Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre celebrated its 91st anniversary by holding a special show on Friday, Sept. 13 . The show was a great one but heavily hindered by the main event match of Mistico vs Chris Jericho. But I doubt many people, myself included, will be talking about that match much in the future.
What I’ll remember most from the event is probably the show’s most important match, that being the apuestas match between Esfinge , Euforia, Hechicero , and Valiente.
An apuestas match is something extremely important to the wrestling scene in Mexico. Think of it similarly to a big championship fight in any combat sport, but instead of it being for a title it can be for multiple things.
Some wrestlers might put their hair or their careers on the line, but the most important thing that can be put on the line, and what all four wrestlers in this match wagered, would be their masks. A luchador’s mask is the most important thing that can be put on the line, and what all four wrestlers in this match wagered, would be their mask. A luchador’s mask is the most important thing for anyone that chooses to wear one. It provides anonymity to a luchador as well as iconography to the legends, which is why the masks of Mistico, the LA Park lineage, and the El Santo lineage are so recognizable.
To essentially put your whole identity on the line is a big risk but the rewards of taking the mask of a legend are even greater. Such stakes have led to classic matches over the years featuring legends of the squared circle.
The match on Sept. 14 can be easily considered among those classics in my opinion, delivering essentially anything I would ever want from an “epic”. It goes long, but the pacing and general structure of the match made it feel much shorter than the 36-minute, 5-second runtime of the actual match.
Hechicero plays the underdog role perfectly, especially in the final two against Euforia.
Every time I thought it was over for him, he always either kicked out at the last second or pulled some wizardry to get out of a submission hold.
Eventually, all the struggle that Hechicero had went through, whether it be through the actions of the match itself or the legitimate bicep injury he was working through, paid off as he was able to defeat and unmask the person that had kicked him out of Los Infernales in June, 2023.
The match sells itself on the emotions and stakes that an apuestas match brings, and that as well as the amazing ring work was able to get me as emotionally invested in something as I possibly could be. I feel like emotion is what helps set this match apart from anything else I’ve watched this year. That emotion that feels palpable even through some sort of barrier is something that you rarely experience in any medium, let alone professional wrestling, but this match manages to accomplish just that.
This match is my personal choice for match of the year, and if you were to watch it, it would be yours too. I’d give it an easy five stars out of five.
