A really classic trios here which was needed with all the good but not extraordinary lucha I had been watching. Opening pairings all had highlights. Silver King looked better here than the Monterrey match and Wagner and Villano III tear it up. First fall felt like it ended at the right time and set the table for the rest of the match. V gets worked over to start the second fall and this is where the match really cranks up. Satanico slaps on a headlock and reminds me of why he was the runaway WOTY for the first two months of the year. III gets tagged in but that is short lived and V is attacked again and submitted evening up the falls. Third fall starts out the same way with another brutal Satanico chinlock just grinding out the Villanos. Wagner then really goes to work on III. The Villano comeback here was different but worked where it wasn’t the typical tecnico all fired up and firing comeback we have seen but the Villanos getting a level of revenge by driving Satanico’s leg straight into the mat. The rudos come back with some nifty submissions including a rowboat by Satanico/Wagner to injure the leg more. Next King and Satanico do a beautiful capture submission but it allows III to almost get the pin on them crawling underneath. Actual finish is probably the worst as III just gets a flash cradle on Satanico to win. Overall, a very good match about as close to a great one as you can get. It didn’t have the bells and whistles of other things, but was just six pros going out and entertaining the fans. ***3/4 (7.7)

Satanico was a total gem in this. The first fall he has these awesome quasi-comedy spots with Villano III and his facial expressions and charisma just go so far. I totally loved the extended heat sequence of the second fall that gradually builds to a worthy comeback. And throughout, again, Satanico is really a standout and just really impressive all the way. A really good entry as a match and as an individual performance for the year.

 

***1/2

This was a solid long-form trios match but they never really took it up a gear. Instead of having a dramatic and exciting tercera caida they ran through some classic trios spots (the types you'd see in your average Brazos bout.) It's difficult to go out there and have a classic in Arena Naucalpan because of the size of the venue and the small crowds. They tried to work this in a classic way but it was a bit creaky down the stretch. It was still a solid bout, however. The best thing about it was the personal battle between Satanico and Villano V, which featured some great strength battles. If you're a Satanico fan it was one of the better matches he's had all year on the strength of that match-up alone. Wagner and Villano III keep teasing something potentially good as well.

This was really long. Maybe too long but it's a title match so that happens. Love the Wagners/Satanico as a tag team. Satanico and I think it was IV had a good battle in the first fall. This felt like a rudo vs rudo match even though the Villanos are tecnicos. Good match.