Mizzie & The Spin’s Wacky Lucha Libre Adventure
MF: Greetings once again, mizfan fans and Spinnerets! And welcome to our wacky adventure, which is very adventurous but not particularly wacky, at least so far. Today we are following our hero Rey Mysterio to the good old U.S. of A., as Konnan drags his posse along with him in search of taking his superstardom to an international level. That might not have worked out quite the way he planned, but he did do a lot to open the door for those he brought with him. It’s tough to imagine a guy as tiny as Mysterio getting the chances he did early without someone watching his back and pulling for him backstage. Spinny, my man, talk to the good people about Rey coming to America!
SM: Hello everyone and thanks for returning to our second edition of this not so wacky column series. I definitely agree with you on Konnan not really getting what he wanted when he took his posse to America. While he did become, somewhat, known in promotions like WCW and TNA, he never reached the levels that he had hoped. However, what could he really expect when one of his posse was the uber-talented Mysterio. So, as we saw in the first column Mysterio had rose up and become a well known name in the arenas of Mexico. While, this was great there seemed to be that need to rise further and become a worldwide name. Enter Paul Heyman, the outspoken and over the top booker of ECW. ECW may be known for hardcore wrestling but Heyman prided himself on being different than everyone else and offering something for everyone. He saw lucha libre as an untapped commodity in America and felt that it could help ECW stand out. So with that the biggest little man and the little promotion that could joined forces and what followed was some of the most fun I ever had watching Mysterio. Let’s see how our ratings compare this time Mizzie. I for one expect things may be a little higher on my part during this column, as I have a bit of a soft spot for the Extreme Lucha Libre.
MF: And I’m sure mine will be ridiculously high, as always! Let’s get to it!
Rey Misterio Jr vs. Psicosis
ECW Hardcore TV, September 26th 1995
The one person that looks more wild than an ECW match
If you want to watch along, you can do so on the WWE Network.
SM: I have to point out right at the start how much I love that Paul Heyman did not try to change them when he brought them into ECW. He wanted them to make his promotion better and wanted them to do what they did best. Only thing I did notice was that Psicosis seems even more wild looking and dirty in this match. I have a feeling that was him trying to fit with the style more. Let’s see if Paul’s decision to bring the lucha libre to America was the right one.
Match starts with the lucha feeling out process which is mostly arm drags and flying out of the ring. I love Psicosis heeling in up with the ECW crowd and selling Rey’s arm drags as if he is the strongest man in the arena. Psicosis gives off so much emotion with his mannerisms which is a huge plus as he is wearing a mask and cannot show emotions facially.
This match does such a great job with the big man and little man dynamic. I think it’s the best telling of that simple story I have seen so far in this series. Psicosis throws Rey around like he is a lawn dart. He drops him on the ropes, kicks him to the mat and hits him with leg drops from various positions. On the flip side whenever Mysterio tries to fight back he has to use his small stature and speed to his advantage. He hits a fluid West Coast Pop and a phenomenal (sorry AJ) cartwheel up to Psicosis’ shoulders and into a hurricanrana. It is amazing how smooth Rey was at this point in his career and how great he was for such a young man.
Some love needs to be given to Joey Styles who does more to build up these two men in this short match than the WWE commentary teams could do in a year. He boasts about them being household names in Mexico and sells how important winning this match would be for either man since it is their debuts in ECW. He even gives a little story about Rey having to do his homework before matches while he was in school. Styles is A+ as a commentator folks. Not many are on his level.
I love the cocky pins by Psicosis. He is doing so much more as a heel here than I ever gave him credit for. Here is the part of the match where shit gets crazy. HOLY SHIT! What a suicide dive by Psicosis right into a chair and then the guardrail. He came in hot and got brought up solid. Then he comes right back in and takes control again. Corkscrew senton by Psicosis only gets a two. Rey takes control and sends Psicosis to the outside. Fake out 619 and then a springboard out of the ring and into the crowd onto a bunch a steel chairs. In the words of Joey Styles OH MY GOD!!! These two have taken to the ECW style like fish in water. Psicosis tries to come back into the ring but Rey springboards from the middle rope and catches him with a top rope hurricanrana for the three count. Rey is at 2-0 in the one on one matches so far. This match was amazing and easily my favorite so far. I only hope the next five can live up to it. I have to go with ****¼.
