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Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero, 02/25/05

2006-03-12T00:12:30Z

Anth:

'''CMLL: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, 2/25/05 (US Air Date 7/30/05) 
MISTICO VS. ULTIMO GUERRERO 
MANO A MANO''' 

''The Buildup''

For over a year now, [[Mistico]] has emerged as the rookie phenom in CMLL. Previously a mid-card worker as Astro Boy, Mistico got the chance of a lifetime, given the character of a superstar. With a mask bearing a striking resembalance to the legendary [[El Hijo del Santo]], and the blessing of [[Fray Tormenta]] (the preist who moonlighted as a wrestler to fund his orphanage, also the story for [[Nacho Libre|an upcoming Jack Black film]]), Mistico became CMLL's Next Big Thing. He received a mega push to the main events almost immediately, teaming up with stars like Santo, [[Negro Casas]] and [[Atlantis]]. He was matched up against the biggest rudos in CMLL, Los Guerreros Del Infernals ([[Ultimo Guerrero]], [[Rey Bucanero]] and [[Tarzan Boy]]).

But unlike other wrestlers who get the big push based only on looks and charisma, Mistico had the skills to back it up. He's the most graceful flyer in Mexico today, with ability that hasn't been seen since the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psychosis in AAA. Known for his amazing armdrag dives from anywhere in the ring, rarely if ever will you see Mistico mess up his timing, or miss his target. In fact, each week it seems Mistico finds new ways to string together moves with his opponents, to create a spectacular visual. Mistico is as gifted a wrestler as any, and the fans know it. Mistico is a proven draw in the main event at Arena Mexico, as you can see for yourself at [[2005 Attendance Figures of Various Lucha Shows]]

At the beginning of 2005, Mistico began getting bigger and bigger matches in order to prove himself as someone who could potentially lead CMLL, and Lucha Libre into the next generation. Mistico feuded with Averno for the NWA Middleweight championship, with two title matches (1/30/05 Guadalajara, and 2/11/05 Arena Mexico, both being talked about as MOTYC as well), before eventually winning the title on 2/11/05. Mistico's next big feud would come in the form of the leader of the top rudo force in CMLL, the GDI: Ultimo Guerrero.

On the 2/18/05 Arena Mexico show, Mistico teamed with Negro Casas and Black Warrior to face Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Averno. As Mistico entered the ring, Ultimo attacked him from behind on the ramp, and tossed him into the ring like a rag doll. He immediately began tearing at Mistico's mask, the ultimate insult. Ultimo continued the beating throughout the first fall, showing off his superior strength on the smaller Mistico. Ultimo got carried away though, press-slaming Mistico over the ropes down to the floor in a sick spot, as Mistico landed on the hard wooden floors with a loud splat. Ultimo was DQ'd, giving the first fall to the technicos. Ultimo continued the assault into the second fall. But Mistico avoided a triple-team, and immediately tore into Ultimo with dropkicks and slaps, before literally tearing at his mask in revenge for the attack earlier. Mistico hit a gorgeous plancha off the top down to Ultimo on the floor, gaining huge hang time, as his teammates in the ring scored the victory for the second fall. In the third fall, Mistico and Ultimo fought once more, with Mistico getting the upper hand. Mistico went for his finisher, La Mistica (a satellite armbar), but frusturation got the better of Ultimo, and he brutally low-blowed Mistico, giving the technicos the third fall win, and the match.

Afterwards, Mistico in a fit of rage grabbed the mic. He wasn't going to win like this, nothing was settled. He challenged Ultimo to a one-on-one match for the next week at Arena Mexico. Ultimo responded by running down Mistico on the mic. He said (loosely translated of course) that Misitco was nothing more than a flash in the pan, and he would end his superstardom before it even began. The match had been set, with a hot feud behind it.

This really was the perfect buildup for the mano a mano match. In this match, we saw a different side of Mistico than we had before. Before, Mistico was all about grace, and wrestling ability. But here, he was a man pushed over the edge, bullied around by the more powerful Ultimo Guerrero. What resulted was an intense brawl, with mask ripping and dives all around. Even though Mistico got the win, he was hardly a winner as Ultimo humiliated him with the low blow. Mistico wanted revenge. The fans were out for Ultimo's head. And they were going to get it.

''The Match''

We see interviews from both men before the match, basically reitterating what was said the previous week. Ultimo's going to prove to everyone that Mistico is a fluke, and he's going to destroy the fans' hero TONIGHT. Mistico says he may be small, but he won't be pushed around. He'll prove how tough he is TONIGHT.

Ultimo comes out first with one of the greatest entrances ever. 4 Aztec warriors proceed UG with a war dance and drums, as UG comes out in full Aztec gear. Helps that his entrance theme is an awesome CMLL knockoff of We Will Rock You, with hand claps and organs. Rock on.

Mistico enters next, and he's not wasting anytime, he wants UG and he wants him now, so he sprints to the ring. Unfortuneatly Mistico runs into UG like a brick wall, and UG repeats last week's match by picking Mistico up like a ragdoll and tossing him into the ring. He powerbombs him and once again starts ripping at the mask, to expose Mistico to all his fans. He whips Mistico to the outside, and press-slams him onto the ring apron. UG is a total rudo dick here, taunting the fans as he beats their hero right in front of them. In the ring he violently picks Mistico up by the mask and whips him down. UG takes great joy in kicking Mistico around, whipping him off the ropes and tossing him into the lights. But UG gets cocky, and Mistico fights back with a beautiful tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana. UG goes sailing outside, and Mistico looks to the fans for energy, as he readies to deliver a huge blow to UG. He comes off the ropes, looking for a corkscrew plancha over the ropes, and....

SPLAT. Mistico hits nothing but arena floor, in a dangerously sick bump. Mistico is dead on the floor, and the crowd gasps in horror. Even the rudo fans in attendance have to ask UG when is enough enough? UG takes great pleasure in rubbing it in to the fans at ringside, asking where their hero is now. Mistico is rolled back into the ring, and here comes a spot that seems to have many non-regular viewers of Lucha confused. As soon as Mistico re-enters the ring, he signals to the referee he wants to quit. He'll sacrifice the first fall, so that he can continue fighting in the second fall. This is proven on the instant replay, when announcer Dr. Alfonso Morales screams "NO MAS, NO MAS!", indicating Mistico had quit in one of the better announcing calls I've heard in pro wrestling this year. The referee was about to call for the bell, but UG pushed the referee out of the way to continue the beating. He lifts Mistico onto the top turnbuckle, and proceeds to hit the spot of the year IMO...

http://www.wrestlingencyclopedia.com/clips2/cmll2.26-7.wmv

UG hits a moonsault fallaway slam from the top rope, with the greatest of ease, to Mistico. It's an amazing show of strength, and the fact that these two men pulled off the move without it being blown is a testament to how good they really are. It's not often you see a move that makes you say 'holy shit', but this does simply because I've never seen anything like it before. Upon landing, the referee steps in. But instead of allowing Mistico to quit...HE DQ'S ULTIMO FOR EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE!!! The crowd loves it, UG not so much. So Mistico not only survives to the second fall, he wins the first fall to boot.

Of course, this does nothing but serve to push UG even farther into rage. His desire to destroy Mistico cost him the fall, and Mistico is still walking. UG walks off in disgust at the call, but eventually returns to the ring. Mistico is face-first down in the ring with no ability to defend himself. But UG still goes after him, with crossface punches. Closed-fists are rarely used in Lucha Libre, because it makes no sense to see a wrestler punched dozens of times and still be standing. So when UG does it, especially to a downed Mistico, the fans are irate. UG kicks him around some more, but Mistico avoids a running senton into the corner. The first thing he does is go after UG's mask, for revenge for the massive Smackdown [TM] up until this point. He hits a tilt-a-whirl armbar sending UG to the outside. But Mistico remembers what happened the last time he went for a huge dive in this match. So he changes his gameplan, and goes up top with a trademark springboard plancha armdrag, hit beautifully, flinging UG into the crowd.

In the ring UG is met with swift kicks. He tries for a powerbomb, but Mistico has learned to avoid this, and turns it into a hurricanrana pin for a close 2. Mistico tries again with a Code-Red style sunset flip for another 2. These nearfalls serve to really heat the crowd up, as Mistico's throwing everything he has at the bigger UG, and UG is too stunned to counter. UG is careless now, going for a running splash in the corner but missing, allowing Mistico to chop away at him. Mistico puts UG on the top rope for another high-impact move to show off his abilities. UG has had enough, he's sick and tired of the miracles Mistico's pulling off. He catches Mistico on top....TOP ROPE POWERBOMB!!! A huge move that serves to knock Mistico out. UG covers...1....2.......NO....UG PICKS HIM UP!!! UG is so fed up, he doesn't want the match to end, he wants to beat on Mistico some more and totally destroy him. UG gets him up top....TOP ROPE SITOUT POWERBOMB!!!!! But wait.....UG has injured his leg!

