ohtani's jacket

This was all right but a large portion of it was based around Ultimo and Rey vs. Antifaz and Safari and they were a bit off at times. All four guys worked a modern, up-tempo style where execution is key and when their execution lets them down it tends to be deflating. I was hoping for plenty of Panther vs. Lizmark but they only really hooked up during the finish to each fall. It didn't look like Lizmark was capable of much anyway. Panther did have a decent opening exchange with Safari but nothing to write home about on the year. Wouldn't go out of your way to see this.

This was Pimpi's debut in CMLL. Apparently, it was first time CMLL had allowed an exotico on their shows in over 25 years. Pimpi looked rapt to be making his debut. He brought along regular dance partner, Tony Rivera. They couldn't do the type of risque stuff you might see in Monterrey, so instead they brawled with an intensity that you don't usually see in undercard bouts. The others fed off this and worked stiffer than they normally would. It was exciting to watch as there was an edge to the exchanges that you only see in apuesta feuds. Rivera was as fired up as I've seen him and Pimpi did these wonderful "girly" strikes that still looked like stinging blows. I loved the takedowns and brawling between Rivera and Pimpi but the spot of the night went to Antifaz who hit a a dropkick flush in Pimpi's face. Really good match. The Fox Sports coverage made a huge difference. Super entertaining debut for Pimpi.

Saving the best for last... This was the best lucha match of the month and one of the best matches of the year. Santo looked like royalty as he arrived in Naucalpan and worked a majestic first fall full of wrestling artistry. It went a full 13 minutes and was mostly worked on the mat, a dream come true for fans such as myself. I'm not sure Naucalpan had seen a title match of this quality in many a year. I often talk about how it's difficult to work a true epic at an arena this size but Santo showed that all things are possible with a little vision. As good a worker as Cerebro is, he struggled to keep up with Santo's grand plan for how he wanted this match to play out. There were elements of the Santo formula but rarely have a seen a first fall as competitive and long as the one they put on here. It stretched the usual conventions of an opening fall into something magnificent and worthy of a match itself. By lucha standards, it was as competitive as the first fall in Thesz vs. Gunkel. The second and third caidas were also strong and the signature Santo spots seemed extra special as the match grew in stature. It flirted with being an all-time classic but Cerebro's performance was nervy and the finish was tailored for him in a way that made the ref the scapegoat for Santo's loss. Still, it was one of those nights that wrestling fans long remember. The night where a star came to town and put on a show. This match doesn't get talked about much among Santo's body of work. My immediate thoughts were that it was worth a rewatch down the line and hopefully a bit more discussion from lucha pundits. The first fall, in particular, deserves recognition within the cannon of lucha title match wrestling. Go watch this if you haven't already.

This is from 12/25/99.

This is from 12/21/99.

This was a nice trios match. I really liked the make up of the rudo side and thought the tecnicos jelled well together. Nice action throughout with the right balance between flashy tecnico offense and bludgeoning rudo tactics. It helped that the match aired on Fox Sports so we got to see it in full.

This was a Relevos Increíbles match featuring the two hottest feuds in CMLL at the time. It played out like a WWF style quarter hour segment but it was entertaining for what it was. The tecnicos tried to work a clean, technical match, paying respect to each other and watching one another's back, while the rudos were busy hatching a plan. It all came to a head with a Finger Poke of Doom moment where Satanico lay down for Villano. Decent TV so long as you're not expecting an amazing find or the missing piece of the puzzle.

This was a lively atomicos. Nothing spectacular happened but it was never boring. Mike Segura and Bombero made sure the bout was entertaining and there was a nice throughline with Black Dragon and Bombero that tied everything together. I said that nothing spectacular happened but the dive train was cool. Segura's tope was almost as good as Ramirez'. Nice to see the mid-to-lower card guys click like this.

This was a match that promised much but delivered little. Not even my beloved pairing of Blue Panther and Villano III could prevent this from being middling. Their work was good but the match was a slow grind without a satisfying payoff.

Again they worked a short bout that favored intensity over length. The complete opposite of how IWRG matches were worked for the first eleven months of the year. The most notable thing about the bout was an altercation between Villano III and a fan. I'm not sure what happened but Villano was extremely upset and climbed over the guardrail to confront him. Suddenly, he grabbed the guy by the neck and began threatening him. There were a few tense moments until finally the pair were separated. I'm not sure what got into Villano but it was pretty unpleasant. The video ended with Deck the Halls played over the top of nut shots. Fa-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

This continued the trend of brisker IWRG trios matches, although for a match involving Felino, Pantera and Black Warrior they never really broke loose like you'd expect. Still, the action was steady and they tried to create a beef between Gigolo and Black Warrior to give the match a focus. Not bad, a couple of nice dives in the finish.