MF: I’ve never really thought about this before, but what a big advantage it must have been for Rey Mysterio to be both an American citizen and a fully fluent English speaker? While a lot of lucha guys might have come into ECW without a strong understanding of the style or the ability to easily communicate with Heyman and whoever else was backstage to find out what was expected, Mysterio was obviously able to prepare himself and Psicosis to play to the house style, and it paid off both instantly and tremendously.
For the fans in attendance, I think this must have been a little bit mindblowing at the time. This was before the influx of lucha talent in WCW (indeed, it pretty much led directly to it!), and before ECW hosted guys like the Michinoku Pro talent that would come a couple years later. Perhaps some had seen When World’s Collide, or were familiar with Eddie Guerrero, or had even seen Jushin Liger and other junior heavyweights on tapes or, again, in WCW. But still, this was a major incursion by the lucha style, perhaps the very pinpoint of an explosion that the wrestling world is feeling the effects of even now. Am I exaggerating the importance of the match? It’s possible, but it damn sure feels true to me.
Spinny has already covered the bulk of the match to my satisfaction. I liked, my friend, that you pointed out just how dirty Psicosis gets here. It’s true both ideologically and physically. I wonder if it was strange to him to go to the back and witness how filthy his clean white costume had become, rolling around on the dirty concrete floor of ECW arena? What must that have been like? A feeling lost to time, no doubt. This is not his story, regardless.
In the end, I have to say that this blew away my expectations. I was a little let down by their match in Japan, but this was much more like what I was looking for. It was already verging on great, but when they started incorporating the ECW elements it broke through to the next level, and then they started diving into the damn crowd and it pushed higher still. What a wonderful match, I absolutely loved this.
SM Rating: ****¼
MF Rating: ****¾
Rey Misterio Jr vs. Psicosis, 2 out of 3 Falls
ECW Hardcore TV, October 17th 1995
Psicosis became so close to Rey that he even treated him to dinner!
If you want to watch along, you can do so on the WWE Network.
SM: HOLY SHIT! This match starts off like a rocket shot. I think someone forgot to tell them that the last match ended. They are acting like this is the second fall of the first match. If this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the match then we better buckle in. Rey with a cross body to Psicosis over the guardrail and into the crowd. Follows it up with a diving cross body from the ring. He hits Psicosis and they go into the crowd again. A hurricanrana in the middle of the ring seconds later and Mysterio has won the first fall.
The little man is on a roll. He is not slowing down any to start the next fall. He’s hitting hurricanranas galore including one from the ring apron onto the concrete floor which Styles sells like Psicosis has broken his back. So old wrestling fans act as if the Ospreay and Ricochet style of match starting is new but this goes to show it has been around for a while and it works. There is nothing wrong with starting the match fast and furious with flips and dives as long as it works for the story of the match which it certainly does here. Mysterio knows that Psicosis is stronger and therefore he needs to outmatch him with speed and get the jump on him. Smart storytelling from the get go.
Psicosis tries to offer a handshake to Rey which gives him the opportunity to attack. Follows that up with some great heel work mocking the crowd and beating on Mysterio. With control shifting here comes the power game. Psicosis hits slams, shoulder blocks and powerbombs before taking it to the outside. This really is such basic storytelling and it works on so many levels. It is stuff like this that the new style of wrestling is sometimes lacking. These men are doing all the high flying and crazy maneuvers but they never lose sight of the story. On the outside Psicosis uses his surrounding and then tries to take out Mysterio’s legs with a chair. Rey gives a little burst of energy but Psicosis drives a nail into the second fall by hitting a tombstone for the three count.
Psicosis starts the third fall off how he ended the second, by continuing to use his environment and take advantage of ECW’s lack of rules. Psicosis with a powerbomb through a table and does his own dive out of the ring and into the crowd. Psicosis showing that he may be the bigger man in size but he can fly as good as any other luchador.
Mysterio is finally able to duck a splash and get control once again. Here comes Mysterio with a springboard into a hurricanrana on the outside. Such hatred shown by these two just kicking at each other on the floor. This match has everything!!!! Rey with the chair shots now just throwing the chair at Psicosis’ face. Now he wraps the chair around his head and drives him into the ring posts.
