We began with fireworks. Delfin month ends with something a little more humble.
That is, as humble as a Korakuen Hall bout against a lucha libre legend like Atlantis can be. Really though, this isn’t some grand farewell from our hero. While curating the watchlist for the project, I only had this on for last as it was quite a curiosity as far as pairings go, and it’s from the later stages of Delfin’s run. A neat little novelty to send us off.
This isn’t a long match at all–it only goes seven and a half minutes–but it still ends up feeling entirely complete. It opens with Atlantis trying to get the jump on Delfin at the bell but Delfin being able to hold his own in the quickened pace to hold off the initial attack. It takes Atlantis rolling to the floor to break Delfin’s momentum for the luchador to regain the advantage with a solid shot right to the face.
This match gives us something we don’t get much of with Delfin: our hero being worked over in an extended heat segment. Delfin’s selling in this segment isn’t too much to write home about, but Atlantis delivers the goods with some neat leg attacks as well as a big dive to the floor. There’s even a meanness and pettiness to him in this match–driving his boot into a cornered Delfin, or arguing the referee’s count. As for Delfin, I wouldn’t count selling as one of his strong suits. He’s not awful at it (unless we bring long term limb selling into the equation), but he’s far more serviceable than he is amazing.
Of course where Delfin gets to shine is in the comeback. The shorter runtime of the match means that everything he hits offensively comes across well. It’s not even long until he hits the patented tornado DDT/Delfin clutch special that Atlantis is able to escape. One might argue that the abbreviated comeback could even account for Atlantis kicking out as he hadn’t been sufficiently worn down yet.
Unfortunately for Delfin, he goes to the palm strike one time too many and it allows Atlantis the opportunity to hit a pair of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers which eventually sets up a submission victory with La Atlantida. I can’t help but admire Atlantis’ character work in this moment too, the way he expertly draws the crowd in to anticipating each major hold.
It’s a neat and rather precise little match here. It’s great stuff even without crossing the 10 minute border, and one that utilizes both men’s abilities extremely well. Even in a foreign land, Atlantis is able to project a charisma that can’t help but draw in the viewers and fans, and Super Delfin’s an opponent who really specializes in helping his opponent’s strengths shine more than his own.
I think it’s rather fitting that we close Delfin month with a loss for our hero. As great as he is at his best, he was rarely the wrestler in these matches that ended up leaving the strongest impression. That’s not entirely a knock on Delfin, but one need only look at the roles that he found himself slotted in most often to see what his limitations were. Always the hot tag, the one making the save, and rarely in too much trouble in the ring himself, Delfin excelled at getting hot action over and keeping momentum rolling once a match found its legs.
But really much of what I saw from him in this project involved a little more detachment from Delfin himself as a performer. As the designated hot tag in so many matches, he’s never one to dominate in-ring time. He’s also never one to really draw the sympathy of the viewer, instead being used to keep the action moving once the pressure’s on.
Is Super Delfin one of the greatest wrestlers ever? I don’t know if I could go that far.
What Delfin is though, is a great base. In the physical sense, he slots perfectly into the lucharesu style, facilitating the smooth and intricate offense that many of his contemporaries came to the table with. But also in the broader sense, Delfin’s a solid presence to have in a match. I rarely come away from any of these matches thinking of how wonderful Delfin’s individual performance is. Instead, he’s someone that works best as a part of a larger whole. It’s to his credit that he could do this both as a babyface and a heel, and against a variety of rotating opponents through the years.
While I don’t think he’s one of the all timers, there’s an unmistakable charm to his aesthetic, and a fairly high baseline of talent that basically means everything I saw was really enjoyable. I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up at any other Super Delfin recommendations should they come.
You don’t need to be the best to be real damn good. It’s not always about the fireworks, the night sky on its own is worth admiring.