I'm having... thoughts... on "Another" and "Toradora!"

This is my first post since everything went down on this planet last March. Much has happened, to say the least.

I was just going to wait for my annual NFL conference championship weekend blog to return, but I was busy getting back into creating media again and got an idea. In between writing a soft Hylian-Zora romance story chapters, I started looking up various anime. I've finally seen the first four arcs of Hunter X Hunter; I'm anxiously awaiting season 2 of Dr. Stone; and I've seen a couple standalone anime series.

In particular, I want to talk about two of them: "Another" and "Toradora!" Genre-wise, these two don't belong together at all. Another is a primarily a horror anime and Toradora! is primarily a slice-of-life romantic comedy.

And yet I feel like the two share one major trait in common that I notice a lot in anime: the dramatic shift in style, tone, or even genre about two-thirds of the way through the show. I've seen this happen a lot - Yu Yu Hakusho, Mirai Nikki, Little Witch Academia, etc. 

As a general rule, I don't like these shifts. At best, they're pedestrian enough to shrug and roll with, but at worst, they can destroy the entire reason the show was appealing in the first place. Once YYH started dealing in the demon realm, it got way less interesting. LWA scaled back much of the fun cast in favor of a more serious group of characters who were not given much interesting with which to work.

The reason I wanted to talk about this is because Another and Toradora! epitomize how to handle a shift like this well (i.e. it doesn't affect quality) vs. how to handle it poorly (i.e. it makes me actively hate a show that I had been loving mere episodes before).

I should note that, except for mysteries since guessing along is part of the initial viewing fun, I don't really care about other spoilers. Shows should have rewatch value, and that means there should be a lot to enjoy even when you know what's coming. If spoiling ruins a story, then it likely had deep structural flaws anyway.

Nonetheless, before I go through them, I'll give you the heads-up that I'll be spoiling a lot of each show, but not so much that I think you need to avoid this blog. I can avoid the mystery reveal at the end of Another and I can gloss over much of the Toradora! ending.

ANOTHER

Let's start with Another.

This show, as the opening scene explains, is about a school that is dealing with an alleged curse of returning dead students. A transfer student, Sakakibara, has to have a hospital stay before entering the school and meets a short, eerie girl with an eyepatch one night after visiting hours ended.

The first four episodes of the 12-episode series play out like a psychological suspense mystery. The girl, Mei Misaki, pops up in random places and says to avoid her. The other students are clearly scared of her name and act like they can't see her. There are creepy dolls all over these episodes, and two characters who managed to get a lot of screen time are killed off in two of the most absurdly unforgettable death scenes ever put to animation.

But then, the final third of the show (eps. 9-12) drop the psychological elements entirely and go full slasher flick. The deaths, save about three, are effectively extras thrown in to bulk up the body count. Gore takes top priority; and the multitude of mysteries by this point is down to just one, which gets solved in between slashings.

And yet the two parts feel like they connect and were well put-together. I actually quite love this show and think it's a great example of horror mysteries done right.

So how did they do it? It all comes down to the second third of the show (eps. 5-8).

Many shows commit a cardinal sin in shunning the most enjoyable characters when things get serious in favor of underdeveloped "serious" characters. This is never a real problem because the first episodes of this show really only prioritized Sakakibara and Mei. There were others on the periphery, but they don't get a real focus until the middle of episode 7.

By that point, though, the two main characters have actually grown closer, with episodes 5 and 6 being almost exclusively driven by the two of them hanging out. The only reason the others get added is to give the show more people with which to tease death.

The show also pares back the mysteries naturally. When Sakakibara gets "unpersoned" in episode 5, it frees Mei up to actually tell him what's going on, and the librarian becomes more helpful. The mysteries cleared up because of a legitimate story development. By the end of episode 8, the only two mysteries left are: "Who is dead?" and "How do we stop the curse?"

While researching, it becomes clear that whatever stopped the curse once before happened at a cabin in the woods, which sets the students up for a cabin trip in the final episodes, securing the classic slasher setting.

Everything in the story felt deliberate, and because of that, accepting the change in tone was easier. And the final mystery's payoff worked out great because there were plenty of clues that were placed with multiple meanings -- it's revealed that memories have to be altered to allow the dead to walk again, so the erratic behaviors among the cast cannot easily be pointed toward one person on a first viewing (though it is absolutely possible. Enough clues do exist.).

That's not to say the show was perfect. The break beach trip in ep. 8 was anime-exclusive and undermines both future deaths and future reveals by creating circumstances that shouldn't be happening. And some characters go full-Castlevania II and lie until it's convenient in the story. (Most notably, the original dead student is called female and 'Misaki' until it's blatantly clear that Mei is eliminated as a suspect to the audience. Then, suddenly, we learn the original Misaki was male.)

Overall, however, I adored this story and have been playing the theme song non-stop. Seriously, both shows have excellent opening themes, and I'm glad Another just stuck with the one opener for its entire run.

For the record, both Japanese and English voice audio are excellent. English does a better job with phrasing what's going on so it's easier to follow, but there's no topping Mei's Japanese VA. She has the creepy ghost-like voice down to an art.

TORADORA!

And then there's Toradora!

I will start by saying that I absolutely loved the first 15 episodes and about 20 minutes of episode 16. It had a story I loved, characters who were great fun, witty dialogue, smart slapstick, heartfelt moments, and a litany of other great traits. It was well on its way to being a candidate for one of my favorite animated series ever.

And then the last nine episodes happen.

I should note that this show is considered a classic. While looking up the first opening theme (another banger), I found out that this show was many people's introduction into the greater anime world and Crunchyroll as a website. So I know many will find meaning in the final episodes and may even identify with some of the subject matter in the final episodes.

Anyway, here's why the show nevertheless crashed and burned in a span of just six episodes. Yes, starting from episode 17 and going through episode 22, by the time I completed them, I hated the show. I'd describe the episodes as a stumble that sends someone down a hill, which leads them off a cliff, down into a canyon, and when they land, they create a sinkhole that connects to a bottomless crater.

To explain what went wrong, I need to explain what the show was doing so right in the first place.

As I said before, this show is a romantic comedy, slice-of-life show that occasionally dealt with teen melodrama. It's the story of two main characters: Ryuji, a tall boy with a strong face that intimidates most people from even approaching him; and Taiga, a short girl who has instilled fear in most students at the school by being comedically violent toward most everyone.

In the first episode, the two realize that 1. they're neighbors, and 2. they're each best friends with the other person's crush. So although they get off on the wrong foot, they quickly join forces to pair each other off.

