or you can wait for them to show up on wrestlingdom.com and pretend they wrote it. Whichever.
– Shelly Martinez will start on 10/24.
– AAA’s strategy for bringing in the US wrestlers: they think only 2 companies will make it in Mexico, and don’t think they can compete with WWE in Mexico on money, production, or stars (which doesn’t say much for them) so they’re trying to counter them by doing more acrobatic wrestling.
me: I guess they can’t find anyone in Mexico to do this. This also makes no sense given the Jack/Aerostar match which was anything but, and the other hundred problems with this idea
– US indy workers Low Ki, Generico, and Ruckus are supposed to start in November, and they’d like to get Pac from the UK at around the same time (Pac and X-Pac, it’s like the Mosco feud but less compelling.) They’d run a Low Ki/Jack/Teddy vs Generico/Ruckus/Pac feud.
Ultimately, it seems like they’re trying to invert boom era WCW: Mexicans on top, people from the US/Canada/Europe underneath to provide the really good matches. It comes off like there’s a handful of current guys they feel like they need, but native midcarders are unnecessary; those who want to see Mexican wrestlers wrestling lucha libre will buy tickets when the top guys are on the cards, and the foreigners are being brought to tap into a separate fan base.
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@Rob: I agree with everything you said exept comparing Konnan to Bischoff. It wasn’t Bischoff who killed WCW is was Time Warner who stripped him of his power and then hiring Vince Russo. It’s Russo who Konnan seems to be modeling himself after.
I don’t know if Konnan is racist I think he’s just trying to make a name for himslef by making AAA into his own promotion. If it fails he’ll blame Roldan or somebody else for not letting him do his thing, if he succeeds (which he won’t) he’ll take credit for “saving” AAA when it was never in danger.
Or Maybe he has a secret agenda to destroy AAA.
@Tim: Latin Lover will make a huge difference for the better, weather you like it or not.
Turner canceling WCW is what killed WCW, not Russo, not Bischoff.
And Latin Lover might improve things for a little bit but no way is the guy staying longer than maybe a couple weeks. He’s way bigger than Lucha right now.
You’re absolutely right, Tim. Dorian and Joaquin were at home one night surfing youtube for WSX clips and decided they needed to re-do the Vamp vs Mesias feud properly. At the same time they found wicked video clips of Pac, Ruckus, Generico and Lo-Ki and have been marking out over them ever since. Meanwhile Pena’s sister had a secret obsession with Bryan Danielson and DEMANDED he brought in for Triplemania.
Those three run the company, right?
Aren’t they the ones that gave Konnan and the other guy the book? If Konnan fails at the book, They are most certainly to blame.
Pena’s sister and Joaquin Roldan’s father have nothing to do with how the shows are run, how the matches are booked, and who is being brought in. they just write the checks and cash their checks. obviously they can decline a talent being brought n if they feel its too much money, but other than that they are not the ones bringing in the US indy guys. thats all Konnan. Pena’s sister and Roldan’s father have never heard of Johnny Stamboli, Pac, El Generico, Ruckus, etc. i really doubt that either one of them heard of Bobby Lashley before Triplemania too, and i doubt they could tell you his name today.
Exactly, they could decline if they wanted to but since AAA is still making money and filling seats, why change? Do you guys really think Ruckus will beat Cibernetico or Latin Lover? No, If he comes in at all, I doubt it will be more than a couple times.
@Tim: I agree with Tim, this is why I don’t think it’s a big deal.
@Tim: The reason why turner cancelled WCW is becaue is was losing money and ratings. Why was it losting money and ratings??? Because of Russo.
Also you don’t know that AAA is making lots of money. If they are declining Konnan can make any excuse he wants to the Roldan’s and Pena’s about why they arent’ making money and they’ll beleive him.
If WCW died AAA can die too.
I do have more hope now that Latin Lover is being brought back, it shows that somebody in that company still has a somewhat functional brain.
WCW started losing money years before Russo was in charge. He didn’t help things that’s for sure. And Russo was long gone before WCW was canned in 2001.
You really think one man can “save” an entire promotion? If AAA is in trouble like some people are saying, Why don’t they just get rid of Konnan?
Because he’s a manipulative individual who has the ear of the people running the promotion.
And nobody is saying AAA is in immediate danger. The seeds are just being planted for trouble in the future and it’s entirely possible when the time comes that AAA is in trouble – the people who created the mess will be long gone and take no responsibility.
Didn’t this same thing happen last time Konnan was booker of AAA back in 96? He had all that hardcore crap and ECW stuff and then he left to do Promo Azteca. If they Pena’s or Roldan’s were smart, they would have learned from past mistakes. However, I don’t think that will happen this time.
Konnan never booked AAA back in ’96, he was just the main guy who had Pena’s ear. He was also given full control of the B.C. territory where the hardcore style was “in”. When he tried to bring it to D.F. it bombed so Pena naturally put an end to it which was one of the reasons Konnan left. He couldn’t admit he was wrong.
It’s not about who is smart and who is dumb. Vince McMahon is a very smart guy but how many times has he let his big stars get in his ear and dictate decisions? 99% of the things the Kliq did were stupid decisions but Vince okay’ed them b/c he was being manipulated. Does that make him dumb? Even the smartest people in the world fall victim to manipulation.
To sidestep the shitstorm of different tangents…
I think Konnan is trying to do three different things with the “Direction” of AAA.
1)Ripping off NJPW’s “globalization”, booking the promotion around Mexicans vs diabolical foreigners. I’m not saying NJPW invented booking forigners or anything like that, but NJPW has always done things like the J-Cup and “Japan vs the world” shows that feature a ton of foreign talent. I think in an odd way, Konnan (or whomever is behind things) is doing this to strengthen the perception of AAA as a global player, rather than as “smoke filled arena” promoters.
