Mascara Dorada (c) vs Mephisto
Two out of Three Falls Match for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship
02/19/2016
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
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(reviewed 01/13/2017) Kicking off his great “fuck you, New Japan, I’m one of the best luchadors in the world and you ruined a year of my career” run, Dorada defends his title against an old standby of modern lucha libre. Mephisto targets Dorada’s arm early on, winning the first fall with a neat reverse rocking horse/Boston Crab submission. He steamrolls over the champ in the second fall as well, but Dorada’s superior speed allows him to avoid Mephisto’s charge into the corner, slapping on a standing STF to even things up and earn some curious boos from the crowd. That speed comes back to bite him in the ass briefly in the third fall, as he misses a corner dropkick and eats shit before recovering with a few rope-running spots and a pair of great topes suicidas. Back in the ring, Mephisto survives a pair of pin attempts from Dorada before tossing him to the apron, looking for a sliding dropkick, but the champ avoids it and hits an ASTOUNDING springboard moonsault to the floor. Gorgeous dive there. Mephisto earns a pair of nearfalls from a big ol’ Liger Bomb and a Muscle Buster, but Dorada avoids a Swanton attempt and sends his opponent to the outside with a dropkick, connecting with a good spaceman dive. His third rana attempt goes south, though, as Mephisto reverses it into an apron powerbomb, topping it off with the Demon Driller back in the ring for a nearfall. Dorada’s speed once again bites him in the ass, as Mephisto sends him flying onto the entrance ramp with a hiptoss reversal, though he’s able to hit a flip dive off the stage to even things up again. He tops it off with a running rana over the ropes, sprinting down the ramp to leap into the ring, but Mephisto hits a dropkick to his back when the champ goes for a springboard senton afterward. A powerbomb and bucklebomb combo earn Mephisto another good nearfall, firing up the crowd, but Dorada sends him crashing to the floor with a rana over the ropes and off the apron. Keep in mind, Mephisto is 48 fucking years old. The old man is able to get his knees up on a splash to the floor from Dorada, sending the champ into the crowd with an Irish whip. Dorada is able to use the guardrail to hit another rana before both men make their way back into the ring, where he’s caught with a Demon Driller off the top rope for a big-ass nearfall. Dorada immediately catches him with the Dorada Screwdriver for the somewhat abrupt finish. Still, great match here, just some straightforward lucha quality with a few awesome moments that will stick with me for a while. Even if you’re not a big fan of lucha libre, I’m sure there’d be enough action in this to satisfy your needs.
Brock Hates Wrestling 