One thing I immediately appreciated was how the show approached the possible relationships. The standard in Rom-Coms like this (I've seen many that use variations of this trope) is to 'babyface' the two leads, to steal a wrestling term. See, in Rom-coms, the idea of destroying a current relationship with a new one via infidelity kind of kills the vibe of the film. So 'babyfacing' is where the current/prospective love interests are revealed early on to be either bad people, destructive, abusive, unwilling to compromise, or something else that allows the audience to justify leaving the current option.

(Unrelated, but one unique example of this is "Bride Wars," where the flaw is tipped, but not made clear until later. Anne Hathaway's fiancé enables her own self-defeating behavior of giving up on her interests, so when she starts asserting herself, he can't reconcile her new confident self with the meek people-pleaser he preferred. Not the best example, mind you; her assertiveness never benefits her and only makes the situations worse, so the positive message gets buried under incompetence. But it's one example that's still memorable to me for some reason.)

In Toradora, the main characters are made sympathetic, but they have very obvious character flaws that are preventing them from being with their respective love interests. Meanwhile, the two love interests are excellent reflections of what each one needs to work on.

Yusaku, Taiga's love interest, had been interested in her and seems to gravitate to girls who are similar to her but channel that aggressive energy into productive projects. So Ryuji needs to help her trust herself and others enough for her to become a positive force at the school.

And Minori, Ryuji's love interest, approaches stress in the exact opposite way Ryuji does - where he scales himself back and withdraws, she involves herself in everything she possibly can. The two serve as a good balance to each other's disposition, and with Taiga's help, gets them both to open up and discuss their approaches to the world.

I will say straight-up that I LOVE both of these relationships as they motivate the main characters to improve as people, and it seems clear that by the time everyone is officially together, they will all be the emotionally whole adults they were always meant to be.

And then there's the Taiga-Ryuji dynamic. Taiga is revealed to be living on her own because she didn't get along with her dad and stepmom, so she gets taken in by Ryuji, his mom and their pet bird. It creates this surrogate, found-family dynamic that I absolutely love. Although, the running gag is the two are a couple, it always plays up like more of a brother-sister dynamic. The two are mutually building the other up and the foursome really feel like a lifelong group joined at the hip.

And then, thrown in on top of all this is Ami, a model who transfers in a few episodes into the show. Ami is childhood friends with Yusaku, immediately hits on Ryuji, and both girls can't stand her immediately because she puts on an obviously fake-nice act to earn sympathy from people. 

Ami works as a great foil and bisected love triangle force. She is characterized deeply enough that you can see her with either boy, but her arc is clearly not romantic focused and it's clear the failure to be with either will force her to grow as a person as well.

So you have two main characters, one of which is assimilating into her newfound family, helping each other improve as people; two romantic interests who come across as great people and who already love their best friends, creating a tight-knit group; and a fifth wheel who is learning both how to be honest with herself and that 'herself' needs a lot of work.

This is the dynamic of the show for the first 16 episodes, and had it kept going like this, I'd probably be giving it a standalone blog as one of the greatest shows I've ever seen.

Unfortunately, there were still nine episodes left to screw it all up.

So what happened? They chucked nearly all of what I said out the window over the final nine episodes.

Episode 17 marked the debut of the second and final intro song (a major downgrade), and a song change has never so perfectly signaled a drop in show quality.

First, remember how I said it was rom-com driven with some melodrama thrown in? Those reverse completely, and suddenly we're in a Degrassi-style teen drama with rom-com elements present but scaled back.

Now, unlike Another, these elements were always present in the show, so it didn't feel as jarring looking back. But suspense/mystery to horror is a much smaller jump from comedy-driven to drama-driven. The show almost feels like an imposter of itself. (Tora is sus... I apologize. That was horrible.)

This is further emphasized by the fact that characterization of the five main characters gets altered, reversed or chucked out in order to fit the direction the story wants to move.

Taiga's aggressive demeanor vanishes almost entirely for the Christmas episodes (because she still believes in Santa... as a high-schooler...) and remains scaled back for the rest of the show. Ryuji goes on meathead-mode for a while and can't seem to intuit any of what the people around him are feeling, which he had been working on and much improved on over the show. A minor setback is one thing; he felt like he was back in episode 3 or 4 again.

It affects the other three as well. Minori probably gets it the worst, as she begins to feel guilty for events at the end of episode 16, and it costs her team the game in episode 17. She mopes for THREE EPISODES STRAIGHT because of this, and I was getting unnerving Sayori from DDLC vibes about her for a while.

Ami's personality switches back-and-forth depending on what role the writers need her to fill in a crystallized moment, and I'm pretty sure Yusaku had his main character status revoked at some point in all this because he fades in the background a lot and has his character destroyed in contrived, stupid ways. Basically, he becomes the Yamcha of the group.

Remember the found-family dynamic I loved? Yeah that went right out the window. In a move that was just unfortunate on so many levels, the writer decided that Taiga and Ryuji should be the main couple. This is despite the fact that Ami even calls out that the two have a family dynamic (though she notes that she sees Minori and Ryuji as surrogate parents for Taiga, which makes what's happening here SO MUCH worse).

This is why the changes in character and tone had to be made. By not 'babyfacing' the main characters at the beginning, they set up a scenario where the initial romantic relationships weren't DOA. That's great when you plan to let those relationships pan out to the end of the show, but when you plan to just pair the two main characters off anyway, it doesn't generate good feelings toward your show.

Because of all that, they had to do a rush job in the middle of the show. The next six episodes try to keep Minori mostly good by having her give Ryuji up on her own (She comes across Taiga crying in one of the least sensical sequences of the whole show and decides to tap out.), but not before making me genuinely nervous about this show going the tragic death route. Meanwhile, Yusaku gets caught up in multiple lies and feels like a weird appendage to the rest of the show.

Even the found family dynamic gets abandoned in favor of bringing both Taiga and Ryuji's extended families into the story. Hey, remember when we all learned that lesson mid-series about how family members who constantly use and abandon you are not family worth keeping? Remember when Taiga found her support system in Ryuji and his mom, who even called her 'family?' Clearly not, based on these last few messes of episodes.

I won't go into specifics of the ending; honestly, this should be enough to make the point clear. This show (and from what I can tell, the books they're based on) did not realize when the story they wanted to tell - and the story they were telling - had diverged to the point that they needed to change course. By sticking to their plan all the way to the end, they derailed a story that was proving to be great fun, and drove it off the roof of a building in favor of nonsense melodrama.

I do recommend the first 16 episodes, but be ready to be disappointed if you choose to see the final nine. I actually may have to rewrite the last nine episodes myself if I get some time.

