More 80s Lucha (Mocho Cota!!!)

Mocho Cota v Americo Rocca (2/3/84)

Thought this was a few levels below the first match (which really came out of nowhere as a total slam dunk to me personally), but it was still pretty fuggin' great. I really wish we had a truckload of Mocho Cota footage, because the guy is just fantastic. His boots have a symbol on them that looks like a hand with missing fingers, which, y'know, is awesome. First caida has a bunch of quality matwork again. There's one bit where Rocca has Cota in an Indian Deathlock and repeatedly slams the back of his head into the mat, and Cota sells it like someone assaulted him with a rolling pin. Cota gets the better of Rocca in one exchange and musses up his hair like a condescending jackass, and if I was Rocca I'd want to slap him silly as well. The finish to the fall is legitimately the best roll-up spot I've ever seen. Really, it's breathtaking. Cota comes out strong in the second caida like he did in the first match, but it doesn't feel quite as ruthless and one-sided an asswhipping this time. He has these awesome overhand armdrags where he really whips Rocca over, and Rocca takes great bumps off of every one of them. They all look super impactful and way more painful than most armdrags I've ever seen. Cota's submission to take the second fall is still outrageous and someone should absolutely steal it (Punk probably picked this set up...). Third caida is really short, and in that sense it kind of disappointed me, but Cota laughing in Rocca's face in the post-match was just the greatest bit of douchebaggery. This is my working #6 right now after 13 matches. This match, this good...#6. How loaded is this set?


Atlantis & Lizmark v El Egipcio & El Faraón (2/17/84)

I'm not really sure what the pre-match was all about, but it had the Infernales starting shit with Faraon and Egipcio and ended with MS-1 taking an MS-1 face first bump into the ring post. Then Lizmark jumps in the ring and Faraon fucking floors him with a right hook. I wasn't hugely into this, but it had its moments. Faraon and Egipcio are pretty fun ruffians in this; they get a chance to brawl a bit and both guys will tumble around for the technicos. Lizmark hits an awesome springboard armdrag where he gets major height on the springboard part. Atlantis was fine but not quite the Atlantis that's one of the all-time great technicos just yet. Faraon rips off Lizmark's mask post-match (after he'd already kneed him in the stones) and chucks it away, and there's at least one guy in the crowd that I thought was going to jump the ring. I'm interested in seeing more Faraon, because the only memory I really have of him is the Pirata Morgan hair match where Pirata drinks his blood. I mean, that was a hell of a match, but it's mostly Pirata that I remember from it.