Lucha is probably the biggest area of wrestling that I have little to no knowledge of, and I think it's the same for a lot of wrestling fans. But, I've got time on my hands so now is as good a time as any to get learning. I chose this match because I've heard a lot about it (as you'd expect from the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year 2000), and it seems like a good way to jump into the oldest promotion in the world.
So the match opens and it's very clear that Atlantis is the hero here, not just because his opponent is literally called 'Villain', but the crowd are so passionately into him that the story is immediately clear. It opens with some grappling as each wrestler tries to work over the other's arm. This continues until Villano holds Atlantis under the ropes in a submission, starting an argument with the referee and then straight into a strike battle that Villano quickly wins.
As Atlantis collapses to the floor Villano starts tearing into his mask and this is where the match really starts heating up. Soon after Villano hits a dive to Atlantis on the outside and they hit heads and Atlantis' face immediately starts streaming blood. Seeing Atlantis struggle back into the ring with his mask hanging off and his face covered in blood is a really powerful image and it's the perfect transition to this match's next gear.
This is one thing lucha excels at for me, the nature of the apuestos match is something that just doesn't exist anywhere else and the heat the matches can get is something that can't quite be matched. I think it's because in a world of fake things, losing a mask is something real that can't be undone. It's similar to Goldberg's streak or a title reign, as much as it's all fake these are things that are as real as something can be in wrestling. On top of that a mask is something so personal to a wrestler that it has an extra layer of heat added. And that's why this match is great.
It descends from here into Villano just torturing Atlantis with a series of elaborate yet brutal submissions, while Atlantis gradually builds different comebacks. I love this because the match isn't flashy or stylish, it really does feel like 2 men who just desperately want to win and the crowd is with Atlantis the whole time. This is another match I can't really add a lot to, but I would totally recommend it to anyone wanting to watch some more lucha, it is a match filled with passion and heart and violence and it's amazing.
The finish touches this more than anything else, Atlantis counters a running attack into a torture rack and drops to his knees to win by submission. As a sequence of moves it's not anything too special but seeing the referee leap about a meter in the air to call the finish and hearing 20,000 fans cheering it on is something special, as is Atlantis' celebration. It's this wonderful pure babyface energy that wrestling really lacks a lot of the time but on this night it was all perfect.
****1/2
So the match opens and it's very clear that Atlantis is the hero here, not just because his opponent is literally called 'Villain', but the crowd are so passionately into him that the story is immediately clear. It opens with some grappling as each wrestler tries to work over the other's arm. This continues until Villano holds Atlantis under the ropes in a submission, starting an argument with the referee and then straight into a strike battle that Villano quickly wins.
As Atlantis collapses to the floor Villano starts tearing into his mask and this is where the match really starts heating up. Soon after Villano hits a dive to Atlantis on the outside and they hit heads and Atlantis' face immediately starts streaming blood. Seeing Atlantis struggle back into the ring with his mask hanging off and his face covered in blood is a really powerful image and it's the perfect transition to this match's next gear.
This is one thing lucha excels at for me, the nature of the apuestos match is something that just doesn't exist anywhere else and the heat the matches can get is something that can't quite be matched. I think it's because in a world of fake things, losing a mask is something real that can't be undone. It's similar to Goldberg's streak or a title reign, as much as it's all fake these are things that are as real as something can be in wrestling. On top of that a mask is something so personal to a wrestler that it has an extra layer of heat added. And that's why this match is great.
It descends from here into Villano just torturing Atlantis with a series of elaborate yet brutal submissions, while Atlantis gradually builds different comebacks. I love this because the match isn't flashy or stylish, it really does feel like 2 men who just desperately want to win and the crowd is with Atlantis the whole time. This is another match I can't really add a lot to, but I would totally recommend it to anyone wanting to watch some more lucha, it is a match filled with passion and heart and violence and it's amazing.
The finish touches this more than anything else, Atlantis counters a running attack into a torture rack and drops to his knees to win by submission. As a sequence of moves it's not anything too special but seeing the referee leap about a meter in the air to call the finish and hearing 20,000 fans cheering it on is something special, as is Atlantis' celebration. It's this wonderful pure babyface energy that wrestling really lacks a lot of the time but on this night it was all perfect.
****1/2