Los Matadores: First Impressions

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night on Raw, we saw the debut of Los Matadores, formerly known as Primo and Epico, Diego & Fernando in a tag team match against Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal of 3MB. During their entrance, a mini came out dressed in something of a bull costume and performed some acrobatics. I remember reading that WWE had signed a mini to act as a mascot. I believe that the name they're using for him is El Torito, or something along those lines anyhow.

Their match was well wrestled and, surprisingly, the fans seemed to get pretty into them by the time it was over. They applauded politely, initially, when the mini was doing his acrobatic bit but, as I said, Diego & Fernando were getting a pretty decent pop from the fans over the course of the match.

This gimmick does nothing for me personally. It honestly wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but it's still pretty damn silly. I didn't really expect any sort of mega grand entrance or anything. After all, these guys are portraying matadors and there's really only so much you can do with that. As far as the gimmick as a whole, I didn't flat out despise it but I certainly don't love it either. Flashy, corny gimmicks like this have been a staple in pro wrestling, so there's always some sort of place for it. However, when it's all said and done, I don't really expect greatness. This is something that I'm sure would be MASSIVELY over in places like CMLL or AAA. In the handful of times I've watched AAA, I've seen some extremely silly gimmicks that are hugely over. This would work great there, especially with Mexico's bullfighting history. With that being said, Los Matadores could work as long as WWE doesn't try to elevate them too high. Given the sort of positive response they were getting during & after their match, it's possible that fans could get behind them as generally harmless & even lovable mid-carders/tag team wrestlers like Santino.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I liked it. This debut lived up to the hype. All these weeks of hype videos shown for Los Matadores made me care about what they would be like when they debuted, I would say that they exceeded my expectations. They had a good match, a cool finisher, and El Torito was a great addition. Now we'll need to see what they will be like in promos.... I think that this team has potential. Not only does the federation need the next big face tag team, but someone will have to become the focal point of the tag team division once The Shield move on.... These guys could very well become that if built up properly. The debut went very well and I look forward to seeing what WWE has planned next for Los Matadores!

 

[hatehabsforever]

I thought the debut was atrocious. I hated every aspect of it. If this is the best that they can come up with for Primo and Epico, I think it may be time to wish them the best in their future endeavors.

The vignettes leading up to their debut were pretty cheesy, but I figured I'd keep an open mind and see what they had to offer. But their debut was far worse than I even anticipated. The whole notion of El Torito prancing about dressed up as a bull was beyond assinine, and I enjoyed absolutely nothing about it. If it was supposed to be funny, for me it wasn't. If it was supposed to be entertaining, it was far from it. And the fact that it is simply Primo and Epico repackaged and we all know it didn't help matters either.

It was the type of segment whereby if some of my friends who were non-wrestling fans happened to drop by my house last night while that segment was on, I would have almost been embarrassed to admit that I was a WWE fan.

There have been lots of recent gimmicks I've not been much of a fan of. Fandango, Brodus Clay and Albert (don't even know what they're called because I typically flip the station on the rare occasion they are on anymore), and a few others. But Los Matadores was one of the worst yet and I for one hope we will not be subjected to that crap ever again.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I thought the debut was atrocious. I hated every aspect of it. If this is the best that they can come up with for Primo and Epico, think it may be time to wish them the best in their future endeavors.

I almost always agree with you, habs, but I'm going to have to disagree here. Sure it was silly and cheesy, but I personally think it's a much better route for Epico and Primo. Now they have characters and a gimmick that could be quite fun to watch unlike their old boring tag team. Then again, I don't mind cheesy, so if I end up being in the minority then so be it.... I liked the video packages and the match. It's better than their regular tag team as themselves, which I never truly cared about. This has potential and they should be able to make it work. Let's just see what happens though.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I didn't think it was as bad as Hatehabsforever claims, yet admit I was hoping for something with a little more flash & dash, especially after the weeks of build-up. I kept thinking that Alberto Del Rio would run out and beat the shit out of both of them.

As it was, Primo and Epico were given a few choreographed moves that looked pretty good, and the fact they've always been smooth ring workers should keep this going for awhile. I agree, though, that Los Matadores should remain as mid-carders and that trying to elevate them too high and too quickly could result in disaster.

