This was the opening match with locals that is commonplace on most shows in
Mexico. I got to speak briefly with both Azriael & Bandido Jr. before the show.
They didn't know if they were going to be in a singles or tag team match. I'm
assuming from the way things turned out that they weren't told until just before
the show started. It certainly didn't help the confusion when the ring announcer
referred to Azriael & Bandido as a tag team, only for Demanto to come out by
himself. It was unfortunate that none of the 3 spoke, nor
understood, Spanish since the DJ at ringside (who added an interesting flavor to
the event) was trying to hype up the crowd. He asked who was for the tecnicos
(faces which in this case were Azriael & Bandido Jr.) & who were for the rudos
(I guess Demanto counts as more than one). The only 1 of the 3 who really tried
to work the crowd was Demanto. The other 2 seemed to be thrown off by such a
raucous crowd. I have to say that Demanto was the star of the match as he played
the rudo quite well. It was obvious they didn't need to do much to get a
reaction out of the audience but Demanto was the only one (aside from the
heat-seeking heel ref) who seemed to realize it. All he had to do was some hip
swivelling for the crowd to react accordingly, calling him a hamburger (sounds
much funnier in Spanish) & numerous expletives. The ref made a fast
count on a what was clearly a nearfall when Azriael hit an Eddy Guerrero-style
back drop suplex on Bandido for the first elimination of this three-way contest.
Azriael ended up power bombing Demanto for the final pinfall at 9:40. This got
an enormous reaction as it was clearly no small feat. Azriael bowed to the crowd
on his way out but Demanto clearly stole it.
2. SWAT Kat vs Bazooka (2/3 Falls)
God was this awful! The pace of the match, as well as the action, itself was
horrible. What stuck in my mind from this match, besides the ridiculous finish
of the third fall, was SWAT Kat getting caught up in the ropes attempting a 619.
This was a pee-in-your-pants funny moment. The heel ref, whose name
I never got nor cared to, was WAY too involved. There was more posing & trying
to work the crowd than action. When a wrestler is good enough at his craft that
he can knows how to do this well. That is one thing. These 2 clearly weren't
equipped to do so. A forgettable match than ended when the referee got a school
boy on Bazooka & SWAT Kat count the pin then the ref raising the tecnico's arm
in victory.
At this point, there was the first of two 20-minute intermissions. This is when
I found out that Cassandro was a no-show & that the midget singles match would
be ruined as it was announced that there were 2 more matches left. The names the
ring announcer mentioned didn't include my favorite transvestite wrestler (Cassandro).
This was very disappointing as he is one of the top ten workers in Mexico today.
There were masks being sold in upwards of $50. I didn't bother to find out what
a T-shirt cost because I was already sporting my El Hijo Del Santo T-shirt (with
sparkles).
3. "Super Porky" Brazo De Plata. & Tzuki vs Aguila de la America & Octagoncito
Originally there was to be a singles match between midget superstars, Mascarita
Sagrada & Octagoncito. It was changed to this mixed tag team match & Mascarita
Sagrada (the second version) was in his alternate gimmick of Tzuki.
Octagoncito (a tecnico) worked rudo along with his partner, Aguila, which is a
character based off a Mexican soccer league team of the same name. The crowd
gave Super Porky an Elvis Presley-level reaction as his theme music of Looney
Tunes played. Based on the fact that there were so many families at
this show, I was timid about getting overly excited & accidentally cursing. That
thought process quickly changed after I heard Porky & Octagoncito curse like
sailors throughout the match (and even afterwards). The match was a
disaster from the start as Aguila seemed out of place & Porky was making blatant
audible calls during the whole match. The match, as expected, was all comedy
spots, which was a shame as the midgets only got to take a few dives & a few
other spots.
Then came the second & final intermission of the afternoon.
Finally came the main event, but wait....
4. El Hijo Del Santo vs Blue Demon Jr. vs Oliver John
The main event was turned into yet another three-way elimination match with the
appearance of Oliver John. He was sporting tights that read border patrol. He
also said that everyone in the audience were illegal & he wanted to see their
ID. The ringside DJ added to this by announcing that Oliver John was
representing "La Migra". The crowd ate it up & boo'd him more for being a gringo
& not speaking Spanish than because his character was representing the INS.
Blue Demon, Jr. made his way to ringside next to, what can only be considered by this fan as surprisingly, the second biggest pop of the night. El Hijo Del Santo, as expected, was the last one to make his entrance. I was taken back by the lack of reception he received. While I nearly lost my voice cheering, few others joined me.
Before the start of the match, Santo got on the mic & lambasted the ring
announcer for referring to the match as one-on-one contest. The match started
with Demon & Santo chain wrestling before Oliver John tagged into the match.
Predictably, the Mexican stars took turns getting their spots in on Oliver John
who only got temporary control with brawling, heel tactics and rudimentary power
moves. That was a real shame since I've seen enough of Oliver John's matches to
know that he can really go. John was eliminated first by a double-team
submission that was reminiscent of legendary Mexican trio Los Misioneros De La
Muerte. While Demon had John in a scorpion deathlock (what is known in Mexico as
cangrejo japones or "Japanese crab"), Santo placed Oliver John in an abdominal
stretch variation.
It was finally down to the 2 Mexican heroes & they didn't disappoint. They
exchanged holds, dives and other assorted highspots before John made his way
back to ringside, sporting a Santo mask. He tripped up Demon, causing him to
fall prey to Santo's finisher, el a caballo (or horseback/AKA camel clutch) at
19:25.
Once El Hijo Del Santo was announced as the winner, Blue Demon Jr. claimed Santo & Oliver John were in cahoots. This led to the obligatory challenges by all three. Demon said that Santo can't beat him cleanly & that all John wants is the NWA World Heavyweight Title, which he can't have. John never denied it & said he wants his title shot. On a side note, I find it humorous for Blue Demon Jr. to call anyone a gringo since he himself is a blue-eyed blond who looks less Mexican than me.
Then Santo & Demon went back & forth on the mic with mask vs. mask challenges. Santo made the absurd comment that whenever Demon wants to sign on the dotted line that Santo will face him in a mask vs. mask match in Madison Square Garden. Demon countered Santo's absurd comment with one of his own. Demon boldly asked what MSG had that this (night club) didn't. At this point, Santo & (much of) the audience nearly groaned in unison.
Then in a pot calling the kettle moment that was meant to be a worked shoot
comment, Santo countered back with: "So you can't complain that the house is too
small to get a big enough pay off for losing your mask." Being such a diehard
Santo fan myself & equally diehard Demon detractor, I popped big for that one!
After the show, there was an enormous line to get autographs & pictures with El
Hijo Del Santo, Blue Demon Jr. & Super Porky. I would have loved to get my
picture taken with El Hijo Del Santo, but I was standing on what could only be
described as more of a mass of humanity than an organized line.
Overall, the show only went about 2 hours but I enjoyed the unique atmosphere &
seeing one of my teenage wrestling heroes, El Hijo Del Santo, in his first
northeastern U.S. appearance in 9 years.
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