Maximo & Toma Tonga vs Suzuki-Gun [**1/2]
My first thought in watching this was how do I rate it. We get an awesome comedy match but it is just that a comedy match. Maximo is more than just the star of the match, he is the match. Everything here revolves around his gay gimmick from his offense, the offense of his competitors, Toma Tonga playing the lead in their salsa pair, and even putting an announcer out of action with a kiss to the forehead. Maximo has his gimmick down and goes all over the place with it, which makes the match so much fun to watch. Toma Tonga looked a lot better in this than he did the previous night. He got some good moves in and looked to be having a lot of fun. Maximo got the pin after a kiss on Taichi.
Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Titan vs World Class Tag Team & Misterioso Jr [**3/4]
Whatever funk the workers were in last night (jet lag?) they are wrestling at a higher level tonight. Titan is fun to watch and his handstand is an amazing feat. The NJPW wrestlers seem to be there to keep a Japanese structure while the CMLL workers pull off the awesome Lucha spots. Misterioso Jr gets the pin after a crazy La Rosa Driver. Fun match.
Diamante & Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto & OKUMURA [**1/4]
My rating and feelings on this match are very much skewed by my view of Lucha. There is a lot I cannot wrap my head around. Its stuff like Diamante jumping off the second rope straight up in the air, obviously not attempting to hit OKUMURA and is jumping solely to be dropkicked. I understand this form of wrestling takes a lot of skill to pull off (like the stereo sequences) but like I have been bitching these past couple of reviews I don't get it. Mephisto has the coolest finisher, the Demon Driller. It is very simple yet is such an impressive visual especially when he holds his opponent in position before dropping him face fist to the mat. All four wrestlers worked very hard here and the fans appreciated everything, even chanting for Mephisto after the match. Diamante has this amazing ability to pull any areal maneuver out of his rear at any moment. Mephisto and OKUMURA win after the Demon Driller on Dorada.
Apollo 55 & BUSHI vs CHAOS & Dragon Rojo Jr [**3/4]
I like Apollo 55, especially Devitt. These six work hard and have an entertaining match. I love the stereo plancha by Apollo 55 & BUSHI. I hated the ending as it came out of nowhere without any buildup whatsoever. One move and boom Rojo Jr has BUSHI down for the count.
Atlantis vs Euforia [***]
This was a good match with an ending that made a lot of sense. Atlantis worked on the back of Euforia leading up to his La Atlantida submission finisher. These two older heavyweights went all out and had a pretty good match. Amazing that at 50 years old Atlantis will still dive to the outside. Very few his age are still willing or able to pull off that move. Match of the night thus far.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, La Mascara & Rush vs Kazuchika Okada, Rey Escorpion & Volador Jr [***1/4]
Coming into this match I was looking for a big Tanahashi/Okada showdown but it didn't happen. They were in the ring together here and there but nothing of significance happened. What we get is a fantastically worked match between six pros. I have no idea how La Mascara wrestles a long match in his ring attire that literally covers him from head to toe, especially in some of the sweat boxes south of the border. Rey Escorpion gets the win with an awesome package piledriver (Aguijon Mortal?) that gets a massive pop from the crowd. It is such an impressive finisher that looks like a match ender even lacking any setup. Great stuff here.
Shinsuke Nakamura© vs La Sombra - IWGP Intercontinental Title [***3/4]
I am officially a Nakamura mark, as he has had one hell of a start to 2013. These two went back in forth in an incredible title match. There were a couple of rollups where I thought La Sombra could have taken the match but Nakamura got out just in the nick of time. La Sombra broke out some awesome areal maneuvers, anything twisty I am a mark for, as well as an incredible moonsault. Nakamura retained his title with the Bomba Ye. We are getting to the point where I will mark out when I see a Nakamura title defense on the card. Hope he keeps delivering these great matches for the rest of his title reign.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Night 2 was worlds better than Night 1. This is what you expect when two major companies get together for a night of wrestling. Even though I don't completely understand Lucha, I know wrestling and when guys are working hard, as well as when I am entertained. There was plenty of entertainment to be had on this night. This is not required viewing but you will not be wasting your time if you decide to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment