#rudo deserves everything good in the world

[eyeslemontea]

I HATE BEING IN SMALL FANDOMS SOMETIMES.

WHERE IS THE FANART????? THE FICS????

[arkus-rhapsode]

When you see yourself in trash (Gachiakuta Discussion)

So with the positive reception of my recent thinkpiece, I wanted to make good on my promise that I’d post more. And this has kinda been one I’ve been wanting to do for a while. But due to the deeply personal nature of it, I wanted to really give it the time it deserved to come together.

This is going to be a post about Gachiakuta, which if my multiple posts on it haven’t been an indicator, I'm kinda a big fan. But what’s more, I really wanted to talk about why Gachiakuta speaks to me more in depth.

Background 

So for those who don’t know, Gachiakuta is a weekly manga series by mangaka Kei Urana. Urana is a former assistant of the student of the Soul Eater and Fire Force creator, Atsushi Okubo. This series premiered shortly after Okubo’s Fire Force finished up, and stars a young boy named Rudo who lives in the slum area of a place called “The Sphere” (Or Heaven depending on the translation). Rudo has a habit of stealing from waste deposit sites and repairing broken items he finds. He lives with his adopted father Regeto after his biological father was sentenced to “The Abyss” for murder. The Abyss is a gaping chasm where all of the Sphere’s trash and prisoners are dumped. 

Rudo is a somewhat surly child, and noticeably struggles with properly expressing his emotions despite the fact he is a highly emotional person. Smiling in particular is a struggle for him. Rudo one day comes to find Regto killed by a mysterious masked man, and blamed for this crime. Rudo is sentenced to the Abyss where he cries in anger he will return and kill everyone here. In the Abyss, Rudo is met by monsters made of trash and people devoted to fighting them, the Cleaners (Or Janitors depending on the translation). This fighting force of magic garbage men use the power of a “Giver” to empower items dear to them known as Jinki. With Rudo discovering that he can do the same with his gloves given to him by Regeto. Now he’ll work with the Cleaners killing trash monsters as he unravels the mystery of who killed his adoptive father and how he’ll escape the Abyss.

And it has been the newest manga series in the last four years that has not only made me feel hyped but await every chapter since its release.

Now if everything I said previously sounded like “well that sounds like a fairly straight forward if somewhat interestingly flavored revenge action manga. What makes it special?” Well then we’re going have to talk about Rudo. 

Rudo

So Gachiakuta is a series with a lot of weirdos in it and some unconventional story structures to it (and we’ll touch on that later) but I think the character who embodies the core of this series is its MC, Rudo. 

On the surface Rudo is a character that could feel at home with any number of shonen manga protags. Really expressive, yells a lot, spiky hair, and a power that’s kinda special amongst its power system. Basically, If Deku from MHA was a bit more angry and sleep deprived, you probably think he and Rudo were the same person on the surface. And for the most part, Rudo seemed to be that way, an angry kid out for revenge who treasured the last remaining gift he received from his foster father. Yet then we get to chapter 15 of Gachiakuta. A truly special chapter. 

When Griss, Rudo’s teammate for this mission, was run through with claws by the villain, Jabber Wongar, Rudo seems to suffer some for of PTSD as the world goes hazy and he sees Griss as Regeto, stabbed and bleeding. We cut to Rudo as a child in Regto’s care and there, Rudo is banging his head against a wall to the point blood is coming out. 

When Regto asks why Rudo would do this, the only thing Rudo can describe is how he has nothing. He has these feelings he doesn’t know how to describe yet he believes he’s nothing from the abuse he suffered at the hands of parents. All he has to really express it it this sort of frustration. While Rudo’s parents being murders may have been a lot for any child, Rudo carries literal scars given to him by his father. His hands peeled and scared and burnt black. The pain in his hands stops when he wears the gloves Regto gave him. 

And when Regto wants Rudo to find something to focus his passion into, the thing that catches Rudo’s attention the most is a broken mannequin. Rudo cries letting out those feelings he said he couldn’t describe. Wanting to fix something and can’t believe it was tossed away because it was “a little broken.” At that moment, Regto realizes something about Rudo. He sees himself in those same objects that weren’t valued and tossed away.

So this is where I get to one of the things about Gachiakuta and Rudo in particular that speaks to me. Rudo, to me, is an example of a neurodivergent child and the text actually bothers to focus on how this affects his life. Now I know the moment I’ve said that there will be a lot of people who want me to explain, and the first thing is, no the manga doesn’t come out and say that Rudo is on the spectrum. But rather it lays a pretty explicit analogy to someone who may not be typical in some regard mentally or emotionally. I know in the space of neurodivergent individuals representation is… difficult. Not just to find in the media, but also represented in a way that isn’t just “they’re a super genius.” Because there are many many forms of neurodivergence and how the manifest can be different for many individuals. Someone with ADHD may have their life affected in ways different than someone diagnosed with Autism. This is where I think it's very important for me to say, I’m just one guy on the spectrum. I’m speaking from my personal experience but you shouldn’t take my opinion as gospel. This is just me and my experiences. And my personal reading of this  

So when I say, a “mentally different character” in the media can be a tricky tightrope to walk, I mean it. Wanting there to be a positive representation for a community that may not get representation, but also not wanting to be like some monolithic depiction of what living with one of these conditions may be like. And there are plenty of ways where this could go very wrong (Anyone remember the time Aquaman cured Autism?). So when the text can’t just say “I am X” it's not uncommon for the readers to begin to see or relate to how a character may act. Speaking of how they act, in the case of anime and manga another “complication” can occur in the fact that many of these characters can act… well whacky and that’s treated as most acceptable in the universe. Whereas in real life, its likely anywhere from Gon to Goku would get side eye with their behavior. And thus you have the basis for plenty of head canons, one prominently being a character’s place on the spectrum. 

Let's take any character, say Rill Boismortier from the series Black Clover. He’s a relatively second character in the series with an aptitude for art magic, who had locked himself in his room isolating himself from others till his butler reached him and now he’s a very eccentric, excitable, outgoing character. From the fact that he has a fixation on art to things like making sounds that could be read as vocal stimming, Rill could be read as an autistic character.

Or how about we look at one of the more memetic takes of the internet and all the jokes that Fern and Frieren from Frieren: Beyond the Journey’s End are autistic. This joke mainly comes from how in this world everything has a cool, somewhat mellow vibe with many people acting very muted. With Frieren herself struggling with making a distinction in the passage of time thanks to her elven aging and trying to understand the human condition. And Fern also a relatively reserved and subdued individual only really expresses her feeling a sensation of frustration or annoyance through “Kawaii pouting” puffing out her cheeks.

There are plenty more examples, but I wanted to illustrate that there are characters in manga and anime that I believe-yes, someone with neurodivergence could identify with, however, would I go as far as to say that this was the writer's original intention? Well choosing to err on the side of caution, I'm going to guess not likely. Someone could easily say, “you’re reading too much into it. There is nothing in the canon that outright says that. Rill is just a joke character, Frieren is a completely different species so it can’t really be neuro-atypical from a human standpoint, Fern’s pouting is just a gap moe trope.” And to be honest, I don’t necessarily think people holding these beliefs would be wrong. Nor do I wish to imply that if someone sees themselves in one of these characters that means they’re on the spectrum.

I'm saying there’s nothing wrong with either option. If you are someone neurodivergent and you see yourself in someone like Rill, that’s great. If you are someone who isn’t neurodivergent but still sees themselves in someone like Rill, that’s also great. The point I’m trying to make is that it may be unintentional, but a neurodivergent person seeing a neurodivergent story inside a specific character can happen and in many ways offer insights into the character.

And for someone like me who has spent a long time coming to grips with how my atypicality has affected my identity, Rudo’s story hit me. Hit me in a way I don’t think many series have. Rudo is a character who shows a fixation on trash, particularly broken pieces of trash. His old wounds he covers and just the feelings on this specific piece of clothing is able to make the feelings of his wounds go away. And just the way he described having emotion inside, but not being able to properly express it to the point he was doing self harm, it tore me up inside. 

Made even more dramatic by the fact that Rudo is having this flashback being triggered by Griss being stabbed. Griss is a guy Rudo has known for a day who is shown to be a cool guy, but most importantly, when Rudo spent his welcome party sulking in a corner all tied up in his shell, only for Griss to ask him about his future. Rudo truly was feeling like he was losing a fatherly figure again in front of him

This was one of the moments that in my mind showed me the sort of direction this series wanted to go in with Rudo. Edgy, dark, cool, and stylistic revenge series in manga have existed for years. In fact, they’ll exist long after Gachiakuta and myself have expired. Many of these series can vary on the portrayal of their MC, conflicted, ready to embrace destruction, righteous in their pursuit, yet Gachiakuta has been unique for me, seeing Rudo have all the hallmarks for a vengeful story yet people always come to speak with him on his behavior. 

Not in a sort of guidance counselor way, but more in a natural way of trying to make this kid who has had a life where he hasn’t had to properly think about/experience certain things life can throw at you and they want him to improve. From telling him it's okay to not know what he wants to do in the future, to letting him know it's okay to make mistakes, to learning how to properly have a conversation and connect with others. I think a lot of these moments can feel like sweet nothings, but for me I saw it as a part of growing up. Or rather something I wanted growing up. I’ve experienced many moments of my life where I felt lost not in small part to the fact it felt like no one could meet me on my ground. And something about Gachiakuta is the attempt that almost every character has made trying to reach Rudo and show him a form of empathy. And as the series has gone on that empathy has really changed. He went from a kid not understanding what was wrong about saying “I'm only working with you till fulfill my goal!,” demanding cooperation from others, to actively trying to ask for help when hears of an opportunity to come closer to his goal. 

This sort of vulnerability I think was present in his moment screaming his revenge. He’s visibly crying. Despite all the bluster and crassness, there’s clearly a frustrated and overwhelmed boy who has been condemned by a society that brands him “unclean.” This is also where I should mention Urana is an absolute master with art and expressions. Making everyone feel so alive. Rudo’s faces are an absolute highlight. Despite a person who seems set up to have a chip on his shoulder, he may be one of the wackiest in just how big he can let his emotions go. Which ties into our next part.

Zodyl and the Watchman Series

Now I'm sure you’re wondering, “Arkus, you said that this manga hasn’t hard confirmed Rudo is actually neurodivergent, yet you say the text makes the analogy so does someone finally say it?” Well to answer that, I’m gonna need to talk about the main villain of this series and the tools he’s after, The Watchman series.

Our seemingly main antagonist of the series is a man named Zodyl Typhon, leader of the organization The Raiders (Or the Vandals depending on the translation) a group of evil givers who seem to be devoted to the destruction of The Sphere. As they living in a world where the natural order is simply that they are a people who have garbage raining down upon them. Polluting them, crushing them, and people of the Abyss have gradually become accustomed to it all. Zodyl wants to shock the system and he wishes to get his hands on all the various powerful Jink known as the “Watchman series.” So far it's known that only Rudo’s gloves, Amo’s boots, and Zodyl’s coat are part of this set. 

Zodyl is depicted as an amoral, somewhat sociopathic person, with intense eyes, viewing people as experiments to test his theories, and showing practically no emotion. He describes each piece of the Watchman series as containing extremely powerful emotions in them. A normal person couldn’t use these items with going mad due to these emotions. Yet people like Rudo and Zodyl haven't gone mad. Well that’s being they’re not like others.

In one of the most painful visual analogies, Zodyl describes that in this world there are people born missing pieces that every other human is born with. This leaves them as something sort of empty. WIth Rudo knowing exactly what he’s talking about. This was already hinted at by Amo who says wearing her Watchman boots feels as though she’s a toy that had a new battery inside. Zodyl doesn’t think that missing something fundamental is a bad thing though, in his opinion not being born with it has made him a vessel for this power. 

I once again cannot say with a hundred percent certainty that Kei Urana was intentionally channeling the experiences of those who may be told “they’re not like others because they were born atypical” but it's so hard for me to not read it that way. Especially the part where Zodyl rejects the idea that there’s anything wrong with this. He’s not wrong for how he’s born, look at all the cool stuff he can do now. While Rudo stands there and thinks about how isolated he felt from everyone else. It's easy to see these as two very valid responses to someone with a mental health diagnosis, lamenting how this puts you at odds with others and how being different in this way makes it harder for you to connect. While the other rejects needing the validation of others, there isn’t a problem. 

Once again, no one just flat out says it, but so much of the subtext is basically there in your face in regards to Watchman and Zodyl’s speech. But the fact this power is only wielded by something that is described as a missing piece. With the image of a heart in pieces. To me, the emphasis placed on the value of one’s emotional and mental capacity as something that can be filled, like its just so out there how can I not see something there? 

Well maybe its because I want to?

Artistic Interpretation 

Look, I'm not gonna to give you a dry lecture on the value of artistic interpretation. I think we’re all mature enough that multiple people can have multiple different interpretations of a single world. With art being something that lends itself to being read in a variety of ways. I'm not making this post to delegitimize any interpretation.

Rather I wanted to come all the way back to the pin I put in when mentioning the unconventional story structures. Now it should come to no one’s surprise that the woman who was an assistant and student of the guy who made Soul Eater makes some bizarre choices. Not the least of which being the characters and tone.

No, rather I wanna touch on something that I find Urana and Okubo do better than a lot of people which is visual interpretation. Both utilize the visual aspect of this visual medium to make some points. But rather, both of them allow these visuals to hang out there and allow you the reader to come to your own interpretation of this. 

This type of storytelling in my opinion can force the audience to actually engage with the work in a deeper meaningful way. While some would argue that it leaves things open in a way that may never truly be satisfying. I think in the case of Gachiakuta it has less of that tha an Okubo work, but there are plenty of things I do believe Urana leaves out there for you to read as you will. 

When I see her going out of her way to make a doll with their heart missing and a man describing a feeling of them missing, Uruana is not expressly saying anything, but allowing us the audience to decide how we read it. I'm certain she has her own way of viewing this story, but I do appreciate that she’s allowed Gachiakuta to be a series where we are allowed some creative liberties. Especially in the fact this is a weekly shonen manga. A demographic I feel often can suffer from needing to make everything somewhat obvious in its meaning or intent. 

But Urana really knows how to capture this sort of vibe. Allow the art to speak for itself and I find myself having to put some of myself in the series when I read and interact with it. So while I’m sure there will be people who think I have basically convinced them of nothing and that this might all be reading to deep, I do at least want to point out that Urana herself has at least allowed for me to make these connections on my own and I think that is worth something at least on her part as a creative.

Conclusion

So yeah what was that all about? Welp like I said this was to be a more personal thinkpiece. One where I wanted to work through my own feelings on why this series had me captivated. Also it's possibly my attempt to broaden the discussion of Gachiakuta. 

Despite the fact many have made the prediction its gonna be a “big deal” it really isn’t. At least by pure sales wise. Nothing bad, but nothing remarkable at the time of writing this. Honestly its doing much better than a series that’s not on the extremely accessible SJ app. It’s a good series but it may just always be underground. 

Every influencer wants to be on the ground floor, whether it's this, Red Hood, Kagurabachi, Nue’s Exorcist, Astro Royale, Mama Yuyu, Centuria, etc. I get that hype and memes are a powerful thing in this internet consumer world. But I do want a series that may be big or important one day to touch on things that make it good beyond hype and anticipation. 

And for me that is what I got with Gachiakuta. There’s an element to it that I haven’t really felt in manga in other media. And the fact it could make me feel that… that’s special to me. I know I’ve talked about some heavy topics and I do hope I was as respectful as I possibly could be. Opening up like this was hard for me. 

As I do truly love this series and hoped I could illustrate why it resonated with me, perhaps it resonated with a lot of people who can see themselves in this one trashy boy.

I hope everyone reading can have that sort of character they see themselves in, and if you enjoyed please like or reblog as it tells me you'd be interested in reading more

[lostinyourears]

Lost in Lucha’s Top 100 CMLL  Matches of 2018 List

Short forward before we get to the list. I hate to state the obvious, but this is mylist for CMLL’s best matches. I didn’t look through Arena Guadalajara matches which thecubsfan posts. All of these matches are from CMLL’s Arena Puebla(which airs monday night) as well as Arena Mexico shows(which airs on Tuesday/Friday). I’m not saying Guadalajara matches aren’t good, as they can be. I just choose to mostly stick to what CMLL officially uploads to Youtube.

I haven’t seen every CMLL match of 2018. If you think something isn’t listed that should be… say so! I’ll gladly watch/rewatch recommendations that people think should have been on this list.

I’m also not saying these are the best lucha libre matches or the best wrestling matches of the year. It says CMLL for a reason, I didn’t watch as much AAA or IWRG and didn’t want to have 90 CMLL matches and 10 matches from those two sources. So if you have other great lucha or wrestling matches this year you think I should watch, feel free to suggest them.  

1. Fenix vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Leyenda de Plata Finals, November 23rd

For my money, the best wrestling match of 2018 bar none. Some people say they prefer the other match these two had earlier in the year. I’m not going to call bullshit, as I really like that match as well as you can see from it’s placement on this list. I just thought this was a great escalation of that match and slightly better. The Leyenda de Plata every year is a great event and highlight from CMLL. Always a treat and these finals trump last year by having 2 younger and more surprising finalists who hit it out of the park!

This is a match I’d be surprised to hear isn’t universally loved. I don’t know how you could see Fenix’s flying skills and the brutality of Barbaro Cavernario in this match and come out calling it anything less than great. I thought similarly about their 2nd match on this top 100 as well.

A must watch for not only any lucha libre fan, but any wrestling fan in general. No doubt the best or one of the best bouts in 2018.  

2. Angel de Oro vs Cuatrero, mask vs mask at Homage to 2 Legends, March 16th

Between this and their title match a few weeks/months later it was hard to choose which match in this feud to give this number 2 spot. I went with this because… someone loses their mask here. I do really think the title match may be as good or better with a fantastic ending, but I didn’t want to spoil this match for any newcomers which gave this an edge. Granted as weeks/months and eventually years pass by this spoiler has become less important, but I wanted to preserve the surprise for any CMLL/Lucha newbies who come upon this list. My favorite lucha de apuestas of the year.  

3. La Park, Volador Jr. & Flyer vs. Ingobernables(Rush, Terrible & Bestia del Ring), May 25th

Did the amount of hype I had for La Park’s return match to CMLL color my perception of this match? Of course, this is my list! Still, away from the hype this match holds up. It’s ridiculous how hot this match is. La Park returns and reignited his feud with Rush and now that he is in CMLL that feud extends fully to Los ingobernables. Many people will poo poo the feud and this match because CMLL didn’t book Rush/La Park lucha de apuestas for CMLL 85th Anniversary. To that, I’ll say that the match is still great. My favorite from Rush or La Park in 2018 and really from any of these 6 in 2018, when pretty much all of them had great 2018′s… except Bestia del Ring, but he’s never had a good year.

4. Cuatrero © vs Angel de Oro for the CMLL World Middleweight Championship June 1st

This is another match from the Cuatrero/Angel de Oro feud and won’t be the last. I loved this feud and it won’t be the only feud to be in this top 10 twice. I think the feuds included in this top 10 are some of the best this year and are one of the great exhibits on why CMLL in 2018 far and away trounced 2017 and showed just how much CMLL has grown over the year. 2018 set a bar to surpass that 2019 might have a hard time living up to.

5. Barbaro Cavernario vs King Phoenix 2/3 falls(Fenix’s first singles match in CMLL) June 29th

When I saw this live back in June my immediate thought was MOTY. You might then be thinking, “well you have matches from earlier in the year you put above this.” Congrats on getting how the calendar works. I still put this at #5 and think it’s one of the best matches of the year. Certainly worth a viewing and I can certainly see why anyone would give this MOTY. A great first singles for Fenix that shows just what Fenix in CMLL can do, if given a spotlight. No doubt a vote of confidence for him and likely a large reason he was given a spot in the Leyenda de Plata finals above which happened a few months later.

6. Hechicero, Dragon Rojo Jr. & Polvora vs. Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. & Black Panther June 22nd

The match I gave #1 over La Park vs. Rush singles match in CMLL, why? Because it’s one of the best trios matches of 2018. I love Rojo/Polvora as a team along with the Panther Dynasty. Add that to the technical wizardry of Hechicero and you have yourself a classic. One of the best matches of the year and the hidden gem pick for this top ten. Everything else here is pretty much regarded as a great match in the CMLL/Lucha fanbase, this one deserves more love and hopefully being #6 on this list will lead to that.

7. Sky Team(Volador Jr./Valiente)© vs. Los ingobernables(Rush/Terrible) for the CMLL World Tag Team Championships July 13th

My favorite tag match of the year. As said in my rewatch thread on twitter, that’s not saying much because they only ever have a few great tag matches a year with CMLL running mostly trios. Putting it at 7 overall for the year on the other hand is saying a bit more. This was fantastic and a direct look at why adding Terrible to ingobernables in 2018 was a brilliant choice. His no nonsense slap the shit out of people offense works great with Rush’s similar ‘to the point’ offense. The highlight of Atlantis’ 40th Anniversary show.  

8. Volador Jr./Matt Taven vs. Rush/Barbaro Cavernario for the hairs, CMLL 85th Anniversary iPPV main event September 14th (Poor quality, can be seen in better quality on RoH’s Honor Club)

Just short of the match at 7th place and the Anniversary main event sliding down 7 spots from 2017′s top 100 list. This being a tag match for the hairs isn’t as dramatic as the mask vs. mask main we got last year. I was happy to see this on Honor Club and got Gran Prix as well in the month timespan I had Honor Club, making it a good value. One that I might sign back up for now that Rush has signed a deal to appear more in RoH.

Volador Jr./Matt Taven was a good feud this year, but not as great as the other 3 feuds in this top ten. Barbaro Cavernario was a good replacement for the injured Terrible, but it makes one wonder what that match would have looked like.

Still this built Barbaro Cavernario for the future which is only a good thing and makes his argument for WOTY that much stronger. Than had he just won Leyenda de Plata, which may not have been planned before this performance.

9. La Park, El Hijo de La Park & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Rush, Barbaro Cavernario & Bestia del Ring September 17th

My second favorite Rush/Park match from their long running feud. They export it to Puebla which works great. I loved the wild action of this match and Park’s son continues to impress when given a chance to be in a marquee match. Barbaro comes along for the ride having just won the main event of CMLL’s biggest show of the year with Rush. This match won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you love a good brawl, that’s this to a tea.  

10. Leyenda de Plata torneo cibernético, 8 vs. 8 elimination to the final 2 November 16th

The preliminary match to our #1 on this list. The best torneo cibernetico of the year like it is most years. Last year’s was at #4 and I don’t think it’s that much better or even better than this one at all. Instead, I think the CMLL economy was different in 2018 than it was in 2017. Basically, I think we had more great matches in 2018 which pushed Leyenda de Plata’s torneo cibernetico down the list. Still a great match and a great way to get introduced to many of the best names on the roster… and Kawato San.

11. Soberano Jr.© vs. Magia Blanca for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship May 1st

This missed the top 10 by the slimmest of margins which spells a great future for both these talents, but a break out performance from Magia Blanca who sadly sat out the latter half of the year due to an injury. Here is hoping he comes back even stronger in 2019 and earns his spot as break out star of the year that he may have claimed in 2018, had he not been sidelined.  

12. Mephisto © vs Titan for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship January 23rd

One of the best title matches of the year despite these two not having much of a feud before or after this. These two had a tooth and nail fight that seemed like either could have won any given second of the match, once we got a few minutes in. Titan has had a secretly stellar year, even if this is his first appearance on the list(outside of the match with 16 men in it). These who had another title match later in the year with each other which isn’t as good and didn’t make the list.

13. Cuatrero © vs. Titan for the CMLL World Middleweight Championship November 6th

Back to back entries for Titan and with good reason. He had a great year and these two matches are proof positive. Hopefully 2019 can be Titan’s year to recapture gold instead of always being the go to challenger. Like Barbaro this year who unseated Atlantis as Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, but had prior to that been in a similar role to Titan, but rudo.

14. Hechicero © vs. Stuka Jr. for the NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Championship August 14th

Hechicero and Stuka Jr. are both very fun. The feud for this belt and the matches that have lead up to it and fall out after were often some of the best matches of any given week with this match being the best of it’s given week. Lots of great action both Hechicero’s technical skill and Stuka Jr.’s flying skill are shown to full effect here. A classic that shouldn’t be forgotten.

15. La Park vs. Rush June 22nd

The first match I gave a #2 spot on CMLL weekly, all above this fell on #1 their given weeks. I’m sure many could be rolling their eyes at it being this high/low. “You think Rush/La Park was feud of the year, but their only singles match is number 15?” Yea, I think La Park’s big return to both CMLL and then Arena Puebla were more fun. This was a great match with plenty of action, but the end left me wanting more, which we didn’t get in 2018, as far as singles matches with these two in CMLL is concerned. Here’s hoping 2019 brings a lucha de apuestas match between these two.

16.  La Park, El Hijo de La Park & Caristico vs. Pentagon, Fenix & Diamante Azul 85th Anniversary semi-main September 14th

I really love this match and if you had told me a year prior that Pentagon/Fenix/La Park/Hijo de La Park would all be in a big match at Anniversary, I’d have laughed. Now that it happened, I feel like I could cry. It’s been just so cool to see all these guys in Arena Mexico and with La Park even Arena Puebla, I can’t imagine the excitement of those who attended some of these events live.

17. Fenix, Mistico, & Caristico vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario(Debut of Fenix in CMLL) June 8th

If there were any worry about Fenix and how he’d fit into the CMLL ecosystem, they were quickly squashed by this excellent match that showcased him vs. Ultimo/Negro Casas and of course Barbaro Cavernario. This was the start of that great feud between those two, which seems far from over as we start 2019.

18. Michael Elgin vs. Ultimo Guerrero October 12th

I wish on FantasticaMania this year we were getting a singles match of this caliber with NJPW vs. CMLL. Michael Elgin resident big man gaijin of NJPW won Gran Prix and his award other than a trophy was a singles match vs. The Final Boss of CMLL as the FantasticaMania promo package painted him as.

Elgin had some answers for some of Ultimo Guerrero moves. A very exciting clash of worlds between these two icons. Michael Elgin has been touring CMLL like clockwork and I assume we’ll see him again in 2019.

19. Caristico © vs. Gran Guerrero for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship October 2nd

It was great to see Gran Guerrero in a singles match again after most of 2018 was about trios matches for Los Guerreros Laguneros with their feud with The Cl4n lasting longer than it probably should have. I love seeing Gran Guerrero just powerhouse through Caristico’s offense and hope that with Barbaro Cavernario now having a belt, perhaps Gran Guerrero and Templario can be the favorite challenger rudos for various tecnico carried belts.  

20. Triton vs Audaz Lighting Match July 24th

Audaz and Triton had a barnburner of a lightning match. The best lightning match of the year and just slipping into the top 20. Last year I was hotter on Barbaro/Dragon Lee lightning which was the highest on it’s list.

I think 2018 was stronger than 2017 at pretty much every turn. So it’s more just about having more and better title matches than this being a lesser lightning match. Though to be honest this was more a proving match between two up and comers, while Barbaro/Lee was more a proving match between two main eventers.  

21. Rush & Terrible vs Ultimo Guerrero & Volador Jr. Incredible Pairs Finals February 23rd

This would be higher if not for the fact Terrible/Rush had the better tag title match listed above. Loved how this match played out and Terrible joining ingobernables was some new blood in that faction that was sorely needed after La Mascara was fired alongside Maximo Sexy in summer of 2017.

For those unaware : Incredible Pairs format is Rudo/Tecnico(Heel/Face) teams tournament and despite Rush/Terrible both being Rudo’s part of the ingobernables shtick is being a different kind of tecnico making rest on paper a tecnico… though his actions in this match say otherwise.

22.  Último Guerrero © vs. Sanson for the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship November 19th

A great defense for this title that was vacated by Marco Corleone a few months prior. This match could have been better, which is they the Elgin match is above this. Still great to see the defacto leader of two rudos stables clash in Puebla and one of the bouts that made Puebla must watch this year.

23. Niebla Roja © vs. Sanson for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship July 17th

Another good title challenge for Sanson which saw him go against Niebla Roja who he’s had a soft feud with. Sorta a byproduct of the Angel de Oro/Cuatrero feud which has mostly lead to trios match and of course this title match.

24. Hechicero, Dragón Rojo Jr. & Polvora vs La Excelencia Tapatia (Titan, Triton & Esfinge) May 11th

Another great CMLL trios bout and it’s no mistake that Dragon Rojo/Polvora are in it again. They may be the best rudo tag team in CMLL, but to be fair that’s because most rudo units are trios or more. I always like seeing Triton as well.  

25. Gran Alternative Finals Ultimo Guerrero & Templario vs. Volador Jr. & Flyer May 18th

Another tournament final, both of the big annual tag tournaments had big aftermath that sorta overshadowed the match, but this is likely the match that put Templario on the map and of course it’s after match angle of La Park showing up will make this one for the history books… even if the match sorta gets lost in the discussion of that and both Volador/Flyer looked better in following months teaming with La Park.

For those unaware  : Gran Alternative is a tag tournament with younger/established guys and a more seasoned partner. Ultimo/Volador being established and Templario/Flyer being newer talents.

26. Volador Jr. © vs Matt Taven for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship March 30th

The last singles male title match to get the #1 spot on CMLL weekly. This is a great match and the shocking outcome was great, but the follow up was really lacking. I would have prefered the follow up to play out in literally any other way, but it didn’t and we are stuck with a great shock win/loss that simply floundered in the following weeks/months.  

27. Cuatrero vs. Angel de Oro February 6th

The match where tensions between Angel de Oro and Cuatrero boiled over. I’d suggest watching all three of the singles matches with these two on this list(so far) as this rivalry was great from start to finish. (Even the Middleweight Championship match at FantasticaMania which isn’t on this list as I’m counting that as a NJPW match)

28. Euforia vs Caristico January 16th

Caristico and Euforia were two of the lucky few who were tasked to hold down the fort during FantasticaMania last year and did a great job in this singles meeting. Euforia is secretly a great competitor even in singles matches and this one showed in full what he could do with a great partner.

29. Barbaro Cavernario vs. Matt Taven August 31st

A great singles match to build towards Anniversary with both corner men getting involved in the last stages of the match. Barbaro has had a killer year and this is another testament to that.

30. Rush vs Kraneo April 23rd

The catalyst for the Kraneo tecnico turn. Things are crazy in this match, if you can’t appreciate the silliness of Kraneo, this likely won’t change your mind. If you can appreciate him and Mije, this match could be a contender for MOTY. It’s balls to the walls crazy, from start to finish.

31.  Negro Casas vs Sam Adonis, Hair vs Hair, January 1st

A pretty strong main event to start the year off on. Negro Casas still going strong at 57 and Sam Adonis looking better than he normally does. Negro Casas got hurt here and sat out the start of 2018 while Sam Adonis left for most of the 2nd year, so it feels like both men failed to capitalize on the surprisingly great match they had here.

32. Negro Casas vs. Soberano Jr., 1 fall no time limit, May 11th

Great match which was booked a few weeks after their lightning match which ended on a draw. This would be higher if it weren’t for the fact that a decent amount of this match felt similar to the above listed Magia Blanca match Soberano Jr. had.

33.  Dalys © vs Kaho Kobayashi for the CMLL World Women’s Title April 23rd

Is this a token women’s match on this list? Yes, yes it is. Sue me, I liked this match, but not much else from the luchadora roster from CMLL this year stood out. Kaho was a breath of fresh air and anyone who says they aren’t looking forward to Kaho returning to the division either doesn’t watch the division or is lying. CMLL could use more female talent in general, the norm of trios matches is hard to keep from being boring when you have a roster of around a dozen.  

34. Flyer vs. Magia Blanca, New Values Cup Finals, April 17th

This would no doubt be higher if it weren’t for the fact Flyer was roped into the La Park program and Magia Blanca similarly had a better match when he went one on one vs. Soberano Jr. for his belt soon after this. Still, these up and comer tournament finals are always must watch, because how can you not be excited for new guys getting a spotlight? Bonus for this making the New Values’ Tuesday night shows live up to the name.

35.  Volador Jr., Mistico & Valiente © vs. Gran Guerrero, Ultimo Guerrero, & Caristico CMLL World Trios Championship match April 2nd

A fun trios championship match for Arena Puebla which saw Caristico show up in a half Guerreros mask, which might be bumping this up a bit for me. I’m a Guerreros mark and if you have a problem with that… sorry?

36. Sanson © vs. Templario, King of the Underworld Championship, Day of the Dead iPPV, November 2nd

This would have tracked higher, but I honestly think the Cuatrero/Titan match came out better and was free on Youtube a few days later when the next Tuesday show aired. While this was the main reason to buy the underwhelming Day of the Dead iPPV, that was announced as an iPPV the day before.

37. Angel de Oro, Niebla Rojo, Black Panther, Blue Panther Jr. & Stuka Jr. vs. Dragon Rojo Jr., Luciferno, Misterioso Jr., Espanto Jr. & Templario, La Copa Halcón Suriano 5 vs. 5 Elimination, October 19th

The next best torneo after Leyenda de Plata, this and the King of the Underworld torneo imo took the shine off Gran Prix, which was still fun, but felt bloated while this torneo felt better paced and had better action across the board.

38. Mistico vs. Caristico April 9th

I was expecting more from this match, but it was still good shit. People loving Caristico and hating on pirata Mistico. Wish more came from this and that it was longer. Still this was good action between these two long rivals.

39. Cuatrero vs Mephisto lightning match July 20th

Two unstoppable rudos fighting it out for supremacy, what else could you want?

40. Dragon Lee vs Caristico, Lightning Match, June 15th

Much like Caristico vs. Mistico this isn’t higher mostly because it didn’t live up to the promise such a match has. This was supposed to happen before Dragon Lee went to Japan for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He had a muscle scare though and it was called off early in the match. Glad to have this match rebooked when he came back, but was hoping for more.

41. Pegasso, Magia Blanca & Star Jr. vs. Templario, Sagrado & Virus, March 23rd

Really great ending stretch in this match with both Magia Blanca and Templaio seemingly being penciled in for a push this year. Templario got his and Magia Blanca won the New Values Cup, but has been sidelined by injury for the 2nd half of the year, hopefully CMLL is still hot on him come his 2019 return.

42. Gran Prix, 9 vs. 9 Elimination, Team Mexico vs. Team Rest of the World, October 5th

My 3rd favorite torneo cibernetico this year. Falling a long distance down the list. I thought Team Rest of the World was rather lackluster this year. No offense to guys like David Finlay/Briscoes/Dark Magic, but they felt like filler here. Even Gilbert el Boricua didn’t stand out as much as I’d hoped. This match seems less must watch than the Ultimo vs. Elgin match listed above, which was fall out for the Friday directly after this one. I hope this keeps being an annual event, but I could see CMLL scrapping it since they told the Elgin story over the last 3 years.

43. Soberano Jr., Niebla Roja & Angel de Oro vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Templario, December 18th

Templario teams with Los Guerreros Laguneros again. This match has a better ending than the match about a month prior when he officially joined. That atomicos will be lower on the list as it was plenty of fun, but felt this was the better match overall. Hope we get a Templario/Soberano Jr. match in 2019.

44. Los Guerreros Laguneros(Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Euforia) © vs. Volador Jr., Mistico & Caristico for the CMLL World Trios Championships,  November 30th

Very akin to late 2017 when Los Guerrero Laguneros were challenging for the titles when Volador Jr./Mistico/Valiente had the belts. A little too akin for my tastes, but this is still a fantastic trios championship match. I could see many people putting this sprint in their top 10 for CMLL this year.

45. El Hijo de La Park, Soberano Jr., & Flyer vs. Hechicero, Negro Casas, & Mephisto, August 24th

A great showcase for all the tecnicos and Mephisto looks like a stud in his Villano III tribute gear. Villano III is who they are honoring before this match happens and had many members of his family to to the ring.

46.  Forastero, Negro Casas & Rey Bucanero vs. Mistico, Soberano Jr. & Hijo del La Park, September 28th

A great showing for Forastero and all 3 tecnicos were looking good. It’s always nice to see Negro Casas as well and it seems like every tecnico in the company excels when facing off vs. the old guard rudo.

47. #1 Contenders, 6 vs. 6 torneo cibernetico for Sanson’s King of the Underworld Championship, October 26th

Think this is the last torneo cibernetico that’ll be on this list. It was mostly pushed down due to some of the talents included seemed very unlikely to win and thus hurt the drama. Cuatrero/Forastero for instance, as much as I like them, didn’t seem to fit well here when their brother/cousin has the title. Would have rather had them in Leyenda de Plata which they could theoretically have won. Especially Cuatrero who of course had a breakout year.  

48.  La Park, El Hijo de La Park & Volador Jr. vs. Los ingobernables(Rush, Bestia del Ring & Terrible), June 1st

The second match for La Park upon his CMLL return. These trios/team matches with Rush/La Park were fun, but think they had diminishing returns. The 1st in Area Mexico and the 1st in Puebla stand as tall above the following weeks in both Arenas. Having fun brawls all summer and in the weeks following Anniversary in Puebla were some of the most fun I had watching CMLL this year, even if the dusty finishes of many left them feeling less impactful.

49. Soberano Jr. vs Barbaro Cavernario, March 27th

Feels like this was a blueprint for what both Fenix matches did later in the year. I honestly could have seen this being match of the year earlier this year, but with all the crazy action over the summer/fall/winter it was pushed down plenty. Still more than worth checking out these two great young talents in an epic.

50. Rush/Barbaro Cavernario vs. La Park/Hijo de La Park, September 24th

More Park vs. Rush in Puebla, this time with less fat!

51. Ultimo Guerrero © vs. Stuka Jr. for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship, May 22nd

A fun title match between two of my favorites, but both had better singles matches this year as listed above. The ending in particular felt a little weird here, but I still really enjoyed this match.  

52. Pentagon vs. Caristico, December 28th

Pentagon hasn’t hit the ground running as well as his brother Fenix in CMLL. He has still had plenty of great matches and this one would be higher on the list if the ending wasn’t so silly and deflating. Still a great match and a great way to end 2018, but here’s hoping his next singles match in CMLL has a better ending and perhaps a title on the line. Fenix for instance had his 2nd singles match in the company for a tournament win, that match of course being #1.

53. Los Guerreros Laguneros(Ultimo Guerrero/Gran Guerrero/Euforia) vs. Ingobernables(Rush/Bestia del Ring) & Barbaro Cavernario, August 20th

It’s pretty funny that despite the fact Los Guerrero Laguneros had a long running feud with The Cl4n for the CMLL World Trios titles, which even got a match at CMLL Anniversary, their best feuds this year were in Puebla vs. Ingobernables and…—–>

54. NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero) vs. Los Guerreros Laguneros(Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero & Euforia), November 12th

Puebla is often seen as the weaker of the weekly shows, but CMLL have been putting some fun matches and rivalries in that arena to keep in interesting, depending on what week you watch it.

55. Mascara Año 2000 & NGD vs. Los Guerrero Laguneros, November 23rd

Think this is the 1st atomicos on this list. Just like trios you pin/submit the captain or two none captains to win a round.  

This was a great feel good moment for fans of Dinamitas and Mascara Ano 2000. He was honored then got to be in an exciting Friday Night Main Event. In my opinion the best ‘Anniversary of my career’ match we’ve had this year, which is a tall order when Blue Panther/Atlantis/Negro Casas all had them this year.

This was also the start of Templario as an official member of Los Guerreros Laguneros. Which is a big step up the cards for him.

56. Kraneo vs Hechicero lightning match January 19th

A great lightning match that shows how great the characters in CMLL can be despite story being rather thin in the company. I love Kraneo and Mije, if you don’t you may not find this as charming as I did.

57. Audaz, Fuego & Triton vs Raziel, Cancerbero & Nitro, January 30th

Audaz under a new name/mask this was only his 6th match after changing his name/mask from Fiero and Triton only came back from injury a little over a month before this match. Both looked great here and Raziel/Cancerbero are a great team who were awol most of 2018 with Raziel out on injury.

58. Hechicero, Mr. Niebla & Ephesto vs. Stuka Jr., Soberano Jr. & Angel de Oro, August 7th

This was the build up match for the following weeks Hechicero© vs. Stuka Jr. title match that is listed above. It got heated to the point that Hechicero ripped off Stuka Jr.’s pants. Which was a fun rudo move for Hechicero and something Barbaro did to Soberano Jr. this year as well.

59. Gran Guerrero vs. Niebla Roja, January 6th

A reprisal of their CMLL 84th Anniversary main event from a few months prior in September. This match is good, but doesn’t live up to the epic were both men had their masks on the line, which of course was my #1 match for 2017.

60. Titan vs Rey Cometa Lightning Match, January 12th

A very fun lightning match between two of the best tecnicos in the company. Rey Cometa seems like he is locked in midcard purgatory, but I have hope that CMLL sees the value in Titan who had a killer 2018.

61. Dragon Lee & Mistico vs. Sanson & Cuatrero, CMLL Tag Team Tournament preliminary match, March 2nd

Two pairs of brothers, both of which are over and beloved trying to knock the other brothers out of the tournament? Sounds good to me. These two teams as of this writing are set to meet in a FantasticaMania family tournament semi-final on January 18th.

62. Flyer vs. Magia Blanca, New Values Cup Finals, April 17th

A great finals for a great tournament. Not higher simply because Flyer had some good matches with La Park and his family, while Magia Blanca had his great title challenge vs. Soberano Jr. So this was pushed down the list because both men have had better showings this year and Flyer had some shakey moments.

63. Casas Family(Negro Casas, Felino & Tiger) vs. NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero), August 31st

CMLL Anniversary was right around the corner and in the build we got this match between dynasties : Casas brothers Negro Casas/Felino along with Tiger, who is son of Felino vs. Dinamitas brothers Sanson/Cuatrero and cousin Forastero. I love these kind of family battles and this one is no different.

64. Hijos del Infierno(Mephisto, Luciferno & Ephesto) vs Soberano Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan, February 5th

I spoke very highly of this when it happened. It still holds up as one of the best trios this year. Demon’s as a full unit vs. 3 of the best tecnicos in the company, hard to go wrong with a pairing like that.

65. Dragon Rojo Jr., Polvora & Templario vs. Audaz, Esfinge & Soberano Jr., October 12th

Another fantastic trios match that included the duo of Rojo/Polvora. Before Templario joined Los Guerreros Laguneros it seemed like Templario might’ve joined Los Revolucionarios del Terror, him tagging with them a fair amount.

66. Cuatrero © vs. Angel de Oro for the CMLL World Middleweight Championship, July 16th

Another great match between these two, but this feels like continued fallout from the other matches and not as definitive or dramatic as the matches listed above from this feud. A reset point for this feud and the last singles match from the two of them(as of this writing). We could likely see this again in 2019, I’d be excited to see them reprise this great rivalry.  

67. Virus, Puma & Tiger vs. Audaz, Rey Cometa & Guerrero Maya Jr., Special Coliseo 75th Anniversary broadcast, April 7th

My favorite match from the Coliseo 75th Anniversary show they did, one of the few matches from that arena on this list as they don’t often upload shows from that Arena, but made a point to air this.

68. Pegasso, Blue Panther Jr. & The Panther vs. Templario, Puma & Tiger, April 20th

Another match with Puma/Tiger, their feud with the Panther Bros. is/was one of my favorite things in wrestling over the last 5 years. They’d likely be on this list more had Puma not left half way through the year.

69. Volador Jr. © vs. Barbaro Cavernario for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship, October 8th

This was a heated title match, but suffered from Volador Jr./Barbaro having had so many singles matches before this and even other title matches like this. Still, a good version of this match in Puebla so no doubt it was fun for fans there to see these two titans clash.

70. Mephisto vs. Dragon Lee, April 10th

I’m fairly cool on this match. It’s still a very good match, but I thought that the earlier in the year Titan vs. Mephisto match was better in pretty much every way. Which is they it cracked to top 15.

71. Dragon Lee, Soberano Jr. & Blue Panther Jr. vs Mephisto, Luciferno & Ephesto, March 6th

Demons again work well as a unit and we get Blue Panther Jr. in a bigger match than many of the midcard matches we see him in.  Lots to like here and of course Dragon Lee/Soberano Jr. this match is one that lead towards Lee/Mephisto listed just above about a month later.

72. Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring, Black Warrior & Euforia vs. Mascara Ano 200, Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero, October 19th

The atomicos match that Blue Panther got for his 40 years in the business vs. NGD and their uncle Mascara Ano 2000.

Penterita del Ring taking up his old mask is better known as Ephesto in modern CMLL. Black Warrior being a legend who hasn’t been in CMLL lately or following this match/event.

All of Blue Panther’s team are Laguneros(a swampy region of Mexico) which is where Blue Panther is from and he is a major inspiration for basically any luchador who comes from that region.

73. Mephisto & Yago vs. Volador Jr. & Flyer, Gran Alternative Block A Finals,  May 4th

Finals of this tournament are higher on this list. Unlike that match this was a single round instead of the CMLL norm of 2/3 falls. Yago was given many small highlights year and might break out in 2019 if CMLL has confidence in him.

Flyer got that sorta push this year thanks to his relative La Park showing up in CMLL to save him after the finals of this tournament. With Flyer being in main events with relatives Volador Jr. & La Park.

74. Ultimo Guerrero & Templario vs. Kraneo & Audaz, Gran Alternative Block B Tournament match,  May 11th

The best match of Block B for that tournament. Audaz/Templario seemed poised for a singles feud that never really happened. Hopefully in 2019 CMLL gives these guys something to feud over.

75. Angel de Oro, Soberano Jr. & El Hijo de La Park vs NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero), May 25th

Great debut for El Hijo del La Park that many will forget because his father being in the much more celebrated main event where he continued his feud with Rush. If you’ve come this far you’ll see Hijo got to tag with his dad plenty this year. Those matches are rated higher for various reasons the biggest being an actual feud. Hopefully in 2019 Hijo de La Park is given more to do, perhaps if he signs or takes a bigger role/more dates in CMLL?

76. Luciferno, Dragon Rojo Jr. & Polvora vs. La Excelencia Tapatia (Titan, Triton & Esfinge), June 26th

Rojo/Polvora were great this year and Triton is one of my favorite guys on the roster. La Excelencia Tapatia make a great Trio, as of this writing, Triton/Esfinge still hold the Coliseo Tag Titles they won in 2018.