Though, for right now, I have a lot of side stories for my current fic that need attending.

NFL Conference Championship teams and their wrestling counterparts (Year 10: 2019-20)

NOTE: To see the previous years, follow these links: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19).

It’s down to the final four again!

This year’s wrestling-NFL blog will complete a decade-long tradition, but it will also represent a #10yearchallenge for this blog.

When I started out with this idea, I was watching WWE consistently and had a good grasp on the talent. A decade later, my wrestling fandom is more entrenched, but I have gained a better grasp on my tastes in what makes a good wrestler, a good angle, a good match, and a good overall show.

Ultimately, it has led me away from the WWE programming and its overall incompetent structure. My weekly wrestling fix is now filled by three promotions that represent, to varying degrees, what I think should be present in professional wrestling.

As such, I am going to tie this year’s teams to the promotions I think best represent their personalities. If you like a certain team’s playing style, you can kind of extrapolate from there whether the company might be the one for you. Let’s begin!

Kansas City Chiefs - All Elite Wrestling

The thing about KC this year has been that, after emerging as a legitimate threat to New England in the AFC, people assumed that this would be the year that they could take over as the new guard in the conference.

Then, lo and behold, they got off to a VERY rocky start. People began questioning if they had it together enough to actually live up to their potential, or if they would become the New York Knicks to New England’s Chicago Bulls.

What we did not count on, though, was the teams ahead of them collapsing around them so that when they righted the ship, there was no resistance. New England failed to even get out of round one this year.

This represents AEW and their wild opening journey. The show is still heavily flawed. The women’s division is booked incompetently and the tag division has chosen to focus on being a spectacle more than actually creating must-see tag teams.

Nonetheless, an impressive top of the card, solid main event angles, and most of all, a monster collapse of the WWE’s product quality and viewership, has convinced TNT that this company is worth $175 million.

AEW, like KC, is here to stay. Question is: Will they live up to their potential?

Tennessee Titans - Major League Wrestling

MLW has seemingly come out of nowhere after reviving itself in the mid 2010s. Court Bauer convinced BeIn Sports to give them a rights deal, and not only has the show been successful, it may be getting upgraded to Showtime or the Paramount Network.

Such a move would pole vault the company into world-class discussions with world-class money. And it’s fitting for a company that mixes old-school simple booking, with international styles that blend surprisingly well, an adherence to actual weight classes (!), and some (admittedly) trash deathmatch stuff. Can’t be perfect.

Regardless, this is the crossroads where Tennessee finds itself as well. They are relying on old-school running backs - like Jim Brown old-school - with a modern twist to find themselves on the verge of being a legitimate force in the conference. They just need one more signature moment to validate themselves.

Green Bay Packers - Ring of Honor

Green Bay is that team that always seems to be in the hunt, but never actually cracks the top tier. They have all the ingredients offensively that make you think they’d have more titles by now, but a porous defense and coaching always seem to degrade them in the playoffs.

Ring of Honor’s fans could tell you the same stories. Despite great talent coming through over the years, a mess in the booking department, letting people get over at the expense of the larger brand, and unsupportive management have left the brand damaged.

Both, however, have seen recent upsides. The Pack is finally moving in the right direction, and it seems like, in spite of all his controversy, Aaron Rodgers is finally making his run behind some real support.

Meanwhile, after ROH hit its low point with the recent Kelly Klein issues, they were able to re-sign top star Marty Scurll as well as some big talent from Mexico to pad out their roster. There may be life in them after all.

The rest of Green Bay’s year, and all of ROH’s 2020, will go a long way toward determining their futures.

San Francisco 49ers - National Wrestling Alliance

San Fran has not seen relevance in a long time. Just a few years back, they were a punchline.

But sure enough, a move to pick up a backup quarterback from the Patriots changed their trajectory, and they have been on the upswing ever since. Do they look invincible? No. But do they look closest to a consistent squad that won’t make major blunders? Absolutely, and that could carry them to being the best.

Likewise, the NWA has not been a relevant company since the early 90s (or mid 2000s, if you count when their belts were in TNA). The name had long since been a relic of the bygone territory days.

But like San Fran, the best thing to happen to them seemed innocuous. Billy Corgan’s purchase of the name and rights has revitalized the company, and through small-scale growth, he has built a brand that mixes retro with the modern, quick-paced style of television. While the show is currently YouTube exclusive, the simple matches and easy-to-follow storylines have been an excellent display of why the older wrestling style still can work in modern day.

End of the day, I suspect the 49ers pull off a narrow win, and KC finally gets over the hump after a very difficult game with the Titans.

NFL Conference Championship teams and their wrestling counterparts (Year 9: 2018-19)

NOTE: To see the previous years, follow these links: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18).

Hard to believe it, but I've been working on this thing for nearly a decade. Next year will be one decade of the NFL conference championship blog, and I already know what gimmick I'll be using next year.

As for this year, I actually kept switching between different gimmick ideas for a multitude of reasons. Among them were: 1. Each gimmick had one team that had trouble fitting with its counterpart when I thought of the explanation, and 2. I have basically been avoiding WWE like the plague for most of the year.

That's not to say I didn't watch wrestling at all this year. Heck, you may have seen that I tried to keep a monthly best matches column on this blog before it became clear my teaching schedule would make doing anything on a scheduled basis difficult. I'm sure it won't stop me from trying again, but realistically, I should stick to writing when I have an opinion I have a MIGHTY NEED to give out.

(Probably my favorite thing that ever happened on Invader Zim... well that or this one:

Or maybe the Christmas special... I'm getting off track.)

Anyway, since I did stables last year, this go-around I wanted to touch on tag teams. But OH MY does WWE not care about tag teams. When I looked at the current tag team roster, I saw a crew that gets jobbed out like no one's business.

Admittedly, SmackDown at least seems to have a little more protection, but even with a cursory following of Raw on recaps, I know that the tag division is broken. When one of the teams who held your World championship is literally called the B-Team, you have given up on trying to make money with your division.

So as an act of protest against this load of garbage, I'm going to do a WWE counterpart, but only as a secondary thought. It's also only going to be women's wrestlers, since when I do hear positives about WWE, they almost always come from the women's division.

My main idea will be tag teams from the companies I actually followed this year (New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and CMLL). Because they have earned the right to be talked about this year.

Let's do this! AFC first!

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - THE YOUNG BUCKS (WWE: ASUKA)

The Chiefs have had an entertaining year to say the least. Their offense was at the top of the league and their new rookie quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has been a source of great fun on the field.

