Negro Casas vs. El Hijo del Santo (CMLL - 12/1/1995)

Yay! I tried to pimp this about back in 2018 so I'm glad someone finally bit! This is one of their best matches together.

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Truth be told, I've not been as sold on this pairing's matches as others. I loved the build up, the chaotic brawls and blood spilled as their trios team mates looked on perplexed. It felt visceral, it felt hate-filled, it felt real. But, when it came to the highly lauded '87 match and the '97 match I've not quite seen them as all time affairs. Great matches, sure, but not quite to the level the general praise reaches.

This match, though, resonates with me in some way. I felt more intrigued and more hooked than I did their '87 match - perhaps because it is so different to the Santo/Casas violence I've been accustomed to. For 30 minutes two pros go out and have a clinic of a wrestling match, matching each other hold for hold. Each man has a body part, a knee or an arm, and they stick to their strategies throughout.

I can see argument that nothing here was as complex as say a Navarro or Dandy hold but they more than flair it up with their charisma and agility. It's the little touches that also puts more credit to their GOAT candidacy. Santo would find new ways to wrinkle Casas up or front roll/flip his own boy around to cinch a hold in further or create even more pain. Casas, too, would lie his entire body weight over Santo to ensure escape looked difficult or nigh impossible.

Honestly, I'd go to bat that this is a lost classic. Perhaps not quite in the 5-star affair line but it definitely needs more play within Lucha circles. Every hold is fought hard for and doesn't come easy. Moreover. the match builds to a great climactic finish that incorporates a hot nearfall leading to the victor's exclamation point that they truly were the best that day. Great, great match.