77. Rush vs. Ultimo Guerrero Lightning Match, May 4th

Two of the biggest rudos clash in a fun and memorable lightning match, but it didn’t lead to much as most of Rush’s Summer was focused on La Park.

78. Fenix, Volador Jr. & El Hijo de La Park vs. La Peste Negra(Negro Casas, Mr. Niebla & Barbaro Cavernario), June 22nd

Fenix and Hijo de La Park in the same match. An impossibility in 2017 made reality in 2018. A sign of how much CMLL is shaking things up and will hopefully keep bringing in exciting names in 2019.

79. La Park, Fenix, & Volador Jr. vs. Rush, Terrible & Cibernetico, June 15th

At the time I watched this match I called it my 2nd favorite of the Park/Rush series, but this was still pretty early in the saga. Still a fun main event and Rush/Park feud was fun to watch from start to now and is about a dozen matches(in CMLL) and many of those made this list because they are great.

80. Kazuchika Okada, Ultimo Guerrero & Negro Casas vs. Mistico, Valiente & Diamante Azul, August 17th

Okada showed up in Arena Mexico in a balloon filled haze after losing his IWGP Heavyweight Championship earlier in the summer. It was a fun ride, but one of the best parts probably isn’t the actual match, but seeing rudo old guards Ultimo/Casas like proud fathers with Okada in the post match interview.  

81. Ingobernables(Rush/Naito/Bushi) with Evil, Terrible, Bestia del Ring & La Comandante vs. Volador Jr., La Park & Diamante Azul, August 31st

This match is a silly clash of worlds while Okada had a more straight laced normal match in CMLL, with better technical action and less..silliness. Both earn a place on this list less for being great matches and more for being cool moments. I’d like to see NJPW talents in CMLL more often. (Post match interview for them as well)

82. NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero) vs. Caristico, David Finlay & Flip Gordon, October 9th

Great Tuesday night main event and Flip Gordon looks as good here as he ever has in CMLL. Hopefully in 2018 Flip Gordon can get a singles match in CMLL even if it’s just a lightning.

83. Titan, Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. & Flyer, June 11th

An explosive Puebla main event that showed Titan gunning for Soberano Jr. hard. One of the best main events Puebla had all year.

84. Soberano Jr. © vs. Titan Mexican National Welterweight Championship match, June 25th

Both great talents, but had stronger singles matches with other people throughout the year. Was strange to see Titan play the rudo(heel) since he has been a tecnico(face) for so long.

85. Pentagon el 0M, Rush, & Terrible vs. Caristico, Volador Jr. & Valiente, June 29th

Pentagon’s debut in CMLL came a week after he attacked Caristico in a main event. Pentagon hasn’t made as big of a splash as most would have hoped, but had lots of his thunder stolen by La Park and son along with his own brother Fenix who all did more in 2018(in CMLL).

86. Tiger, Puma & Misterioso Jr. vs. Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. & Black Panther, July 10th

Another great match in the long running Panthers/Felino family rivalry.

87. Yago vs. Flyer, New Values Cup Semi-Finals, April 3rd

Good 1 fall singles match. Yago showed his awareness here helping save 2 near botches from Flyer. Both guys have a future in the business and it started here with this great New Values Tournament. A highlight of May/March and Tuesday shows this year.

88. Forastero vs Audaz Lightning Match, August 17th

Audaz had a string of great lightning matches, this was one of the better ones, but not the best which is much higher up the list vs. Triton. Forastero looked good here as well. Forastero has not been in the big singles matches his cousins Forastero/Sanson have. This still isn’t a big singles match, but obviously practice for one down the road.

89. Titan vs. Angel de Oro, Lightning Match, August 14th

Two great tecnicos fighting it out to see who the better good guy is. A nice upper midcard pairing where both guys seemed like they needed the win. (Titan failing to win titles, Oro losing both his mask/title in 2018) Glad to see something like this instead of two guys who are just thrown together.

90. Kawato San vs. Tiger, Lightning Match, May 8th

Lots of people have dunked on Kawato San since he made his way onto the CMLL roster. I think he has improved a lot and his only singles match of the year(on CMLL TV) is worth checking out. I’m a big fan of Tiger, I like basically everyone on this list though.

91.  Volador Jr., Michael Elgin & Caristico vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Sanson & Cuatrero, September 28th

One of the stand out trios matches featuring Elgin in CMLL in 2018. The main Elgin matches to watch in CMLL this year like all years is Gran Prix(He’s been in all 3 since it’s 2016 revival), but more importantly his singles match with Ultimo the week after.

92. La Park, Atlantis & Mistico vs. Gilbert El Boricua, Negro Casas & Mephisto

Gilbert El Boricua’s debut, better known as Mil Muertes on Lucha Underground of Ricky Banderas in AAA/TNA. He will be working more with CMLL in 2019, but didn’t leave much of an impact in his 2-3 appearances in 2018 which marked his CMLL debut having historically been a AAA talent.

93. Audaz, Stigma & Triton vs. Templario, Okumura & Kawato San, October 15th

Great tecnico team and the up and coming rudo Templario. Great talent in here, even Kawato San/Okumura as team Japan. I think Okumura is underrated even if he doesn’t show up too often on this list. (He was in Gran Prix)

94. Marco Corleone © vs Diamante Azul for the CMLL World Heavyweight Title, January 15th

A good big man match and I think Marco Corleone’s last big singles match on TV before leaving wrestling later in the year.

95. Tiger vs Rey Cometa in a Lightning Match, September 4th

Rey Cometa doesn’t get much to do, but is one of the most solid guys on the roster. This is a great match from him and Tiger.

96. Triton, Esfinge & Soberano Jr. vs. Dragon Rojo Jr., Hechicero & Templario, September 4th

Why not have all these guys on the list again?

97. Stigma, Super Astro Jr. & Rey Samuray vs. Templario, Universo 2000 Jr. & King Jaguar, August 6th

The ‘Super Astro Jr. wasn’t on the list yet, but I wanted him to be’ entry.

98. Atlantis/Octagon/Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero/Fuerza Guerrera/Máscara Año 2000, July 13th

Would feel wrong to not include the match that marked Atlantis’ 40 years in the business. This match relies on nostalgia, but feels in place on this top 100 because of the ending.

99. Felino, Puma, Tiger & Stigma vs. Pantera Blanca Jr., Los Gemelos Pantera I & II, & Stuka Jr., April 16th

Some oddball matches to end on. First a fairly rare atomicos saw Felino, sons Tiger/Puma and unrelated Stigma vs. Pantera outsiders(they work lucha indies, think primarily Texas) and well known CMLL talent Stuka Jr. this was one of the last few matches Puma had before he shockingly departed CMLL.  

100. Blue Panther Jr., Black Panther & Stigma vs. Costa Ricans(Ares, Escualo & Kaiser), September 24th

Another match of outsiders this time from CWE a Costa Rican promotions that at one point was called CMLL Costa Rica(might still have some relation to CMLL). They have their own Youtube where they host content, figured I’d give them a shout out here at the end.

Hope you enjoyed CMLL this year, see you next year!

[lostinyourears]

CMLL 84th Anniversary Report!

The show is still available at internet.tv this will obviously be spoiler filled so fair warning. I won’t have the ‘who’s who?’ sections I normally do because the primer I did before the show aired basically has pictures of what everyone looks like.  

Stuka Jr, The Panther & Blue Panther Jr. vs Polvora, Dragon Rojo Jr. & Hechicero

This opening trios match was probably the best trios of the night. I’ve always felt that Stuka Jr. and Valiente fill a very similar role and would normally argue that Valiente fills it better. Stuka Jr’s performance here has really made me rethink that position. Stuka was very impressive as was Hechicero. I think this is arguably one of the best trios matches of the year, which is high praise since about 70-80% of CMLL’s output is trios matches.  

The Panther Bros really earn this opening spot with both this and their opener 2 weeks ago at Gran Prix being the standout undercard match both iPPV’s. I’d really like to see them face Puma/Tiger again soon on a big stage like this.