Despite the youth, though, it's the experience that is helping carry this team through its more difficult moments. Travis Kelce is a long-time monster at the tight end position, and Andy Reid is nothing if not legendary as a coach at this point. The only thing missing from his résumé is a championship, and he may finally have a team who can do it, so he is clearly on a mission this year to make that happen.

The Young Bucks represent all of these emotions pretty clearly. They have always come across as the "NEXT GEN" of professional wrestling, but at this point they are past the 30-year mark in life. They look like they don't age, but Nick and Matt Jackson were at a point this year where this current free agency was their last good chance to make money.

So what did they do this year? They moved up to New Japan's heavyweight division and captured the championships, then did the same in Ring of Honor. This is the only tag team in the world who could force themselves in the tag title matches of both companies' biggest shows (despite not really being involved in the storylines at all) and not have the bulk of the internet get mad at them. (Though I was annoyed at the New Japan one.)

And now their mission carries on into 2019 when they start their own wrestling company. If anyone has a chip on their shoulders the size of Andy Reid, it's these two.

I should note that I don't think the women's wrestlers I'm using are great matches for the teams, but they're the closest I can get to WWE talent that makes sense for this blog.

Asuka works because she has a high-octane offense (when it's allowed to be shown), and despite being new to fans of WWE, she's actually one of the most veteran talents on the roster. Her credentials speak for themselves... honestly far more than the Chiefs can boast, though her year has been spotty due to injury (which doesn't match the Chiefs success this year). That said, she's the best option from WWE to match KC.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - THE BRISCOES (WWE: CHARLOTTE FLAIR)

I'm really getting tired of coming up with new analogies for the Patriots. I'm tired of the AFC east being so collectively incompetent that the Pats keep winning the division despite getting markedly worse by the year. I'm tired of them using those easy wins to stack their record into getting a bye week in the playoffs. I'm tired of them getting through a home playoff game with an extra week to plan so they can get on this blog.

The continued perpetual round of New England madness continues this year, but at least this time they're at a disadvantage compared to most years. Usually, if the Pats go to the Super Bowl, they're at home in the conference title game. The fact that they have to play in Kansas City this time may be the difference maker. At least it better be... I already have money on the outcome.

But regardless of any of the previous statements, they nonetheless are never totally out of the picture, which makes the Briscoes of Ring of Honor the perfect team for New England.

"Dem Boys" won the ROH tag title on two occasions this year, bringing their grand total to 10 times in their careers dating back to ROH's creation in 2002. Teams have come and gone, but the Briscoes are a permanent fixture in the ROH arenas akin to furniture or weird, creepy men at ringside who cheer for everything the company does (even when they need you to boo, you annoying little man!).

But yeah, the Briscoes rose to power around the same time the Pats did, and chances are they'll exit the scene around the same time. Unlike the Pats though, I highly recommend you go and find the work of Jay and Mark Briscoe ASAP. It's a great time.

As for the Charlotte comparison, I think it goes without saying. She's in the title picture constantly. She's gotten all the major "first time ever" matches they have been doing for the women's revolution, and at the rate she's going, by the end of next year, she will probably have broken Mickie James' record of nine women's world title reigns (Mickie had 6 in WWE, 3 in TNA).

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - THE GUERRILLAS OF DESTINY (GoD) a.k.a. THE OG BULLET CLUB (WWE: BECKY LYNCH)

If there's a tag team out there I enjoy more than Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, they are escaping my mind right now. This has been a year of revival for the classic era of the Bullet Club.

Over the last couple years, the Elite of Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Cody (notRhodes) have been dominating Bullet Club storylines to the point that I had largely forgotten about the original members who had not gone anywhere.

This quickly changed when the OGBC's laid out the Elite and have basically stuffed them at every turn since then, ensuring that the Elite were purged from the classic crew. The Elite may end up with way more money by the end, especially if All Elite Wrestling takes off like I think (hope) it might, but as far as New Japan fans go, GoD got one up on them on the way out.

The Saints feel like a redemption tour has been long in the works. Despite winning a title and having a candidate for Greatest Quarterback Ever, New Orleans has been almost perennially on the bridesmaid list without any hope of actually getting back to the altar.

(Actually come to think of it, marriage is a terrible analogy here. The point of football is to get to the big stage more than once... eh, forget it. You all get it and I'm on a roll here.)

This year has felt like a renaissance with the renewed offense and a revived defense that has given Drew Brees and the Saints a real shot again. I'm still not a believer in Sean Payton, but we'll see how this goes.

Oh, and hey! The Saints beat the Eagles, who claimed last year's Super Bowl by beating the Pats. You know what that means...

New Orleans is THE MAN.

Please give Becky Lynch the main event of WrestleMania. She is quite literally the best thing on any show right now.

LOS ANGELES RAMS - SO CAL UNCENSORED (WWE: RONDA ROUSEY)

So this is the team that I said didn't fit ideally with this specific gimmick. I have looked at tag teams across multiple companies and simply have not been satisfied with any of the choices for who could match the Rams.

The closest WWE came was Lucha House Party, but giving anyone a WWE tag team for a comparison feels like a cruel prank at this point, so that was out.

I thought of Suzuki-GUN in New Japan, but the teams they field don't usually revolve around new wrestlers. I considered Los Ingobernables de Japon's junior heavyweight team of Shingo and BUSHI, but the team only started mid-year.

I had really considered Nueva Generación Dinamitas in CMLL (El Cuatrero and Sansón), but they despite being in major storylines most of the year, they never felt like a team they were going to focus on as a team. (Kind of the nature of CMLL, but nonetheless...)

I finally settled on So Cal Uncensored because like the Rams, their offensive output and ability to impress has returned to previous levels this year. I have gotten enjoyment out of basically all the SCU matches I've seen, and their quest to become champions again was the best thing on ROH TV this year. I am truly glad that ROH recognized their talents and gave the tag titles the main event of 2018's biggest pay-per-view. Whether the team was Daniels and Kazarian, or Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, they delivered.

That said, the biggest draw to the Rams was youth and inexperience. There is no team that represents young blood in this league quite as well as the LA Rams. Fact is, across the major companies, the teams right now have all established themselves pretty well.

Luckily, using women as well in the comparison has saved me here because Ronda Rousey is perfect for the Rams.

Rousey, like the Rams, had been famous for being dominant in a previous time, but their stock had faded over the last few years... mostly thanks to incompetent coaching on both their parts.

Recently, though, both have revived themselves and appear better than they may have ever been. The Rams broke records that "The Greatest Show on Turf" set during their brief reign atop the football world. Meanwhile, Rousey has entered WWE and immediately become both a huge draw and a steady working hand in the ring.

