Talk about it here.

Spectacular mat-based match that builds to some great high-flying. Santo can be formulaic, so it's great to see him spice things up. The detail work here in how they counter holds is superb -- almost like a Regal match, but also worked like a main event epic on top of that. Some might gripe about a New Japan juniors layout, but the work is consistently engaging and at this point, I am so high on the NJ juniors that I don't even see that as a diss. I could watch a full set of matches like this and be perfectly happy. Screwy finish that I guess builds to their match later this month, which is fine by me.

I was actually surprised they moved into the high flying so quickly. You usually don't see Santito hit his tope in the first fall. But in this case, it created a cool sense of urgency -- a lucha title match on amphetamines. I didn't want the match to end when it did, but hey, at least we get more later in the month.

The first fall tope Santo was maybe a hint we weren’t going to three falls. I do like Santo struggling after getting powerbombed to kick out but just being able to get his shoulders up. He could have laid there like a lump but taking the move of a counter and showing some life made more sense. Santo’s snapmare off the top rope might be my second favorite move behind the ringpost figure four. Sneaky Casas ends up throwing in Santo's towel to earn Felino the victory.

This was great title mach lucha. Engaging mat work with some tidbits you don't see very much at all. I agree that Santo took it up a notch and allowed a more urgent sense that made Felino look stronger by resulting to high flying so early on in this match. The finishw as a clever screwy one that involves Casas and Bestie into the proceedings more and should result in a rematch between Felino and Santo. One of the better matches of the year up to this point.

I loved this--I've been waiting for a real breakout Felino match after really digging him in limited doses, and it seems we finally have one. Santo ties him into knots on the mat and unleashes some cool other offense, but Felino manages to pick his spots and take the first fall. Lots of urgency and near-falls in the second caida, which surprises me a bit, but makes a bit more sense in retrospect as Felino is gifted a shock 2-0 win, thanks to some screwiness involving Bestia Salvaje, Negro Casas, and towels. A delightfully Pena-esque screwy finish but Felino is still put over strong, as he hit a second-rope power bomb (which had ended numerous matches and is put over like death both by Santo and the announcers) and then another bomb, meaning Santo was pretty much doomed anyway.

I found their first encounter of the month to be disappointing. It was only two falls and ended up being more of an angle to continue the feud than a satisfying match in itself. There was a lack of spark and it never clicked into gear. The matwork was nothing special and the contest wasn't layed out very well. It's like they couldn't get into their stride because they weren't going full length. But it's not that important as there's a rematch 3 weeks later.

I'd seen the two trios matches that gave us Rudo Santito, and I knew about the 3 way hair match with Casas/Santito/Dandy, and about the Casas/Santito match from the anniversary show, but this match seemed to have slipped under my radar. I went into it completely blind, but figuring that I knew what to expect. And I was wrong on all counts. I figured it would be a crazy brawl to heat up the Casas match with Santito brutalizing his brother. And instead it was a mostly mat based match with some great high spots thrown in. The first fall took me a little by surprise, but when Santito hit that sunset flip powerbomb in the second fall, I knew it was over. Felino kicked out and I was biting on everything they did for the rest of the match.

 

The finish with Bestia Salvaje unintentionally costing Santito the match was clever and certainly unexpected. I figured an irate Santito would attack him afterwards, and it never happened. Then he cut the promo and wanted the rematch, and I was ready for the cheap shot to heat up the fans for it, and it never came either. This was pretty much as 'outside the box' as a match could get from what I was expecting going in versus what actually happened. And it's all the better for it.