UG is hurt bad, he landed wrong on his leg. UG got cocky once again, and went for a huge move that would be the final kill, but the plan backfired and now UG is the one that's hurt. The doctor goes to check on him, but Mistico's back up! Because UG landed wrong on his leg, the powerbomb didn't have full impact. Mistico asks the crowd if they want to see him attack. Normally a technico wouldn't do this, hit an injured man. But after the viscious mauling Mistico has received in this match, Arena Mexico is out for blood, they want UG dead. Mistico obliges with swift kicks. Mistico says it's time to defeat UG once and for all. He goes for La Mistica, but as he turns he knocks the ref back. Mistico sees the ref's down.....AND RIPS ULTIMO'S MASK OFF!!!! UG has to cover himself up, but Mistico rolls him up, FOR THE 3 COUNT!!! Mistico gave UG a taste of his own medicine, and in the end humiliated UG in front of Arena Mexico, winning in two straight falls.

''Final Analysis''

One of the main complaints people have with this match is that it's too short to be MOTY, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. On the contrary, this is one of the reasons why I love this match so much. They were able to tell a complex, engaging story with exciting action and big spots all the way through to keep you on the edge of your seat, cheering for Mistico to overcome the odds, or if you're a man with no heart, cheering for UG to beat the little dude up. smile.gif

IMO, if you saw a match like this in WWE or the indies, it'd take them 30-40 minutes to tell the same story. Sometimes less is more. And I'm not in the camp that thinks a long match = a great match. An enjoyable match = a great match. This my friends, is a great match.

I believe that if any 2 other wrestlers in the world did this match, it wouldn't work so well. But because you have Ultimo Guerrero and Mistico, two of the best wrestlers in Mexico, they make this something special. I didn't touch on this earlier, but one of the main reasons why Mistico has become so popular, is because of his stature. He's a small dude, in the same vein as Rey Mysterio, matched up against much bigger and more powerful opponents. The fans want to see him overcome the odds, they want to see his heart and spirit. Every match with him is like David vs. Golaith. On the other hand, Ultimo Guerrero is a machine, perhaps the best wrestler in the world today. I'm convinced he could have a match against anyone, and make it good. Here, he is the ultimate rudo. He makes the fans hate him, through his treatment of the smaller Mistico, kicking him around like a puppy. How can you not hate him?

It's emotional attachment at it's finest, something that's severely lacking from wrestling today. A lot of times I'll watch a match, and yeah the work in it is great, with chain wrestling and high spots, but if I don't care about either guy, and I don't want to cheer or boo them, then I can't enjoy it as much as I should. Too many guys go out and want to preform for the fans, basically doing what the fans want, rather than pulling the fans in to their world, making the fans do what the wrestlers want.

And thus, there you have my Match of the Year.

-Anthony Smith

[[Category:Opinion Articles]]
[[Category:Noteworthy Matches]]

Blue Panther

2005-12-11T22:59:42Z

Anth: /* Profile */

== Profile ==

{{bioFields||image=Bluepanther.jpg
|name=Blue Panther
|nicknames=El Maestro Lagunero (The Lagunero Master)
|nameHistory=Blue Panther (debut - )
|family=[[Black Warrior]] (nephew)
|maestro="El Carnicerito" [[Héctor López]], [[Halcón Suriano]]
|birthdate=September 18, 1960 - Gómez Palacio, Durango
|obituarydate=
|debut=October 8, 1978 - Gómez Palacio, Durango
|height=5'7"/171 cms
|weight=194 lbs/88 kg
|signatureMoves=[[El Nudo Lagunero]], Fujiwara armbar, [[Quebradora Lagunera]] (double underhook backbreaker submission), Double Underhook Backbreaker, Tapatía Paseada (rolling Romero Special)
|titles=[[Northern Light Heavyweight Title]], [[Naucalpan Tag Team Titles]] (w/ [[Black Terry]]), [[UWA World Welterweight Title]], [[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title]], [[CMLL World Middleweight Title]], [[National Middleweight Title]], [[National Trios Titles]] (3, w/ [[Fuerza Guerrera]] & [[Psicosis]], w/ [[Fuerza Guerrera]] & [[El Signo]] twice), [[CMLL World Trios Titles]] (2, w/ [[Black Warrior]] & [[Dr. Wagner Jr.]], w/ [[Dr. Wagner Jr.]] & [[Fuerza Guerrera]]), [[WWA World Welterweight Title]], [[CMLL World Tag Team Titles]] (w/ [[Atlantis]]), [[WWA World Middleweight Title]], 1st Annual [[Leyenda Azul]] Tournament
|}}

== Biography ==

Blue Panther was born on September 18, 1960 in Gómez Palacio. After getting trained first by [[Héctor López]] (a local wrestler that never made it to Mexico City), and later by [[El Halcón Suriano]], he made his professional debut on October 8 of 1978 in his hometown at age eighteen.

The "panther" part of his name obviously comes from the animal, while the "blue" part is a tribute to his childhood idol Anibal who also had a blue mask. He actually designed his own mask, a hood that some journalists laughed at, saying that "a guy with a mask as ugly as that one will never get past the undercards". But seeing the way Blue Panther's career went, it looks like many of those writers had to eat their own words.

During his rookie year, Panther already was a better technician and smarter wrestler than many guys with more experience than him. A year after his debut he started to wrestle for [[René Guajardo]], who was the booker of the Northern Mexico division. He went there with a recommendation from his coach [[Halcón Suriano]].

Even though he was the Northern Light Heavyweight champion (he had defeated Chucho Mar in Gómez Palacio to get that title), [[René Guajardo|Guajardo]] had never heard of him, but when he saw him in actuion he was nothing but impressed. Panther made his Mexico City debut on September 16, 1979. Guajardo saw all the potential and talent in the young boy and booked him regularly in Monterrey for several months and gave him a small mid-card push and the masks of two wrestlers called [[La Bestia]] and Oro (not the legendary [[Oro]] that died in 1993).

Due to his ties with [[René Guajardo|Guajardo]], who was a UWA associate, he got to work for [[Francisco Flores]], and later [[Carlos Maynes]] for more than a decade. Panther made his Toreo de Cuatro Caminos (the main UWA building) debut on March 81. He started out his career as a técnico but now they made him wrestle as a rudo.

Panther's first big title match was when in 1982 he got a UWA Middleweight title shot against Centurión Negro in his hometown of Gómez Palacio. He actually defeated Centurión in the third fall via submission, but he "didn't know" that his opponent had already submit and the referee reversed the decision and Centurión kept the belt.

But it was 1984 when he finally got his big break. He had a good winning streak and he was promoted as number one contender for the UWA Welterweight title, and on December 16, 1984, he defeated El Matemático to win the first major title on his career. But that year Panther got other trophys. He unmasked [[Gorila Infernal]], [[Luzbel]] and [[Bull Power]], and also [[Las Sombras de Plata (I/II)]] teaming with [[Black Man]] on November 20. Also on June 24, he got the hair of [[El Brillante]] at La Arena Querétaro in Querétaro, Qro. Years later, [[El Brillante]] would become popular as the masked [[Kendo]].

Now he was getting booked more regularly un the undercards (first or second match of the night) of the weekly cards at El Toreo, mostly teaming with [[Negro Casas]] against other light weights like [[Black Man]], [[Kendo]], [[Ultraman]] or [[El Hijo del Santo]]. Even back then, Panther was one of the men that provided one of the most solid bases to the athletic flyers, making them look better than they are.

On February 9, 1986, Panther lost the UWA Welterweight title to [[Black Man]] in Mexico City, but a week later, he got his revenge in that same building after defeating [[Black Man]] in a mask vs. mask match. Panther moved on from the Welterweight division and on November 16 he defeated [[El Gran Hamada]] at El Toreo to win the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title.

He lost it to another excellent mat wrestler like him, [[Solar I]], on May 25, 1987 in Puebla. A few months after that loss he moved on to the Tijuana circuits though he kept wrestling for LLI/UWA.

In 1988, and more exactly on February 8, he regained the UWA title from Solar. That same year he also won the masks of the "martial artists" [[Kendo]] and [[Blackman]].

