--Atomicos del Terror:Espectro jr, Hijo del Espectro, La Llorona Loca and Cadaver de Ultratumba vs Juniors Atomicos:Mascara Sagrada jr, Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Parka Jr and Ludxor.- Mascara jr and Espectro jr join Rivera and the announcing team. The match itself was OK, at least Mascara didn't blow any move. Mascara remembers the bump he took at Nuevo Laredo, when he tried a somersault body block but missed any target and fell on his back, he said that he thought that his wrestling life was over...
--Octagon, Blue Demon jr, Canek and Alebrije vs Electro Shock, Kickboxer, Cibernetico and Abismo Negro.- With Electro Shock, Alebrije and Niņo providing additional comments.
ZONA DE GUERRA.-From Zapopan, Jalisco.
Apache, Titanic and Rata, Jose Ramona vs Dollar, Niņo de la Calle, Maravilloso and Oscar Sevilla.- Jose Ramona, Apache, Dollar, Peso and Oscar Sevilla are the 'Guests' this time, Jose Ramona uses a headset-microphone thing, just like the other Jose Ramon did... pretty funny, they trash each other and Sevilla says he is willing to have a hair match with Apache.
Vipers/Cibernetico vs Vatos Locos/Sangre Chicana.- Vatos and Vipers are there and they badmouth the opposing group a lot, as expected, Manson has a new look, he has his hair dyed red, I don't know if he got a boob job... Charly gives away the result of Guerra de Titanes by saying that Vatos won the 3 main cards of AAA (Verano, Zona and Guerra)
CMLL.- From Arena Coliseo, this time, they aired the semifinal and main event from the Wednesday Jan 6th card, and then, the Semifinal and main event of the Friday 8th. This could be a good trend, as the cards would look close to Arena Mexico efforts.
***Mr Aguila, Mr Hoy and Pantera vs Shu el Guerrero, Arkangel and Karloff Lagarde jr.- Mr Aguila cames to the ring to 'the beautiful people', he might be joining los Vatos Locos, not likely... Mr Hoy has been good so far, los rudos are too old school for my taste, but they're the kind of guys who can make skilled tecnicos look good.
1.- ...Shu whips Mr Hoy to the corner, Pantera jumps over the ttb to cushion his impact (like Kidman did on Nitro to help Rey), Mr Hoy fakes throwing Shu to one corner, Karloff tries to emulate Pantera, then Hoy teases throwing el rudo on the other corner, Arkangel tries to jump on the ttb, finaly, Shu is whiped to a corner, and both rudos jump and collide! Los tecnicos take advantage and put all three rudos in the goofiest group submission hold I've ever seen...
2/3.- Nothing too good here, rudos brawl to earn the second fall, they keep brawling into the 3rd, but, yes, los tecnicos made the comeback, a series of inside-the-ring planchas later, los tecnicos pin los rudos...
****Lizmark, Negro Casas and Tinieblas jr vs Bestia Salvaje, Gran Markus jr and Universo 2000.-I guess CMLL bookers forgot about the Dinamitas vs Pierroth/Markus feud, as here they're teamed up, Lizmark vs Aņo 2000 is either resolved or they took a break after the previous week's match.
1.- Rudos jump on Negro as soon as they can, Bestia enjoys some minutes of Negro Casas-punishing, while his buddies take care of Tinieblitas and Lizmark, later, Universo hiptosses Lizmark, but gets Markus in headsicsors and manages to clear the ring with some dropkicks and punches. The brawling is over, and Tinieblitas soon puts Universo into an abdominal stretch, Markus goes for the save, but Lizmark delivers a diving tope from the ttb, while Bestia runs from Negro.
2/3.-... Negro enters the ring to fight Markus jr, Negro doesn't look too convinced about this match up, but Tinieblas jr encourages him to take on the fat guy, Negro is overpowered with ease, and soon Bestia is again beating poor Negro, Negro's friend can not do nothing to help him, and rudos make it 1-1 on the fall count. Rudos keep brawling thru the third fall, untill Markus gets double clothsline as Negro moved away, out of nowhere, los tecnicos get their strenght back and react, Tinieblas jr almost takes Universo's mask off, but Universo manages to keep it, then, gets dropkicked by Lizmark, who then connects a tope suicida.At the end, Bestia hits Tiniebla's tight, but the referees say 'low blow' and the match is over.
***Olimpico, Shocker and Tony Rivera vs Rey Bucanero, Ultimo Guerrero and Zumbido.-This is the semifinal from the Friday's card, looks better than the one from the wednesday, Zumbido and Rivera always deliver consistent efforts, I guess they're feuding since the time Zumbido beat 'Renegado' and revealed him as Tony Rivera... oh well, his real name is not Tony Rivera but you know...