These two are going back and forth trading hardcore, lucha libre and power moves. Psicosis in control putting Rey through another table on the outside with a senton from the top rope. A powerbomb and corkscrew senton puts an end to this fantastic masterpiece. Psicosis finally gets a win over Mysterio bringing the total to 2-1 in favor of Rey Rey. This was hands down the best match I have seen so far. These two just put on a classic in that ring. They showed off the lucha libre style, some great storytelling and a whole lot of ECW magic. How have I managed to miss out on watching this match before today. This one gets a ****¾.
MF: You really sold perfectly how this feels like a direct extension of their first match, it feels like their blood is already boiling right from the opening bell. This match has one of the most explosive opening sequences I have ever seen in all my years of watching wrestling, and instantly informs you that you are seeing something really special.
I also like your steadfast praise for Joey Styles. He drew mixed reviews (at best) when he tried his hand at modern commentating, but really was a great voice for this time and place. There’s really nobody who could have replaced him. I’ve always had a soft spot for the guy, even amongst his modern controversy, and I enjoy seeing him praised when he has earned it. He’s been great in these matches.
The third fall of this match is some seriously beautiful stuff. You’ve already covered the action extremely well once again, but I have to reiterate just how well these guys adapted to the environment. Smashing into tables, flying into the crowd, but it’s more than just big spots and crazy moves. They really tap into the FEELING of ECW in this match. What cemented this as truly brilliant, the moment that sticks in my mind, is when Mysterio springboards out on Psicosis and they crash and burn on the cement floor, and STILL they are kicking, scratching, clawing at each other, they don’t let up for a moment. You can feel the hate in the air. That moment, even more than all the insane stuff they pulled off, put this match into truly rarefied air. I’m gonna have to go the full bore on this one, this is one of the very best matches of ‘95 without a doubt.
SM Rating: ****¾
MF Rating: *****
Rey Misterio Jr & Konnan vs. La Parka & Psicosis
ECW Hardcore TV, November 14th 1995
This is what it looks like when a skeleton gets down
If you want to watch along, you can do so on the WWE Network.
SM: Just a warning before we start this match, it is only the extreme highlights presented on Hardcore TV, which means a small portion of the match is not available. It is nice to see a match with Mysterio and Konnan teaming up while in ECW. I always hear about Konnan helping to bring along his lucha brothers to new promotions, but I have never actually seen Konnan in ECW, so it is nice to see him here. On the other side of the ring we have the absolutely amazing La Parka, who is a superstar among those who know him, but is not known by enough people due to him never making it huge in WWE. Rounding out this match we have the Mysterio and Psicosis who will be adding another layer to their already breathtaking feud in ECW. Let’s see how this one holds up, and if the two new additions can keep up.
Unsurprisingly, the two constant foes start off the match and they take no time in getting the match off the a fiery start, with arm drags, hurricanrana attempts, and counters for the counters of the counters. They slow down for a short bout of submission wrestling before speeding things back up again. Mysterio hits a drop toe hold that sends Psicosis sliding to the outside of the ring, I love that he didn’t just land on the ropes like most do, it’s refreshing to see something different every now and then. Rey follows it up with our first high risk attempt, he springboards from the ropes and hits a hurricanrana on the cement.
La Parka is in the ring now, and he is a joy to behold, with his dancing and fluidity. They do a fun little sequence where La Parka keeps putting Mysterio in the corner and trying to hit him, but Mysterio keeps moving making La Parka have to grab him and put him back there again.
We skip ahead again and Konnan has joined the fray against La Parka. Konnan looks much bigger than the average lucha, but he is able to float around the ring with the ease of someone half his size. I have never been his biggest fan but I can see why some would be impressed with the ability and ease that he shows in the ring during his early career. Konnan’s size also allows him to be the power performer, with powerbombs and suplexes.
The match completely breaks down now, with dives to the outside and stereo suicide dives by Psicosis and La Parka, into chairs held up by their opponents. Mysterio and Konnan follow it up with dives of their own, which leads to the, somewhat anticlimactic, countout win. This was a fun little tag match that I think would of been even better had we been able to see the whole match. I’m going to go with ***½.
MF: It always irks me when pieces of a match are missing, but we do seem to have about 95% of this one so I’m not going to complain too much about it. You’ve already done an excellent job of breaking this one down, so I’ll try not to go on for too long!
