VIDEO & RECAP: Amigo de Siempre 50-Man Match 8/11/12

This was a match that was part of a tribute show. When the match was first announced there was a bit of confusion because some people thought it would be a match only featuring 50-year-olds. Then it was that it was a 50-luchador match. Made more sense, but its easier to describe the match as featuring 50 luchadores with some, but not all participants, in their fifties. Turned out there were more than 50 wrestlers in the match.

Before I continue, let’s jump on the Hijo del Santo has no friends bandwagon by pointing out the obvious….You know who wasn’t on this show….HIJO DEL SANTO!!!

Amigo de Siempre or for you gringos reading this, Friend For Life, was an appropriate name for this show and perhaps nothing signifies friendship more than the photo close-up below of Skayde and Trolly. We need more of this in the world. That photo takes me back to a time when we didn’t worry about going to watch a movie and seeing Fred Willard jerking it (a story that really never picked up steam due to other things happening in the world), or baseball players taking PEDs and creating fake web sites, or Fred Durst giving us the bird while watching SummerSlam.

No, this photo brings me back to a time when we all could go to the movies and not worry about Fred Willard, when our baseball players worst offense was growing awesome moustaches, and Fred Durst didn’t exists. I miss those days, but at least we now know there is still some good in this world and its that Skayde and Trolly are BFFs!

Axel b Heddi Karaoui, Tinieblas Jr., Scorpio Jr., Magnum, Vortice, Stukita, Hijo De Estrella Blanca, El Hijo del Espanto II, El Hijo de Aníbal, Super Porky, Juan el Ranchero, Chucho el Roto, Súper Calo Jr., Epidemia, Aguila Solitaria Jr., Magistral, Driver, Angelikal, Fishman Jr., Kung Fu Jr., El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Marabunta, Dr. Karonte, Dr. Cerebro, Zumbi, Ultraman, Holkan, Rey Azteca, Estrella Blanca Jr., Voltan, Oficial Fierro, Huracan Ramirez Jr., Aguila Solitaria, Argenis, Jaque Mate, Yakuza, Hijo de Ultraman, Marabunta Jr., Rolling Boy, Shadow Boy, Lapida, Rey Cumbianguero, Guerrero Del Bronx Jr., Corsario, Estrella Blanca II, Dr. Karonte Jr., Black Terry, Kid Medrano, Atila, Oriental, Imu-koa, Skayde, Rocky Santana, Ehecatl, Relámpago De Plata [Torneo Amigo para Siempe]

Above you see the list of wrestlers in the match. Trolly was in the match accompanying Scorpio Jr., but he was technically a second. They started the match with 8 wrestlers in at the same time and then every minute they’d bring in 2 new guys into the match. Black Terry, Skayde, Oriental and Rocky Santana were in to start the match with four others. Really not much anyone could do in the match outside of putting on a headlock or chopping away at an opponent since there were quite a number of guys in the ring for most of the match. Poor Enrique Yniesta did an admirable job announcing the participants, but early in the match they must have been bringing in guys too fast and stopped and didn’t tell him. He was already announcing the 21st or 22nd guy in the match when they were probably still at number 18. The match stops when Ultraman Jr. and Rolling Boy were the two left in the ring and they just walk out. No idea if that was like a separate match or what happened, but they left and the match was restarted.

They restarted with Shadow Boy, Yakuza and Rey Cumbianguero. Coloso Colosetti was in to referre this match for a bit and he was pretty great as a ref. When Dr. Karonte came in and brought in Kid Fury (a kid looking like a Power Ranger), Colosetti grabbed the kid and put him on the top rope and told him he wasn’t allowed in the match and gave him a wag of the finger as he disapprovingly nodded at this kid. Kid Fury stayed out of the ring while he was there. Shadow Boy was dressed like Captain America and at one point the guys were throwing some hard chops and they hit Shadow Boy with one and you can hear a fan yelling “cuidado con el niño!”

Hijo del Medico Asesino made an appearance in the match. He piledrove someone (I think Marabunta) and was thrown out of the match for using the illegal move in Mexico. The doctor was trying to get the guy out of the ring, but everyone else kept wrestling around him. Stukita Jr. screwed up a dive that looked scary. You could hear either the guy filming or someone near him reacting to it. Trolly (as Maniaquito) sold well for Heddi Karaoui. Super Porky got the loudest reaction of anyone in the match. Fans yelled out “culero” at the guys who eliminated him. Match led to the final stage were Heddi Karaoui and Axel would face off in a singles match.

Axel mixed in some lucha spots in the match, but it was mostly submission wrestling with Karaoui controlling the match until Axel was able to put on the camel clutch for the win. Match was short which helped it after the rather long match leading to the final. Both guys shook hands afterwards.

Post match Axel did an interview and dedicated the win to El Hijo del Santo! Just Kidding! He dedicated it to his grandfather, El Santo. He thanked Karaoui for the match. Also thanked Carlos Hernandez and the fans at Arena Lopez Mateos. He mentioned that everyone shouldn’t believe the lies that are going on concerning the legal situation he’s in (his battle over the use of the name “Nieto del Santo” with Hijo del Santo) and especially hopes promoters don’t fall for the lies.

I think this is a fun type of show that you have to attend live since you are more there to see the spectacle itself and not hoping for a five-star match.