Rousey matches are one of the few guarantees of quality left in the company, and few teams can boast being as exciting as a Rams football game.

Had it not been for "The Man" appearing on SmackDown, Rousey would be the biggest deal in the company right now among the fans. And had it not been for the Saints upending their undefeated season, the Rams would be the big deal Holyfield in the NFL going into this week's games.

WrestleMania and the remaining NFL playoffs will be monumental in determining whether the years of Ronda and the Rams will be simply another great season with a flat finish, or if the year will go down in the annals of history as being legendary.

(For the record, football-wise I think it will be, as I will take the Rams to win a rematch with the Chiefs to pick up a championship.)

Thoughts from Up North: CMLL Viernes 3/30/18

My top matches of March blog is due up, seeing as I'm typing this on the last day of March. I am, however, reserving judgment on the rankings because of this show. There seems like there might be a contender on the card, so let's find out!

Before I do, though, I wanted to give credit to a match on the Tuesday card: Barbaro Cavernario vs. Soberano Jr. in a non-title bout. This blew of a feud that went a couple weeks over there apparently, but I was interested mainly because of the two involved in the match. I'll discuss it in the matches of the month almost definitely, but needless to say, check it out.

Opening Match: Flyer and Robin vs. Templario and Akuma

Always happy to see Flyer and Templario in matches. I don't think I've seen the other two. If I have, they left no impression. Robin's actually got a decent set of high-flying moves, though he's still trying to get speed into all of his moves. The first fall happens fairly quickly, with Akuma and Templario both hitting dives from the ramp into the ring to take out Flyer, while Robin was taken out with a top-rope splash from Akuma.

Akuma was almost immediately a non-factor in the second fall, though. Flyer went off the second rope and hit him with a knee to get him out of the equation. Templario then got a good heat segment where he actually managed some offense. It's actually somewhat rare for anyone to get offense once outnumbered, especially in an early fall, so good for Templario that they trusted him with that. He eventually fell to a rana to even the fall count 1-1.

CMLL's mandate against top-rope moves in the opener led to some attempts to play with moves off the second rope. Some were awkward, but I was actually impressed with the ideas. Robin and Akuma were both on the second rope when Robin jumped up and hit a rana to eliminate him again. Templario immediately countered with a powerbomb to eliminate Robin. It then took two Canadian Destroyers, the second one using the low rope as a launchpad for speed, for Flyer to take out Templario. Really fun match that showcased Templario as a real up-and-coming rudo. Flyer looked great as well, and I'm hoping this creates a singles match down the road. 3 stars.

Second Match: Kaho Kobayashi, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs. La Seductora, Zeuxis, Dallys

This is yet another rematch. I know there are other women on this roster, some significantly more talented than Seductora. And I know it's possible to book a large women's division well, so what the heck are we doing here? Oh, as an aside, Zeuxis is now a champion in Puerto Rico, so she has two titles.

So watching the first fall, Seductora is capable of working and taking bumps, but they are way too slow to be believable. She could be a solid ground-exclusive wrestler if the matches were booked around it. Also, there is a fine line between arrogantly leaving a limb open to counter, and blatantly placing it and waiting for a counter. Dallys should work on that. Anyway, Seductora tapped out Kaho with a Disarmer, and Dallys pinned Marcela for fall 1.

In the second fall, following some of the worst ground stomps in the history of televised ground stomps, Kaho got caught outside the ring trying to hit a top-rope plancha, and got slammed into the guard rail. Marcela then took out Zeuxis and Dallys with a plancha of her own. Sugehit nearly rolled up Seductora, but Seductora wrapped her arm into the bottom rope to hold her down for a captain's fall and a 2-0 win. The técnicos were livid after this, but at least it seems like they had an idea for an angle. Hopefully, this goes somewhere. 1.75 stars.

Third Match: Blue Panther family (Blue Panthers Sr and Jr, and The Panther) vs. Kuwato San, Dragon Rojo, Felino

Pretty hyped for this one. I love the whole Panther family, Kuwato San has looked good since coming over from NJPW on excursion, and Dragon Rojo's entrance has more pyro than literally all of Raw and SmackDown in 2018 to date. Not sure if I've seen Felino. The go-go dancers that perplexingly get all the camera time during the special ring intros are dressed like cowgirls for some reason.

Kuwato seemed to tease rudo interference a couple times that Blue Sr. caught, but he eventually went for it. The Panther saw him and started a sequence of lucha tags, and the chaos led to The Panther faking a dropkick and turning it into a roll-up for the captain's fall. 1-0 faces. Blue Panther Sr. did the bulk of the work here, and though his work is clearly slower, he has clearly mastered the ring enough to still maintain believability. He's a great hand to help dictate this match.

Blue Sr. and Blue Jr. got taken out of the equation early in the fall, allowing a 3-on-1 on The Panther. The Panther had a nice leapfrog over Dragon Rojo, but it only led him into a splash from Felino. Rojo then made him tap to the disarmer. Blue Jr. ran in next, but the 3-on-1 continued, and Kuwato hit a top rope splash for the pin. 1-1.

Rojo clawed at the masks of both The Panther and Blue Jr., leading to them double-teaming on his mask while Blue Sr. intimidated the ref. A lot of good combo moves from the brothers before the rudos started hitting top-rope dives to the outside of the ring. Eventually, Blue Jr. got rolled up by Rojo, while Kuwato got rolled up by The Panther. The two then took their fight outside the ring while Felino scored the captain's fall on Blue Sr. with a modified leg lock. Great third fall, though I wonder when they will pull the trigger on pushing the younger panthers. They look like they are due to move into the upper half of the card. 3.5 stars.

Fourth Match: Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas, Barbaro Cavernario v. The Axis (Johnny Idol, Sam Adonis, Okumura)

Rudos vs. Rudos here, so I'm thinking The Axis will act as the heat generators. Oh, and Tirantes is reffing. That almost seems perfect.

This became a brawl almost immediately that covered most of the area around the ring. A glitch jumped time forward on the stream, so I didn't see the second fall during the match. Luckily, I got it on replay. Okumura hit a slam on Cavernario, then Idol hit a drop kick on Niebla to take the first fall.

Niebla took most of the beating in the second fall, but he was able to break free and hit a dive outside the ring on Adonis to take him out of the equation. This allowed Cavernario and Casas to hit simultaneous roll-ups on the Axis to even the match at 1-1.

The third fall was heavy on spectacle, mostly involving spit. It was kind of hard to sit through. Eventually, though, they got back to actual wrestling and had a decent finish. Cavernario dropkicked Idol to pin him, while Niebla hit a splash on Okumura to complete the match. Good for Cavernario picking up a win, but the third fall kind of lost me. 2.5 stars.

