WCW Festival de Lucha (January 27, 1999)

Taped: January 27, 1999

From Waco, Texas

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Silver King, Kendo, and Venom v Super Boy, Felino, and Villano V: The set for this looks straight out of a videogame. But in a good way. Fair warning, I don't know who most of these guys are, and there's no commentary, so play-by-play is going to be a challenge. But then, it usually is in lucha matches anyway, since they don't really worry about stuff like tags and heat segments the way American audiences are used to. Lots and lots of flying around in the early going, and you can definitely see how the lucha libre style has influenced the overall sport since then, with the super fast paced exchanges loaded with extended reversal sequences becoming commonplace today, especially in terms of looking obviously choreographed. The heels manage to isolate Silver King for a bit, but it's short lived, and not really a proper heat segment of any sort before things break down, and Roseanne Barr the door. King with a helicopter powerbomb on Super Boy to set up a somersault senton splash for the pin at 5:13. This was fine. * ¼

Six-Man Tag Team Match: La Parka, Super Calo, and Salsero v Halloween, Damien, and El Mosco: Salsero looks like he might have been the inspiration for Velveteen Dream. On the bright side, I recognize some of these guys a bit more. We have no referee to get this match started, which is kind of especially hilarious since each match has TWO assigned referees inside of the ring. That just seems like such a ridiculously bad idea considering how small WCW rings were, mixed with the style, and the sheer number of workers in the match. But Gorilla Monsoon would really be pleased, so that's something. I can only imagine what it would be like to hear him call a lucha match. "Well, Jess, I have no idea who these little Tostitos are, but they sure can move!" "My name is Bill..." A kendo stick gets involved, giving the match a nice modern angle, and this one is totally being played for laughs, with Parka's team messing with the heels at every turn, and causing miscommunications. We get a sequence where everyone tries a dive in the ring and missing, followed by everyone doing them on the outside and hitting for a dog pile sequence. Parka then hits a dive on Damien for the pin at 6:46. * ½

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Blitzkrieg, Piloto Suicada, and Raul v Villano III, Rey Mysterio Sr, and El Texano: They have a version of the Nitro girls doing dances between matches, only these gals are less hot. But they do have more ass out. Which is good. But there are also half naked dudes in the troupe. Which is bad. We again start with no referee, since of course. Seriously, neither of you can hit your damn mark?! Gorilla would not be okay with this! Not recognizing most of the guys in these matches is really hurting my overall enjoyment so far, but I'm trying to work around it. I'm easygoing, but it must have been crazy annoying for most of the people in the crowd, who by the looks of them came to the show because of the WCW name, and are probably waiting for this stuff to end so they can see Goldberg. And it's not that the wrestling is bad, or anything, it's just that I can almost guarantee that the sixteen year old white guys that make up half this crowd didn't come to see Piloto Suicada. Dog pile sequence on the outside, and suddenly Jimmy Hart leads a crew of guys out to attack, and apparently Blitzkrieg's team wins by DQ at 7:11. This one felt a little flat compared to the other matches so far. ¾*

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Konnan, Rey Mysterio Jr, and Hector Garza v Juventud Guerrera, Pirata Morgan, and Psicopata: Hey, people I know! And the referees are actually on the ball! Rey and Morgan start, with Morgan dominating. Over to Psicopata, who looks just like Psychosis, but is apparently a different guy. He drills Rey with a nasty sitout-brainbuster, but misses a charge in the corner, and Rey takes him down with a rana. Rey dumps him to the outside, and it's over to Garza and Morgan. Morgan dominates, and hits a clothesline for two. Charge, but Garza monkeyflips him over the top, and follows for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the outside. Inside, we get Rey and Guerrera, and Juvi throws chops, but Rey ain't havin' this shit, and wrecks him with punches. Rey hits his own tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a headscissors takedown follows. Over to Konnan, and holy shit, this crowd really loves Konnan. He sends Morgan flying with a dizzying array of takedowns, and Garza hits Guerrera with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Okay, maybe enough of those for a little while? We get a dog pile on the floor, and Konnan goes for the kill on Psicopata with the Tequila Sunrise, but Chris Jericho leads a team of WCW guys out to attack for the DQ at 6:49. Really, two six-mans ending in two run-in DQ finishes in a row? And you thought the agents were terrible about that sort of thing today! Remember, no one can out WCW WCW. * ¼

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Juventud Guerrera, Felino, and El Mosco v Piloto Suicida, Salsero, and Raul: Would it kill them to book a singles match? I'm honestly kind of sick of this show and style, and I'm thinking of just abandoning this review altogether, but I'm already about halfway through, so we'll soldier on. But I won't like it! No, sir! Maybe if every match wasn't a six-man formatted almost exactly the same that might help. Guerrera with the Juvi Driver at 6:27. More of the same here. *