On September 16 of the same year Panther lost the title to the indian chief [[Gran Cochisse]], and around that time he started to wrestle regularly for EMLL as well, though he had already made spot appearances at Arena Mexico and Arena Coliseo in the past.

In 1990 he opened his own gym and became the youngest maestro of lucha libre at the time. A lot of the wrestlers who signed up for his gym were actually women, so he also became the first teacher that trained men and women at the same time. In that same year, Panther also had his first Japanese tour competing for [[Gran Hamada|Gran Hamada's]] Universal Pro Wrestling.

Panther jumped full-time to EMLL in July 1991 and his first feud there was with another great wrestler, [[Atlantis]], who was the NWA Middleweight champion at the time. Both men had an excellent title match in August in which [[Atlantis]] retained his title but Blue Panther surprised everyone and even though he lost, he came off looking better than his opponent. This classic match MADE Blue Panther a big star. The plans of the EMLL staff was having them continue the feud and then have them battle in a mask vs. mask match. Supposedly, Panther had already agreed to drop the mask, but then the wrestlers' strike hit and when it finished the feud was dropped.

EMLL created its own CMLL titles, and on December 18, Panther made [[Satanico]] submit to la tapatía in the tournament final for the vacant title, held in Acapulco. Panther was never defeated for that title but vacated it on May of the following year when he jumped to AAA.

Panther's last money match in CMLL was the first big battle of perhaps his most memorable feud ever, the one against the cocky American wrestler [[Love Machine]]. They had been feuding basically since the end of the strike in late 91, and the first stage of the feud culminated on April 3, 1992 when both men battled in a mask vs. mask match that sold-out Arena Mexico. As we can guess, Panther won that match after [[Love Machine|Machine]] was disqualified for using a martinete (Tombstone piledriver). The angle here was that [[Love Machine|Machine]] didn't know that the tombstone is a banned move, because in his country you can use it freely without being DQ'd.

Going into the business side of things, that match sold-out the building as mentioned - drawing 18,000 fans to the arena, and with 8,000 more fans waiting outside. CMLL had an awful past experience with the [[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.]] vs. [[Cien Caras]] mask vs. mask match as the enraged fans that couldn't get into the arena broke through the gates and damaged everything they could, causing damage that took around a month to repair. The building was overcrowded enough (Arena México "officially" holds 17,678 fans) but management set up a closed-circuit set of giant screens so everybody could watch the match.

Panther was one of the first to jump to AAA as soon as it was born (May) because when in EMLL he was in Peña's "clique". [[Love Machine]] jumped shortly thereafter and he resumed his feud with Panther, culminating in a mask vs. hair match held on July 18, 93 in Tonala, Jalisco. Before that one, Panther also had a rivalry with [[Vulcano|"El Comandante" Vulcano]], the leader of the Los Destructores Del Ring trio, with Panther taking Vulcano's hair in a disappointing match.

Most of his AAA stay was based around him holding a title (National Middleweight) and getting all kinds of talented tecnicos to challenge him for it. To nobody's surprise, many of those matches (especially the ones against [[Angel Azteca]], [[Mariachi]]/[[Solar]] and [[Super Astro]]) rank among the best lucha title matches of the 90s.

In 1995, when the peso went down and there was less work in AAA [[Fuerza Guerrera]] and Panther created the independent promotion PROMELL, and got some AAA guys to jump, plus they used old UWA stars and independent talent including some big names like [[Mascara Año 2000]], [[Universo 2000]], [[Vampiro]], Villanos and Brazos. AAA and PROMELL co-promoted until December of that year, so Panther obviously stopped working for AAA as well.

Panther and Fuerza wrestled briefly for EMLL in 1996, but then they left as soon as they re-started PROMELL that eventually became Promo Azteca. After lots of problems, Promo closed as well, so Panther returned to AAA on July 11, 1997. As soon as he arrived, he was put in a feud with [[Máscara Sagrada Jr.]]

Panther didn't like [[Máscara Sagrada Jr.|Sagrada]] (as a wrestler) and felt that he was not the a good opponent so three months later (October 17) he went to EMLL again. Shortly thereafter he participated in EMLL's Copa Victoria tournament and lost the finals against his old enemy Atlantis on December 5.

Blue Panther just kept wrestling in EMLL without a really hot feud or anything, but he was always on top of the cards due to his charisma and incredible wrestling ability.

On December of 1998, he formed a rudo dream team with his nephew [[Black Warrior]] and [[Dr. Wagner Jr.]], and the 18th they defeated Zumbido, Bestia Salvaje and Scorpio Jr. in the finals of a 2-week tournament for the vacant CMLL Trios Titles. "Los Laguneros" (name of their team) from then started having excellent matches against teams like [[El Hijo del Santo|Santo]], [[Negro Casas|Casas]] & [[Felino]], or [[Emilio Charles Jr.|Charles Jr.]], [[Mr. Niebla|Niebla]] & [[Atlantis]].

On April 2, 1999, Panther teamed with [[Ultimo Guerrero]] (a guy he discovered) to win the one-night Gran Alternativa (a youngster and a veteran) tournament at Arena Coliseo, defeating [[Mr. Niebla]] and [[Atlántico]] in the finals.

During 1999, Panther put over talented youngsters like [[Mr. Niebla]] and [[Olímpico]] in clean scientific matches. So it's not that he's got a big ego and he doesn't like youngsters like many other veterans do, he just refuses to put over in singles matches wrestlers he thinks that don't deserve it, or he wouldn't have a big feud with somebody without a real amateur background that can't work a matwork based match.

He spent most of the 2000 having great trios matches with [[Dr. Wagner Jr.|Wagner]] and [[Black Warrior|Warrior]], and having a singles feud with El Hijo del Santo trading the WWA Welterweight Title with him, and he was also used as a challenger in several championship bouts (vs. [[Ringo Mendoza]] for CMLL Middleweight, vs. [[Villano III]] for CMLL Light Heayvweight, vs. [[Super Parka]] for WWA Junior Light Heayvweight) because the promoters know that he excels at that kind of matches.

There is no doubt that Blue Panther is one of the best wrestlers to ever grace lucha libre. He is able to carry any green luchador and make him look good, he can have great matches with average opposition, and he always has excellent or classic matches when facing a great opponent. He's one of the smartest minds in all of wrestling and probably the best mat based wrestler in the business, he's versatile (excellent rudo, excellent tecnico) and undoubtedly a young legend and a future hall of famer.

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{Astart}}
{{Aline|??/??/??|mask|Blue Panther|Misterio de Oro|unknown}}
{{Aline|79/01/28|mask (1)|Blue Panther & Matemático|La Bestia & Simio Blanco|Monterrey, Nuevo León}}
{{Aline|80/??/??|mask|Blue Panther|Oro (not the 90s Oro)|Monterrey, Nuevo León}}
{{Aline|84/02/23|mask|Blue Panther|Gorila Infernal|Jalapa, Veracruz}}
{{Aline|84/06/24|hair|Blue Panther|El Brillante (Kendo)|Arena Querétaro - Querétaro, Querétaro}}
{{Aline|84/09/07|mask|Blue Panther|Bull Power|Puebla, Puebla}}
{{Aline|84/10/18|mask|Blue Panther|Luzbel|Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas}}
{{Aline|84/11/20|masks|Blue Panther & Black Man|Las Sombras de Plata|El Toreo - Naucalpan, Mexico State}}
{{Aline|86/02/16|mask|Blue Panther|Black Man|El Toreo - Naucalpan, Mexico State}}
{{Aline|86/03/16|mask|Blue Panther|Avispón Negro|El Toreo - Naucalpan, Mexico State}}
{{Aline|88/05/??|mask|Blue Panther|Kendo|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{Aline|92/04/03|mask|Blue Panther|Love Machine|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{Aline|93/04/09|hair|Blue Panther|Vulcano|Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera - Mexico City}}
{{Aline|93/07/18|hair|Blue Panther|Love Machine|Auditorio Rio Nilo - Tonala, Jalisco}}
{{Aline|00/02/03|mask (2)|Blue Panther|El Nuevo Huracán Ramírez Jr.|Arena Isabel - Cuernavaca, Morelos}}
{{Aend|(1) Torneo de la Muerte; (2) Relevos suicidas - Santo & Fuerza Guerrera vs. Blue Panther & Huracan}}

== Overview of Candidacy For The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ==

1. Was he ever regarded as the best draw in the world? Was he ever regarded
as the best draw in his country or his promotion?

No to both.

