Month: April 2006

of course, Galavision makes me a complete liar – they’re airing AAA again! Did Bryan’s Friend Vince start watching it again today and doom it all? Last time AAA aired (on Saturday) was December 10th.

Of course, first match in is a mini cage match which ends with a referee losing his hair. They have seemed better about that sort of AAA-ness this year, and I think it’s a taping from last year. I’ll track it down in a bit.

Edit: It’s showing matches to start from the 07/29/05 show, but they’re mixing in a dinner with Pena, Octagon, La Parka Jr., Triple A, and others. Best of? I guess so.

All matches appear to be clipped in some manner; haven’t seen enough of them to know who much they’ve been clipped.

07/29 Madreo
Zumbido L Oriental and Picudo and Antifaz del Norte and Cuervo and Incógnito
(referee) Piero L Jerrito Estrada and Mascarita Sagrada and Hator and Zumbido and Mini Psicosis and Rocky Marvin and Octagoncito and La Parkita and Zumbido [cage of death, hair]
Psicosis II CO Histeria [MEX MW]

08/26 Mexico City (Only for Women show)
Latin Lover, Shocker, Vampiro b Abismo Negro, Cibernetico, Psicosis II

09/18 Naucalpan
Chessman L Latin Lover and Cibernetico and Shocker [electric cage, hair]

11/07 Domo de la Feria de Leon (I think)
Cibernetico, Abismo Negro, Charly Manson vs Octagon, La Parka Jr., Zorro

12/10 Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso de Guadalajara
Shocker vs Sangre Azteca [hair, 3rd fall only]

That’s it.

CMLL (FRI) 04/07 Arena Mexico Results
1) Los Tigres del Ring (Rey Tigre, Tigre Blanco, Tigre Metálico) b Apocalipsis, Dr. X, Hooligan
2) Hombre Sin Nombre, Misterioso II, Sangre Azteca b Metro, Virus, Volador Jr.
I think they’re building a Virus/HSN rivalary.
3) Felino, La Máscara, Último Dragón b Olímpico, Shigeo Okumura, Takemura
4) Damián 666, Héctor Garza, Mr. Águila b Rey Bucanero, Tarzan Boy, Último Guerrero
Mr. Aguila snuck in a low blow to get his team the win. Post match, there were cage of death challenges, but I think they’re headed back to a trios rematch first.
5) LA Park, Mistico, Negro Casas b Atlantis, Averno, Mephisto
Mistico and Negro got pins on Averno and Mephsito in the final fall and challenged for a tag shot. They may get it next week

CMLL (TUE) 04/04 Arena Aficion Results
1) Black Thunder, Colmillo Blanco b Skyade, Titan
2) Dark Angel, Lady Apache b Amapola, Princesa Sujei
3) La Máscara, Mistico, Último Dragón b Olímpico, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero

Ernesto says next week’s Mexico lineup has
– Averno & Mepshito vs Mistico & Negro Casas [CMLL TAG]
– Amapola vs Dark Angel [hair/mask]
– Perros del Mal vs Guerrero del Infierno
– Satanico, Volador Jr., Mascara Purpura vs Hombre sin Nombre, Misterioso II, Nitro

CMLL (MON) 04/10 Arena Puebla Lineup
1) Iron & Molotov vs Murcielago & La Mafia
2) The Tiger, Zigma, Kirvan vs Super Comando, Artillero, Ares
3) Cerebro Negro, Espiritu Maligno, Furia Chicana vs Stuka Jr., Neutron, Tigre Rojo
4) Averno, Mephisto, Damian 666 vs Felino, La Mascara, Sagrado
5) Universo 2000, Rey Bucanero, Pierroth vs Lizmark Jr., Dos Caras Jr., Blue Panther

I’m sorry, Rob, they didn’t air the big singles match.

04/02 Coliseo Stuka Jr. b Flecha [mask]
04/02 Coliseo Dos Caras Jr., Negro Casas, Último Dragón b Olímpico, Rey Bucanero, Tarzan Boy

swerve! The Stuka/Flecha match did not appear to be clipped and was quite fun. The trios match is airing right now.

Yes, that’s a real movie. I got the poster from el Martiente.

Ovaciones has a basic Arena Mexico preview.

