CMLL Nominees

NOMINATE

Cancerbero, Raziel, Virus vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Hooligan, Skándalo 11/5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYjO2RMZi4c

I really enjoy these rudo v. rudo matches. Everyone looked good, and we got some fun Virus v. Arkangel brawling. Could have used one more gear, but this is well worth checking out.

Nominating

Astral, Fantasy, Último Dragoncito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeńo Warrior, Pierrothito- 11/18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjGazmOiQ2g&feature=plcp

This is about as good a match up as we can get with CMLL's current minis division. It's basically build-up to Dragoncito and Pierrothito's TBA title match, which should be great judging from their recent stuff.The Tecnios all hit their stuff with no hiccups. Demus and Pierrothito worked their asses off for them, and got in some neat rudo offense of their own. Even Warrior, who I normally don't like, delivered a nasty German Suplex in the first fall. Not a very long match, but it was a lot of fun.

NOMINATE

Negro Casas v. Guerrero Maya Jr. 12/25

Fine close of Casas's epic 2012. Not as good as his best stuff, but I liked a ton of this. Casas is so fun figuring out ways to avoid and counter attacks, and Maya has a bunch of cool ways to put Casas in arm bars and ab stretches. Fun finish with Casas as a clever rudo. Good stuff

Is this on youtube yet? I checked for it earlier tonight and couldn't find it.

Negro Casas v. Guerrero Maya Jr.- YES

Thought this kind of peaked early with the first fall. I was really enjoying the matwork and there was a great sell job by Casas at the end. Second fall wasn't much of anything and the third, while mostly good, ended with kind of a dull finishing stretch. It's a little disappointing this didn't rival Casas' previous efforts, but this was a fun match nonetheless. It was nice to the see that fucking parrot take the night off, by the way.

NOMINATE

Fuego & Stuka Jr. vs Cancerbero & Raziel 12/23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPmvjHBtlfs

These guys really go out to have a big title match, and while it didn't totally come together, it had a lot of great individual moments. Liked the opening matwork, a bunch and all of the dives. All the fall finishes were good too. A little long, and some off stuff, but worth checking out.

Virus vs. Fuego- CMLL 10/1 -- YES

Virus vs. Fuego, 10/1 was an excellent, old-school style title match. The matwork wasn't as fluid as classic lucha, but it was similar to IWRG matwork in that both guys seemed to be laying down a challenge. I thought Fuego's bridging spots were a fantastic response to that challenge, and although many of the holds were static I was impressed that they managed to avoid the pitfalls of "your turn/my turn" through natural athleticism. Fuego impressed me in general. I thought he hung with Virus tremendously well and even added plenty of his own touches. The transition on the outside where Fuego pulled Virus from the apron after the big tope spot was clever stuff. I think that's what I've noticed most about CMLL this year: instead of the same telegraphed transitions in every match, the work has been tighter and the rhythm a whole lot better. I'd probably put this third behind Panther/Casas and that Santo tag at this stage.

Yes to Virus v. Fuego

I don't think I like this as much as OJ, but it really did have the feel of a classic Lucha title match. Fuego is someone I have liked okay before but this was the first time he's really stood out to me and I generally agree that he looked like someone on the level of Virus which is not easy. Some of the spots were worked a little loose for my blood, but I also liked some stuff that I suspect others would hate (the reversal from the tombstone position with neither guy wanting to drop into the spot and take the DQ for example). Third fall was really excellent and most importantly I bought the finish to every one of the falls as perfectly credible. Really good match.

Voting Yes

Esfinge, Fuego, Smaker, Titán, Triton vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Barbaro Cavernario, Hooligan, Ráfaga, Sádico 5/29

I usually don't like Cibernetico's as much as others but this was awesome. Aside from one minor flub in the first few minutes this was pretty seamless stuff. All the big spots looked clean, the dive train was well set up and this was in no sense a spotfest as they had time to work real segments and get certain guys plenty of time. I thought Fuego was the real star of this as he looked good opposite everyone. The Rudo's as a whole were a boatload of fun from bell-to-bell. This was awesome stuff.

Pegasso, Fuego & Ángel Azteca Jr. vs. Arkangel de la Muerte, Skandalo & Hooligan- CMLL 6/30

Holy hell I loved this. This fucking rudo team is fucking awesome. Forget Pegasso (though I agree he looked good here), is Hooligan always this good? He was awesome splattering with bumps, working really sharp quick exchanges and douching it up as a rudo. The heel control segment in the third fall was great shit from taunts, to double teams, to big spots and built excellently to Fuego's big comeback. You also gotta love Fuego trying to come in as the conquering hero and still getting put in his place by these angry old farts.

Leo, Metatrón, Stigma vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Bárbaro Cavernario, Skándalo 9/22

Man Barbaro was great in this. He reminded me of a young Emilo Charles, flying around with these huge bumps, running up in the crowd to get at the technico rubes, sauntering around like hot shit, et. Really the whole rudo team was outstanding and carried the match. Technico's were fine but you could have plugged in virtually any team north of Chikara turds in this and it would have been nearly as good. This time the great Rudo control segment was in the first fall, which not only had the sweet double bodyslam counter of the tope and the great launching spot into the diving dropkick finish. I could watch matches like this for a million years in a row and never get tired of it.