Semi-main event: Revelos Increibles - Caristico, Atlantis, El Valiente vs. Rush, Kraneo, La Bestia del Ring

Revelos Increibles are supposed to have teams with members that are either A) feuding or B) on opposite sides of face-heel alignment. I have no idea which this is. I guess if you count Caristico as a rudo completely, and the weird técnico turn for Kraneo in Puebla extends here, it technically works...

I think CMLL has gotten wise to Atlantis' limitations as a performer right now, so he basically got mugged early in this match so he's not expected to hit a lot of offense the rest of the way. The ref got tossed out of the ring, leading to a DQ of the Los Ingobernables team. 1-0 Team Atlantis.

The second fall felt dominant, with Atlantis getting tossed outside the ring and Caristico getting hit with a piledriver to take the second fall. 1-1.

The final fall started slow, but Valiente hit some big power moves on Kraneo, and Caristico got a few big dives on Rush to get the final push to the finish going. I expected the pace to crack when Atlantis and Bestia went with each other, but they held up ok, and at the end, Atlantis tricked Los Ingobernables into attacking Kraneo. This, of course, led to him getting revenge on his teammates and leaving them for the loss. It was an interesting angle to play, and I'm curious if this develops into anything. At the very least, they told a good story. 3 stars.

Main event: NWA Historic Welterweight Championship: Volador Jr. (c) w/ Flyer vs. Matt Taven w/ Sam Adonis

Volador, accoding to Cubsfan, is defending this belt for the 20th time in this reign. Taven is normally a Ring of Honor wrestler, who leads the Kingdom faction.

The Code of Honor is followed to start the match. There was a lot of posturing and taunting to start, much of which involved Adonis' Trump flag. Taven went for a clothesline, and it was countered into a superkick, then a backstabber, then a pin. 1-0 Volador.

The second fall started with Volador continuing the momentum, sending Taven out of the ring before diving and hitting him. En route to finishing him, though, Taven was able to counter, hit a big kick to Volador, then finished with a frog splash to even the falls at 1-1.

The third fall had good energy, but it never seemed to kick into fourth gear. Tirantes went full rudo with his counts toward the end, leading to Taven winning the title.

I have two major thoughts on this title change. One, this is the same Matt Taven I saw in Vegas a month ago having an average match with Cody, so while this is great for the Kingdom, I'm curious how good of matches he is capable of producing. Second, since the NWA is still a thing in the US, how will this title be promoted? Will it adopt CMLL's name? Will it be put in a merger match the CMLL welterweight belt? Can they say the title's name in RoH? Many logistical thoughts must be considered.

Anyway, the match was an acceptable 3.25 stars, and the show, while lacking a must-see match, had plenty of interesting angles worth following up on. Hopefully CMLL does so.

Thoughts from Up North: CMLL Viernes 3/23

My recent review of the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas card got me to thinking that I should give my thoughts on the CMLL programming, to help fill a void in the wrestling community.

Unfortunately, while CMLL is profitable (and one of the few major companies that has been able to accomplish this feat), the company has had a miserable history when it comes to archiving their footage. While they gladly accept working relationships and broadcast expansions into the US and Japan, they don't really seek them out. And their method of building feuds is too slow and infrequent for international viewers who are used to storylines being made clear.

These issues cause the company to almost exist in a vacuum - almost like the tourists who simply want to see that "masked wrestling we heard about on TV" dictate the method of booking.

Even so, CMLL probably has one of the most consistently good weekly products in its Friday show. It's rare that any match is outright bad, and when the company decides to push a feud, the match that is eventually given does tend to pay off well. I've taken to watching the Friday show more frequently this year than any WWE brand, and much of that is due to the caliber of talent.

Is it a perfect company? No, there are plenty of ways to improve. That said, hopefully I can provide notes on what makes the show worth seeing.

One final note: I definitely won't hit every CMLL show. If something of serious note happens on the Monday shows from Puebla, or the Tuesday Arena Mexico shows, I will probably discuss that specific point. Otherwise, I will limit myself to the Friday shows, and even then, I'm not paid to do this, so it will only be when my teaching allows me time to write.

So this week's opener was a mini-Estrella tag match where técnicos Stukita and Shockercito defeated Mercurio and Pequeño Nitro. I actually can't comment much on this, as the match was joined in progress on the feed. Still, I can at least note that I am definitely a fan of Shockercito and Nitro. I've seen them enough to know I will get good, fast-paced action with them, and that's enough for me to be impressed with an opener.

In the second match, rudos Templario, Sagrado, and captain Virus defeated Magia Blanco, Pegasso and captain Star Jr. The heels took the first and third fall. Virus is quickly rising through the ranks for me, which will come as no surprise to those who know him. He's a long-time veteran. Templario is definitely my favorite of the young heels. I love the whole look of his mask and the Templar gimmick. He's a great pace-setter.

The faces did solid work as well, with Blanco and Star looking like the key figures. Pegasso seems to come up on a lot of shows, and while I don't dislike him, he feels like a wrestler who fills out space on the card. Still, fun match that was worth about 3 stars.

For some reason, Blue Panther Jr. won a lightning match (10-minute time limit, single-fall match) against Drone. I honestly am not sure why this match existed or why the two went against each other, but it was an effective way to push BPJ. Drone was game, but BPJ looked larger and more in control the entire match. There's a big legacy to live up to when Blue Panther is your dad, but I consider myself to be a fan of BPJ, and even more so, his brother, The Panther. The match is nothing to write home about, with a lot of hard-hitting spots and a submission finish, but nothing was really wrong here. I give it 2.75 stars.

Match 4 was strange, with Misterioso Jr., Puma and Tiger winning the last two falls over Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr. and Fuego. The heels got the last fall when a sudden accidental mask removal caused a DQ. It's a shame because everyone seemed to be on their game (except Misterioso Jr., who seemed slow and lackadaisical until the post-match).

Audaz is getting a real push in CMLL, and is already into the second half of the Friday shows. Good for him. Fuego seems to be putting his Fantastica Mania appearance to good use, and he had some good spots here. Puma and Tiger tried to keep the match pace up, but something didn't click here. Worth noting, though, that Misterioso took Audaz's mask on the way out, so a feud might be brewing. I give the match 2.5.

The semi-main was a mixed trios match, with heel Matt Taven working with brothers Niebla Roja and Angel de Oro to beat face Volador Jr. and Nueva Generacion Dinamitas siblings Cuatrero and Sanson. Roja and Oro could very easily become a successful tag team, especially with their tandem submissions as a finisher. Oro and Volador also seem to have a real knack for aggression, which might make for a great set of rudo traits. I don't think either will go that route, but I could see it happening.

