First reviewed here.
Another absolute heater from our man Demus here. Calibus is someone I’ve really enjoyed through the year when he’s paired with cool opponents in Lucha Memes, but there’s really few cooler to do it with than Demus.
They wrestle something so grimy and great that it overcomes a million little production quibbles I have. Whoever was told to film this on a wide angle GoPro lens on the longest selfie stick imaginable needs to be put out of a job. Intimacy and closeness are a big part of the appeal of any wrestling that happens in Coliseo Coacalco, and the wide angle lens spaces everything out in a real unpleasant way.
But enough about that, when it comes down to it, Demus and Calibus wrestle a blinder here. Just filled with all sorts of violence and meanness. As with the best Coacalco brawls, they spend much of it on the ground, they get covered in dirt, and both dudes end up bleeding. Demus controls much of the first half of the match and he’s a delight in this role. He thrashes Calibus all over the space, slices him up with stray scrap metal, tosses him onto a man lounging in a big tire. It’s so good.
Calibus delivers on his end though too with some thoughtfully applied high flying. One definitely doesn’t feel like he’s just trying to get his shit in, more that he’s saving the big dives for major transition points in the match. The first big tope is a real bright moment of hope for him that swings things in his direct. He uses it to take back the advantage so he can keep fighting, getting just as nasty as Demus by blasting him repeatedly in the head with a wooden board.
By that same token, his best bump is also a key moment in the match. Demus dodges an incoming tope and Calibus just lands fully on his ass right on the dirt ground. It looks disgusting and I bet it hurt like hell. That leads pretty neatly into his loss soon after. While this may not be as gritty as the Wotan match from earlier in the year, it’s helped by feeling a little more decisive and having a cleaner structure to it all. Love blood and dirt.
Rating: ****1/4
