CMLL Line - 03/20/02 (26)

Thanks to: Albert Lopez for the translations, Robert Ortega for the original format.

Time Warp: Due to the delay between taping and airing, and airing in Mexico and airing here, I believe we've got two episodes before the PPV affects what we see, though in reality it happened last weekend. So you know.

Vignette: Veneno preps for his mask vs hair match against Gran Markus by wrestling (and quickly defeating) his midget friends. His normal sized friends opt to just talk instead. He gets a cell call from Pierroth, and surely promises victory. They invite another guy from the gym in the ring so Veneno can beat him - Veneno's hat actually comes off during this. Texas Cloverleaf! It'll surely be just like this at the PPV.

Notes: Violenica also wears the Veneno straw hat. Nitro is the new guy who's been showing up with the Boricuas lately. Hey look - Olimpico's back! I wonder if we'll remember what he was involved with before he left. Boricuas attack before the bell and dominate early on. At the end of the second fall, Safari hits Nitro with a missile dropkick and covers - one ref strains to look at action out of the ring but the other ref is screwed. He can't count the pin (because they're not supposed to count the pin, it sure seems like) and he can't look towards the other side, because both refs are supposed to miss some outside interference that helps Veneno gets the best of Felino. So he chooses to look at the pin and take his time getting down to count. And then we cut away from the count, so I have no idea what happened there - an outside CMLL Official points to Pierroth interfering and the rudos are DQed. That was weird - and now Pierroth gets thrown out. I think we join fall three in progress - or they hurry up during the replays of fall 2's finish. It doesn't last long before Gran Markus is in, though, and that's the end of this match - except the referees award the fall to Felino for a reason I don't understand. This is all very not good from a match stand point, though they do a decent job of getting crowd heat - they don't really make it look like Veneno has a chance, though. Interviews post match 

Vignette: In other action, their was a #1 contenders tournament for the CMLL Tag Team Titles. We get clips and let me see if I can figure these brackets out with cheating. We get extended clips from each match

Los Capos-----------------|
(3/1, Arena Mexico)       |-Atlantis
Atlantis/Lizmark/Olimpico-|

Guerreros de Infernal-----|
(3/8, Arena Mexico)       |-GdI-----
Villanos------------------|

As for notes, Pierroth got two Capos to chase him in the first match, and Universo got rolled up from behind. GdI won with an awesome triple rollup. And that's all we see right now. More next week, I guess.

Vignette: Los Guapos are officially now Los Talibanes - they bought robes and music. This is what you call "pushing past acceptable limits to see how much heel heat would could possibly get without (probably) getting killed" and altogether, I'm not sad I have no idea was Scoirpio Jr. and Besita Salvaje are up to here. I do wonder where Emilio is - they both drop his name.

Notes: Emilio doesn't have his outfit ready yet - he's still in the old makeshift outfit. The ring announcer announces them as from "Guantanemo, Cuba", which is cute. It's really sad I no longer can listen to Backstreet Boys on this show. You know, from they way they're "praying" their, I don't think they're really Muslim. They must've been too busy shopping for outfits to figure out the right way to do that. They die their hair back to black - or maybe that's their natural color - I wouldn't know. The beginning of the third fall was all "put on hold, partner of victim slowly breaks it up, then partner of victim puts on hold, repeat" and not very interesting, mostly having to do with the slow pace taking away from the often switches in momentum. Casas hit a apron running Thesz press to the floor, and that cued the end.

Spectacular Moments. With that low blow, it sure looks like Poder Boricua is still a heel. He didn't mess around. Hey look, Ultimo Dragoncito almost killed himself again. Black Warrior can still kill people with topes.

Vignette: Shocker and Mascara Magica talk on the street - I guess someone's adjusting to his new situation. At the hospital, Niebla and Black Warrior talk - and run into Mascara. Niebla has some X-Rays, I think - on his shoulder from last week, I suppose. They talk more - I think they want to make sure that he's on the same page - they want Wagner, Panther and Fuerza gone. 

