EMLL in 1990 #5 - 2/4/1990

 

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Tauro Jr. & Octagon & Rafaga Azul vs. Zorro de Oro & Panico & Canelo Casas

This started out with some promising matwork that the rudos kept interrupting. Really liked how Tauro Jr. Swept Casas to the mat from an armbar attempt. The technicos got their shine in a second segment doing rope running exchanges and tricking the rudos. The match kind of fizzled after that with a not very good rudo beatdown (Canelo uncharacteristically botching some things) and a 3rd fall that took a bit to get going before some admittedly nice oddly coordinated multimant sequences. Not the best opening match.

Remo Banda & Mogur & Chamaco Valaguez vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Hijo de Gladiador & Comando Ruso

Similiar to the first match. This had a better first fall, as all the technicos looked really good. Really liked Chamaco Valaguez for his energy and crazy finishing hold. Enjoyed Banda getting trolled by Comando Ruso and repaying him by clocking him with a big forearm while he was standing on the apron. Rudos were a bit more vicious than in the previous match, but nothing outstanding. Banda threw some nice punch combos, but the technicos got snuffed in the 3rd fall without much addo. Really would‘ve been a pretty good match if they didn‘t go so awfully long, and poor Remo just can‘t seem to get into a match where he gets to look as good as he seems to be.

Espectro Jr/Herodes/Emilio Charles Jr vs Ringo Mendoza/Kung Fu/Popitekus

This was like how you want every random trios to be. You had Mendoza and Charles doing some classy lucha exchanges, Espectro Jr. Bumping for Popitekus beastly size in fun ways, and Kung Fu and Herodes doing some entertaining comedy built around martial arts bullshit and Herodes being a bumbling fool. They mix up the pairings in the second fall and we get some more good exchanges. I really would have liked to see more of Herodes punching and headbutting Popitekus during the rudo beatdown. 3Rd fall was short and had some more fun stuff including a star spot, plus a surprising ending with Herodes busting out a big dive and the rudos winning. Fun trios.

Brazo & Brazo de Oro & Brazo de Plata vs. Ulises & Gran Markus Jr. & Pierroth Jr.

First fall had some wonderful stumpy legged highflying from the Brazos. Brazo de Platas light footedness was especially impressive, he threw a really nice dropkick, leapfrog, big silla off the top… the rudos quickly took over in the second fall and bloodied their opponents, which was unexpected. Gran Markus Jr. Goes from a bumbling big idiot to a goon punching people hard in their cut and getting blood all over himself really well. It seemed Brazo was knocked out or something as his Brazos had to stage their comeback without him, but the rudos soon took back over and ended the match. Feels kinda weird to run this as a main event as it basically turned into a squash and was merely a set up for further matches between these teams.

 

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EMLL in 1990 #4 - 1/26/1990

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Super Gallo & Remo Banda vs. Panico & Simbolo, CMLL 1/26/1990

Rather skippable match that was largely dominated by rudo shenanigans. Gallo is a fun character and got in some nice sequences, but the rest of this was cheap shotting. Both technicos took some nice bumps for the rudo beatdown and at least got the win in the end. Poor Banda seems to be unable to look blowaway good despite being clearly talented.

Ciclon Ramirez & Rafaga Azul & Octagon vs. Canelo Casas & Fuerza Guerrera & Jaque Mate

This started out with two really nice mat sections, one between Octagon and Canelo and one between Ramirez and Jaque Mate. Soon rudo tactics crept in though and Fuerza was punching people in the face. The rudo beatdown went a bit long, but they picked up the pace quick with some really fast rudo stooging and sequences. I‘m not sure if Octagons weird bottom rope dive was a mess up or he just kind of didn‘t feel like busting out a huge dive. Faces ended up winning 2:0 on kind of a fluke which felt a bit pointless even though it was a solid match.

Pierroth Jr. & Ulises & Gran Markus Jr. vs. Popitekus & Javier Llanes & Huracan Ramirez II