This was worked at a brisk pace with the tecnicos trying to raise the intensity throughout but it still wasn't that interesting. If you've watched IWRG all year then you'll know that the rudos aren't really up to snuff. Bombero is okay but it's a stretch asking him to be the lead guy. The only real upside to this was that it was short.

I guess this is one of the last times we'll see Los Infernales together as a trio. Their work wasn't as polished as usual but they've been one of the better acts of the year so it was nice to see them have one last hurrah. Satanico looked good in his brief exchange with Silver Star, who is not a local that gets a lot of rub from the CMLL workers. That's one of the things that sets Satanico apart as a worker. He's the type of guy who you want to see take on *everybody* not just the best matchup on the opposite side of the ring. And he's starting to hit his straps again after being cooled off for most of the summer. Can't wait for the new season and the fall out between the Infernales.

I was hoping to see some tricked out matwork from this but I guess they cut that part out. The match was competitive and had proper heat unlike a lot of luchador's matches in Japan but we only got 7 minutes of a 21 minute bout.

Parka vs. Wagner? Didn't see this coming. When they weren't stalling, dancing or playing to the crowd the match was decent. They didn't bother with a classic title match build and cut to the power moves straight away but Wagner did use a lot of castigos in the second fall to try to win the bout and they tried to milk as much drama as they could out of the tercera. It wasn't always smooth as Parka's not the greatest technician in the ring but the focus was interesting. The segunda caida was unusually long as Wagner tried to pile the pressure on Parka. Everything was going along fine -- albeit not great -- when the bullshit kicked in. I don't think I've seen a worse finish in a lucha libre title match in all my years watching them. I won't even begin to describe it. We've seem this type of crap before with Konnan'a booking but this is what I imagine it would be like if Konnan's booking got high. Historically poor finish that spawned years of crap between Wagner and Parka. Don't get your hopes up for this match. Smarter folks would have seen the crap coming from miles away. I'm interested to see how Parka evolves as a worker in 2001 as he hasn't been great in 2000 and failed to deliver in his singles bouts. We'll see if I hop on the Parka bandwagon in the coming months. Right now I'm still salty over that finish.

Another good match. What's gotten into Monterrey? It was the week before Christmas and the workers felt in a giving mood I suppose. Zumbido and Tarzan Boy were excellent again and Dandy continued his strong run of form. What was Dandy wearing? It looked like he borrowed someone else's outfit for the night or dug something up from the back of his closet from 1985. Parka and Porky being on the same side threatened to be an overdose of comedy but the rudos made it work. The match made me so happy I even enjoyed the sandwich spot and Porky's awesome bomb to finish it. Feliz Navidad. If Tarzan Boy didn't turn full rudo by turning on Parka at the end then I don't know what else he has to do. Throw someone's mother under a bus?

This was really good. So good that not even Damian's shitty comedy could drag it down. It started off with an excellent exchange between Dandy and Rivera that really surprised me. Dandy has been on an upward swing over the past few months and is back to his world-class best. He's gotten into shape and looks the fittest he's been since I would say 1991. In retrospect, the renaissance he underwent with the Negro Navarro feud in 2001 was no surprise as he was simply outstanding against Rivera. Hot on the heels of Dandy and Rivera came Zumbido and Tarzan Boy. Now, these two blew me away. Who would have thought they'd be so good together? Zumbido has never looked this good against anybody else and while Tarzan Boy has blossomed into a good worker, I wasn't anticipating the speed and precision that they delivered. Knocked my socks off. Pimpi, Damian and Silver Star couldn't add much to the match but they didn't detract from it either. Pimpi and Damian did their comedy spots but they were quick and purposeful and didn't grind the match to a halt. So often these matches start well and then stall halfway through but Dandy & Co never let up. Mascara Sagrada was slow and out of shape but even he tried to work holds. You look at that tecnico side and you think this has no business being good but never judge a trios match by its cover. Or its participants, as the case may be. One of the better, more entertaining trios matches of the year.

It's December and Satanico is still trying to teach Tarzan Boy a lesson. I love it, This was a strong mano a mano bout due to Satanico's focus and bloody-minded determination. We're all familiar with Satanico the showman but he was locked in here and wanted a piece of Tarzan Boy. Few wrestlers can match Satanico's intensity when he's in this sort of mood. He can make a basic wrestling stance look like an invitation for pain. Tarzan Boy's job here was to take a beating while Ultimo Guerrero severed what was left of his frayed relationship with Satanico by interfering not once, not twice, but three times on Tarzan Boy's behalf. TB picked up a cheap win and Satanico went straight after Ultimo. Punches flew and the Infernales feud loomed as something glorious. I haven't been this excited about a Satanico face turn since the one in 1990. Bring on the new year!