It’s always amazing to me to see how many people randomly worked in ECW for short periods. It’s easy to forget guys like the Steiners, Ron Simmons, Sid Vicious, Arn Anderson, and about a million zillion others did indeed grace the fabled ECW Arena at one point or another. Konnan and La Parka are two such examples, it’s of course well known that Konnan was instrumental in bringing lucha libre to the USA on a larger scale, but he jumped up to WCW so quickly you could blink and miss his ECW tenure, in fact if I’m not mistaken this is his only appearance that even made it onto their TV show.
Luckily for him it’s a pretty dang good appearance, this is a tag match that really delivers, not perhaps on the level of the big singles matches Rey was able to have, but quite excellent in it’s own right. Mysterio and Psic obviously have their rhythm well and truly down by now, and they bring a lot to the table as always, but having unusual tag partners in there really allows the match to feel a little bit fresher and break things up.
Konnan himself looks pretty good in his performance, even though he was never able to fully shake a certain innate awkwardness he has about him. I happen to think he is underrated in some ways, but there’s no doubt there’s something slightly off about him, even when he puts in a good performance. It’s worth noting that he looks extra muscular here, so much so that I can’t help but think he was pushing down the gas a little if you know what I mean, but then again that’s a constant in wrestling so probably not worth dissecting too much. La Parka is always fun, even if he doesn’t do anything to exceptionally standout in this one.
Highlights of the match include a truly wild monkey flip that lands face first into a chair, and the usual lucha dives with the caveat that this time they terminate straight into a steel chair. Tack on a crazy senton flip from Mysterio to Psicosis while he’s seated on a chair on the outside as a part of their ever escalating rivalry, and you’ve really got some extremely cool moments in this one.
If there’s one thing that lets the match down, it’s probably the ending… who knew ECW even had countouts, you know? The crowd chants bullshit, and they’re not wrong. It sort of made sense considering a lot of the stuff they were doing and the match going so out of control, but in ECW you just don’t expect that kind of finish. Still, the action in this match really was excellent, and I came away thinking it was a nice subchapter of the Mysterio/Psicosis feud.
SM Rating: ***½
MF Rating: ****
Rey Misterio Jr vs. Psicosis, Deathmatch
ECW November to Remember, November 18th 1995
Rey repays the recent meal with a flying hug
If you want to watch along,
http://="http://www.dailymotion.com/...clicking HERE.
SM: I love the absolute hate that seems to have grown between these two men over the course of these few months in ECW. At the start of this match, before the bell has even rung, Mysterio and Psicosis are in each others faces on the ropes of the corner. This is not my first time watching this match, nor is it my first time seeing a Deathmatch. For those who do not know, the rules to a Deathmatch are basically the same as a Last Man Standing, except that in order to start the ten count you must first get a pinfall. As far as I can remember this was a good match, however, I feel like it may pale in comparison to the other two we have just watched.
Since their debut match both men seem to have gained a bit of an edge, with their appearances and their mannerisms. Psicosis tries to get the jump on Rey, but Mysterio is ready for him, and moves out of the way making Psicosis crash and burn in the corner. Psicosis tries to fight back but Mysterio is constantly one step ahead, moving out of the way and constantly catching him with hurricanranas. Mysterio comes off the top with a West Coast Pop and gets the quick pinfall, which of course does not matter, since Psicosis is able to stand up immediately.
Rey keeps the advantage and hits a hurricanrana from the apron to the outside of the ring. We get our first “You fucked up” moment when Mysterio goes to springboard off the guardrail. He crashes and burns on the floor, which gives Psicosis his first advantage of the match. I love that this is their third match in only a short couple months, yet none have felt the same. This is the first match to have Rey come out as the aggressor, with him only becoming the FIP once he makes an uncommon mistake.
Psicosis takes control using steel chairs, top rope dropkicks and a moonsault in order to gain his first pinfall of the match. Rey makes it back to his feet and Psicosis continues his assault. For the next section of the match Psicosis and Mysterio slide into the perfect big man and little man routine that they have perfected throughout their many matches in both AAA and ECW. Psicosis is able to get multiple pinfalls but Mysterio, being ever resilient, is able to fight to his feet each time. One thing this match does suffer from, like all LMS matches, is the constant standing around during ten counts. While it can sometimes be annoying, I think that it was done just enough in this match to not get boring and repetitive.
