My CMLL Super Viernes Overview (December 8, 2017)

CMLL Super Viernes

(Super Friday)

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Arena Mexico

Network: Claro Sports

I've never really followed lucha libre. I've never really enjoyed the camerawork and the lack of psychology. However, I do pride myself on having an open mind and can suspend any gripe or criticism enough to enjoy a show. I watched a little bit of AAA back when Konnan was doing some of the booking there. When he went to Lucha Underground, I stopped following AAA and just watched LU. Konnan would go on to book for The Crash promotion in Mexico. I would have followed The Crash as well if I could but I never really found a good way to follow it regularly. For a little while recently, I've heard that CMLL's Friday shows have been putting on great matches. Futhermore, as an avid NJPW/ROH follower, I was already a fan of luchadors like Dragon Lee, Volador Jr. and Ultimo Guerrero who have been popping up in Japan and North America here and there for the past few years. So when I discovered a few months ago that CMLL uploads their entire Friday shows on YouTube, I immediately started following them. My luck wouldn't last for too long because over the past several weeks, CMLL has been bringing back legends to wrestle on these shows. One Friday show consisted entirely of legends matches! That one was hard to sit through and I definitely had the playback speed on 2X. Suffice to say that a lot of these legends are up there in age and don't have the physical capacity to put on the performance that they once were able to do. Hopefully, tonight's show will be one of the better editions!

Match #1

Two Out of Three Falls Six-Tag Team Match

Mercurio & Pequeno Olimpico vs Shockercito & Stukita

• Mercurio & Pequeno Olimpico get the first pinfall after an assisted double underhook piledriver.
• Shockercito & Stukita win the second fall after Shockercito pins Mercurio with a rolling sunset flip.
• Apparently I'm not too aware of the intricacies of the rules of lucha libre because Mercurio pins Stukita with a Magistral Cradle pin but it only serves as an elimination and the match continues.
• Mercurio pins Shockercito with what looked like a Package Piledriver.
• After the match, Mercurio grabs the mic and challenges Shockercito to a match for the World Mini-Estrella Championship. I think that Shockercito agreed.
• Stukita says that he wants to say something but is attacked and beat down by Pequeno Olimpico.

Winners: Mercurio & Pequeno Olimpico

Match #2

Two Out of Three Falls Six-Tag Team Match

El Sagrado, Misterioso Jr. & Virus vs Oro Jr., Pegasso & Star Jr.

• Virus submits Star Jr. with a leg lock to win the first fall.
• Pegasso hits a 450 Splash on Misterioso Jr. for the second fall.
• Immediately afterwards, Pegasso gets on all fours which allows Star Jr. to run and jump off of his back and hit an elevated dropkick on Sagrado for a pinfall. However, the match continues after this and Sagrado isn't even eliminated. What am I missing?
• Misterioso Jr. drops Oro Jr. with a Widow's Peak and pins him for a fall. Again, it isn't the final fall to end the match. I assume that there are captain's involved and that's why the match has not ended yet.
• Virus hits a Middle Rope Elbow Drop followed by a Top Rope Diving Elbow Drop from Sagrado for the final fall.

Winners: El Sagrado, Misterioso Jr. & Virus 

Match #3

Two Out of Three Falls Six-Tag Team Match

Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. & Rey Cometa (w/KeMonito) vs Euforia, Hechicero & Polvora (w/Mije)

• I hear that Rey Cometa is on an excursion to Ring of Honor so North American fans will probably become more familiar with him soon.
• KeMonito is cornering the Tecnicos in this match. If you're having a bad day, just YouTube videos of him taking tremendous Dropkick bumps off the apron.
• Polvora climbs to the second rope and lifts Drone above his shoulder and hits a Dominator for the first fall for the Rudos. Hehechicero submitted Guerrero Maya Jr. and apparently it counts as the same fall.
• The Tecnicos get the pin for the second fall after a simultaneous Springboard Back Elbow and a Turnbuckle Elbow Drop.
• Euforia goes for a handshake that Guerrero Maya Jr. accepts and is elbowed in the face for. That was kind of dumb. He's a Rudo FFS!
• Euforia locks in what looks like a Dragon Sleeper for the submission and the win for the Rudos.