While I like Panther Bros more than Polvora/Dragon Rojo Jr. Both teams deserve a pat on the back though, with each duo working excellent as a team doing double team maneuvers and each treating their odd man out as an extension of their team instead of just a 3rd person they are dragging along as it sometimes feels. Panther Bros lost the 3rd falls, but don’t feel like losers because they were in the best trios match of the night. 

Marco Corleone, Diamante Azul & Valiente vs NGD(Sanson, Cuatrero & Forastero)

A fun bout that allowed some of the bigger tecnico names of CMLL to shine and use their signature maneuvers. Valiente did his signature double springboard moonsault, we got Air Corleone and Diamante Azul got to show off his powerhouse moveset. NGD weren’t left out in the cold though, as one of CMLL’s rising trios one of the reasons they are rising is because they are great at doing team moves. Which looked good vs two of the heaviest guys on the roster : Azul/Marco. 

NGD lost, which is questionable since they are taking on such a thrown together team. Still Azul just won Gran Prix, unmasked a guy back in March and both Valiente and Marco are holding CMLL gold. So it’s not like they lost to some midcarders. I just think NGD winning their Anniversary Debut would have been nicer, but we don’t live in a perfect world and we still got a good match out of these 6, even if it wasn’t the hot match we got in the open. 

Sam Adonis, Rush and Kraneo vs Barbaro Cavernario, Negro Casas and El Felino

This match seemed to exist mostly to set up a feud for down the line. Adonis and Negro Casas has already been announced for a lightning match for Friday. This match wasn’t everything it could have been, but we got some good bits. Cavernario and Rush clash here and hopefully that is something down the line as well, though who knows how that will come to be since both are rudos, but so are Adonis and Casas... though really everyone becomes a babyface/tecnico when taking on the Trump loving Adonis. 

Kraneo/Cuije are fun as always and even Felino did a big dive. No doubt feeling the need to pull out all the tricks in his book. Every CMLL Anniversary you are in as a 50+ year old talent might be the last. While the match wasn’t great, it did what it was meant to by leading to Adonis/Casa. It might be the worst match on the card, but that’s more because of the dumb finish than any of the in ring action which was solid, if a little rushed.(No pun intended)

Princesa Sugehit vs Zeuxis, Mask vs Mask

Wow! These ladies really set the bar high for the main event. I haven’t seen the MYC yet, I’ve watched the first 2 episodes and will get around to it. So with that said, I have to say that of all the women’s matches I’ve seen this year across WWE/NXT PPV’s and TV(Though I have missed some NXT TV Women’s matches)... this is the best women’s match I’VE seen this year. That’s just that I’ve seen, I don’t know if it’s Asuka’s undefeated streak or me not really buying into Ember Moon. This just stood tall a a great match. Also, I’m certain I might be less hot on this match after seeing the MYC which I only heard good things about.

This just felt more Dramatic and the stakes seemed much higher. While the women weren’t the main event, this is the first ever women’s mask vs mask match at Anniversary. The crowd felt hot for this, arguably as hot as they were all night, though I think the main event also had it’s epic moments the crowd got behind. I absolutely loved the second fall moment when Zeuxis reversed an armbar into a pin to get the fall. 

I also appreciate the pacing of the match. While the main event was great, I would argue fall 1 and 2 happen too quickly making it almost all in the 3rd round. Which is a good tactic for building drama, I just prefer the 1st/2nd rounds not feeling like an afterthought. 

Hopefully this match and the big moment of Sugehit losing her mask wasn’t for nothing. I’d love for this to be a start of a brighter future for Luchadoras and women in CMLL. Hopefully this can occupy the space that the Sexy Star controversy has had in past weeks. With that story quiet, hopefully this doesn’t go under the radar and CMLL has things in mind for Sugehit and Zeuxis and doesn’t let this momentum slow. 

Flip Gordon, Volador Jr. & Caristico vs Ultimo Guerrero, Mephisto & Satoshi Kojima

This match was... what it was : filler. I mean let’s not mince words... it was fun/good filler, but that’s what it was. CMLL Anniversary couldn’t happen without Ultimo/Volador cause Arena Mexico would riot. CMLL likes to have some outside talent on Anniversary so we got Flip and Kojima at the party. 

This match lacks a certain urgency and it’s not hard to understand why. 

All the CMLL talent are made for life and basically on the back 9 of their careers. Volador Jr. is probably the only talent who might have more success in their future than their past, but even Volador Jr is super decorated and won the biggest prize in CMLL this year by beating Ultimo to be crowned the 2017 Universal Championship. 

Really only Flip Gordon would have something to prove and it kinda shows. The 25 year old working probably the hardest out of anyone in the match.

I find it funny that I watched 10 Kojima matches from the G1 Climax and his performance here might be the favorite one I’ve seen from him. Though, I’ll freely admit that I’m not as well versed in his tag runs with Tenzan or his higher on the card singles run from a decade or so ago. 

A good/fun light match, but not one that felt like it needed to be won. Instead it feels like a game of pickup with very little on the line... because that’s what it was for most people in the match. No one on team rudo is going to be hurt by this loss, Ultimo in particular is probably more invested in the next match on the card than he was in this throw away trios that was the buffer between the two mask vs mask main event caliber matches.

Niebla Roja vs Gran Guerrero, mask vs mask 

I think they did it... I think they really fucking did it. There was doubt going into this match. Niebla Roja disappeared for the last couple weeks, with everyone saying he had an injury. If that is true, his performance here is unbelievably good. If that’s not true, he still did a great job for an uninjured guy. 

Right off the bat we got Roja suicide diving out onto Gran Guerrero. 

Something to note is both men had their older brothers in their corners. 

Both of course fighting to keep their mask, both masks being designed to look like Ultimo Guerreros. 

I really have a hard time finding faults in this match. Which shocks me here and with CMLL mask vs masks matches in general. As far as I can tell/know, Gran and Roja have never had a singles match before this. Let me repeat that NEVER have these two met in singles competition before having one of the best singles matches of this year!

One spot I don’t like is the Gran Guerrero inverted powerbomb out of the corner... it just looks a little convoluted imo and not as impactful as an Ultimo Bomb. I get that it’s done as a way to distinguish Gran/Ultimo so they don’t have all the same spots, but it’s not a very good reimagining. 

Gran Guerrero did the signature catch twice and the first one was just amazing! I’m never not going to mark out when some diving guy is caught right out of the air. It’s also a spot that seems easy to fuck up, so seeing it done so perfectly made me very excited to see who Gran catches in the coming years. 

I can’t believe they did such a great job. I don’t know who wouldn’t enjoy this match and while it may be bold to say this... it’s better than last year's main event. While last year Dragon Lee/La Mascara had a good match I think Rush’s involvement kinda cheapened the win, even if he cost both man a fall. 

This year was just 2 warriors(pun kinda intended) battling it out for the iconic mask design of Ultimo Guerrero. While some might say that it was just an Ultimo cover band with Gran Guerrero, I think using some of Ultimo’s spots isn’t as easy as it sounds. Particularly with that catch spot that was done twice in the match. 

I’d also be so bold to say something I don’t think is controversial. This was better than the Wrestlemania main event.  No offense to Taker vs Roman, but it wasn’t exactly a stellar match even if it becomes historically significant as Undertaker's retirement. 

Final Thoughts :

CMLL Anniversary was pretty great this year. We got 2 mask vs masks match instead of one. I’d say both were better than last year's, 2 betting matches. The opening trios was great as well with the other half of the card being fun, but not really feeling like a major step up from the normal trios action you’d see on CMLL TV. Though you likely wouldn’t seen NGD paired with such a strong team. 

If you have 15 bucks to spare, I’d highly recommend this show. If you don’t, I’d highly recommend seeing it elsewhere after the fact either thecubsfan or CMLL officially releasing it. . 

Highlights : 

CMLL 84th Anniversary Highlight(No 3rd/Final falls)