LUCHA SET DISC 4

Javier Cruz vs. El Dandy (10/26/84)

Pretty random, back-and-forth beginning until the awesome spinning neck submission thing that Javier busts out, that really looks like something that would jack somebody up bad even though it is completely absurd. Cesaro could totally steal that today and it'd get over. We get the dawn of CMLL filming style as taco feasting is more interesting to the cameramen than the action (this would evolve to them paying more attention to cute girls in the crowd, luckily). Dandy beats up on Javier all caida until the half-Gory sub with hair pull. Tercera caida begins to wear on me, they just trade pins and submissions despite a brief bit of good brawling. The finish is unique and deserved as this could have been so much more than it was, so fuck it -- cueball both of 'em! El barbero does a serious Full Metal Jacket job on Javi before the tecnicos force Dandy back into the ring to face the same. He must have had a job either in the prison system or the military because dude surprises me with his speed and efficiency at cutting hair. I guess that says a lot about this match, as I'm more impressed by that than the work involved. Again, a hair match without blood. Sensing a pattern here.

Gran Cochise, Villano III y Rayo De Jalisco Jr. vs. Fishman, Mocho Cota y Tony Bennetto (11/30/84)

Mocho Cota immediately gets another mark in my cool book by his hair making me say "you got to be shitting me". Rudos dominate early but the tecnicos come back and there's a funny little bit with Rayo dancing and faking out Benetto. They win the fall and Cota wants nothing to do with Villano and Gran Cochise who scare him out of the ring. He's truly great here, cheap-shotting people, bumping huge into the ring post, ducking down to apron level and racing around the ring to attack the other team on the sly. Fishman hits a huge splash to end segunda caida. Cota talks shit to an old lady at ringside just to amplify his rudo grandeur. He's so great that you totally accept Cochise biting his head open as a face move. This appears to set up a Cota/Cochise hair match that I greatly regret is not on the set. Cota shows so much ass in this and you want to see him served up on a platter.

Sangre Chicana vs. Villano III (12/7/84)

If it wasn't for the clipping in the third fall this would probably be the match of the set, at least so far. This has a gritty, sleazy vibe that makes you think of Mean Streets or Last House on the Left. It's well-filmed but the shitty quality of the video makes it feel so trashy. Sangre is pouring blood within minutes of the first fall. Eventually he comes up with the simple comeback we already saw in the two MS-1 matches. This time however his tope is out of this world and I had to replay it. Villano III pops a vein out of nowhere and we have less than a full match. Sad, sad, sad.

Raul Reyes Jr. y Climax vs. Mocho Cota y Loco Zavala (1985)

Climax's white shirt, jeans and braces totally fit the Cock Sparrer tunes on the menu. First fall has the speed increasing exponentially until rudo miscommunication ends it. Cota powdering with his hands behind his back afterwards is tremendous. He stooges so good in this. Pretty ephemeral tag, but Mocho Cota brings the greatness.

Atlantis vs. El Faraón (3/22/85)

Seeing this after a match taken off of Youtube, probably filmed by Japanese guys yet having local play-by-play, is completely surreal. It's like changing prescriptions on your glasses, all of the sudden you have incredibly vivid clarity. Atlantis still seems kinda green here with his overselling. El Dandy is Faraon's second and looks incredibly skinny. This one has very little flow and is pretty underwhelming. A couple good dives and Atlantis wins with a very 'after the thought' feeling rollup. I can see these two having a better match a couple years down the road (and involving some blood), but this ain't it.

La Fiera, El Faraón y El Egipico vs. MS-1, Satanico y Pirata Morgan (3/29/85)

This was hurt a bit by me not being able to distinguish between the tecnico team members, but it was still awesome. Infernales Mark II rule. Fiera (I guess) attempts suicide in Hector Garza fashion off the top rope. The ending sequence almost falls apart but they save it at the last moment. "Una lucha apocalyptico" indeed, this was wild.

Americo Rocca vs. El Talisman (3/29/85)

Talisman's neon green and purple gear is about five years ahead of its time. Robert Williams who painted the first Guns N' Roses cover (before censorship) said that was the most off-setting color clash ever but to me it just brings back memories of the early '90s when I was a kid, and I love it. Actually the more I watch it looks like yellow and purple. I've got a bit of color-blindness and the video is only for this set fantastic so I'll pretend.

Una caida is pretty nondescript. There's a nice submission to end the second that I've never seen. It sounds like Dr. Morales calls it a Gory Especial but that is clearly not it. The dive sequence with both men getting in at the nick of time due to the fast-counting ref is nice. Rocca finally puts on some kind of fucked-up sub and the crowd explodes. Even in a match that seems so inconsequential, the response to it is fantastic and seeing Rocca wearing the belt that actually has "TALISMAN" engraved in silver on it is awesome. Perfectly fine match but not gonna finish high.

El Hijo del Santo & Black Shadow Jr. vs. Espanto Jr. & Eskeletor (12/1/85)

I just lost it for the Eskelator costume. Holy FUCK is that great. All he needs is muscles and a staff with a ram's skull on it and he'd be all good. Or he'd just be Antichristo. He further sells the gimmick like a total wimp, just like Skeletor.

Don't really mind the clipping much as Espanto and Santito are super fluid and gel perfectly, taking it to the mat amateur-style for a second and then just bringing it. Three nut shots unseen by the ref is a bit much. Eventually things go completely sideways and the tecnicos lose due to a ref bump, but Black Shadow Jr. pastes him anyway and raises Santito's hand. Then he dropkicks Eskeletor off the apron and I lost it again. Then he kicks the piss out of him AGAIN! Everyone's scrotum ends up getting punished, Santito leaves on someone's shoulders and I am a very happy man. Dunno whether it's the post-side camerawork, insanity, or my childhood love for He-Man, but this is one I absolutely love.

Lizmark, Mil Mascaras & Valente Fernandez vs. Sangre Chicana, Angel Blanco & Angel Blanco Jr. (12/1/85)

Another chaotic one-shot from the ringpost position. Blanco Jr.(I think? he's the one with the mask right?) and Fernandez have a super fast exchange for a minute and it is just fantastic. Sangre trying to skin the cat over and over again to get rid of Mil is equally great. Clipping and VQ are murdering this one but then you see Fernandez's mule kick and boxing and are won over again. Granny decides to do a Sangre bullfighting dance... what the fuck?!

DISC 4 RANKINGS

1. La Fiera, El Faraón y El Egipico vs. MS-1, Satanico y Pirata Morgan (3/29/85)
2. El Hijo del Santo & Black Shadow Jr. vs. Espanto Jr. & Eskeletor (12/1/85)
3. Gran Cochise, Villano III y Rayo De Jalisco Jr. vs. Fishman, Mocho Cota y Tony Bennetto (11/30/84)
4. Sangre Chicana vs. Villano III (12/7/84)
5. Lizmark, Mil Mascaras & Valente Fernandez vs. Sangre Chicana, Angel Blanco & Angel Blanco Jr. (12/1/85)
6. Javier Cruz vs. El Dandy (Hair vs. Hair) (10/26/84)
7. Raul Reyes Jr. & Climax vs. Mocho Cota & Loco Zavala (Sonora 1985) (Youtube)
8. Americo Rocca vs. El Talisman (3/29/85)
9. Atlantis vs. El Faraón (3/22/85)

This ends up super hurt by the clipping and Angel Blanco exposing his face in plain view if I am not incorrect toward the end, but it's still great. Some of the clipped/fucked up matches on this set are way better than the kind of staid title matches that are aired in full with perfect filming and I am greatly disappointed.