2. Was he an international draw, national draw and/or regional draw?

He never was an international draw (even when AAA drew big in LA and he main
evented, he was not the draw). On the national level, while he had some
short periods where he was drawing really well in singles matches, he had
the benefit of working in hot promotions with super draws ([[Cien Caras]], [[Perro Aguayo]], [[Konnan]]). He was a main event player during his whole AAA stay, but a
lot of the time in a "supporting role" as a guy who you could stick in a
team with [[Cien Caras]] and [[Fishman]] (a team we saw often during the early years
of AAA) so he'd carry the workload of his team. But his program with [[Love Machine]] worked great in two different promotions, and his run in a trio with the Guerreras, or [[Fuerza Guerrera|Fuerza]] and [[Psicosis]], were very productive on the house show level. But that was the tale of AAA's "[[Konnan]] era" as almost anything you threw on top would draw great numbers for the "regular" shows, and you had [[Konnan]], [[Perro Aguayo|Aguayo]], [[Cien Caras|Cien]], sometimes [[Jake Roberts]], and sometimes huge mask matches, bringing in the big crowds for the special shows.

3. How many years did he have as a top draw?

He never was a top draw.

4. Was he ever regarded as the best worker in the world? Was he ever
regarded as the best worker in his country or in his promotion?

He was never really regarded as the best worker in the world. On the other
hand, he's been consistently regarded as the best worker in his promotion
and country from 1991 to perhaps year 2000, except for a couple of years in
the mid 90s where many would position [[Eddy Guerrero]], [[Rey Misterio Jr.]],
[[Psicosis]] or [[Juventud Guerrera]] above him in terms of work. The only ones I'd
consider better than him are Guerrero in 1994 and [[Rey Misterio Jr.|Misterio]] and [[Juventud Guerrera|Guerrera]] in 95-96 ([[Eddy Guerrero|Eddy]] was not working in Mexico). Also there's a strong case for [[Negro Casas]] and [[Dandy]] in 1991 and 1992, but it's still very close and opinion more than anything else. I'd not argue much with anybody defending either side.

Nowadays he doesn't have the benefit of a huge TV push at Arena Mexico,
which hurts his visibility, so most people would place [[Shocker]] and [[Ultimo Guerrero]] over him, as well as [[El Hijo del Santo|Santo]] and [[Black Tiger]], and probably [[Rey Bucanero]].

5. Was he ever the best worker in his class (sex or weight)? Was he ever one
of the top workers in his class?

In the 80s he was a middleweight and there was some better guys in Mexico alone,
such as [[El Dandy]] and [[Emilio Charles Jr.|Emilio Charles]]. If we are counting as classes the
"heavyweights" and the "junior heavyweights" only, several Japanese like
Takada would rank above him, not to mention Mexicans like [[Negro Casas]],
[[Fuerza Guerrera]] or [[Hijo del Santo]] in lower weight classes. 1990 probably was
the year when he started getting noticed by "the hardcores", but the usual
suspects still were better. In 1991 he got noticed by the "mainstream"
audience and I'd say he arguably was the best in Mexico for single matches,
but [[Negro Casas]] (a middleweight by then) had better night-in and night-out
output. In 1992 and 1993 he definitely was the best in Mexico (though some,
like Steve Sims, would probably make a strong case for Fuerza in 1991-92).
Whether he was or wasn't the best the rest of the years, as said, is more
debatable. However, that he was one of the top 2-3 workers in his class is
something almost universally agreed.

6. How many years did he have as a top worker?

Blue Panther could be considered excellent from 1984 to 1990, and a top
worker from 1991 to 2000. As said, the last couple of years he hasn't been
on TV as much and that has hurt his visibility, but quality has not dropped,
and does not look to be dropping.

7. Was he a good worker before his prime? Was he a good worker after his
prime?

Blue Panther's prime would be something like 1991-93, though some would say
his 94-95 AAA work was better. Either way, he always was not only good, but
a great worker. His first "real" exposure was 1984 in El Toreo in
preliminary or welterweight/lightweight matches (he was a welterweight)
usually teaming with people like [[Negro Casas]], [[Black Terry]], [[Jose Luis Feliciano|Jose Feliciano]] and facing people like [[El Hijo del Santo]], [[Black Man]], [[Matematico]] and [[Kendo]]. His work back then was already getting rave reviews in the magazines. Three
years later he was having a really hot run in El Toreo and Tijuana carrying
athletic guys with [[Kato Kung Lee]]/[[Super Kendo]] gimmicks that couldn't work a
lick, to very good technical matches. In 1990, he was often the second
worker of the team whenever he teamed with [[Negro Casas]] and [[Fuerza Guerrera]]
(quite compliment, since [[Negro Casas|Casas]] was an unbelievable worker then and Fuerza
wasn't too bad either). After his prime, he's steadily been a top 5 worker
in Mexico.

8. Did he have a large body of excellent matches? Did he have a excellent
matches against a variety of opponents?

Definitely. Excellent singles matches with [[Solar I]] in three different
decades, [[Hijo del Santo]], [[Super Astro]], [[Angel Azteca]] and [[Atlantis]] among
others. His only disappointing big profile singles matches that I can recall
have been with [[Octagon]] (loaded) and [[Vulcano]] (pretty good rudo brawler, but
couldn't work the technical style).

9. Did he ever anchor his promotion(s)?

Not really. He was featured in the "main program" of the promotion once in
his career, vs. [[Love Machine]] in CMLL. When they did it in AAA, they
headlined, but there was other feuds drawing the big show money. He was
never put in a real position to anchor his promotion.

10. Was he effective when pushed at the top of cards?

I'd say so. He was always carried the work when he was thrown in as a
support main event player, always got his opponent (and himself) over when
he had to in singles matches, drew when he was in a position to and was
effective working angles both as a rudo and as a tecnico. Problem is
perception, and he isn't big enough (size) to be like an [[Universo 2000]] or
[[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.|Rayo de Jalisco]] figure, so he sometimes was relegated to semi-final or third
match of the card positions.

11. Was he valuable to his promotion before his prime? Was he still valuable
to his promotion after his prime?

Yes in both cases. Somebody with his name value, charisma and work quality
is always a valuable player. He's an eternal favorite of the hardcore fans
anywhere in Mexico, who happen to be the louder ones, too. He's somebody who
can be thrown in at any moment in a main event and deliver even if the
opposition is not good.

12. Did he have an impact on a number of strong promotional runs?

The first stage of his feud with [[Love Machine]] was during the CMLL TV boom,
and it the second stage caught AAA's even bigger success. Since so many
people saw it and it was a brilliantly booked feud, it caught so much fire
that within short time it was elevated to legendary status, and it's a
wonderful nostalgia moment to any fan that watched Mexican wrestling in the
90s.

13. Was he involved in a number of memorable rivalries, feuds or storylines?

The already mentioned [[Love Machine]] feud is the most famous one, but he's
also been involved in several other great feuds. His run with the Guerreras,
or [[Fuerza Guerrera|Fuerza]] and [[Psicosis]], against [[El Hijo del Santo|Santo]], [[Rey Misterio Jr.]] and [[Octagon]] provided so many excellent matches, several of them getting ****1/2 to ***** ratings in the Observer. Panther has also had an eternal feud with [[Solar I]]. Based on
some great matches they had around 1987, they gained so much respect for
each other's mat wrestling ability that they have been feuding on and off
since then, but in the last 8 years the feud has been pretty much relegated
to the independent level. His feud with [[Atlantis]] gave him his big break and
they have had several great matches during the years. Also, the feud with
[[Hijo del Santo]] started in El Toreo when Panther started to make a name for
himself, and it has been carried in for almost 20 years now but I have never
seen anybody complaining about being tired of seeing them against each
other.

14. Was he effective working on the mic, working storylines or working
angles?

Mic work is pretty much non-existant. Working angles and storylines, he's
ranged from effective to excellent. The double turn during the Machine hair
vs. mask match was so beautifully done, and while Machine had the hardest
task to perform in the turn, Panther played his role perfectly. I don't
really think anybody will consider this one legendary or anything, but his
on and off feud the last few years with [[Mr. Niebla]] has had him playing the
"tricky veteran bastard role" really well. One of the coolest moments in
CMLL TV of the last couple of years was Blue Panther (in a cast, playing an
arm injury) put [[Mr. Niebla]] (who tried to attack him) in a quick, masterfully
executed Fujiwara armbar that made everybody think he'd snapped Niebla's
arm.

15. Did he play his role(s) effectively during his career?

Yes. His most famous role is that of the "veteran rudo master" who is a
better technician than the tecnicos themselves, and he has played that one
perfectly during all of his career. He played that role even when he wasn't
that much of a "veteran" (in his early 30s). He also made the perfect switch
to tecnico and showed tons of charisma, which was natural because he always
was a "cool rudo" that people like to cheer (like [[Fuerza Guerrera]] and
currently [[Dr. Wagner Jr.]]).