This match got 3 stars. Afterward, Taven attacked Volador to demand a title shot. This would be Volador's third defense of the NWA Historic Welterweight Championship in the last three months. Can you tell this is the belt that's getting a push?

The main event was a straight-falls win for Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, and Ultimo Guerrero over Kraneo, Rush and Terrible. The teams had to work on the spot for Marco, who injured himself diving into the ring with a flying crossbody. If that was faked, it was VERY impressive selling from both Corleone and rudo referee Tirantes.

It's hard to tell if it was real or not because Corleone not only stayed in the match, but took submissions and bumps from his opponents. Tough guy.

As for the match itself, it was good. Easily the top of the card at 3.25 stars. I liked the story in the second fall that Corleone tried to fight his way back in, as well as the fact that he didn't succeed because Los Ingobernables went to injure, not to win.

Overall, a lot of storylines seem to be starting, and we are off and running in this post-HDL world.

CMLL Homenaje a Dos Leyendas review/Intro to CMLL events

Read my top matches of January and February lists! Read my review of the Ring of Honor 16th Anniversary.

CMLL had its Homenaje a Dos Leyendas pay per view event on Friday, and seeing how I laid down $5 to watch it, I figure I should give my thoughts on the event.

It dawns on me, though, that if I had no idea about CMLL's wrestlers or format before getting into it, then most probably don't. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and 411Mania don't really cover Mexican wrestling. Except for some people at Voices of Wrestling, the Cubsfan's Lucha Blog, and MLW's Lucha Talk podcast, I really don't see a lot of help on lucha libre from the English-speaking front.

As such, I figure I should work in some details about CMLL and background as I go over the matches from this card.

I'll start with what it is. Homenaje a Dos Leyendas is CMLL's second-biggest card of the year, like WWE Summerslam or NJPW's Dominion. It's one of the only cards they are sure to put on annually.

Each HDL honors two influences on the lucha libre world. CMLL founder Salvador Lutteroth is always one of the two, and this year's second legend is Mil Mascaras, a first-time honoree.

Sofia Alonso, left, along with Mil Mascaras (with mic)

Between the third and fourth matches, Mil was officially presented with a plaque and honored alongside Lutteroth's great-granddaughter, Sofia Alonso.

It's worth noting that CMLL is a family-owned business. Current owner Paco Alonso is the third generation to run the company (Salvador and Chavo Lutteroth). Sofia is in charge of marketing and seems likely to be the next owner when Paco retires.

She must be fairly competent because while my Spanish is still developing, he definitely spoke kindly about Sofia. From what I read online, he said she specifically brought him back into the fold. If so, good for her.

Anyway, on to the six-match card! I'll probably never say that again because with CMLL, it's ALWAYS a six-match card. The Friday night cards that CMLL runs at its own Arena Mexico are the company's 'A'-show, and the only weeks where six matches aren't the norm are tournament weeks.

Audaz, Flyer, Star Jr. d. Virus, Disturbio, Templario (2-1) - CMLL usually starts with either a four-man or six-man tag match featuring mini-Estrellas (wrestlers under 150 lbs) or low-card guys. It's worth noting that CMLL was NWA's Mexican territory for years, and it shows by the way the company believes in not out-shining the featured bouts. Usually, the opener is not allowed to do dives or other major spots so the crowd doesn't burn out early.

Not so for the major cards, though, I guess. This was excellent. Audaz has been pushed heavily, being honored with a new mask and name in January. He served as the captain for his team, which consisted of Star Jr, who I've only seen perform at Fantastica Mania, and Flyer, who I enjoy from his matches at the Monday Arena Puebla shows. Opposing them were Virus, a veteran rudo (heel) who is great at generating heat, fellow veteran Disturbio, and young, knight-gimmicked Templario, who I really enjoy.

Worth noting right now is how matches set up in CMLL. Técnicos (faces) and Rudos are in separate locker rooms and come out of different entrance sides (faces left, heels right). CMLL operates on old Texas territory rules: tag matches dominate the scene, and matches are 2 out of 3 falls unless otherwise noted. In trio matches, CMLL designates team captains. To score a fall, either the captain must take the fall, or both of the other members must be pinned/submitted.

The first and second falls seemed to get more time than normal, and Star Jr. pinned Virus with a frog splash to get his team the first fall. For the second, Star Jr was pinned following Disturbio hitting him in the corner with a double knee. Flyer got pinned when Templario did a dive from the elevated ramp into the ring.

The final fall saw dives that don't normally get to take place in the opening match, and the fall came when Star Jr. caught Disturbio with a top-rope kick, and Audaz wrapped around Templario for an armlock submission. It kind of reminded me of the Black Widow that AJ Lee used to do.

Anyway, this was the best opener I've seen from CMLL. Everyone was motivated and pushed the pace. 3.5 stars

Dallys, Zeuxis, La Seductora d. Princesa Sugheit, Kaho Kobayashi, Marcela (2-1) - The rudas picked up the win in this match. CMLL's women's division is like WWE's in the early 2000s: plenty of talent, but it's shoved to the back of the card and the booking can be nonsensical.

Everyone in this match is a solid hand except La Seductora, who was thankfully limited in her action after the first fall. But geez, this first fall got ruined by her segment. It was so slow and telegraphed the moves could have been called from space. I really wish Reyna Isis had waited to start her three months in Japan until after this card so she could have been in Seductora's role. Anyway, Marcela picked up a pin on Seductora with a Coup d'Grace, and Sugheit submitted Zeuxis to win the first fall.

Kaho Kobayashi is on a three-month stay in Mexico and is a great talent. She is the CMLL-REINA champion, but with REINA being infrequent, this has been a better use of her talents. Still, she has been getting the brunt of the beatings because of her smaller size. Zeuxis pinned her following a series of double knees, and Seductora walked the ropes (with Zeuxis as a balance) to hit a frog splash on Marcela.

The third pin saw Seductora pushed to the background, so energy picked up. Sugheit and Kobayashi eventually got submitted by Dallys and Zeuxis to earn the win. It was a good women's showcase, but a real storyline needs to develop for these girls. There are more than enough to make a good division, but something needs to happen. 2.75 stars

Rush, Mistico, Dragon Lee d. Mascara Año 2000, Forastero, Sanson (2-0) - This is a clash of two families, as the Munoz family (captained by Rush) took on Dinamitas' clan (led by MA2000). Worth noting on the Munoz boys: Rush is the founder and leader of Los Ingobernables, who have a Japanese branch that is huge in NJPW; Mistico was originally called Dragon Lee, but when the original Mistico moved to WWE and became Sin Cara, he took on the mantle and his brother became Dragon Lee. Now, the original Mistico is back under the name Caristico. Let all that sink in...