CMLL (FRI) 04/07 Arena Mexico
1) Rey Tigre, Tigre Blanco, Tigre Metálico vs Apocalipsis, Dr. X, Hooligan
2) Metro, Virus, Volador Jr. vs Hombre Sin Nombre, Misterioso II, Sangre Azteca
3) Felino, La Máscara, Último Dragón vs Olímpico, Shigeo Okumura, Takemura
4) Rey Bucanero, Tarzan Boy, Último Guerrero vs Damián 666, Héctor Garza, Mr. Águila
5) LA Park, Mistico, Negro Casas vs Atlantis, Averno, Mephisto

It feels like a run of the mill card with no big stories to be told. Smaller questions:
– will La Park get along with his teammates, since Wagner is not among them?
– are they setting up another tag title match?
– is there any new progress in the Guerreros/Perros battles?
– do they have anything in particular planned for Takemura in this two week run?
– is the rematch in the segunda going anywhere or just a one week blip?

Alexis has CMLL Magazine #34 (page 1, page 2) up on his site; look at Tuesday’s card before it’s released, and marvel at the La Flecha picture I will eventually steal for the roster page.

To preview this Saturday’s lucha event at the Arizona State Museum, the Arizona Daily Star talked to one of the guys working the free lucha matches (out on the lawn!), the Prophet. I was trying to figure out who was working north of the border in openers as Cuervo, since it wouldn’t make sense for the AAA guy with that name – and it turns out it’s the Prophet’s arch-rival. Small world.

Saturday: Split feed.

This is (or at least should be) the start of four straight weeks of singles main events
04/08: Santo vs Atlantis [Leyend de Plata final, first time they’ve fought?]
04/15: Universo 2000 vs Halloween
04/22: Santo vs Ultimo Guerrero
04/29: Universo 2000 vs Halloween [hair/hair]

This week sounds like a three match show, but Robert said it was an excellent show, with the semi-main trio being a Trios MOTYC.

Sunday: Garza vs Pierroth for hair, and the closest thing US TV audiences are going to see to Atlanits’ turn when he works on the rudo-ish side of a Parajes Incredible match.

GdR: Stuka/Flecha has to air. It just HAS TO – I sour on this entire enterprise if it doesn’t air (the only out I can think of is ‘we’re saving it for an upcoming Best Of show’, but I’d rather just see it now.)

I’ve got a couple recaps 3/4 and 1/2 done I just haven’t found the right mix of time, energy and availablity to finish up, but they should turn up sometime tomorrow night.

CMLL (SUN) 04/02 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara Results [KrisZ]
1) Milenio b Rey Trueno
2) Idolo b Destroyer
3) Gallo, Kronos b Infierno, Super Maquina
4) Terrible b Guero Loco and Silver King and Kronos and La Máscara and Volador Jr. and Máscara Año 2000 and Shigeo Okumura and Arkangel de la Muerte and Toxico [ciber]
5) Neutrón b Maleficio [mask, hair]

Today’s the 20th anniversary of El Solitario’s death.
* bio in today’s Ovaciones
* life timeline in the latest Halcon and a bio
* there’s a bio in the latest Box Y Lucha, but it’s not up on their site
* luchawiki bio (featured bio of the week)

As you can read, Solitario was only 39 when he died and had just wrestled the biggest match of his career four months previous, defeating Dr. Wagner Sr. for his mask.

Whenever I read about El Toreo/UWA, it makes me wonder how CMLL now thinks of their pre-AAA rival. The promotion and the matches from that period are still mentioned (revered even, compared to, say, the treatment of WCW past five years after it’s demise), though the guys still left from that period are mostly only around the indy scene and fading away.

The most visible belt on CMLL TV is the UWA Heavyweight Championship, with Dr. Wagner being a rare lucha guy who makes sure the title belt he holds is constantly with him. I just don’t really have a feel for what it means to him and the fans. Is he perceived of as “the last son of the UWA”? Are they just kicking a dead horse – “the best guy of UWA call Arena Mexico his house”? Does it mean anything at all, since it is a title in Mexico after all? Like I said, I’m not really sure. It does seem to me that there’s still great respect for the stars of UWA. They’re still stars, and history and a failed promotion hasn’t washed them out of existence.

If you’re near the campus of Arizona State, the Arizona State Museum will be showcasing a lucha libre match, films, and author Xavier Garza on Saturday. Plus, participants can make their own lucha mask! I’d so be there.