16. What titles and tournaments did he win? What was the importance of the
reigns?

Panther has got a pretty nice collection of titles, including singles and
trios, but none are truly relevant to make them an argument for him to be a
HOF'er. Then again, no title has been used well long term in Mexico in the
last 20 years, not counting the UWA World Heavyweight and UWA World Light
Heavyweight Titles. He's had really hot short term programs for the National
Middleweight Title (w/ [[Octagon]], but it eventually bombed because [[Octagon]]
would show up loaded every time and Panther could do nothing with him) or
WWA Welterweight (w/ [[Hijo del Santo]]). All in all, Panther's most important
reigns were the two times he held the National Middleweight Title in AAA
because of the great title defenses he had, but he had little impact as a
champion. People would have problably showed up even if Panther had had a
phony title, simply because they'd get to see his trademark "Panther title
match" which means a hell of a technical match.

17. Did he win many honors and awards?

Awards matter so much in Mexico that nobody keeps track of them. I can't
recall him winning a WON year end award either.

18. Did he get mainstream exposure due to his wrestling fame? Did he get a
heavily featured by the wrestling media?

He got some mainstream exposure in the early days of AAA, because Pe?a and
Televisa did a hell of a job of promoting their wrestlers sending them to
tons of shows, but nothing past that. He's always been featured by the
media, but not as a cover superstar kind of guy like [[Perro Aguayo|Aguayo]], [[Vampiro]], [[El Hijo del Santo|Santo]] or [[Octagon]].

19. Was he a top tag team wrestler?

He was a top trios wrestler. Teams with the Guerreras, [[Fuerza Guerrera|Guerrera]] and
[[Psicosis]], [[Fuerza Guerrera|Guerrera]] and [[Negro Casas|Casas]], [[Dr. Wagner Jr.|Wagner]] and [[Black Warrior]], [[Fuerza Guerrera|Guerrera]] and [[Signo]] have had runs as regular partners where they'd have really great matches on a regular basis. He's never really been a tag team wrestler except for his early fame days in the mid 80s, but he didn't have a regular partner then,
either.

20. Was he innovative?

Not really. Nudo Lagunero is his creation, but it's not stolen often. He's
one of the last great old school rudos left, with an style as close as
[[Tarzan Lopez]] (the pioneer technical master) as you will get in Mexico.

21. Was he influential?

His work is definitely influential in the way that tons of young wrestlers
start wrestling wanting to be as good on the mat as him, but that's about
it. That's probably more inspiring than influential.

22. Did he make the people and workers around him better?

That's his strongest point, making everybody around him look better. Some
months ago, Dave Meltzer said (I'm paraphrasing) that he's so good that he
makes everybody look so awesome that the average lucha fan doesn't notice
him as much, and this business it's all about being noticed. He could carry
loads to decent matches and spotty flashy tecnicos to great matches. You can
definitely see how people like [[Mr. Niebla]] improved so much by working often
with Panther.

23. Did he do what was best for the promotion? Did he show a commitment to
wrestling?

He's always done what he's best for the promotion. [[Love Machine]] and him
didn't like each other (there's a story of [[Love Machine|Machine]] sucker punching Panther
in front of Peña at his office) but Panther respected [[Love Machine|Machine]]'s ability and
they could do business together so he put him over like a best friend. The
only time he did the best for Panther and not for the promotion was when he
left AAA in 1997 because he didn't want to put over [[Mascara Sagrada Jr.]], who
Panther didn't respect because he couldn't wrestle (and he's right on that
one). He's prided himself for years in his reputation to have excellent
singles matches and it's pretty much his trademark, so he didn't want to
ruin his reputation. I don't see what's so bad with that, though.

As for showing a commitment to wrestling, yes he showed a commitment. He's
lazy when everybody else in the match is lazy and he's not expected to save
the day, but otherwise, he works for six if needed. He's a total pro and I
haven't heard anybody ever complaining about him.

24. Is there any reason to believe that he was better or worse than he
appeared?

Repeat the Meltzer quote here. Only the older fans, the ones that attend
arenas weekly, the Mexican "hardcore" fans/newsstand magazine reader (the
closest there is to the WON-fan, I guess) and the WON reader kind of fan
appreciate him as one of the best wrestlers ever in Mexico. Nowadays the
average fan sees him as a guy that is "a good wrestler", and is not pushed
much on TV.

== Recommended Matches ==

Dates are actual match dates. Airing dates may differ a bit.

{{SimpleMatchStart}}
{{SimpleMatch|91/08/09|Arena Mexico|[[NWA Middleweight]] champion [[Atlantis]] vs Blue Panther}}
{{SimpleMatch|92/01/31| |[[Ultimo Dragon]] vs. Blue Panther}}
{{SimpleMatch|92/09/04|Cancun|[[National Middleweight]] champ Blue Panther vs. [[El Angel Azteca]]}}
{{SimpleMatch|92/10/09| |[[National Middleweight]] champ Blue Panther vs. [[Super Astro]]}}
{{SimpleMatch|93/07/18|Tonala|Blue Panther vs. [[Love Machine]] mask vs. hair}}
{{SimpleSpan|Not outstanding but must see for the double turn}}
{{SimpleMatch|94/10/30| Torreon|[[National Middlewight]] champ Blue Panther vs. [[El Mariachi]]}}
{{SimpleMatch|00/04/09|Monterrey|[[WWA Welterweight]] champ [[Hijo del Santo]] vs. Blue Panther}}
{{SimpleMatch|00/05/28|Monterrey|[[WWA Welterweight]] champ Blue Panther vs. [[Hijo del Santo]]}}
{{SimpleSpan|this was not as good as the previous one but still real good}}
{{SimpleMatchEnd}}

There was a very good [[Felino]] vs. Blue Panther in [[IWRG]] sometime in the year 2000.

All of the matches above are widely available. The [[Mariachi]] and first [[El Hijo del Santo|Santo]] matches probably are the best ones. That does not mean you should not rush to find the rest...

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery||name=Bluepanther02.jpg||caption=late 80s}}
{{Gallery||name=Bluepanther01.jpg||caption=early 90s}}

[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Current CMLL wrestlers]]

Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero, 02/25/05

2005-12-11T18:50:19Z

Anth:

'''CMLL: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, 2/25/05 (US Air Date 7/30/05)
MISTICO VS. ULTIMO GUERRERO
MANO A MANO'''

''The Buildup''

For over a year now, Mistico has emerged as the rookie phenom in CMLL. Previously a mid-card worker as Astro Boy, Mistico got the chance of a lifetime, given the character of a superstar. With a mask bearing a striking resembalance to the legendary El Hijo del Santo, and the blessing of Fray Tormenta (the preist who moonlighted as a wrestler to fund his orphanage, also the story for an upcoming Jack Black film), Mistico became CMLL's Next Big Thing. He received a mega push to the main events almost immediately, teaming up with stars like Santo, Negro Casas and Atlantis. He was matched up against the biggest rudos in CMLL, Los Guerreros Del Infernals (Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Tarzan Boy).

But unlike other wrestlers who get the big push based only on looks and charisma, Mistico had the skills to back it up. He's the most graceful flyer in Mexico today, with ability that hasn't been seen since the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psychosis in AAA. Known for his amazing armdrag dives from anywhere in the ring, rarely if ever will you see Mistico mess up his timing, or miss his target. In fact, each week it seems Mistico finds new ways to string together moves with his opponents, to create a spectacular visual. Mistico is as gifted a wrestler as any, and the fans know it. Mistico is a proven draw in the main event at Arena Mexico, as you can see for yourself at [http://www.thecubsfan.com/lucha/index.php?title=2005_Attendance_Figures_of_Various_Lucha_Shows Lucha Wiki's Attendance Page.]

At the beginning of 2005, Mistico began getting bigger and bigger matches in order to prove himself as someone who could potentially lead CMLL, and Lucha Libre into the next generation. Mistico feuded with Averno for the NWA Middleweight championship, with two title matches (1/30/05 Guadalajara, and 2/11/05 Arena Mexico, both being talked about as MOTYC as well), before eventually winning the title on 2/11/05. Mistico's next big feud would come in the form of the leader of the top rudo force in CMLL, the GDI: Ultimo Guerrero.