For the first fall, Dragon Lee stomped Forastero for a pin while Mistico submitted Sanson. MA2000 is by far the weakest of the six in this match, but he actually took a big bump that then allowed him to be featured minimally. Good booking work here.

The match went into full brawl mode between falls. It's about at this point that I realized the crowd was one of those bizarro world hardcore crowds that roots for the rudos. They were intensely behind Los Dinamatas here and even turned on Rush, who was técnico by default tonight. MA2000 got in minimal offense before Rush got in a dropkick and used the ropes as leverage to score a straight-fall victory. I love straight-fall victories and wish more would happen. This was essentially a 3-on-2 handicap match much of the way, and the booking was very smart. Good work. 3.75 stars.

Atlantis, Niebla Roja, Matt Taven d. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Euforia (2-1) - Atlantis has been struggling with knee problems and being well over 50 years old. Matt Taven is still shaking off the stink of his ROH 16th Anniversary performance in my view, and the first fall was almost completely lost due to a bad PPV stream. This match was in a rough spot.

For the positive, Niebla Roja got a showcase before accompanying his brother to the ring for the main event. The two Guerreros are consistent top-of-the-card talents even in their 40s, and Euforia is being set up for a lucha de apuestas at the Arena Puebla shows, so there were good aspects to this match.

The first fall, of which only the end was caught, featured the rudos winning via triple submission pose... Yeah... Second fall saw Atlantis hit an actual dive spot outside the ring. It's impressive due to his age, his injuries, and the fact that he has long since moved into "maestro lucha" style, which is more ground-based. Anyway, Taven splashed Euforia and Roja eliminated Gran to even the match.

The third fall was quick and painless. Atlantis pinned Ultimo to win the match. Overall, hard to tell if this was a good match or not. It had its positives but it was weak in a lot of spots. 2.25 stars seems fair.

CMLL World Tag Team Championship: Volador Jr./Valiente d. Terrible/Rey Bucanero - CMLL's tournaments are an interesting thing. They take place over the course of three shows and consist of 16 competitors in two blocks of eight. The first two weeks feature a block-wide battle royal to set seeding, followed by a series of one-fall, single-elimination matches to decide block winners. This match is the 2-of-3-fall final of a tournament for the vacated titles.

Volador is already CMLL World Trios Champion and NWA Historic Welterweight Champion, so it didn't make sense for this team to win, especially with Valiente filling in for Caristico. But then, Terrible just joined Los Ingobernables and broke up his team with the Pirate King. So unless they planned to swerve everyone and have Bucanero join LI, I'm not sure who thought this was a good set of tag teams for this match.

Terrible, being a more grounded luchador, and Bucanero, being very limited, did not match with the style the other two wanted at all. The first fall came very early, when Bucanero tapped out Valiente with an arm lock, and Volador got hit with a Styles clash by Terrible. (Oh yeah, both members must fall to score in a four-man tag.)

Valiente got revenge by submitting Bucanero in the next fall while and looked like he knocked Terrible's wind out. The third fall is where the pace finally quickened, and we got some real wrestling. Volador got a roll up pin after a second submission fall from Valiente on Bucanero. Overall, this match was a disappointment. I enjoyed the Parejas Increibles tournament earlier this year, and that had a MOTYC as a final match. This one was merely good. 3 stars.

Lucha de Apuestas - Mask vs. Mask: Cuatrero d. Angel de Oro - Niebla Roja, who lost his mask last year, accompanied his brother to ringside, while the rest of the Dinamitas clan watched Cuatrero. This match was made to be a big deal for weeks and it paid off here in spades.

They told a great story from the beginning, as Angel de Oro tried to dive outside the ring to blindside Cuatrero to start the match and failed, allowing the rudo to beat him down for nearly three minutes before scoring the first fall, submitting him with an upside-down bear hug. Sanson tried to help Cuatrero win in straight falls, but when it got into the ring, Angel racked up enough offense to get some breathing room. He eventually submitted Cuatrero to level the match.

Angel took Cuatrero outside the ring between falls and dove off the staging area to hit Cuatrero. There were a lot of near falls, with Angel nearly locking in the same full-body submission he used in the second fall again for the third, but he was weakened and couldn't hold the body weight. Cuatrero eventually got the pinfall to protect his mask.

Honestly, with how the Dinamatas clan all have similar matches, it is probably best the family stable keeps their matching white and black masks. Plus, Angel de Oro without a mask looks like a more square-jawed Niebla Roja, so the two could be a great matching tag team.

I love the CMLL's lucha de apuestas setup. It's played as a big deal, and they never back down on the gimmick. It's enacted immediately. There was real emotion when Angel de Oro asked for his parents to come down and untie the mask on his behalf. Another great thing about lucha de apuestas in Mexico is that the athletic commissions do not release luchador names, so Angel de Oro had no identity under the mask until the loss. For the record, he is 29-year-old Miguel Angel Chavez Velasco.

This is why the mask is so key in lucha, I think. The quick moves, the high-flying, the masks that conceal a secret identity... They all serve to make luchadors into true superheroes, and their matches like real-life superhero-supervillain battles. Think back to when Spider-Man revealed himself in Civil War. It was controversial not only in the story world, but in real life. Fans were divided on the choice and it even made national news. Angel de Oro's mask may be smaller in scale, but the idea of a hero and villain putting their identities on the line is rife with comic book ties.

As for the match, it's a must-see. It fell slightly short of MOTY contention for me, but it's a sure-fire top 10 entry for March unless the next two weeks go completely crazy with quality. 4.25 stars.

Overall, this show was well worth the $10 price of admission. Three matches well worth watching and a new pair of champions, in addition to hearing from Mil Mascaras. Not a bad night. This is also why full-priced pay-per-views are dying. Between the WWE Network, NJPW World, and the fact that CMLL airs 50 free Friday shows and 2-3 $10 PPV events, there is more than enough quality wrestling to not seek full-priced cards anymore.

But yeah, CMLL did good work with this card, and I recommend it. I don't rate shows on any kind of scale. Instead I just give the average match rating. If you need a 1-10 scale, just double my average. Yeah, no card will ever approach a perfect 10, but on a good note, anything above a 6 is worth your time.

Average Match Score: 3.25
Doubled for an out-of-10 score: 6.5/10