The momentum shifts again and Rey sends Psicosis into the crowd before hitting an Asai moonsault into the third or fourth row. We get some typical ECW fare next, with the brawl moving into the crowd and the audience needed to strain in order to see them in the chaos. The fight eventually moves to the stage area of the arena and Mysterio hits a hurricanrana from the stage, sending Psicosis onto a chair. Rey Rey gets the pinfall and Psicosis is unable to make it back into the ring before the ten count, giving Rey the deciding victory in this three match series. As for our column series the one on one matches have a record of 3-1 for Rey. This match was entertaining and exciting, however, when compared to the first two it was a step backwards. Gonna give this one a ***¾ because even if it was the lesser of the three, it was still a great match that I thoroughly enjoyed.
MF: And so the Psicosis Trilogy ends, at least the ECW incarnation, not exactly with a whimper but with a match that can’t quite live up to the other editions of the series. I’d have to agree with your general assessment here, while this match remains great in it’s own right, it can’t quite capture the energy of the crowning glory of their second bout in that hallowed hall.
The stipulation would have doubtless been awkward in less experienced hands, but I did greatly appreciate how they used the unique psychology of the match to their advantage. For instance, very early in the match Mysterio pins Psic to the mat, and of course Psicosis can stand up with relative ease still, but the point Rey was looking to make has indeed been made, the idea that he could get a pin at any time and that if this were a normal match, it would have been over in nearly record time. I also appreciated that both guys had a very good reason not to kick out of everything this time around, because having a 10 count to rest can be very useful. It can also be very risky though, so it felt like a double edged sword each time. I won’t say it never interrupted the flow, but generally I think they did wonderfully with what can be a very tricky gimmick.
It is difficult, though, to really get over the brutality of a “deathmatch” in ECW, when every match can involve weapons and extreme violence from the word go. Funny enough, but I’d say their second match was notably more extreme than this one, and maybe even their first as well. They worked in some very good stuff, to be sure, but it suffers by comparison if nothing else.
I completely dug the story they told though, with Rey going hot and heavy early on, only for a simple (and very realistic) slip up allowing Psicosis to take dominant control for the body of the match. We got another look at how good Rey already is at fighting from underneath and gaining sympathy from a crowd, even a room of jaded hardcases like the Philadelphia crowd. Part of the credit also goes to Psicosis, without a doubt, who looked fantastic tossing Rey about and bombing him all around the ring with malicious intent. If nothing else, my appreciation for Psicosis has grown a lot through this series.
In the end, I loved the creative use of the space for the finish, battling all the way up to the commentary nest, with Rey getting his final duke in by leaping off and planting Psicosis in a position he couldn’t possibly recover from. I will say I wish Rey had kept up his selling at the end a little more though, he was doing a great job in this match really selling the crowd that he was seriously damaged from his early crash and burn, but showed no sign of it when the finishing stretch took place. Rey is already unbelievably good, but even he has something still to learn.
SM Rating: ***¾
MF Rating: ****¼
Rey Misterio Jr vs. Juventud Guerrera
ECW Hardcore TV, February 6th 1996
Bon Juvi tries to help Mysterio learn how to crowd surf
If you want to watch along, you can do so on the WWE Network.
SM: Enter the second big feud of Mysterio’s ECW career, against Juventud Guerrera. This has always been the secondary feud of his early career, falling just short of Psicosis at every turn, at least for me. Let’s see if maybe these next two matches will change my mind on that.
Juvi starts off the match trying to use his size and power advantage to take control, however, Mysterio’s speed is too much for him, and he finds himself needing to counter over and over in order to not lose complete control of the match. They settle down for a brief minute with some technical wrestling and a fun little slap fight, while standing on their heads with their legs locked together.
Hurricanrana from Mysterio off the turnbuckle and onto Juvi, who is on the apron, and onto the floor. When Juvi comes back into the ring he does so with a renewed vigor, and he immediately takes control. Rey Mysterio seems to be so beloved at this point in ECW, in fact Juvi is a heel in his debut match, just because he is fighting Rey.
Rey gains control using his unmatched speed and send Juvi out of the ring with a hurricanrana before jumping out onto him with a flipping seated senton. Time for things to get extreme, as Rey wraps a chair around Juvi’s neck and drives him into the ring post. As far as I can remember the Rey and Juvi matches have always been the more hardcore of the two sets of feuds, however this match isn’t living up to that memory as of yet.
