and Soberano (aside from the women in the stands; they loved the Screw Master), liked Averno, and treated Mistico like it was 2006. If you hadn’t watched wrestling in awhile and were dropped into this show, you’d swear Mistico was the biggest star in wrestling; that is how loud his reactions were. And quite frankly, he stole the show here too, pulling out some old tricks like the Brillo Armdrag, and just overall out working the others. And the others were great; Averno is incapable of having a bad performance, and Templario and Soberano are as great of modern-day luchadores as they come. But this match lived and died by Mistico, and as such, it lived a plentiful life. Again, the only crime against this match is probably goes down as lower level top ten match in CMLL this year. What a poor fate to have. **** ¼
And with that, the time has gone, the review is over, and I have nothing more to say. But I do have some Pink Floyd to listen to. I don’t know when we’ll meet again sport fans, but it was fun getting to do this after a long while. Till the next one.
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