Day: December 1, 2004

(pardon the lack of links. it’s getting late, but I wanted to talk about all this stuff before it became older. It’s not a total loss – I neglected the “how this affects Wagner’s WON HOF chances” too!)

THE BIG NEWS: Dr. Wagner is real true tecnico! Canek is a rudo! Up is down, down is up, cats are sleeping with dogs, and major metropolitan cities are going nuts over washed up quarterbacks.

As mentioned last week, there was something fishy with Park, Wagner and Canek teaming up. It turned out to be a (much lesser) repeat of Hijo del Santo’s famous turn – I believe Canek still sees himself as a tecnico, but he will not be on any side that includes Dr. Wagner, even if it means being a rudo. It may end up more than that, however – remember, Canek was not getting along with Rayo de Jalisco after they and Warrior lost the trios titles. In hindsight, they were foreshadowing this turn.

To me, Canek is a guy I know is historically important, but Wagner’s a guy who’s had good matches I get to see, so I can totally get around this change. The fans have received Wagner well since the Anniversary show and his father’s death and were with him when Canek attack him, so I think the double turn is going to work out.

I expect Canek vs Dr. Wagner Jr., mask vs mask, now will headline the end of year show (scheduled for 12/17.) While one match has been announced for the show (keep reading), I don’t believe it’d be big enough to headline the show on it’s own, and by going out of their way to team up Canek and Wagner and do the turns, CMLL is putting the feud on it’s fast track. Canek, whose spot can be replaced by younger/cheaper talent probably easily, is only around now to face (and lose to) Wagner in a mask/mask match, so I wouldn’t see the point in stretching this out till the spring.

The previously speculated Year End main event was Shocker vs Terrible in a hair/hair match, and they really haven’t moved an inch in that direction since the Terrible vs Mascara Magica hair match this summer. That match can more easily be put off, so I think it will be Canek/Wagner instead.

the semi-big news: After a yet another Universo/Pierroth encounter, Pierroth finally agreed to the big hair/hair sorta rematch. Kinda.

Instead of it being mano y mano, it’s currently set as a tag match: Pierroth and Vampiro vs Universo 2000 and Cien Caras in a hair/hair vs hair/hair match, which doubles as Cien Caras’ retirement. (I’m tempted to write that as “retirement FOR NOW”, but as long it’s been since Perro Aguayo Sr. been retired and stayed retired, I should give the benefit of the doubt.) Bob Barnett actually gave the match away and even the finish – it’s just the comment not making much sense till after the fact, with Vampiro disagreeing with Pierroth on TV still and all.

They did Universo/Pierroth, mask/hair last year for the Year End Main Event, which means it is in the realm of possibilities they would make it the main event again. However, we’ve taken Universo’s mask out of the equation, which makes it far less interesting. The frequency of Pierroth, Vampiro, and Capos hair/hair matches over the last few years.* Plus, I don’t want to offend any Pierroth or Universo fans who read this if I managed not to already, but they’re really boring to the rest of us, and I don’t know that the fans would see it as an important Arena Mexico match.

I did say it was “currently” a tag match. This is a “if I was trying to book like a CMLL booker” moment, but since there are three brothers, I’d try seeing if I could wedge Mascara Ano to team with his brothers and just find another suitable rudo to team with Pierroth. It probably won’t cause more people to buy tickets, but it’d be a historically deeply meaningful, especially if it really is the last time.

Finding the third rudo becomes tough. Doesn’t make sense to have the Pierroth kids lose their masks the first time out. The hairs of Fury of the North crew Pierroth allied with (Tarzan, Garza, Terrible, Perro) are worth too much to be throw ins. I’d suggest Okumura, but that’s something else I need to get to. Maybe one of the Taliban?

Or maybe they just do “teaming together for the LAST TIME” the week before to try and draw a big house the tough lead up week? I dunno.

Related: I have my doubts about this being Cien’s last match mostly because the existence of this match just reminds me there’s a bigger match possible in this feud: Pierroth/Pierroth/Pierroth vs Dinamita/Dinamita/Dinamita [masks/hair], and as much as I love Apolo Dantes, it loses something with him in there instead of Cien. So who knows.

* that REALLY sounds like a good idea for a nfaq: list all the hair/hair, hair/mask, mask/mask matches in Arena Mexico that I can find.

the big non-CMLL News: I keep skipping this story because I don’t believe until the bell rings to start the match, but Konnan’s currently booked to return and main event an AAA show this Sunday.

After leading exoduses from both promotions, Konnan had been given “never work for us again EVER” status by CMLL and AAA. Previous attempts by Konnan to repair bridges and do business again with both groups after the fall of WCW had failed, and I’m not exactly sure why things were differently this time. My best guess is his relationship with Juventud Guerrera and perhaps others from their shared NWA-TNA time helped, as well as AAA’s ever tenuous financial situation.

They can’t be too be strapped for cash, because besides Konnan’s mystery partner against La Parka (AAA) and Cibernetico was originally planned to be Kevin Nash. That fell thru, and it’s now expected it’ll be Rikishi.

Konnan’s absence from this weekend’s TNA PPV was scheduled in advance to allow him to make this AAA date, though I wonder if there may be more to it, given AAA and TNA’s falling out.

Before the AAA date was announced, Konnan’s big return to Mexico was thought to happen first at Juventud Guerrera promoted Super X/GPCW show in Arena Xochimilco on the 17th. Konnan is still booked for that show, facing Cibernetico for the vacant (and newly created) Super X Monster World Championship. The semimain is notable for NOAH fans, as Juvi and Mr. Aguila take on Japanese junior stars KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji.

Full Arena Mexico Results (O’Campo)
1) Sombra de Plata/Neutron DQW (mask) Maximo/Koreano
2) La Mascara/Virus/Sagrado b Arkangel/Masada/Hooligan
3) Garza/Tarzan/Terrible b Canek/Wagner/Park [2-0]
4) Cien Caras/Universo 2000/Apolo Dantes b Pierroth/Perro Aguayo Jr./Vampiro
5) Shocker/Dos Caras Jr./Negro Casas b Ultimo/Olimpico/Okumura

This Week’s Line Up

1) Tsuki/Shockercit/Pequeno Olimpico vs Pierothito/Espectrito/Pequeno Violencia
2) Felino/Volador Jr./Safari vs Dr. x/Nitro/Holligan
* non-title
3) Cien Caras/Mascara 2000/Apolo Dantes vs Hijo del Perro Aguayo/Pierroth/Vampiro
4) Ultimo Dragon/La Park/Black Warrior vs Hector Garza/Terrible/Tarzan Boy
* Dragon’s in the US for a NJPW-LA match on 12/12, which is supposed to be his last match as Ultimo Dragon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn up between now, then, and his WWE return. This is a non-title match. The year end show is 12/17, so I think Ultimo would still be free then, if they wanted to run these trios in a title match later on.
5) Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Canek
* if they’re indeed doing the mask/mask match, they’ll make the challenges here.

Other Notes:

– This Sunday and probably a little bit to steal attention away from Konnan’s return, Arena Coliseo will be running a Six Way Cage Of Death hair match. The lineup is Perro Aguayo, Negro Casas, Okumura, Tarzan Boy, Emilio Charles and Rey Bucanero. Gotta figure Okumura or maybe Emilio, which would make it tough for them to be the third man in any six man hair match for the Year End Show.

Of course, if they really wanted to steal magazine headlines, one of the more important guys losing their hair would do it.

– Olimpico’s being referred to as an official member of GdI. I don’t know that Tarzan is out of the group, but Olimpico’s more or less taking his spot.