On the 2/18/05 Arena Mexico show, Mistico teamed with Negro Casas and Black Warrior to face Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Averno. As Mistico entered the ring, Ultimo attacked him from behind on the ramp, and tossed him into the ring like a rag doll. He immediately began tearing at Mistico's mask, the ultimate insult. Ultimo continued the beating throughout the first fall, showing off his superior strength on the smaller Mistico. Ultimo got carried away though, press-slaming Mistico over the ropes down to the floor in a sick spot, as Mistico landed on the hard wooden floors with a loud splat. Ultimo was DQ'd, giving the first fall to the technicos. Ultimo continued the assault into the second fall. But Mistico avoided a triple-team, and immediately tore into Ultimo with dropkicks and slaps, before literally tearing at his mask in revenge for the attack earlier. Mistico hit a gorgeous plancha off the top down to Ultimo on the floor, gaining huge hang time, as his teammates in the ring scored the victory for the second fall. In the third fall, Mistico and Ultimo fought once more, with Mistico getting the upper hand. Mistico went for his finisher, La Mistica (a satellite armbar), but frusturation got the better of Ultimo, and he brutally low-blowed Mistico, giving the technicos the third fall win, and the match.

Afterwards, Mistico in a fit of rage grabbed the mic. He wasn't going to win like this, nothing was settled. He challenged Ultimo to a one-on-one match for the next week at Arena Mexico. Ultimo responded by running down Mistico on the mic. He said (loosely translated of course) that Misitco was nothing more than a flash in the pan, and he would end his superstardom before it even began. The match had been set, with a hot feud behind it.

This really was the perfect buildup for the mano a mano match. In this match, we saw a different side of Mistico than we had before. Before, Mistico was all about grace, and wrestling ability. But here, he was a man pushed over the edge, bullied around by the more powerful Ultimo Guerrero. What resulted was an intense brawl, with mask ripping and dives all around. Even though Mistico got the win, he was hardly a winner as Ultimo humiliated him with the low blow. Mistico wanted revenge. The fans were out for Ultimo's head. And they were going to get it.

''The Match''

We see interviews from both men before the match, basically reitterating what was said the previous week. Ultimo's going to prove to everyone that Mistico is a fluke, and he's going to destroy the fans' hero TONIGHT. Mistico says he may be small, but he won't be pushed around. He'll prove how tough he is TONIGHT.

Ultimo comes out first with one of the greatest entrances ever. 4 Aztec warriors proceed UG with a war dance and drums, as UG comes out in full Aztec gear. Helps that his entrance theme is an awesome CMLL knockoff of We Will Rock You, with hand claps and organs. Rock on.

Mistico enters next, and he's not wasting anytime, he wants UG and he wants him now, so he sprints to the ring. Unfortuneatly Mistico runs into UG like a brick wall, and UG repeats last week's match by picking Mistico up like a ragdoll and tossing him into the ring. He powerbombs him and once again starts ripping at the mask, to expose Mistico to all his fans. He whips Mistico to the outside, and press-slams him onto the ring apron. UG is a total rudo dick here, taunting the fans as he beats their hero right in front of them. In the ring he violently picks Mistico up by the mask and whips him down. UG takes great joy in kicking Mistico around, whipping him off the ropes and tossing him into the lights. But UG gets cocky, and Mistico fights back with a beautiful tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana. UG goes sailing outside, and Mistico looks to the fans for energy, as he readies to deliver a huge blow to UG. He comes off the ropes, looking for a corkscrew plancha over the ropes, and....

SPLAT. Mistico hits nothing but arena floor, in a dangerously sick bump. Mistico is dead on the floor, and the crowd gasps in horror. Even the rudo fans in attendance have to ask UG when is enough enough? UG takes great pleasure in rubbing it in to the fans at ringside, asking where their hero is now. Mistico is rolled back into the ring, and here comes a spot that seems to have many non-regular viewers of Lucha confused. As soon as Mistico re-enters the ring, he signals to the referee he wants to quit. He'll sacrifice the first fall, so that he can continue fighting in the second fall. This is proven on the instant replay, when announcer Dr. Alfonso Morales screams "NO MAS, NO MAS!", indicating Mistico had quit in one of the better announcing calls I've heard in pro wrestling this year. The referee was about to call for the bell, but UG pushed the referee out of the way to continue the beating. He lifts Mistico onto the top turnbuckle, and proceeds to hit the spot of the year IMO...

http://www.wrestlingencyclopedia.com/clips2/cmll2.26-7.wmv

UG hits a moonsault fallaway slam from the top rope, with the greatest of ease, to Mistico. It's an amazing show of strength, and the fact that these two men pulled off the move without it being blown is a testament to how good they really are. It's not often you see a move that makes you say 'holy shit', but this does simply because I've never seen anything like it before. Upon landing, the referee steps in. But instead of allowing Mistico to quit...HE DQ'S ULTIMO FOR EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE!!! The crowd loves it, UG not so much. So Mistico not only survives to the second fall, he wins the first fall to boot.

Of course, this does nothing but serve to push UG even farther into rage. His desire to destroy Mistico cost him the fall, and Mistico is still walking. UG walks off in disgust at the call, but eventually returns to the ring. Mistico is face-first down in the ring with no ability to defend himself. But UG still goes after him, with crossface punches. Closed-fists are rarely used in Lucha Libre, because it makes no sense to see a wrestler punched dozens of times and still be standing. So when UG does it, especially to a downed Mistico, the fans are irate. UG kicks him around some more, but Mistico avoids a running senton into the corner. The first thing he does is go after UG's mask, for revenge for the massive Smackdown [TM] up until this point. He hits a tilt-a-whirl armbar sending UG to the outside. But Mistico remembers what happened the last time he went for a huge dive in this match. So he changes his gameplan, and goes up top with a trademark springboard plancha armdrag, hit beautifully, flinging UG into the crowd.

In the ring UG is met with swift kicks. He tries for a powerbomb, but Mistico has learned to avoid this, and turns it into a hurricanrana pin for a close 2. Mistico tries again with a Code-Red style sunset flip for another 2. These nearfalls serve to really heat the crowd up, as Mistico's throwing everything he has at the bigger UG, and UG is too stunned to counter. UG is careless now, going for a running splash in the corner but missing, allowing Mistico to chop away at him. Mistico puts UG on the top rope for another high-impact move to show off his abilities. UG has had enough, he's sick and tired of the miracles Mistico's pulling off. He catches Mistico on top....TOP ROPE POWERBOMB!!! A huge move that serves to knock Mistico out. UG covers...1....2.......NO....UG PICKS HIM UP!!! UG is so fed up, he doesn't want the match to end, he wants to beat on Mistico some more and totally destroy him. UG gets him up top....TOP ROPE SITOUT POWERBOMB!!!!! But wait.....UG has injured his leg!

UG is hurt bad, he landed wrong on his leg. UG got cocky once again, and went for a huge move that would be the final kill, but the plan backfired and now UG is the one that's hurt. The doctor goes to check on him, but Mistico's back up! Because UG landed wrong on his leg, the powerbomb didn't have full impact. Mistico asks the crowd if they want to see him attack. Normally a technico wouldn't do this, hit an injured man. But after the viscious mauling Mistico has received in this match, Arena Mexico is out for blood, they want UG dead. Mistico obliges with swift kicks. Mistico says it's time to defeat UG once and for all. He goes for La Mistica, but as he turns he knocks the ref back. Mistico sees the ref's down.....AND RIPS ULTIMO'S MASK OFF!!!! UG has to cover himself up, but Mistico rolls him up, FOR THE 3 COUNT!!! Mistico gave UG a taste of his own medicine, and in the end humiliated UG in front of Arena Mexico, winning in two straight falls.

''Final Analysis''

One of the main complaints people have with this match is that it's too short to be MOTY, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. On the contrary, this is one of the reasons why I love this match so much. They were able to tell a complex, engaging story with exciting action and big spots all the way through to keep you on the edge of your seat, cheering for Mistico to overcome the odds, or if you're a man with no heart, cheering for UG to beat the little dude up. smile.gif

IMO, if you saw a match like this in WWE or the indies, it'd take them 30-40 minutes to tell the same story. Sometimes less is more. And I'm not in the camp that thinks a long match = a great match. An enjoyable match = a great match. This my friends, is a great match.

I believe that if any 2 other wrestlers in the world did this match, it wouldn't work so well. But because you have Ultimo Guerrero and Mistico, two of the best wrestlers in Mexico, they make this something special. I didn't touch on this earlier, but one of the main reasons why Mistico has become so popular, is because of his stature. He's a small dude, in the same vein as Rey Mysterio, matched up against much bigger and more powerful opponents. The fans want to see him overcome the odds, they want to see his heart and spirit. Every match with him is like David vs. Golaith. On the other hand, Ultimo Guerrero is a machine, perhaps the best wrestler in the world today. I'm convinced he could have a match against anyone, and make it good. Here, he is the ultimate rudo. He makes the fans hate him, through his treatment of the smaller Mistico, kicking him around like a puppy. How can you not hate him?

