Best of January 2025

Wrestler of the Month

5. Hiroshi Tanahashi

A pleasant surprise. Tanahashi enters the last year of his career with a great first month. Quite frankly, I did not expect him to be this great. Judging from his 2024 I knew he couldn't go as hard as he used to, and while I thought he would try to step up his game for his final year I didn't expect anything great from him. However, Tanahashi was able to overcome all expectations I had of him very early on. He begins the year facing off against EVIL and Shibata consecutively, both surprisingly excellent matches. While the year is still early, Tanahashi has shown he can keep up these great matches with younger wrestlers as he begins to enter a series with numerous young lions in New Japan. As this year progresses, I'm curious to see if he upholds his greatness. For one final time, go ace!

Match Recommendations:

vs EVIL (1/4)

vs Katsuyori Shibata (1/5)

vs Shoma Kato (1/22)

vs Katsuya Murashima (1/23)

4. Mistico

I'll be honest, I didn't watch much CMLL last year. This year, I've vowed to change that. Mistico was an immediate highlight for me. He hasn't had a bad match this entire year so far. His consistency is unmatched by any other wrestler in the world right now, and honestly, his consistency is his biggest downfall. He is so great at having really good matches that he is yet to have something truly excellent this year. Despite this, I do not want to miss a single Mistico match. There's something so simple and great about what he does. Forming Team Sky with Mascara Dorado and Neon is such a great idea and they've already been delivering with fun and breezy trios matches. As the year starts going and he begins to have more excellent matches that I know he can have, he will undoubtedly climb the rankings.

Match Recommendations:

W/ Mascara Dorada & Capitan Suicida vs Hechicero, Soberano Jr. & Valiente (1/1)

W/ Atlantis Jr. & Legendario vs Los Guerreros Laguneros & Crixus (1/3)

W/ Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. & Volador Jr. (1/4)

vs El Barbaro Cavernario (1/11)

W/ Mascara Dorada & Star Jr. vs El Barbaro Cavernario, Hechicero & Zandokan Jr. ( 1/18)

W/ Mascara Dorada & Neon vs Los Guerreros Laguneros (1/31)

3. Demus

I love Demus so much. He scratches an itch no other wrestler can. Coincidentally, he suffers from the opposite problem that Mistico does. He really only has two matches I would consider good this month, but those two matches are the best wrestling you will find. When he is in his element he is untouchable, smashing beer bottles, smashing chairs on peoples heads, even smashing cars. He has perfected his style, and it just so happens that it's the style I enjoy most. If Demus had more matches throughout this month he would be my number one. My undisputed best in the world.

Match Recommendations:

vs Adam del Castillo (1/19)

vs Osiris vs Amnesia (1/26)

2. El Barbaro Cavernario

BARBARO!!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievably fun wrestler, it also helps that he has numerous great performances throughout this month. Whether he's in a focused singles match or a fun CMLL trios match, he is almost always the highlight. He's just so much fun to watch. He has both consistency throughout the year in numerous trios matches and a great singles performance against Neon. A caveman gimmick is not something I expected to be as good as it is, but Cavernario makes it work. While he may not be the main focus of a match, he's always putting in excellent performances. His worm spot may not work for many others but it's so goofy and fun that it works for a gimmick like his. I really look forward to more from him, especially if we can get more singles stuff from him.

Match Recommendations:

vs Neon (1/4)

vs Mistico (1/11)

vs Difunto vs Xelhua vs Barboza (1/17)

W/ Hechicero & Zandokan Jr. vs Team Sky & Star Jr. (1/18)

W/ El Terrible & El Elemental vs Atlantis, Blue Panther & Panterita del Ring (1/21)

1. Hechicero

This shouldn't be surprising to anyone who's kept up with his year thus far. He's had a similar month to Barbaro, with great singles matches and great trios matches. The difference is he's been on another level when it comes to his performances and matches. He's an incredible technical wrestler who not only just grapples but uses it to his advantage in bigger spots. He just so happens to be both a phenomenal singles match wrestler and someone who can slot right into a tag match. Both the Blue Panther match and the Zack match show different reasons as to why he is as good as he is. While the Zack match is a much more technically based encounter, the Panther match sees him play into a more oriented performance, allowing for the big comeback for Panther. He tends to wrestle more like he does in the Panther match than in the Zack match, but it's his ability to switch between these two styles and be excellent at both of them that separates him from the rest of his competition. Hechicero is 1 of 1, and I wouldn't be surprised if he maintains his spot for the rest of the year.

