Principe Island & Super
Angel vs. Climax & Master
A match that is mostly famous because it has an unmasked La Parka, wrestling as Principe Island here. I guess these were all local or touring guys randomly getting a TV slot. Sometimes guys who only made TV once are better than some wrestler with extensive careers on tape, and there was some damn good wrestling in this. On the mat, these guys were definitely good enough to stand up to the CMLL regulars. When they stood up, Principe was the standout. The guy was close to a heavyweight for mexican standards, but he moved really fast and precise and had some cool spin kicks. I also really liked Climax, who was rocking 1998 Ryuji Yamakawa pants, and Master, who did this amusing thing where he kept tagging out on Principe island after getting the upper hand, until Principe goaded him back in and threw him with a bunch of really fast hip throws like a carny judo exhibition. The rudo beatdown went a bit long but Island made a nice comeback and it was a good little TV match in total.
Sombra Poblana & Tauro Jr. vs. Simbolo & Zorro de Oro
Wow, nice match. They definitely had their working boots on. It‘s funny how you can watch a ton of high end lucha and then a random old pairing like Sombra Poblana vs. Simbolo still delivers some stuff that catches you. Some really nice exchanges without being bog standard lucha. Some rudo shenanigans kicked in when Zorro de Oro stepped in, but they continued wrestling and I really appreciated that. They kept doing nice intricate exchanges until it was time for the rudos to kick ass. Some nice punches were thrown and Zorro even busted out a fucking ganso bomb, complete with a Kawada-style folding pin. The finishing sequence was brief but nice and had a huge dive that was sold as important. Good stuff considering this could have easily been another dogged standard undercard match.
Comando Ruso & Tony Arce & Vulcano vs. Remo Banda & Pantera & Octagon Jr.
We start right with the rudos doing a beatdown. They all throw nice punches, but you probably don‘t miss much if you fast forward through the first 6 or 7 minutes of this. After that it gets a lot more interesting as the technicos are allowed to look spectacular now. Remo Banda and Ruso were really going at each other, and Ruso made Banda look great by letting him hit some huge stuff and also punching him in the face. We get some more beatdown with Banda getting bloodied and having his ass kicked. Nice ending where everyone clears out so Banda and Ruso can do another faceoff. Bread and butter stuff but nicely done and actually got you excited for a Banda/Ruso singles, so they really got it all right!
Ciclon Ramirez & Gran Cochisse & Mascara Sagrada vs. El Egipcio & Pirata Morgan & Comando Ruso
Fun main event to cap off a good night of TV. Super Halcon was supposed to team with the rudos but wasn‘t cleared, so after some stalling Ruso comes out again to join them. Not sure what was up with that. First fall had some really nice smooth wrestling. I could watch Pirata Morgan go through routines and bump his ass off all day, the guy is such a great wrestler. Everyone looked good. Cochisse was in his singlet and kind of a mad bugger. He looked like he just lost a hair match and was fired up and wanted to take chunks out of the bad guys. Rudo beatdown was solid and the technico comeuppances were a lot of fun. I expected them to send the fans home happy, but instead the rudos unmasked Ramirez at an unexpected moment and we Cochisse jumping on him to help cover his face like the trooper he is.
