El Hijo del Santo vs. Negro Casas

[5.0] "Rating this 5 because its hard to rate this at all so i'm doing my best. This is more like two dance partners rather than two wrestlers in a proper wrestling match. It all seems too rehearsed as duch much of lucha libre unfortunately. fine for what it was."

[10.0] "There are two things that make this match go over the hump for me into greatness. First is the struggle from Negro to get Santo's mask out in the middle of the bout. The way he sells his desperation while being choked by the referee is iconic and contrasts beautifully with his snuggish demeanor after winning the first fall. Then there's the slip up from Casas that is capitalized immediately by el Santo to win the match and the cabellera. Nothing better to encapsulate one man just being better than the other, our hero triumphant because he is simply more adept than his foe, even if his foe cheats and screams his way into nearly winning. Other than that, the structure is very sound, the execution is not far behind and the selling (particularly when Casas avoids la de a caballo) is the stuff of legends."

[10.0] "Mask spots have gone a little stale in the year since this match, as just another mechhanical tool in the structuring of building a feud. However, this one is special, there's a sence of maniacal desperation in Casas' face when he's holding Santito against the ropes, being choked by the ref too, trying to pull the mask from the eyeholes. Incredible match."

[10.0] "Now here is a battle between two of the greatest lucha libre legends you could hope to see... On one side you have El Hijo del Santo, the actual son of El Santo who was bigger by far in Mexico than Hogan was in the US at his height. Hijo was only 24 here but was already making a big name for himself, and putting his version of his father's famous mask up was a big deal. On the other side you have a 27 year old Negro Casas, who was also already building a career that would become one of the most revered in lucha. This one actually took place in southern California in front of a super hot crowd, great atmosphere. Casas blitzes right away with some powerful attacks and you have to love the way he moves, both graceful and vicious. He really has Santo on the ropes at first, capturing the first fall quickly and controlling a lot of the second fall as well. Santo fights back and shows some great crowd connection, folks are wild for him to make his comeback. You get some great technical wrestling, some great brawling, and as we get into the third fall you get a taste of the great aerial stuff as well. I love 80s lucha dives, Santo hits a tope in this one that looks like an attempt to shoot through Casas like a bullet fired from a gun. There's also a great bit where Casas is up top and looks like he wants to dive out on Santo, but he loses his balance and falls backwards. No idea if it was planned or a botch but either way it was worked beautifully into the match, with Casas flailing around like a goon and Santo jumping back in to quickly regain the advantage. Less polish in wrestling matches, please! This was gritty and exciting all the way through, and especially in the finishing stretch with Santo firing back furiously under his ripped mask. Santo defeats Casas in a sick 16 minute match, perfectly paced and just all around tremendous to watch."

[10.0] "Negro Casas Vs El Hijo Del Santo. What could be better than two of the best wrestlers in the history of Pro Wrestling facing each other in a Mask vs. Hair match? Casas had the momentum of the match in his hands until halfway through the match and was putting a lot of pressure on Santo's hands and head. Del Santo also didn't let Casas take control of the match after his comeback and first tired him out and then started to use finishers, end moves and submissions, but we saw a lot of very good neutral falls from Casas. Very good flying sequences were made from both sides from the beginning of the match, which increased the speed of the match a lot."

[6.0] "Without being wholly successful this is pretty good. There is a lovely mat-and-chain exchange to start with, which Santito gains the advantage on. Casas thereafter powders out of the ring several times, slowing his rival's momentum. Eventually Casas catches him in a La Magistral (the Casita! ) for the fall. Santito comes back with some high-flying and wins both falls thereafter on submissions (Torture Rack and Camel Clutch). The final fall submission - though it is worked up to and build nicely - lands weirdly flat, perhaps because it leaves Casas looking particularly weak. The action and story of the third fall is very strong, however, with only the second fall feeling a little slow. Casas is a great heat magnet and really just demands attention as a heel, and Santito is so sympathetic and great at acting through the mask. This isn't super-crisp, and because they're amping up the hatred angle, we do end up struggling for variety in action at points, instead seeing a lot of low-quality brawling through the middle. (That said, Casas' punches are always good.) This isn't a classic, but it is A Good. 3/5"

[6.0] "Well yeah, this is absolutely disappointed match for me, I don't get it, this is not a classic or all time match at all not even close but rather very far from a classic. I was kinda bored at some points of the match and I just wanted it to end. I like lucha sometimes but this one is just not clicking at all."

[9.0] "[4.5*] Star-making performances by the young versions of Hijo del Santo and Negro Casas. Casas started off with an early attack which already got him tons of heat and established Santito as the loved Tecnico and him as the hated Rudo. The performance both these guys put was truly phenomenal in any given category, the workrate was absurd while the selling and character work was also impeccable, truly impressive by two guys on the early stages of their careers. Everything is just so well executed in a way that puts the crowd into the match, just beautiful to see. A masterclass and a preview of their long-awaited rematch 10 years later which ended up being one of the Greatest Ever."