How long will it be before Tito Santana makes his appearance in support of these bull-tossers?

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

It was pretty bad. The little bull thing was weird. There called the Matadors, I don't need to see the bull thing to remind me who they are. As they were doing their entrance you can hear the fans laughing in the background. As their match was going on I remember thinking that they had a chance to redeem themselves with a cool tag finisher. The move looked good, but the impact was average at best. I don't envision this team being part of the revolution that brings bag tag wrestling.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I almost always agree with you, habs, but I'm going to have to disagree here. Sure it was silly and cheesy, but I personally think it's a much better route for Epico and Primo. Now they have characters and a gimmick that could be quite fun to watch unlike their old boring tag team. Then again, I don't mind cheesy, so if I end up being in the minority then so be it.... I liked the video packages and the match. It's better than their regular tag team as themselves, which I never truly cared about. This has potential and they should be able to make it work. Let's just see what happens though.

Look, Dagger, I don't even mind the matador gimmick per se. And I don't necessarily mind cheesy. But the whole midget (political correctness aside) prancing and jumping around in a bull costume made the segment unwatchable for me. The next time they come on, I likely won't even give it a chance; it will be time to get a snack and check in on the football game.

Sure, it's great to give Primo and Epico some form of character to allow them to branch away from their otherwise anonymous personas. And some will like it and some won't, as with any gimmick. But El Torito was simply ludicrous and reminded me of days gone by when such gimmicks as Mantaur, Giant Gonzalez, or The Goon were prevalent in professional,wrestling. I'm all for trying new things, and reinventing characters, but if it is done in a way that insults my intelligence, is potentially offensive to some people, and causes me to change the channel, I simply don't see it as a good thing.

Jesus, for a minute there, I thought it was Thursday night.

 

[Limitless]

Look, Dagger, I don't even mind the matador gimmick per se. And I don't necessarily mind cheesy. But the whole midget (political correctness aside) prancing and jumping around in a bull costume made the segment unwatchable for me. The next time they come on, I likely won't even give it a chance; it will be time to get a snack and check in on the football game.

This is About how I feel about the whole thing. I actually saw the entrance and was very disappointed. The whole midget in the costume was just stupid and the gimmick will fall flat after a month or so... I mean I do not see them holding tag team gold, nor do I see them doing anything for the division except adding more depth to a already mediocre division. I watched a little bit of the match, but I was more tuned in on the Football game... which should say something about a debut.

 

[fafa1021]

I like to think I have a sense of humor and can suspend reality for a little while when watching wrestling but to me, Los Matadores just seemed silly. If they are trying to appeal to kids with this, my girlfriend's son thought that it was stupid and that kid is a John Cena fan.

As far as the match it's self. I thought that some of the spots seemed a bit clumsy but I thought the finisher looked good (there aren't enough tandem finishers anymore and I'm glad they did something together).

Overall, I don't see Los Matadores taking over the tag team scene anytime soon. El Torrito is going to be the star of that gimmick which is fine and Primo and Epico weren't doing anything of any significance leading up to this so I suppose this is an improvement. But the WWE needs a face tag team that will be a credible threat to the Shield and I don't think that El Matadores is that threat.

 

[Kaptain Klobber]

I never had high hopes for these guys, this is an era with very few gimmicks and more of a regular guy type of look (sorry for the lousy wording). It's really a cheesy schtick Primo and Epico got stuck with.

I was surprised initially when I saw them come out, the entrance was pretty cool, especially with the twirls and the smoke.

Then the bull guy came out.

Needless to say I left. The Football game looked better anyway. When I got my guts to look back at the match, I was slightly pleased to see their ring work, which had very much improved since primo and Epico. I also like the double finisher, which is a rarity.

All in all I don't think these guys will go very far. Cheesy gimmick with decent ringwork will lead them nowhere

 

[Stinger]

My impression? I hated it. I PRAYED that some point during their shenanigans that we'd hear "SIERRA! HOTEL! INDIA! ECHO! LIMA! DELTA! SHIELD!" to put an end to this buffoonery.

I really don't like gimmicks like this, and that stupid little bull made it even worse. I hope these guys don't get a major push. If the Wyatts debut and are off tv regularly only 6 weeks later, then these guys better be off tv by Hell In A Cell.