Juvi makes his way back into the ring and once again control shifts in his favor. Juvi keeps control with a German suplex and a springboard spinning heel kick, before hitting a beautiful fallaway slam into a bridged pin. Just want to take a minute here to say how much I love seeing smaller wrestlers get to experiment with different styles during matches. Any of the men fighting Rey get a chance to be the big power wrestler, whereas in most matches they are the small underdog.
Rey is able to take control back and heads to the top rope, where he is stopped by Juvi. Juvi goes for the space mountain but Mysterio counters into a top rope hurricanrana for the win. This is not the last time we will see this counter end a match for Mysterio during this series. While this was a great little match, it did nothing to change my mind about the Psicosis matches being the better of the feuds. Gonna go with ***½.
MF: I think you’re on the right mental track with the Psicosis feud overshadowing the Juventud feud, but you never know what unexpected brilliance might pop out. That’s what doing these detailed dives is all about, unearthing those hidden gems. All in all, I would not necessarily say this is one of them but it does provide an interesting look at one of the very common pairings in Rey’s earlier career.
Bon Juvi has indeed made it to ECW, complete with a bunch of fancy tassels now attached to his mask. No daddy Fuerza along this time, which is ok in my book. I like that they mix in some nice mat stuff, some flying, and some hardcore, Rey has definitely got a handle on how to be over in ECW and he’s teaching Juvi in no time. I wonder how far Rey could have gone if he had stayed in ECW? Very hard to say, for as much credit as Heyman gets they did always have some weird booking down there. It’s a world where Mikey Whipwreck will be champion but RVD never gets there. I’m sure he’d have been scooped up by someone bigger at some point anyway, Konnan or no.
All in all this was still a pretty good match, but I can’t say it was up to the standard of the Psicosis stuff, or a lot of the other stuff we’ve seen on the set so far. Perhaps they were holding something back, or Juventud was still getting used to the style? Difficult to say. I don’t want to be too down on the match because I still have a very good time with it, it’s just that we’re dealing with a generally very high standard of wrestling in this series.
SM Rating: ***½
MF Rating: ***¾
Rey Misterio Jr vs. Juventud Guerrera, 2 out of 3 Falls
ECW Hardcore TV, March 19th, 1996
Just a reminder that one day while Rey is World Champ his major ECW opponents will have become gardeners
If you want to watch along, you can do so on the WWE Network.
SM: Juvi has changed up his look over the past month, possibly trying to adapt to the more hardcore nature on the new promotion he finds himself in. The two men are both wearing red during this match, which makes them look more like a tag team than competitors, not sure if they really thought that through or cared that much.
These two have zero respect for each other and start the match with a spitting war before, unexplainably, going into a technical wrestling sequence. I’m not sure that was really the way to go if you were trying to show the hatred the two men had for each other, but it doesn’t last long before they are picking up the intensity again.
Mysterio hits a patented top rope hurricanrana and the two men go into a sequence a pin fall attempts, counters and kick outs before stopping for a mexican standoff. With the fast paced pins not working, they try for a test of strength, and trade moves while engaged in a knuckle lock. Each time that something doesn’t seem to work they just move on to the next option, which leads to entertaining sequences and no one being able to gain complete control.
The match picks up another octave with hard hitting and high flying moves from both competitors, including a moonsault to the outside and a top top sunset flip by Rey. Not to be outdone, Juvi hits a brainbuster and a springboard front flip dropkick. A full nelson into a bridge leads to the first fall being won by the newcomer Juventud. Can they keep up the action for the second fall?
Mysterio starts the second fall off with an intensity you don’t see all that often from him, in fact he’s a house on fire for the next few minutes. Hurricanranas, chops, a hurricanrana to the floor and a dive over the ref and to the outside gives complete control to Rey. A powerbomb and non-Jericho lionsault lead to near falls but Juvi showing his own will to win. Guerrera fights back but another powerbomb by Mysterio ends the second fall. This match is definitely a step up from the last one, so far I would say it is on par with the first two Psicosis matches, but it all depends on how it ends.