Winners: Euforia, Hechicero & Polvora 

Match #4

Non-Title

Lightning Match

Dragon Lee vs Titan

• If I'm not mistaken, this is the very first singles match between these two. They're no strangers to NJPW and ROH where they're usually tag team partners and they're two of the best luchadors in the game so this should be fun.
• This match is fast paced and full of high-flying moves, counters and dives to the outside.
• Dragon Lee wins with the Phoenix-Plex

Winner by pinfall: Dragon Lee

Match #5

Two Out of Three Falls Six-Tag Team Match

Los Ingobernables (Pierroth & Rush) & Sam Adonis vs Marco Corleone, Negro Casas & Valiente (w/Zacarias el Perico)

• You may be aware of Los Ingobernables de Japon led by Tetsuya Naito in NJPW. The LIJ here is the original incarnation of the group. Andrade "Cien" Almas in NXT is also a former member but is clearly still a member in spirit.
• You may remember as Marco Corleone as Mark Jindrak in WCW and WWE (He was almost in Evolution).
• Sam Adonis is the younger brother of Corey Graves. He's quite the foreign heel here in Mexico as he comes to the ring waving an American flag with Donald Trump's face emblazoned on it.
• Adonis attacks Negro Casas before the bell even rings. they've got a hair versus hair program going on.
• The Rudos keep the heat on the Tecnicos. Adonis hits a Michinoku Driver on Casas for he pin to end the second round.
• LIJ and Sam Adonis are unmercifully beating down Negro Casas and Sam shoves down the referee who disqualifies the Rudos to end the first round.
• Casas goes for a Magistral Cradle for a near-fall and gets in the referee's face. Adonis shoves Casas into the referee and low blows Casas while the ref isn't looking.
• Adonis pins Casas for the Rudo win.

Winners: Los Ingobernables (Pierroth & Rush) & Sam Adonis

Match #6

Two Out of Three Falls Six-Tag Team Match

Caristico, El Soberano Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero vs El Sky Team (Mistico & Volador Jr.) & El Terrible (w/La Comandante)

• If I'm not mistaken, the gimmick in this match is that both teams consist of two babyface teams each with a heel partner.
• Soberano Jr. is probably my favorite CMLL luchador and Terrible is probably my favorite Rudo. They're really great at what they do.
• I've noticed that for the past few weeks, Caristico and Mistico have been in situations where they've faced off against each other in the ring. Are they building up to a match between these two? Perhaps a mask vs mask?
• For those that don't know, Caristico was in CMLL before he left for the WWE to become the original Sin Cara (the one that botch-prone). While he was gone, CMLL kept the Mistico gimmick and gave it to someone else. However, it wasn't long before the OG Sin Cara would no longer be involved with the WWE and head to AAA where he donned the name 'Myzteziz'. He finally returned to CMLL but since there's already a Mistico, he took the name 'Caristico' as a nod to his past in both WWE and CMLL. 
• El Terrible hits a Diving Body Splash on Caristico for the pinfall to end the first round.
• Ultimo Guerrero locks in the Pulpo Guerrero on Mistico to end the second round.
• I just realized that Ultimo Guerrero in English translates to 'Ultimate Warrior'. Guerrero even does a "raise the roof" taunt that sort of resembles The Ultimate Warrior's taunt where he would lift his arms to the heavens.
• El Terrible has some of the best facial expressions in all of professional wrestling. I'd love to see an encounter between Minoru Suzuki and him.
• Caristico's mask has been ripped off to the point where you can pretty much see everything above his mouth.
• Both teams are tied one to one, they brawl on the outside as the referee rules this match as a double count out.

Result: Double count out

Overall Thoughts

I thought that this was a fun lucha show. I've been noticing that the second half of these shows are always where all of the great action lies. I dig the Caristico/Mistico storyline and the sort-of blurring of the Rudo and Tecnico alliances.