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Ron Rivera, Psychosis, and Kaz Hayashi v La Parka, Blitzkrieg, and Kendo: Seriously, Psychosis and Psicopata are two different guys? Are we sure? Psychosis kicks the crap out of Parka early on, and a rana off the top leads to a flying spinheel kick to put Parka on the outside. I'm actually surprised how much of the crowd is still here. I kind of figured they're start thinning out once they realized the big stars weren't appearing, but it doesn't seem to be happening at all. Maybe they're just enjoying it, and I'm just a grouch? Nah, couldn't be. They must be idiots. That's the only possible explanation. I mean, who else would give their money to WCW in 1999 if not idiots? Psychosis keeps stopping to spank himself, and it's getting really awkward, frankly. Blitzkrieg with a big dive for the pin at 4:47. * ¼

Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Rey Mysterio Sr, El Texano, Villano III, and Villano V v Fidel Sierra, Pierroth Jr, Psicopata, and Ricky Santana: Well, hey, at least it's not a six-man. And they're STILL packing two referees in there! I'm honestly sorry I even started with this show. It's just not my cup of tea at all, but at the same time it's not at all a train wreck either, so I don't even have anything to make fun of. So, I'm just severely bored more than anything else. And I don't really get why Jimmy Hart is a part of this show. I honestly don't remember, but was he associated with these guys on the main shows at that point? Maybe on WCW Saturday Night? To be honest, I'd long stopped watching that show by 1999, so I have no memory of it either way. Handful of powder puts Villano III away at 5:55. You'd think the mask would protect him there. You'd be wrong. Because you're stupid. *

Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Konnan, Rey Mysterio Jr, Hector Garza, and Silver King v Chris Jericho, Lenny Lane, Norman Smiley, and Johnny Swinger: It takes them a while to settle on who will start, before going with Rey and Lenny. Mysterio gets the better of him after dodging a cross corner dropkick, then delivering a bronco buster to send Lane to the floor. Onto Garza and Swinger, and Johnny wins a criss cross with a clothesline, but Hector superkicks him for two. In comes Smiley to backelbow Garza, then over to Jericho for a tandem-shoulderblock. Chris adds a vertical suplex for two, then brings in Lenny to bodyslam Garza. Swinger comes in for Lenny to bodyslam ONTO Garza for two, but Silver King gets the tag. He catches Smiley with a DDT, but gets stomped down in the corner, then sent into the guardrail on the outside. Two referees in the ring with all of these bodies is a logistical nightmare. King hits Lane with a spinheel kick and a dropkick to knock him to the outside for a springboard bodypress, and everyone starts brawling - Jericho hooking Garza with the Liontamer at 8:04. It didn't suck or anything, and the action was pretty much non-stop, but the style is just not my cup of tea. * ¾

Konnan v Disco Inferno: There are technically a few other tag matches before this (including one featuring Fit Finlay, of all guys), but no source I can find lists the results, and since I barely can tell these guys apart WITH the results, I'm just straight up skipping it. Also, because I fucking hate this show, and want it to be over already. This is an impromptu match, set up when Disco (part of the nWo at this point, apparently) is beating down Rey Mysterio Jr following one of those tag matches I'm skipping, and Konnan runs out to make the save. Konnan destroys him in the early going, with Disco doing a really goofy sell job throughout. Bulldog sends Disco bailing to regroup, giving Konnan a chance to adjust those goofy pants of his so we don't see a full moon tonight. Back in, Disco manages to take control in the corner, and a forearm smash to the back of the head puts Konnan down. Disco with a pointed elbowdrop for two, and he works a chinlock, as the crowd chants for 'K-Dawg.' Don't encourage him, guys. Disco puts the boots to him in the corner, and uses a ropechoke on him. Konnan's not the only guy to ever do this, but I'll never understand why some guys work while wearing jewelry. Especially those heavy chains with big crosses, and such. Just seems like such a recipe for unnecessary injury. Disco misses a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop to trigger a comeback from Konnan after what feels like an hour of shitty offense, and the Tequila Sunrise ends it at 7:04. This was a total house show deal. ¼*

BUExperience: I was obviously bored to tears with this, but maybe if you’re a bigger fan of the style it might be worth checking out. Even if you are, it’s still just a bunch of random matches with no real storyline or intrigue, so I doubt this would appeal to anyone outside of people like me who dig the historical aspect.

DUD