Having Rosa Mendes as a sexy matador manager would have been a better way to get them over than "Little Toro" or whatever he's called.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I have no problem with the gimmick, but my reasoning is a little different. Flashy, corny gimmicks will always be around in professional wrestling. It's part of the job. These gimmicks rarely, if ever, have any sort of sustainable credibility. It's the gimmick that makes the wrestler stand out, not the wrestler himself. Look at Fandango. The best part of his character is his entrance music. Otherwise he jobs more than not.

Los Matadores will eventually be the same way after this initial push of a few months. They don't need to win to stay over. It's clear after seeing El Torito (who I also thought was over the top corny) that this is a tag team aimed at an audience that doesn't need to see winners: children. They just want to see fun little stuff like this. Same with Tons of Funk. They're comedy jobbers as well, but the kids love the gimmick.

Also, look at this from another standpoint. With what will eventually turn into a face jobbing tag team (unless they ditch El Torito), it gives other face teams a chance to rise up. PTP and the Uso's have built some decent credibility lately and can move up the card. Los Matadores likely will get a shot at the Tag Team Titles once or twice in their push, but they'll eventually move to where all gimmicks like these do.

 

[ak47_al123]

Maybe I am the only one, but I really think that mini luchador is way more impressive than the Los Matadores, I rather see him in the ring.

If the Los Matadores have more flashy moves, they can be some loved-jobber like Justin Gabriel or Even Bourne, and become the tag champ again in years. However, if WWE decide to turn them heel, they will go back to the same position as Primo and Epico, someone that completely irrelevant.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

Look, as far as the wrestling goes, it's the Colons, so it was good. The choreographed spinning whip was cute. The finisher needs work. I could do without the "bull", but if it leads to either the Shield triple power bombing him, or the Wyatts sacrificing it, then ok. The mini as a bull cannot remain a mainstay. From what I understand, the guy playing the part is actually über talented, so maybe they will parlay this into some minis matches. With Taquito, or whatever his name is, Hornswoggle, and a couple of other guys, it could lead to some entertaining stuff for Saturday Morning Slam.

Now, the MAIN, HUGE, MASSIVE issue I have with thesis JBL. I am so tired of him being the "smart mark announcer". Between the "he reminds me of an uncle of mine" with Zeb Coulter every week, and " these guys remind me of someone" now starting, it just comes off as douchey and a lame attempt to seem ahead of the marks.

 

[James]

I liked there debut especially because I am a fan of gimmicks but I wasn't expecting the bull but that was a plus.

They'll need a mouthpiece and with RVD about to take time off, I believe Ricardo can really help them. They'll be against the real americans soon anyway.

 

[DX Mols]

I didn't see it but I can guarantee it's awful. They're awful and they should have been future endeavored instead of repackaged. Horribly cheesy gimmick that's doomed to have these two back to jobbing in no time. If they couldn't get over with sexy Rosa as their valet what chance do they have with some midget in a bull costume?

 

[MCMG]

I actually thought it was quite good. The match dragged on a little too long but the entrance and the little bull were fun. JBL was humours and it is evident that Fernando and Diego are talented and valuable assets to the tag division. People need to remember they are only a tag-team, now that they have debued, to a seemingly strong reaction, I'm sure they will have the momentum to be a strong part of the division.

These two are never going to split and become world champions but they can provide us with some entertaining moments and matches. That is hardly a bad thing for a tag-team.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Maybe I am the only one, but I really think that mini luchador is way more impressive than the Los Matadores, I rather see him in the ring.

You are not the only one I thought El Torito was the most "entertaining" thing in the whole debut but that's not saying much. Their debut did exceed my expectations though but that's only because my expectations were extremely low or rather non existent. I don't see them going particularly far in the division tbh I think they'll disappear off tv by WrestleMania time

 

[Spidey Revivey]

It went a lot better than I imagined it would.

Los Matadores made me laugh my ass off- something WWE characters haven't been able to do for years. It was a nice surprise and anyone who thought Los Matadores were going to be a serious tag team needs to have their eyelids stapled shut.