Hijo del Fantasma, Rey Cometa & Valiente vs. Niebla Roja, Puma King & Virus- CMLL 9/21

I didn't like this as much as the other three I just watched, but this was still a pretty easy yes. Every time Valiente and Virus lock up the match is clearly on a different level and I agree with Hector that the first ciada matwork was really high end for CMLL these days. You kind of got the feeling that none of the other guys wanted to get shown up by Puma and Cometa taking their big spots and hitting their big spots so everyone was going all out toward the end with the nutball bumps. I actually thought Virus skipping like a pebble across the floor off the Valiente armdrag was the nuttiest bump in the whole match. Good stuff.

Cancerbero, Raziel, Virus vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Hooligan, Skándalo 11/5

I liked this a good bit, but didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Everyone was fine but Arkangel and Virus really looked like they were clear cuts above and at times I found myself wishing the other guys weren't even in the ring. Really fun to see Virus play the role of aggrieved victim in this and he did it very well. Good match, but much more borderlinish on the yes, than with the others.

You got to watch the Barbaro singles match, he is one of my favorite handful of matches guy this year

Voting YES

Smaker v. Barbaro Cavernario 8/28

This was a great performance by Cavenario. Smaker was fine, but Cavenario was just out of this world and someone needs to do the work to track down every match of his that has made tape this year. I love the fact that the first fall is worked exactly as you would expect a Lucha title match to be worked. Then Cavernario takes the Fuerza bump and it's like a switch goes off and he turns into a completely lunatic who doesn't give a fuck about anything on earth. That powerbomb/superfly splash combo in the second fall was an awesome way to escalate this and I also really dug his violent shirt ripping nastiness later in the second. Smaker's payback slam on the floor ruled and the spot of the match might have been Cavernario selling Smaker's shirt smacking him in the face like he'd just been rocked by an Anderson Silva knee. Really cool match.

Astral, Fantasy, Último Dragoncito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeńo Warrior, Pierrothito- 11/18

This is borderline as it's brevity hurts it some and there were a couple of things that made me cringe a little. Still the big spots in this were really well done and I really liked a lot of the little things Demus and Pierrothito did. Not sure if the spot of the match was Pierrothito wildly crawling away from a potentially losing position or Demus running away from a tope attempt only to pop back up a few seconds later with a sucker dropkick in the ring, but either way those were the two things that got me to Yes on this match.

Voting NO

Fuego & Stuka Jr. vs Cancerbero & Raziel 12/23

I almost feel bad going no on this because it is worth watching and there was a lot of stuff I liked. The problem was that this was a shortish-moderate length match that felt REALLY long. I agree that most of the false finishes worked/looked good but Lucha matches with that sort of flow usually have the "fuck this is still going on?" effect with me even when I like them. I also thought Stuka was kind of boring in this. Rudos were solid and Fuego continues to impress but this falls slightly below the cusp.

Negro Casas v. Guerrero Maya Jr. 12/25

Not something that's going to end up on a MOTYC list but easily good enough for a YES vote. Although the matwork wasn't mindblowing, I thought it had the perfect amount of struggle. Blink and you'll miss the second fall but it was fun while it lasted. A few of Negro's holds in the third looked pretty vicious, thought it was super slick how Negro avoided Maya's finisher and the finish was incredibly smart.

Esfinge, Fuego, Smaker, Titán, Triton vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Barbaro Cavernario, Hooligan, Ráfaga, Sádico 5/29 - YES

Too many average exchanges for me to call this great, however, it's a very good 10-man mostly due to a truly amazing performance by Arkangel. While all the other workers essentially ran through their spots, Arkangel was responsible for all the real dramatic moments. He'd urgently try to cut off a technico early, desperately call for assistance while caught in a hold, limp around and look incredibly vulnerable etc. As expected, his offense was pretty brutal. He made a simple headlock look vicious and threw plenty of stiff strikes, which included punching a guy in the jaw. Everyone else ranged from mediocre to good, and I really liked the reckless tope section but this was clearly the Arkangel show.

Astral, Fantasy, Último Dragoncito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeńo Warrior, Pierrothito - YES

For the time it was given, this was very good. They hit all their stuff smoothly and kept up the pace so that it mostly felt competitive; there was even some decent brawling. Dragoncito seemed like the standout, and I'm certainly looking forward to his title match with Pierrothito now.

Virus vs. Loco Max, CMLL 2/7 - YES

Most of the match was building to that finish, so I don't have a problem with it. Loco was in desperation mode shortly after Virus' initial comeback and was struggling to even stand near the end, so a low blow made perfect sense. Plenty of good selling and bumps throughout. Loco Max trying to make a comeback by climbing to the top only to be easily knocked off was very amusing. Smartly worked match, low end lucha MOTYC.