As my first review for Pro Wrestling Post, I should introduce myself. I am AB Morales and today I will be reviewing the 02/17/19 edition of WWC Superstars Of Wrestling. WWC is one of the oldest promotions of the planet with a 46 year history of ups and downs. While other promotions in the island of Puerto Rico seem to have more upside, WWC still remains the company on a steady TV deal helping it stay afloat despite a very troubling presentation.
However, lucky us. As I ease in here, this episode is an easy one as it features matches from the past as they produce their latest TV taping for next week. So lets go!
The show opens with a graphic in honor of local legend Pedro Morales who sadly passed away this week.
The show kicks off with host Luis Toledo previewing what we’ll see today as well as announcing a card for the town of Manati (the town the sea animal was named after) for March 2nd.
Following the intro we go to the first match of the show: Xix Xavant vs Pedro Portillo III from Anniversary 45 a few months ago. There was actually no Anniversary 44 due to Huracane Maria which happened before the build up of the show could even start. Xavant is a gothic type with facepaint and quite some muscle while Portillo is a scrawny, arrogant heel. Xavant would go on to win the WWC Universal Championship weeks after this and Portillo the Puerto Rico Championsip months after.
The match itself, while basic is very dependent on crowd-baiting and heel heat as Pedro repeatedly insults and antagonizes senior oficial Pelayo Vasquez for the most minor of things. A very bad habit this promotion tends to employ. Xavant repeatedly tried to mount a comeback only to be cut off several times over. Eventually Xavant bumps the referee allowing Portillo to pull out a chain from his boot (that looks extremely uncomfortable) and uses it to hit Xavant and secure the win.
It was a rather dull match but it was on the plus side of WWC’s usual offerings with minimal heel tactics and shenanigans.
After plugging the March 2nd show we go to a very peculiar second match. It’s Pedro Morales vs Koko Samoa from the 1970’s. When and where exactly is never really specified. The match itself is pretty basic with Samoa beating down on the legend. Pedro would try several comebacks and be cut off but then he does something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in all my years of watching this company. He yanks Samoa’s kneepad, revealing that it’s loaded to the referee who does……. Absolutely nothing. So Pedro starts hitting Samoa with it until the ref does something. After that, a Sunset Flip wins it for him. Incompetent refs are an unrecognized staple of this promotion so it was quite jarring to see Pedro take action like that so far back in time.
After that trip through time and another plugging of the March 2nd show, we go to another Anniversary 45 match. It’s Alberto El Patron vs perrenial heel Ray Gonzalez. First thing we see is Patron whipping Ray with a leather belt. Of course, that doesn’t draw a DQ. Ray connects a Superplex for a rare bump from the man and he applies El Patron’s Cross Armbreaker. After a long time, Patron would get to the ropes and kick Ray’s leg, using Ray’s finishing sequence to set up the Figure 4 Leglock. After another long period, Ray would get to the ropes, smack Patron with a chair, grab powder from the corner and have it kicked in his face, letting Patron win with a Schoolboy.
It’s as uneventful as it sounds as Ray has had back problems for ages and hasn’t wrestled since this match. Though as stated before, heel shenanigans tend to be very persistent in this company.
Another plug for March 2nd before the main event: WWC vs ROH. ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes face WWC Tag Team Champions Thunder And Lightning. To best describe TyL, think two Kanes. After some crowd-baiting with the Briscoes throwing random chairs and teasing walk-outs, the local duo take control and work over Mark with some basic mat work until the Briscoes turn the tables. After a while, Lightning would come in with his usual sequence. Clotheslines, Spear, an Eddie Guerrero shimmy and a Powerslam. Works every time. Jay does manage to stop him with a Hangman’s Neckbreaker and Mark goes for a Froggy Bow but mid-flight, he’s cut off by a Cutter. A 3-D to Jay wins it for the local Champs.
While for the Briscoes this was very basic and in a sense dull, for WWC, this was one of the best matches the company has put on in a long while which says a lot about their quality.
WWC Superstars of Wrestling ends with “the longest running and highest rated segment in wrestling”: The Wizard Analyzes. The Wizard is the local heel announcer. Think Jerry Lawler but replace the uncomfortable obsession with women with more cheap heel comments. This segment is basically a sponsor grab as they plug a dozen local establishments before the segment starts. What’s the segment this week? The same plug we saw all show for the March 2nd show. Yes, people pay extra for this spot. Which is quite mind-blowing.
This recap sounds negative. But this was one of WWC’s better shows in a while. The company itself is sadly trapped in old habits with an owner that just does not care. Trust me when I say, the island of Puerto Rico can in fact offer a better product. But for now, this was my first English review. I hope you like it.
If you’re curious about the show, it’s uploaded to the official WWC Superstars of Wrestling official Youtube page here (Link Here)
Originally written by AB Morales