Match Recommendations:

W/ Soberano Jr. & Valiente vs Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Capitan Suicida (1/1)

vs Blue Panther (1/10)

vs Zack Sabre Jr. (1/11)

vs Valiente vs Euforia vs Esfinge (1/17)

W/ El Barbaro Cavernario & Zandokan Jr. vs Team Sky & Star Jr. (1/18)

Top 5 Matches of the Month

5. Yujiro Yamamoto vs Tsuyoshi Okada (1/10)

This may be a bit of a weird pick for number 5, I didn't see much discussion about it, but it's awesome. In a room with not even 100 people, Yamamoto and Okada put on some unbelievable stuff. Really great grappling and stiff strikers summarize this. Sometimes, you don't need anything more than that. While the simplicity of it is great, the atmosphere is what really elevates it. The close and personal feel this has elevates it, compared to if it had happened in a larger arena. If you haven't seen this, it's heavily worth checking out. - ****1/8

4. Hijo de Fishman vs Mascara Sagrada (1/12)

If they maintain the pace that they are going, Fishman and Sagrada could have a WOTY case built entirely off of matches with each other. They already have two great ones this year and this was my favorite of the two. It takes place in a dusty, old ring, and it rocks. Gritty lucha brawling the entire time, it never gets old. Its biggest problem is that I think it can feel a little disjointed throughout the entire match. Some of this disjoint is great, though. A mid-match mask change for Sagrada is very very awesome. If there are ever two wrestlers made for each other, its Hijo de Fishman and Mascara Sagrada, I could watch these two wrestle forever. - ****1/8

3. Blue Panther vs Hechicero (1/10)

Blue Panther being as good as his is currently is shocking. I wouldn't think it would be a hot take to say he is better then most of the current WWE and AEW rosters. Obviously, Hechicero is quite possibly the best wrestler going right now, so pairing these up is a really great idea. Panther and Hechi had a great match last year, but I think this one was even better then that. Panther does a stage dive in this!! He's 64!!! Hechicero has a pretty great performance as well, which has become a standard for him this year so far. The real highlight is Panther however, the stuff he can do at his age is incredible. The crown jewel in a stellar month for CMLL. - ****1/4

2. Osiris vs Amnesia vs Demus (1/26)

When Demus is in his element he is unlike any other. He body slams another man down a car in this. In a dusty, old junkyard, these guys demolish each other like no one else can. There's a particularly gritty second where Demus has his forehead cut into by a beer bottle and his blood spews everywhere (seen pictured). I think the sections in the ring can be a bit bland or generic, but they aren't necessarily bad. They really shine out on the floor, which is thankfully where most of this match takes place. It feels so raw and frantic. Demus and Osiris have a really awesome brawl where the crowd fully surrounds them and they are just trying their best to lay in as many punches as possible. You won't see this anywhere else other than here. - ****1/4

1. Demus vs Adam del Castillo (1/19)

The other excellent Demus match. I could go back and forth between them, but I like the more personal feel this has due to it being a singles match. I would like to point out that Adam Del Castillo's mask is white, it just so happens that by the end of this it is completely red, dyed in his blood. Demus is unbelievable. He really is a perfect wrestler, to me at least. The visual of Castillo falling over, his mask turned red by his blood, is something that probably won't be touched for the rest of the year, at least not by someone who isn't in Zona or Lucha Memes. Demus is just a evil guy and he's awesome because of it. - ****1/4

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