Sangre Chicana vs. Satanico (5/26/89)

[Phil Schneider]

Sangre Chicana vs. Satanico (5/26/89)

[tim.]

Holy shit, this match is like nothing you could've expected.  It's like lucha libre meets boxing meets MMA or something.  Just about everything in this match is nuts.  Starts out great with Satanico going for a handshake, Chicana holding onto the hand a squeezing it and Satanico playing it off as the bell rings.  Then they engage in a series of lock ups and rope breaks before Chicana fires off an awesome headbutt off a rope break and then we're off to the races.  I love scrappy brawls and they don't come much scrappier than this, they're throwing huge punches, kicks, lunges, anything to take it to each other.  The opening round to strikes is awesome with the crowd popping big when Sangre hits his first big punch, and what a punch it is.  So many great moments here, at one point Chicana is on the mat taking a beating from Satanico and manages to fight his way back up by grabbing Satanico's leg, twisting it around the bottom rope and wrenching on the ankle; at the beginning of the second fall Satanico fights his way back in the ring by grabbing Chicana's leg, tripping him up and leaping through the ropes onto him in a forehead bite. 

 

Sangre picks up the first fall after staggering Satanico with some big blows and Satanico fighting his way back in the second fall is great, he psychs himself up, weathers some more punches and then gets within range to land some blows of his own and takes  the opportunity to start choking Chicana against the ropes.  To get just about any hold broken in this match the ref has to start pulling on the hair and literally tearing them away from the other.  The third fall is really something else.  They're on the outside duking it out and Chicana is like a champion boxer swinging for the fences.  Satanico has to take to tackling him down in desperation to survive the onslaughts.  They fight up the ramp and into the crowd and everything.  There's this great moment toward the end where Satanico gains control in the ring, pushes Chicana out of the ring and is playing king of the hill keeping Chicana outside but Chicana lures Satanico to the outside with him and unleashes this ungodly fury of left and rights to the head and face and all Satanico can do is over up and duck.  They fight way back into the stands to end this, the crowd gets displaced and floors the ringside area and they're both counted out.

 

This match is totally awesome and worked in a completely unexpected way.  Top 5.

[Phil Schneider]

I fucking loved this match when I saw it during the nomination process. Really reminded me of Lawler v. Mantel from the Memphis set. Glad to see others digging it to

[Graham Crackers]

Wow, this is incredible. It's an interesting match on paper before we even get to the ring. Sangre Chicana is an artist who paints in broad strokes while Satanico brings little details to his best matches and that's part of what makes them so memorable. This is some of the best standup fighting I've ever seen in a wrestling match. First of all, they throw some brutal punches. Not only are these punches nasty looking but even with the poor sound quality there are still a few punches that are really really loud. Satanico, being more of a grappler than Sangre Chicana controls the first moments of the match with clinches but shit gets real when Sangre Chicana is backed into the ropes and resorts to using a headbutt to defend himself. Both wrestlers throw a variety of punches as well as some varied defense. They make great use of bobbing, weaving, and blocking. I especially liked when Chicana used the ringpost to evade a few strikes. Neither man is afraid of fighting dirty either. I love Satanico coming back with a chop block followed by biting his opponent's forehead. Satanico is the master of those nasty bar fight techniques as he also hooks Sangre Chicana's eye to control his movements. Chicana's dirty techniques are a bit more psychological. He slowly approaches Satanico with his arms up as if comes in peace before throwing a cheap shot. This all comes to an end with the best double count out ever. Obviously, if there is a double count out both guys better be fighting around ringside or else I will be pretty pissed off. This isn't a wild brawl causing a double count out but it is a really intense showdown where neither man is willing to give up. This is the kind of match that could only have a decisive finish with their hair and their pride on the line and unfortunately we never got to see that. As it stands this is one of the best matches in one of the best years in wrestling history. It's one of the best matches on the set and I could see it as a dark horse number 1 pick.

[Curt McGirt]

I refused to read anything but the first few line or two from the previous reviews for this one. Don't think something this good on paper should be spoiled. 

 

Mano a mano! This starts out really scrappy. Satanico is just grinding into Sangre and they keep splitting off until the crowd boos and Satanico points out there is ALREADY MONEY ON THE MAT, so it's time to give them what they paid for. A short headbutt from Sangre starts it off and now they're just beating on each other and grinding each other into the ropes. Satanico hits a punch/slap you can loudly hear over the crowd and Sangre takes those big turnbuckle bumps. Una caida ends with an armbar/side headlock on the mat? Weird. The receipt for that Satanico punch is even louder. He keeps egging on Sangre, going punch drunk, jumping his from behind and biting him. Tercera is the best as it breaks out in a full-on slugfest outside the ring and up the aisle, into the crowd with both guys whaling on each other and tripping over the seats. Finally the ref is fed up and counts them both out (empate?) and we have the setup for a probable hair match that nobody films. Goddammit. 

 

Despite the slow pace this was a mean match. Satanico is so great demanding to be punched over and over and Sangre does not let up. Don't know where this stands but it's solid as hell.

[Curt McGirt]

Sangre Chicana is an artist who paints in broad strokes while Satanico brings little details to his best matches and that's part of what makes them so memorable. 

 

Yeah that pretty much nails both guys perfectly. "Broad strokes" being Chicana's punches. 

[DouglasC]

This one felt far less a match between 2 wrestlers and far more a fight between 2 guys at a sleazy bar who have had just a little too much fun. One makes a tasteless joke about someone else's mother, and they start at it. This match might have had my favourite punches on the set. Even the submission stuff has a sleazy quality to it. The best thing is the audience heading for the hills as the match descends into outside the ring chaos, and I can't say I blame them one bit. While styles differ across the sets, this is one match that could take place on any of the previous sets and not only not look out of place, but be an easy top 10 contender on any of them. Sleazy Memphis brawl? Sure. Japanese style fight? That too.

 

The only problem is that this set is so strong, it will probably hover on the outside of the Top 10 when my ballot takes shape.

[Lee B.]

This was an unusual match indeed.  Chicana's short headbutt after Satanico's early feeling-out aggression was awesome.  Satanico's dive into the ring to grab Chicana's legs and begin biting his head is excellent.  The punches throughout are amazing.  The Lawler-Mantell comparison is spot-on.  Chicana's eye gouging and raking in the third fall is cool, as is Chicana's flurry of punches on the floor in the third fall.  The finale didn't work as well for me as some other commenters because it was so poorly lit and I couldn't see what was going on.  It seemed like mostly Chicana standing over Satanico with the ref trying to get Chicana to back off, until he calls for a DQ (or double count-out?).  Anyway, that left the match a bit flat for me.  With a clearer conclusion, and some blood, this would be top-10 for sure, but as is the match is still memorable and likely top 20 material.