Another match that failed to set the world on fire. It had all the ingredients -- excellent work between Blue Panther and the Villanos, the ultra-charismatic Wagner vs. Villano III and Black Warrior's willingness to bump like a madman -- but for some reason, it didn't come together. The match screeched to a halt in the segunda caida as the rudos engaged in some sluggish mask ripping and some shenanigans played out with Babe Richards, who was decked out like Shiro Abe from those old All Japan Women's matches. That woke the crowd up, though, and they popped for the retaliatory mask ripping and started up a "Vii-lla-nos!" chant during the third fall. The match ended on a high note with some pretty topes from Black Warrior and Panther but the bout wasn't remotely close to the type of MOTYC you'd expect from these teams on a pay-per-view show. In fact, it was barely above the level you'd see on a Friday night show. It was simply shown in full instead of being butchered. But then pay-per-view was a new concept for CMLL and the workers probably weren't thinking about it as a marquee event. Any way you slice it, it didn't live up to its potential which was a bummer given the talent involved.

Fun match. They kept things simple by having the rudos work like rudos and the tecnicos work like tecnicos, so we got a lot of double teaming from the rudo pair and spectacular highspots from the good guys. If you love lucha libre then that's all you really want from these undercard bouts. Marvin is being pushed as a young sensation but Sombra was equally good here and had a spectacular solo dive along with one stunning tandem effort. Nice work between the ropes with the standard lucha exchanges as well. Solid, all-round performance from both sides. Went out there and delivered the type of match they were asked to and ticked all the boxes for undercard performers. Good, positive showing, especially since these guys are more accustomed to working Arena Coliseo than the cathedral.

This was disappointing. It was difficult to imagine it being much better given how awkward lucha tags are, but still, they could have done a better job structurally by having clear rudo and tecnico falls and adopting more of a tag philosophy. Not necessarily having the rudos work over the tecnico in a FIP segment but incorporating more teamwork and not working the match like a series of individual match-ups. The work could have been better as well. There was none of the cutting edge, state-of-the art work I praised them for in their earlier trios matches. Santo and Rey had an extended mat sequence at the beginning that was strangely flat, and while Ultimo Guerrero and Casas tried to up the ante physically, their work fell apart in the deciding fall and some of their spots were awful. Hopefully, this is a dress rehearsal for something better.

This was a lightweight title match that got decent amount of time. I was looking forward to Virus being given a showcase match at Arena Coliseo and it didn't disappoint. It was worked in more of an up tempo "lightening match" style than classic title match fashion but that fit Marvin's style and produced enough exciting moments to make it worthwhile. They fubbed a few things, most notably the finish to the opening fall, but for the most part, the action was crisp and Virus added some neat touches to the transitions. They kept their eyes on the prize in terms of building to a satisfying conclusion and even though I'm a Virus fan I felt that Marvin going over was the right call. The crowd was happy, Marvin's stock rose a bit, and Virus once again excelled at the age-old art of making your opponent look good. Worth watching for all of Virus' small touches and the bigger arc of Marvin's dives and daredevil appeal. It doesn't really compare to Virus' title match work as a mini or his maestro run from a decade later. Consider it a bridge in between and marvel at how good Virus is on a minute level. That's what I did.

Satanico still hates Tarzan Boy. Tarzan Boy still hates Satanico. Santo and Casas hate Tarzan Boy. Tarzan Boy likes Ultimo Guerrero. Ultimo Guerrero likes Tarzan Boy. So does Ray Bucanero. Got all that? This wasn't as good as their previous match but it did have an awesome of visual of Satanico and Tarzan Boy sprawled all over the mat brawling with each other. The Infernales want to be friends with Tarzan Boy but Satanico isn't about to forget the humiliation of losing his hair to TB twice in the same year. The Infernales don't get quite as upset with Satanico as they did in the first match and Santo isn't anywhere near as pissed despite being caught in a Tree of Woe and having the crap stomped out of him. Tarzan Boy gets kicked off the tecnico team (metaphorically at least) but there's not a strong progression in the storyline and the holding pattern continues on the heel/face turns.

This started off well with a solid opening fall that saw Villano IV and Scorpio reprise some of the matwork from their IWRG title matches and Villano III and Panther work another brief but masterful exchange. Fuerza did an amazing sell of a Porky slap that was by far the best thing he's done all year and proceeded to pinball for him in the most entertaining fashion possible. Then the match cut to commercials and when it returned the rudos were in complete control. Without seeing the momentum shift, the bout fizzled badly and stayed that way for the remainder of the bout. BIt of a lame duck considering how good the beginning was.