The third fall starts and it’s Juvi’s turn to amp up the intensity. He sends Rey to the outside with a dropkick from the top turnbuckle, made more sick by the fact that there is no padding on the outside, and follows it up with an asai moonsault into the crowd. Back in the ring he hits a springboard spin kick before getting a little overconfident, which gives Rey the advantage when Juvi crashes and burns with a high risk maneuver. The next few minutes are a masterclass of counter wrestling, high impact moves and near falls that is so enjoyable to watch.
Here comes what I can remember from these two fighting in ECW, as Rey and Juvi go into the crowd in pure ECW fashion. Hawaiian shirt guy hands off a chair that Rey gladly puts to use before flying into the crowd and dragging Juvi towards the doors to the arena. These two have taken the fight into the parking lot where Juvi hits a powerbomb on the hood of a car, and Rey follows up with a hurricanrana from the car and onto the concrete parking lot. This is definitely more ECW-esque than the Psicosis matches. Back at ringside Mysterio whips a chair at Juvi’s head before the match ends with the same space mountain reversal that ended the last match. Not the most creative of finishes but I won’t fault them for that, since most people had probably not seen the first match anyways. I think this match is on par with the first two Psicosis matches, maybe even better in some ways. Going to go with ****¾.
MF: An excellent write up once again my friend, but I’m going to disagree with you on two points, which are conveniently related to each other. First, you mentioned that you found it strange that the pair started doing technical wrestling after they showed disrespect for each other. I do know where you’re coming from with that comment, but I dislike the commonly held notion that every heated exchange must devolve into a fist fight. At the end of the day these guys are wrestlers, after all, and I think it’s perfectly possible to convey intensity and emotion on the mat, in fact I’d say Rey and Juvi did an excellent job doing just that at the beginning of the match. My second point is also about conveying intensity, you mentioned that Rey shows an intensity that is uncharacteristic in this, but I think I have to disagree to a certain extent. Rey is not exactly known as an angry performer, but I think he conveys intensity very clearly through non traditional ways. He’s an excellent hot tag, for instance, and I think it’s the same kind of heat that he’s tapping into here. There are many ways to view a guy like Rey, and I want to break open some of the preconceptions about the guy.
On the match itself, it already topped the first match in the first two segments, but it’s really elevated to a special place in the third fall, not only because of the famous parking lot brawl section of the battle but because the action on display is really just phenomenal through and through. They definitely tap into the spirit of “Extreme Lucha Libre” that Joey Styles has been talking about all this time, in fact if that’s a real thing then this is probably the post match for it. But seriously, those parking lot spots! What an incredible amount of fun.
I also want to briefly say something about the finish… it is just me, or is countering a Splash Mountain Bomb attempt basically become Mysterio’s finisher around this time? It seems like I’ve seen him win quite a few matches with it in this general time frame. We’ll have to watch and see what he’s winning with when we come to his WCW matches, which are indeed coming up soon!
As for this match, well, what can I say? I absolutely love it, I think it’s a classic from start to finish and one of the best matches I have seen in ‘96, right up there with the best Psicosis match (the second one) but in a very different way. Mysterio already has incredible range in terms of style, from the mat to the air to the steel chairs he has something great to offer. Juventud, to his credit, is far from being just along for the ride, he shows me a lot here and I’m now more excited than ever to pick up some of his later work as we continue with this series. A fantastic match to cap off a fantastic leg of our journey. You know what? I’m going to once again go the full 5, this is a match that should be seen by everyone!
SM Rating: ****¾
MF Rating: *****
SM: Well another column in the books and it seems like maybe our opinions are matching up a little bit more, at least for now. I loved getting a chance to go back and rewatch some Extreme Lucha matches, it makes me want to find even more.
MF: Mysterio in ECW was not exactly a revelation, as I fully expected him to rock and he did, but even I was surprised at how effortlessly he adapted to the environment. It’s clear he understood very quickly what the crowd was looking for and how the style differed from what he was used to. He really led the way in terms of being ready to switch things up and experiment in the best ways, and is more than ready for the bigger stage we are about to see him on.
SM: So with ECW in the books it is time to head to the next stage of Mysterio’s career. During the mid 90s ECW was known for bringing a lot of different styles to America, and then sadly having those wrestlers taken by WCW or WWE. Well, when Lucha Libre proved to be a hit in America, along came Eric Bischoff to steal away the amazing Mexican stars of ECW. Up next, Mysterio goes where the big boys play.