It's emotional attachment at it's finest, something that's severely lacking from wrestling today. A lot of times I'll watch a match, and yeah the work in it is great, with chain wrestling and high spots, but if I don't care about either guy, and I don't want to cheer or boo them, then I can't enjoy it as much as I should. Too many guys go out and want to preform for the fans, basically doing what the fans want, rather than pulling the fans in to their world, making the fans do what the wrestlers want.

And thus, there you have my Match of the Year.

Alfredo at Wrestleholics Video is your hookup for any and all Lucha, including this match. I did upload this match to the matches board before the Dutch Invasion. I might be able to up it again sometime soon, but in the meantime I know quite a few people here downloaded it from me, maybe one of them can help us?

Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero, 02/25/05

2005-12-11T18:49:50Z

Anth:

'''CMLL: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, 2/25/05 (US Air Date 7/30/05)
MISTICO VS. ULTIMO GUERRERO
MANO A MANO'''

''The Buildup''

For over a year now, Mistico has emerged as the rookie phenom in CMLL. Previously a mid-card worker as Astro Boy, Mistico got the chance of a lifetime, given the character of a superstar. With a mask bearing a striking resembalance to the legendary El Hijo del Santo, and the blessing of Fray Tormenta (the preist who moonlighted as a wrestler to fund his orphanage, also the story for an upcoming Jack Black film), Mistico became CMLL's Next Big Thing. He received a mega push to the main events almost immediately, teaming up with stars like Santo, Negro Casas and Atlantis. He was matched up against the biggest rudos in CMLL, Los Guerreros Del Infernals (Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Tarzan Boy).

But unlike other wrestlers who get the big push based only on looks and charisma, Mistico had the skills to back it up. He's the most graceful flyer in Mexico today, with ability that hasn't been seen since the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psychosis in AAA. Known for his amazing armdrag dives from anywhere in the ring, rarely if ever will you see Mistico mess up his timing, or miss his target. In fact, each week it seems Mistico finds new ways to string together moves with his opponents, to create a spectacular visual. Mistico is as gifted a wrestler as any, and the fans know it. Mistico is a proven draw in the main event at Arena Mexico, as you can see for yourself at [http://www.thecubsfan.com/lucha/index.php?title=2005_Attendance_Figures_of_Various_Lucha_Shows Lucha Wiki's Attendance Page.]

At the beginning of 2005, Mistico began getting bigger and bigger matches in order to prove himself as someone who could potentially lead CMLL, and Lucha Libre into the next generation. Mistico feuded with Averno for the NWA Middleweight championship, with two title matches (1/30/05 Guadalajara, and 2/11/05 Arena Mexico, both being talked about as MOTYC as well), before eventually winning the title on 2/11/05. Mistico's next big feud would come in the form of the leader of the top rudo force in CMLL, the GDI: Ultimo Guerrero.

On the 2/18/05 Arena Mexico show, Mistico teamed with Negro Casas and Black Warrior to face Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Averno. As Mistico entered the ring, Ultimo attacked him from behind on the ramp, and tossed him into the ring like a rag doll. He immediately began tearing at Mistico's mask, the ultimate insult. Ultimo continued the beating throughout the first fall, showing off his superior strength on the smaller Mistico. Ultimo got carried away though, press-slaming Mistico over the ropes down to the floor in a sick spot, as Mistico landed on the hard wooden floors with a loud splat. Ultimo was DQ'd, giving the first fall to the technicos. Ultimo continued the assault into the second fall. But Mistico avoided a triple-team, and immediately tore into Ultimo with dropkicks and slaps, before literally tearing at his mask in revenge for the attack earlier. Mistico hit a gorgeous plancha off the top down to Ultimo on the floor, gaining huge hang time, as his teammates in the ring scored the victory for the second fall. In the third fall, Mistico and Ultimo fought once more, with Mistico getting the upper hand. Mistico went for his finisher, La Mistica (a satellite armbar), but frusturation got the better of Ultimo, and he brutally low-blowed Mistico, giving the technicos the third fall win, and the match.

Afterwards, Mistico in a fit of rage grabbed the mic. He wasn't going to win like this, nothing was settled. He challenged Ultimo to a one-on-one match for the next week at Arena Mexico. Ultimo responded by running down Mistico on the mic. He said (loosely translated of course) that Misitco was nothing more than a flash in the pan, and he would end his superstardom before it even began. The match had been set, with a hot feud behind it.

This really was the perfect buildup for the mano a mano match. In this match, we saw a different side of Mistico than we had before. Before, Mistico was all about grace, and wrestling ability. But here, he was a man pushed over the edge, bullied around by the more powerful Ultimo Guerrero. What resulted was an intense brawl, with mask ripping and dives all around. Even though Mistico got the win, he was hardly a winner as Ultimo humiliated him with the low blow. Mistico wanted revenge. The fans were out for Ultimo's head. And they were going to get it.

The Match

We see interviews from both men before the match, basically reitterating what was said the previous week. Ultimo's going to prove to everyone that Mistico is a fluke, and he's going to destroy the fans' hero TONIGHT. Mistico says he may be small, but he won't be pushed around. He'll prove how tough he is TONIGHT.

Ultimo comes out first with one of the greatest entrances ever. 4 Aztec warriors proceed UG with a war dance and drums, as UG comes out in full Aztec gear. Helps that his entrance theme is an awesome CMLL knockoff of We Will Rock You, with hand claps and organs. Rock on.

Mistico enters next, and he's not wasting anytime, he wants UG and he wants him now, so he sprints to the ring. Unfortuneatly Mistico runs into UG like a brick wall, and UG repeats last week's match by picking Mistico up like a ragdoll and tossing him into the ring. He powerbombs him and once again starts ripping at the mask, to expose Mistico to all his fans. He whips Mistico to the outside, and press-slams him onto the ring apron. UG is a total rudo dick here, taunting the fans as he beats their hero right in front of them. In the ring he violently picks Mistico up by the mask and whips him down. UG takes great joy in kicking Mistico around, whipping him off the ropes and tossing him into the lights. But UG gets cocky, and Mistico fights back with a beautiful tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana. UG goes sailing outside, and Mistico looks to the fans for energy, as he readies to deliver a huge blow to UG. He comes off the ropes, looking for a corkscrew plancha over the ropes, and....

SPLAT. Mistico hits nothing but arena floor, in a dangerously sick bump. Mistico is dead on the floor, and the crowd gasps in horror. Even the rudo fans in attendance have to ask UG when is enough enough? UG takes great pleasure in rubbing it in to the fans at ringside, asking where their hero is now. Mistico is rolled back into the ring, and here comes a spot that seems to have many non-regular viewers of Lucha confused. As soon as Mistico re-enters the ring, he signals to the referee he wants to quit. He'll sacrifice the first fall, so that he can continue fighting in the second fall. This is proven on the instant replay, when announcer Dr. Alfonso Morales screams "NO MAS, NO MAS!", indicating Mistico had quit in one of the better announcing calls I've heard in pro wrestling this year. The referee was about to call for the bell, but UG pushed the referee out of the way to continue the beating. He lifts Mistico onto the top turnbuckle, and proceeds to hit the spot of the year IMO...

http://www.wrestlingencyclopedia.com/clips2/cmll2.26-7.wmv

UG hits a moonsault fallaway slam from the top rope, with the greatest of ease, to Mistico. It's an amazing show of strength, and the fact that these two men pulled off the move without it being blown is a testament to how good they really are. It's not often you see a move that makes you say 'holy shit', but this does simply because I've never seen anything like it before. Upon landing, the referee steps in. But instead of allowing Mistico to quit...HE DQ'S ULTIMO FOR EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE!!! The crowd loves it, UG not so much. So Mistico not only survives to the second fall, he wins the first fall to boot.

Of course, this does nothing but serve to push UG even farther into rage. His desire to destroy Mistico cost him the fall, and Mistico is still walking. UG walks off in disgust at the call, but eventually returns to the ring. Mistico is face-first down in the ring with no ability to defend himself. But UG still goes after him, with crossface punches. Closed-fists are rarely used in Lucha Libre, because it makes no sense to see a wrestler punched dozens of times and still be standing. So when UG does it, especially to a downed Mistico, the fans are irate. UG kicks him around some more, but Mistico avoids a running senton into the corner. The first thing he does is go after UG's mask, for revenge for the massive Smackdown [TM] up until this point. He hits a tilt-a-whirl armbar sending UG to the outside. But Mistico remembers what happened the last time he went for a huge dive in this match. So he changes his gameplan, and goes up top with a trademark springboard plancha armdrag, hit beautifully, flinging UG into the crowd.

