TripleMania’s really the big show of the weekend, for nearly as many reasons outside the ring as in it. This might be the first time a promotion’s focused their biggest show of the year on their heavyweight title match since the UWA. There’s a feud here to be sure, but with the mask match called off, this is far more reliant on the drawing power of US/Japan-like World Championship Feud than what’s normally done. Will AAA sell out the Copper Dome? Will PPV be a factor? Will anyone find the webcast? Will AAA try to get their own jump to counteract Niebla? Which group will get the headlines the next day?
Dunno!
1) Aerostar, Laredo Kid, Super Fly vs Cuervo, Escoria, Ozz
Maybe Gato Eveready as the sub? That’d work. Maybe the Clowns come out and kill both teams? That’d save them the time of fighting them separately.
2) Alan Stone, Octagón, Super Porky vs Black Abyss, Mr. Niebla, Psicosis
Histeria seems a good substitute. Like the opener, this is just here to fill out the card (which they may regret if they run low on time on the PPV window – I hope they got an hour more than CMLL gets) and get people onto the card. I think the tecnicos would be going over regardless of the situation, but maybe we’ll learn a little more about what might be next.
3) Brian Danielson, Jack Evans, Teddy Hart vs Extreme Tiger, Halloween, TJ Xtreme and Crazy Boy, Juventud Guerrera, Ricky Marvin
I don’t even know what to say about this match. There may be parts that are really good. There may be parts that are really bad. It doesn’t really play to anyone’s strengths or feuds – Jack and Teddy should be getting a tag title shot, the Mexican Powers should be facing the Hermaidad (a mortal lock to appear), Brian Danielson should be wrestling Solar I in Arena Naucalpan, and Ricky should be returning to CMLL instead of Wagner. This’ll be chaotic, likely to have good moments but ultimately not be all that cohesive.
4) Fabi Apache vs Mari Apache [hair]
I’m still a little bit behind on AAA TV, but they’ve hit me so hard with the “Billy Boy wants to make it up to Fabi Apache” story point, I’m sure this is going to end up with him being shaved here. The storyline going into is Fabi wants no one – not Billy, not Gran Apache – to be at ringside. Surely Gran Apache will end up there, and I figure cost Fabi the match. Maybe Billy offers to get shaved instead to make it up, but that doesn’t work either because nothing works out for Billy Boy. Unless the finish is too wacky, this should be the women’s lucha MOTY to date.
5) Vampiro vs Mesias [hardcore]
This will not be a MOTY. Though Vamp appears to be working a little bit before and after this, it’s a big layoff and he wasn’t ever claiming to be a great worker to start with, so it’s fair to expect a WSX brawl complete with explosion. You can’t go back to Mesias getting a shot at the title yet, so I think Vampiro wins this match to keep the feud (and Mesias’ TripleMania losing streak) going.
6) Bobby Lashley, Electro Shock, Kenzo Suzuki vs ?, Chessman, La Parka Jr.
Everyone sure thinks the mystery person will be Latin Lover, so it’s sorta got to be him or people will be upset about not getting someone they weren’t actually promised. This should turn out a lot of like the Steiner matches, with the foreign strongman tossing the guys around, getting put over strong, and AAA going nowhere with it. Except for Konnan bragging about the strength of the Legion…
7) Cibernetico vs Zorro [AAA HEAVY]
…leaning directly into Cibernetico winning a blah or worse match here. I mean, I guess there’s a shot that Chessman might turn, but they seem to be doing the slow build on that and I don’t see it happening here. (To me, it seems more like Chessman’s being set up with a feud for Mesias in case things fall apart with Vampiro, as has happened time to time.) They’ve done a great job of building up Zorro, so I don’t think they’d kill him dead here, but I don’t think Cibernetico’s going to get the title back only to lose in three months later. This is probably where having a better understanding about recent Puerto Rician booking would probably help things, but my impression is they like keeping the title on the big lead face and having all the rudos chase him, rather than the other way around.
Maybe I’m wrong? What do you have?