Really really good, long slow building match that was full of good exchanges and told a story. As usual we get two very good opening mat sections. Really enjoyed Ulises/Ramirez, there even was an UWF leglock, and Pierroth Jr./Llanes was good in a different way. Pierroth Jr. Really deserves to be considered up there with the likes of Fit Finlay when it comes to vicious badasses. He really worked over Llanes face in nasty fashion, who shot back by handling Pierroth by the mask. Popitekus/Gran Markus Jr. Was a heavyweight matchup and also really good, these two work their stuff in a way to really make themselves look like behemoths. Markus initially upset Popitekus by pulling his hair and tagged out, so the crowd was buzzing when they faced off for the second time. First fall was really long and developed as they really go deep on each matchup, which was really nice to see. They switch up the matchups in the second fall, with Popi engaging in some really cool quick exchanges. The eventual rudo beatdown was really good, as they kept mixing up the violence. First you got guys getting punched in the face, then getting booted in the face, finally Llanes got his kidney worked over in nasty fashion. Technicos seemed to be making a comeback but then the rudos made Popi take a gigantic bump over the rope, dispatched Ramirez and submitted Llanes. Pretty badass showing and got me excited for the bigger matchup of the rudos facing Los Brazos the next week!

Angel Azteca & Apolo Dantes & Cesar Dantes vs. Pirata Morgan & Verdugo & Hombre Bala

This started out with some comedy and shtick, but once they started wrestling, holy fuck they started wrestling! Plenty of tricky, unusal exchanges. Clearly Los Infernales are all timers at working a lucha trios. They probably lightened up their act a bit here, doing a lot of stooging and bumbling acts to send the fans home happy, but they still hit a lot of freaky triple team moves, including one where they gorilla pressed the other guy to the outside. 3Rd fall had more oddly coordinated multiman sequences and some really great stuff built around the STAR, including the Dantes brothers putting the REVERSE STAR on los Infernales. I‘m a sucker for a good star so I enjoyed al that. This was my first time seeing the Dantes brothers and they looked pretty good and decently athletic, but this was largely the Infernales show.

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EMLL in 1990 #1 - 1/5/1990

El Supremo & Hijo de Gladiador & Herodes vs. Ciclon Ramirez & Pantera II & Aguila Solitaria

Well this was just a classic lucha romp with that rudo/technico dynamics. Tons of highly entertaining technicos one upping the clumsy bad guys sequences. The rudo trio is pretty dedicated – Hijo de Gladiador takes a front flip bump when he misses a punch, and Herodes is just gleeful about his own evilness, while El Supremo has a very different presence. I liked how the rudo beatdown started with Supremo basically having enough and clocking Pantera with a stiff elbow. Of the technicos I'd say I liked Pantera II the best who has such beautiful armdrags and his trademark rope running spot altough everyone did something cool. The 3^rd fall had some really amusing chase spots. I was surprised how easily the rudos won this one. 

Angel Azteca & Super Astro & Kung Fu & Emilio Charles Jr. & Jaque Mate & Espectro Jr.

Long, quality lucha that told a story. Early on Emilio Charles Jr. gets the better of Azteca during a wrestling exchange. Of course Angel takes great offense to this and immediately goes after Emilio. Azteca going out of his way to ram into Emilio with a huge forearm while in the middle of a rope running exchange with Espectro was straight out of the AJPW playbook. Of course Emilio Jr. makes him pay dearly later when he slaps the hell out of him during the beatdown. That along may have been the highlight of the match along with Aztecas bumping, including flying with his back into the edge of the ring apron. Of course Super Astro and Kung Fu also do lots of fun wrestling. Astro is such a trip to watch with the insane height on all flying moves, while Kung Fu manages to not suck doing his faux martial arts stuff and hitting weird/cool kicks, punches and leg trips. We also get the awesome and devastating tope to the floor from Super Astro aswell as Emilio Charles Jr. not falling for The Star.

El Dandy & Mogur & Popitekus vs. Pierroth Jr. & MS-1 & Ulises

Quality main event. There are some rudo interference shenanigans early on, but we get a long 1^st fall with everyone wrestling. You know it's gonna be good when El Dandy is in his Kazuo Yamazaki tights and UWF kickpads. I especially liked the Dandy/MS-1 matchup. MS-1 is a trickier grappler than he looks like and they play up the size difference. Popitekus is an awesome big tubby luchador and also way brave as he bumps bigger and more often than a guy his size should. Pierroth Jr. deciding to work over Mogur with stiff kicks to the spine was quite unexpected and things took a harsh turn when Mogur decided to fight fire with fire and also rip his mask. Pierroth cracks him open and we got ourselves a heated third fall with a bloody and beaten Mogur trying to stand up to him. At one point El Dandy was hitting these fast enzuigiris and spin wheel kicks before Mogur clocked Pierroth Jr. with a desperation lariat for a big nearfall and it's like this is NJPW now or something. Cool finish which reminds the fans every move is important. I think the match didn't even have a dive so reminder that lucha can be cutting edge and economic too.

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