I’m not going to sit here and pretend to have any in depth insight into this match. I’ve already gone on record many times about how I consider lucha to be one of my most glaring blind spots in wrestling fandom. This match, especially, has a lot that might deter new viewers who don’t know much about lucha libre. Perhaps the most glaring barrier here is the heel referee who actively works against Sevilla throughout the entire match. Some people will say that it’s a confusing plot element that takes away from the match, and I can certainly see where they’re coming from on that front.
Personally, I’ve seen just enough lucha to know that referee bullshit is just par for the course. I didn’t really mind it so I didn’t have too much trouble looking past it and just focusing on the action in the ring. I would advise you to not worry about too much, and just enjoy what’s here.
Because once you get past the referee crap, this match rules.
The first two falls are incredibly short but the work is all very smooth and fast paced. There’s no real downtime during the falls and both men definitely a certain urgency to this fitting of the lucha de apuesta stipulation.
The real magic is the third fall though. There’s some blood in there which always helps spice things up but it’s not really violence that draws me to this match. This isn’t Dandy/Satanico or anything like that, so the blood is a nice little thing but not the heart of the action. Oh no, what brings us here are the dives.
Oh what lovely dives they are. These two are just throwing themselves into these topes. We get crossbodies off the top, multiple suicide dives, just a lot of grand, stunning offense that lends a sense of desperation to the action. It doesn’t feel like just flash for flash’s sake but rather like a necessary upping of the ante to get the victory. So much of this action completely holds up in 2022. Even smaller moments that shouldn’t be as spectacular as they are get elevated by just manic bumping like how Sevilla back body drops Salvaje over the ropes. Salvaje goes soaring over the top rope and crashes in breathtaking manner.
Settle back, don’t think too hard about the referee, let this match’s charms take you.