It was entertaining. El Torito just made Mantaur look like bullshit. Literally.

 

[blue_dragon]

El Torito was the main attraction of that debut. It was fun to watch him jump around. I believe we have Hornswoggle 2.0 on our hands but hopefully this one won't bury any titles.

So it was Primo and Epico. It was time to give them some gimmicks and see how well they will do. Not that these ones will ever be main eventers but is better than to job all the time and not even be in mid card or tag team division.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

I didn't see it but I can guarantee it's awful. They're awful and they should have been future endeavored instead of repackaged. Horribly cheesy gimmick that's doomed to have these two back to jobbing in no time. If they couldn't get over with sexy Rosa as their valet what chance do they have with some midget in a bull costume?

First of all, how can you tell that the debut was awful when you didn't even watch it in the first place to judge? I don't mind whether you hated or loved it had you seen the match, but you didn't, and you have no right to judge. I know the promos were pretty shitty, but still, you could have at least watched the match before judging.

Secondly, you have to realise that this tag team is not your target market. Tons of Funk and arguably 3MB are not either. This tag team is not designed for the IWC to get behind, especially with the inclusion of El Torito. This is primarily marketed towards children, and if they can do that, remain relatively over and be good in the ring, then they're reaching their objective fine.

You also spelt endeavoured wrong.

For me personally, it went a LOT better than I was expecting though. I'm pretty doubtful that they'll be getting much further than this, maybe they'll scrape a Tag Team challenge, but come up short. El Torito I thought was something this team needed as a mascot to stand out, otherwise I feel they'd be a lot more blander than they were. The match was OK, nothing special, but OK for a debut, and the fans reacted better to it than I was expecting (no Primo and Epico chants surprisingly enough)

 

[lil bitch Kid]

First of all, how can you tell that the debut was awful when you didn't even watch it in the first place to judge? I don't mind whether you hated or loved it had you seen the match, but you didn't, and you have no right to judge. I know the promos were pretty shitty, but still, you could have at least watched the match before judging.

Secondly, you have to realise that this tag team is not your target market. Tons of Funk and arguably 3MB are not either. This tag team is not designed for the IWC to get behind, especially with the inclusion of El Torito. This is primarily marketed towards children, and if they can do that, remain relatively over and be good in the ring, then they're reaching their objective fine.

You also spelt endeavoured wrong.

For me personally, it went a LOT better than I was expecting though. I'm pretty doubtful that they'll be getting much further than this, maybe they'll scrape a Tag Team challenge, but come up short. El Torito I thought was something this team needed as a mascot to stand out, otherwise I feel they'd be a lot more blander than they were. The match was OK, nothing special, but OK for a debut, and the fans reacted better to it than I was expecting (no Primo and Epico chants surprisingly enough)

For the record, Grammar Hammer, "spelt" isn't a word. it is "spelled".

Now, generally speaking I think you're right in the sense that the IWC isn't the target. I think, really, they are setting up to really use SMS as even more of a kids' show. Tons of Funk will always have a spot on the bigger shows because of the girls. They could be shown on SMS! Though as well. The Colons gimmick will either get over, which is possible, or they'll snap one day and do a worked shoot, which the E is known for, or, they're screwed and will be in TNA by next summer. I think it'll be the first situation. I want the second one, with the return of Carlito and Freebird rule situation. I'm afraid however we'll be seeing the Colons vs Chavo and Hernandez at BFG 2014.

 

[Toroc102]

Hatehabs got it right on the first page. This is the type of stuff that makes me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan. I mean, its garbage, it makes the whole thing look fake. I know wrestling is fake but I like it when they make it feel real, not like I'm watching Barney, or even worse, the Spanish version of Barney.

 

[joduke41]

Being a huge an of Tag wrestling I really liked the idea.Entrance was a bit long for your average fan.But I like the gimmick.(hating my keyboard).You gotta get behind the cheesy gimmicks to tleast keep the tag tam division alive.Im tired of seeing the same guy on a3 hour show.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

Really, the gimmick is no worse than the Bushwhackers or the Killer Bees. For now, they are a gimmick that'll get the first wave wins against 3MB and maybe Hunico and Camacho (who I understand having been working house shows) before inevitably feuding with the Real Americans.