1.- Shocker challenges Rey B so they got to work for a while, Shocker puts Bucanero in a double Nelson, Rey B puts both feet on the ttb, which is not very smart as Shocker lets go and el rudo falls on his back... Olimpico and Ultimo do more work, and then things speed up with Zumbido and Tony, some 'tijeras' and armdrags later... Olimpico charges at Ultimo, Ultimo throws el tecnico over his head, but Olimpico lands on ReyB and delivers a small package, while Rivera jumps from the ttb to use a huracanrana to pin Ultimo Guerrero.
2/3.- Olimpico shows his progress with some creative tijeras and armdrags, Shocker re-enters to fight Rey B, but Zumbido jumps on his back, and is rudo time, as they out number each tecnico and the second fall is awarded to them. The rudos keep things going their way in the last fall taking each tecnico to 'la esquina del dolor', the matchups are: Olimpico- Ultimo, Rey B-Shocker and Zumbido-Tony. The rudos control that part of the match by clothslining, punching and kicking, Olimpico gets thrown out of the ring, and both Zumbido and Ultimo Guerrero tease topes but did upside down flip on the ropes... Shocker uses a 'quebradora con giro' on Rey B, and before los rudos can react, Tony punches them out of the apron, later, Ultimo faces Tony, they trade kicks, and then Ultimo throws Tony over his shoulders and puts him on a head sicsors, Shocker, Rey B and Olimpico enter to put the preciding luchador into headsicsors as well, Zumbido goes to the ttb and delivers plancha, but they all move, los tecnicos clear the ring, and they go for triple topes suicidas, but Tony stays in the ring, while Olimpico nails U G with a tope, while Shocker connects an over the top flip-back-drop, in the ring Zumbido hits missile kicks on Rivera, but can not get the pin, Rivera takes the match as he pins Zumbidosky with a huracanrana.
***Blue Panther, Dr Wagner and Black Warrior vs Emilio Charles jr, Atlantis and Felino.- Now it is booking by the... mmmh... book, as they have now a tecnico team consisting of three arch foes of the trios champions: Wagner and Charles were budies and were CMLL tag champs, but ended fighting, Atlantis and Panther have been enemies since they fought for the middle weight title, and Felino and BW... what with them? I remember that Warrior delivered a Frankensteiner on Felino after Black Warrior entered the ring in his street clothes...BTW, this time, Warrior was using an all-black mask.
1/2.- Everyone faces their respective 'arch-enemy', no matwork this time, mostly semi-brawling at a not-too-fast rythm, with the tecnicos getting the best out of it as they seem to work better as a team at the start of the match, all three tecnicos are in the ring, Black Warrior enters and Felino whips him to the ropes, in his way back, Felino kicks Warrior's leg, but Black doesn't make the bump, he just jumps to the ropes, anyway, Atlantis puts him into La Atlantida to take the first fall. Second fall: More of the same, but with los rudos dominating, Wagner puts Charles on the ttb and does a Wagnerdog (3/4 facelock bulldog), then delivers a 'desnucadora' and puts Charles into a crab, meanwhile, Panther forces Atlantis to quit with 'el cristo'.
3.- Los rudos are teaming on Atlantis, who almost gets his mask off, the three of them take the tecnico into a corner trying to make the mask come off, but Felino makes the save, even with Felino's help, los rudos keep the match their way for a while, untill Charles is about to be Wagner Drived (Michinoku II) but Atlantis drop kicks on Charles back so he falls on Wagner, getting the 3 count, Panther enters and does a hold on Atlantis, but Felino makes the save clothslining Blue Panther out of the ring and Atlantis connects a tope suicida, Warrior does his springboard dropkicks, but Felino reverses into a powerbomb to get a 2 count, Wagner trips Felino and drags him down to the floor, Charles enter and covers Warrior (who is el capitan rudo) but Black kicks at 2, Charles goes to the ttb to nail Black Warrior with a 'senton ala aguayina' but Wagner reenters and low kicks Emilio, Warrior gets the pin and the match.
Maybe it is me, but I felt that this show was one of the weakest from CMLL in a while, not bad, but, at least, uninspired, good booking, including several of their top workers, but the matches themselves were uneventfull, no rudo-havoc-brawling, no tecnicos highspots crazines, only average or OK action. The storylines were somewhat advanced, it was cool seeing the rudos teaming up to help Bestia to beat Negro Casas, and the 'screw finish' of the main event was done better than usual CMLL, but the matches were eunexciting... at least on tv, this seems to be the kind of show you enjoy a lot being there live, but feels flat on the small screen.
