FMW 05/05/2001

IWA (Puerto Rico) World Heavyweight Title Match

Ricky Banderas (C) def. Chocoball Mukai in 7:58

The sheer absurdity of Ricky Banderas, a man destined for the blood-soaked glory of latter-day deathmatches, being a pretty boy and making his entrance to “Livin’ la Vida Loca” never fails to be outstanding. The hunk was defending the vaunted IWA title here on foreign soil—ironically, in a promotion that perfectly matched the hardcore violence of his future blood and guts persona—FMW. When you’re pitting a pretty boy the likes of Banderas against a former adult film star (Mukai), the match has to be viewed out of respect. There would have been a totally logical “penicillin shot on a pole match” here. Every time I hear a Japanese announcer drop the name of Victor Quiñones, I can’t help but wonder if they’re saying, “You know this guy in the ring was sexually violated by Victor Quiñones,” almost regardless of who’s in the match. The crowd sat mostly silent, and Banderas, working the back with holds and then ARMBARS (because it’s Japan), didn’t, not surprisingly, lock them in. A Mukai German suplex as a plausible false finish was essentially the extent of the fans’ enthusiasm in this whole thing. Banderas closed out the match with a frog splash that looked less like a soaring aerial maneuver and more like a bird abruptly shot mid-flight, falling to earth for the cover at the 7:58 mark. The match was fine, but not remotely what the fans wanted to see. **