[9.0] "Fantastic match, one of the most legendary luchas of all time, I loved this, they were both very young and this is an early stage of their careers, but the talent is indisputable, this is an all-time great heel work from Negro Casas, he establishes what he'll do right at the beginning, when he made clear to everyone he was a bad guy in the first move of the match, and the structure is just phenomenal, a classic técnico vs rudo showdown, and the guys are just crazily talented, the hot crowd helped a lot as well. Casas won the first fall, which raised his confidence, and people's fear of seeing Santito losing his mask, but the hero managed to recover and won the second fall, with a great submission, sold incredibly well by Negro Casas. The third fall was crazy, Casas tried to rip Santito's mask like an animal, he was truly angry at that moment and you could feel it, not even the referee could separate them, that visual was awesome, and we also had an insane tension, both guys had nearfalls, the match went to another level, Santito tried to repeat the same submission that defeated Casas on the second fall, but this time the rope saved him... the sense of urgency that both wrestlers transmitted here was impeccable, and Casas delivered some of the most awesome punches you can ever see, incredible stuff. Santito won and Casas had to cut his hair off, one of the best matches of the 80s without a doubt - {****1/2}"

[9.0] "I can't definitively say I've seen a better match that took place before July 1987. At the time, this Santo/Casas match is likely one of the best matches ever on tape."

[8.0] "A great, climactic encounter between two bitter rivals, and it wasn't even their best match or their best feud. This match featured two pretty weak falls, but an explosive third fall that ruled and included referee Ray Mendoza being forced to lock in a choke on Casas at one point (hilarious). Casas bumps his ass off for HDS throughout and makes him look like a superhero. A lot of cool spots in this one, including Casas "falling" from the top rope to set up a HDS somersault senton. The build up to the final submission was unfortunately not as solid as the rest of the third fall, which kind of wasted the investment of a really hot crowd. Nevertheless, watching two certified legends in the early part of their careers already working a nice match is awesome, especially knowing how much better still they would be in the future."

[9.0] "This was an excellent match and one of the best lucha matches of the 1980s. Casas bumped and sold like crazy. The wrestling action displayed in this match was quite advanced for 1980s North American wrestling standards."

[8.0] "Casas absolutely shines here; even in defeat I can't help but adore watching him bump like a mad man. Watching these two work is spectacular and the emphasis of struggle both show here separates this from the plethora of other high-speed lucha matches around the time. Very easy to see why this would be heralded as a classic. ****1/4"

[10.0] "Both wrestlers put in a hell of a shift here. Santo reminds me of a Mexican Shawn Michaels because of his style of wrestling and how he milks the crowd for sympathy when he's selling. Negro Casas shone here because of his cocky demeanor and insane bumping. I'm surprised Casas didn't suffer any serious injuries from that mental crash and burn failed dropkick attempt that sends him violently snapping back from the ropes. The third fall sees them cram in more near falls than the Steamboat/Savage classic from a few months previous. Like that match, every single one of them felt like they could end the match and they never once felt excessive. I've always had a complicated relationship with lucha. I enjoy it to an extent, but I feel like I'm missing something when I watch some of the most celebrated lucha brawls. I had no issue enjoying this one and it's easily the best lucha match that I've ever seen. I think I just need more than good punching in a lot of my wrestling."

[9.0] "Really liked this, great sense of struggle by both guys, and Negro Casas bumps like an absolute mad man."

[8.0] "Hell of a match here with a red hot crowd. I'm watching this simply because it's being recommended on cagematch so I have know idea about the build at all. Negro was just awesome here, bumping all over the place to get this over (and it did). I will say that the structure of the bout was very poor with the first two falls being super rushed. However, they made it up with a spectacular third fall full of close nearfalls. Superb match with a few flaws. [****1/4]"

[10.0] "This is something. This is totally a 1 man show. Negro Casas must have been on a mission to be the best wrestler that ever was in this match, He's so unbelievable in this. His offense is great, particularly, his dropkicks and his punches. His selling is just insane! He flies over the top rope, he's sailing across the ring after getting hit. This was amazing. He just bumps and bumps and bumps and bumps. I would say it's similar to Ric Flair in that sense. He's go great charisma, and everything looks good. Santo might has well not even been there. 1st 2 falls are short, and Casas shines, even when on defense. 3rd fall has lots of nearfalls, with the focus of the fall being Casas avoiding the Camel Clutch. Match was Great, but Casas was incredible. Because of this I am giving this 10 points. You should seek this out. ****"

[6.0] "I gave this match ***. I was very disappointed after watching this match. I do not believe that it has held up well at all over the years, or maybe it is just the case that this type of match is not something I enjoy"

[10.0] "Great match with a hot crowd. The match sets itself apart from other lucha matches of that time in that both guys convey really well that they are struggling with the opponent (especially noticeable when they struggle to apply their submission holds). The match also has great and clean technical maneuvers, which are impressive for that time period. Great acting and selling by Negro Casas. The only weakness are a couple of minor botches and miscommunications, but the match is still close to *****"