Notes: The rudos who have masks wear masking masks - and a "Fusion, Lagunera" shirts. Juvie is Juvie - no belt on him. Mascara's outfit is very similar to his GdI stuff, without GdI on it. Three straight matches of rudos attacking before the bell. Panther was smart enough to go right for Niebla's arm- he was holding it very quick. Juvie and Shocker paired off early - Mascara took Wagner. I guess the presence of Niebla is enough to make this is a tecinco team. Mask ripping on Niebla. Mascara did a huge over sell on a Juvie throw into the post. Warrior's top got pulled off. Wagner hit a crucifix powerbomb, but didn't get to cover - the (rudo) referee accidentally tapped him on the back as he ran to make the count, and Wagner let up thinking it was already over or something. By the time the mistake was realizes, Warrior was out of the ring. I would describe this beating as through, if not very interesting. Juvie missing a corner splash on Shocker turned the tide - Shocker hit Juvie with the bulldog on the floor. Warrior skipped the ripping and simply untied Wagner's mask before throwing to the crowd - that's a DQ. Warrior didn't let the end of the fall stop him from trying to choke out Wagner, then Shocker got a lot of speed and dropkicked Wagner in the face. 

Wagner still had no mask by the time the second fall started, we didn't see him for a while. Somehow there ended up being a fight in the aisle while the second fall started up - lots of chaos, not very organized. Mascara ripped Fuerza's mask while Warrior and Niebla beat up Panther on the ramp. Juvie got thrown into the steps and Wagner still wasn't back. Tecinco beatdowns are rare thing (usually they control one on one while rudos dominate in packs) but this sure seemed like one. Eventually Wagner came back (from the back) with a new mask. Warrior and Wagner battled on the steps while the tecincos controlled the ring. Wagner coming back the ring turned the beatdown the other way very quickly. Beatdown falls can be fun - if they're doing a particularly spirited one, or one with a lot of team work - none of them today have been that way. Doing it in back to back falls is really annoying, because you figure they're probably not gonna win two straight, not at least with the tecincos getting a chance to take a fall. You're just kinda waiting for the comeback to happen - and Warrior's drop toe hold on Wagner really isn't the most exciting one yet. Warrior hit the tope on Wagner. Niebla pulled Panther's mask. Mascara tried to hit a tope on Juvie, but Juvie seemed to shrug away from it and Mascara landed on top of him awkwardly instead going through him. Maybe Juvie just stood too close and couldn't adjust into time. Shocker and Fuerza did an okay sequence, which left Shocker on the apron but Fuerza down - Panther came in and Niebla came into get him, but he ended up bumping into Shocker, and the two had a discussion over who's turn it is - the rudos punked them out before a decision was reached, but the Tecinocs managed to come back. Panther and Shocker had a really bad opening sequence - not hitting the moves as they'd like. Wagner hit the Michinoku Driver on Shocker, with only the rudo referee looking. Wagner and Warrior finished it off - Wagner getting the early advantage, but Wagner got the low blow uppercut in and mocked Warrior. Michinoku Driver for him, foot on the ropes, and the rudo ref counted for the pin.

Of course more post match beating for Warrior - his mask gets completely pulled in revenge. Rudos talk and Panther celebrates having Warrior's mask. Juvie talks about how great his dad and his dad's team is. Fuerza yells at the loud tecinco fans section. Wagner yells at them some more and likely promises victory. Fuerza rips the mask a little bit, wipes his boot with the mask, and teases throwing the mask to the fans but doesn't.

Next Week: Shocker, Apolo Dantes, Mascara Magica, and many more. 

Rating: Bases on the quality of the finish, ring work, internal/external storyline, consistency and my whims. Also, various other (random) factors that I can't think of right now. 0-100 for matches.

Momentum Key: A number indicate that side is in control, E is for even, M is for Mixed, * for Interference. ^B is for an extended Beatdown.

Closing Notes: 

1. The Wagner/Warrior fued hasn't quite delivered in matches lately - a consequence of the PPV.
2. And when you have both TAFKA Guapos and the Boricuas in action, it ain't gonna be pretty.
3. Too bad they couldn't find a way to back to Niebla's arm - they remembered it then forgot it. 
4. I hope we see more #1 contenders tournament later, else I'll feel dumb for copying it down.
5. Not much of the way of hype for next week.