In the ring UG is met with swift kicks. He tries for a powerbomb, but Mistico has learned to avoid this, and turns it into a hurricanrana pin for a close 2. Mistico tries again with a Code-Red style sunset flip for another 2. These nearfalls serve to really heat the crowd up, as Mistico's throwing everything he has at the bigger UG, and UG is too stunned to counter. UG is careless now, going for a running splash in the corner but missing, allowing Mistico to chop away at him. Mistico puts UG on the top rope for another high-impact move to show off his abilities. UG has had enough, he's sick and tired of the miracles Mistico's pulling off. He catches Mistico on top....TOP ROPE POWERBOMB!!! A huge move that serves to knock Mistico out. UG covers...1....2.......NO....UG PICKS HIM UP!!! UG is so fed up, he doesn't want the match to end, he wants to beat on Mistico some more and totally destroy him. UG gets him up top....TOP ROPE SITOUT POWERBOMB!!!!! But wait.....UG has injured his leg!

UG is hurt bad, he landed wrong on his leg. UG got cocky once again, and went for a huge move that would be the final kill, but the plan backfired and now UG is the one that's hurt. The doctor goes to check on him, but Mistico's back up! Because UG landed wrong on his leg, the powerbomb didn't have full impact. Mistico asks the crowd if they want to see him attack. Normally a technico wouldn't do this, hit an injured man. But after the viscious mauling Mistico has received in this match, Arena Mexico is out for blood, they want UG dead. Mistico obliges with swift kicks. Mistico says it's time to defeat UG once and for all. He goes for La Mistica, but as he turns he knocks the ref back. Mistico sees the ref's down.....AND RIPS ULTIMO'S MASK OFF!!!! UG has to cover himself up, but Mistico rolls him up, FOR THE 3 COUNT!!! Mistico gave UG a taste of his own medicine, and in the end humiliated UG in front of Arena Mexico, winning in two straight falls.

Final Analysis

One of the main complaints people have with this match is that it's too short to be MOTY, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. On the contrary, this is one of the reasons why I love this match so much. They were able to tell a complex, engaging story with exciting action and big spots all the way through to keep you on the edge of your seat, cheering for Mistico to overcome the odds, or if you're a man with no heart, cheering for UG to beat the little dude up. smile.gif

IMO, if you saw a match like this in WWE or the indies, it'd take them 30-40 minutes to tell the same story. Sometimes less is more. And I'm not in the camp that thinks a long match = a great match. An enjoyable match = a great match. This my friends, is a great match.

I believe that if any 2 other wrestlers in the world did this match, it wouldn't work so well. But because you have Ultimo Guerrero and Mistico, two of the best wrestlers in Mexico, they make this something special. I didn't touch on this earlier, but one of the main reasons why Mistico has become so popular, is because of his stature. He's a small dude, in the same vein as Rey Mysterio, matched up against much bigger and more powerful opponents. The fans want to see him overcome the odds, they want to see his heart and spirit. Every match with him is like David vs. Golaith. On the other hand, Ultimo Guerrero is a machine, perhaps the best wrestler in the world today. I'm convinced he could have a match against anyone, and make it good. Here, he is the ultimate rudo. He makes the fans hate him, through his treatment of the smaller Mistico, kicking him around like a puppy. How can you not hate him?

It's emotional attachment at it's finest, something that's severely lacking from wrestling today. A lot of times I'll watch a match, and yeah the work in it is great, with chain wrestling and high spots, but if I don't care about either guy, and I don't want to cheer or boo them, then I can't enjoy it as much as I should. Too many guys go out and want to preform for the fans, basically doing what the fans want, rather than pulling the fans in to their world, making the fans do what the wrestlers want.

And thus, there you have my Match of the Year.

Alfredo at Wrestleholics Video is your hookup for any and all Lucha, including this match. I did upload this match to the matches board before the Dutch Invasion. I might be able to up it again sometime soon, but in the meantime I know quite a few people here downloaded it from me, maybe one of them can help us?

Henry Ardila

2005-12-11T18:45:32Z

Anth: /* Test Here! */

== Sandbox Instructions ==

Use this page (but after the next headline) to test things in wiki format, and to create links to pages that don't exist yet.

[[Category: Editing Tools]]

== Test Here! ==

Aliases needing redirection DONE~! except maybe for a couple disambiguations I need to figure out and the like. So, what's next? Real names? Mr./Dr./Jr. minus periods? Bixxy is pooped.

Profiles added since Wiki launched (did I miss any?):

Máximo
[[Maximo]]
[[Brazo de Platino Jr.]]

La Máscara
[[Máscara]]
[[La Mascara]]
[[Mascara]]
[[Brazo de Oro Jr.]]

Neutrón
[[Neutron]]
[[Steelman]]
[[Quasar Jr.]]
[[Tritón]]
[[Triton]]

El As
[[As]]

El Mercenario
[[Mercenario]]

El Vagabundo
[[Vagabundo]]

Rikidozan II
[[Mitsuo Momota]]

[[Oyuki]]

[[Toña la Tapatía]]

[[Jeque]]

[[Super Comando]]

[[Águila de Plata]]

[[Ricky Boy]]

[[Tigre de Bengala II]]

[[El Mercenario]]

[[Super Niño]]

[[Tigre Escarlata]]

[[Sombra de Plata]]

[[Gran Apache II]]

[[Pequeño Halcón (EMLL)]]

[[León Chino]]

[[Tiger Dragon]]

[[Katsushi Takemura]]

[[LuFisto]]

[[Christie Ricci]]

[[Simply Luscious]]

[[Gran Prix]]

Trying this out:

[[Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero, 02/25/05]]

== Table test ==

I'll turn this into a template for the masks... [[User:Wagnerpanther|wagner/panther]] 20:07, 6 Sep 2005 (CDT)

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" width="100%" style="font-size:10px;font-family:Verdana,Helvetica;">
<tr align="Center" valign="Middle" style="color:white;background: #A7BED5;font-weight: bold;">
<td width="7%">Date</td>
<td width="9%">Apuesta</td>
<td width="26%">Winner(s)</td>
<td width="26%">Loser(s)</td>
<td width="32%">Arena and/or Place</td>
</tr>

<tr align="Center" valign="Middle" style="background: #F2F2F2">
<td>??/??/??</td>
<td>hair</td>
<td style="background: #DFDBDC">Latin Lover</td>
<td style="background: #DFDBDC">Fabuloso Blondy</td>
<td>Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.</td>
</tr>

<tr valign="Middle" style="background: #DFDBDC">
<td colspan="5">(1) Relevos suicidas; (2) Six men match; (3) Cage match with Tarzan Boy, Vampiro, Pierroth and Shocker; (4) Cage match with Rey Bucanero & Tarzan Boy</td>
</tr>
</table>

<hr>

with styles; see [[MediaWiki:Monobook.css]]

<table class="Apuesta">
<tr class="headApuesta">
<td width="7%">Date</td>
<td width="9%">Apuesta</td>
<td width="26%">Winner(s)</td>
<td width="26%">Loser(s)</td>
<td width="32%">Arena and/or Place</td>
</tr>

<tr class="dataApuesta">
<td>??/??/??</td>
<td>hair</td>
<td class="wrestlerApuesta">Latin Lover</td>
<td class="wrestlerApuesta">Fabuloso Blondy</td>
<td>Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.</td>
</tr>

<tr class="spanApuesta">
<td colspan="5">(1) Relevos suicidas; (2) Six men match; (3) Cage match with Tarzan Boy, Vampiro, Pierroth and Shocker; (4) Cage match with Rey Bucanero & Tarzan Boy</td>
</tr>
</table>

<hr>

in wiki

{| class="Apuesta"
|- class="headApuesta"
! width="7%"|Date
! width="9%"|Apuesta
! width="26%"|Winner(s)
! width="26%"|Loser(s)
! width="32%"|Arena and/or Place
|- class="dataApuesta"
|{{{1}}}
|{{{2}}}
|class="wrestlerApuesta"|{{{3}}}
|class="wrestlerApuesta"|{{{4}}}
|{{{5}}}
|- class="spanApuesta"
| class="dataApuesta" colspan="5"|(1) Relevos suicidas; (2) Six men match; (3) Cage match with Tarzan Boy, Vampiro, Pierroth and Shocker; (4) Cage match with Rey Bucanero & Tarzan Boy
|}