2) Konnan was influenced by Paul Heyman booking… but not in a necessarily positive way. One of the reasons that a lot of Americans look at lucha and cannot understand the psychology is because it is different than in the US. Paul Heyman also booked ECW in a way that was different than the major US companies (or the territories before them) had, with a lot more wild and crazy brawls that lacked the same kind of psycology. Konnan saw how things like the Sandman and Public Enemy got over in 1995, and tried to adapt that to AAA even then. The problem is, the psycology and style of lucha doesnt really cross over well with wild brawls and weapons. Thus, you end up with a midcard that is being booked in a bastardized ECW-esque style.
3) The “Sports Entertainment” type of writing and angles are being used for the main events… where you have guys that are of questionable wrestling ability, but have a certain look. You then hype the hell out of them with contrived storylines and situations that will have an eventual climax. Konnan is actually doing the reverse Austin-McMahon angle, where he is the dick employee trying to take away the company from the family of Pena. Think of the whole Ciber-Chessman-Mesias thing as a giant Kane-Undertaker-Mankind angle.
It is what it is. I know Friday Pena show is probably the most interesting looking show that i’ve seen all year from any company. I’m trying to think of one card I’ve seen from any company that spark my interest.
Today’s show got me really interested into AAA future. There is a lot of storylines going on am liking. What is Manson next move? What is Zorro next move? I think D-Mex is going to be a surprise and fun midcard act.
If Low Ki was smart he would used this chance to make a name for himself. I truly believe Low Ki will get over huge if they let him be him.
I’m waiting for Homicide contract to run out,I think it runs out in February. Having Low Ki and Homicide, two of the most talented hispanic wrestlers in the world in AAA make sense too me. It would sure improve the match quality.Just think of a midcard with Aerostar,Laredo Kid,Teddy Hart,Jack Evans,Low Ki,Homicide,Xpac,Nicho,Koslov,Super Fly,Silver King,La Secta,ALan Stone,Chris Stone.
@ USAUSA1:
Homicide isnt going to come to AAA. perhaps you forgot about the whole thing that happened in TNA. Homicide will also stay with TNA and JAPW. he isnt going anywhere. Low Ki is a good technical wrestler, but he cant cut a promo to save his life, and doesnt have the flashiness and attitude that Hart v2 have. he wont get over.
“Having Low Ki and Homicide, two of the most talented hispanic wrestlers in the world in AAA make sense too me.”
Low Ki isnt really hispanic. i think he’s only like a quarter puerto rican, if that.
Why would Homicide stay in TNA after they break up LAX? He’s been rumored to leave TNA after his contract is up and he’s boys with Konnan. He would actually fit in with AAA a lot.
@Tim: NO WCW wasn’t losing money years before Russo came. WCW boomed from1996-1998. Then Time Warner started screwing things up, and their biggest mistake was bringing in Russo in 1999. Know your facts before speaking.
And Russo was fired 3 months before WCW went out of business so his damage was done even though he was gone at the time that it folded.
The fact that you’re sticking up for this garbage just goes to show what kind of a fan you are. Tell me, do you want to see AAA fall to shit or do you just get a kick out of watching a crappy wrestling program?
@Daniel: “Tell me, do you want to see AAA fall to shit or do you just get a kick out of watching a crappy wrestling program?”
Well, Tim watches the WWE so that answer is self-explanatory.
So wait a minute, WCW dying is all Russo fault? You mean the outlandish contracts, Bischoff and company spending ungodly amounts of money, Hogan and Nash having creative control, The rise and fall of the NWO, etc. etc. has nothing to do with it either? The damage was done in 98 when Bischoff ran out of ideas.
And I don’t get what me liking WWE has to do with this? No I don’t want AAA to “fall to shit” whatever that means. It really doesn’t matter to me because I’m not going to shows or watching on Mexican TV so I don’t matter. Right Rob?
@Tim: Ok, either get your facts straight about WCW or don’t talk about it at all. You’re just reguergitating what guys like Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alverez say about WCW. The contracts and money spending were in place during the boom period when the company was making a profit. Bischoff didn’t run out of ideas, he wasn’t allowed to use his own ideas as of 1998. Russo made WCW into a joke, thus people stopped watching, and thus the company lost money.
Bischoff did have a budget. Do you honestly think that Ted Turned gave Bischoff free access to the company’s bank account so he can spend money like it’s falling from the sky? Please!!!!
AAA is following in all of WCW’s footsteps and it’s getting worse every week. If the Roldans and Penas are smart they’ll remove the cancer (Konnan) and save the company. If they let the disease spread and grow then AAA will be just another wrestling promotion of the past that we’ll see clips of on WWE 24/7.
Whatever makes you happy Daniel. I bet Latin Lover could have saved WCW.
@Tim: Konnan sure as hell didn’t do it.
@ Tim:
WCW dying was without a doubt Russo’s fault. Bischoff made that company the top US promotion. remember the Monday Night Wars? Bischoff was running things for the 70 something weeks that WCW beat WWE in the ratings.
and here’s what really killed the promotion. Russo booking himself into a title match against the World Champion, David Arquette. did you forget about that horrible time when Arquette, the scrawny out of shape actor, was champion. the worst thing Bischoff did was bring back Ultimate Warrior for 2 matches, which actually netted WCW a substantial amount of money from ppv buyrates. Bischoff also brought in the Cruiserweight division and all the wrestlers who competed in it. Russo buried that division at a time when it could have flourished.
Russo did some stupid shit but ultimately WCW ended because of Jamie Kellner and the rest of the WB Network execs who had just taken control. They didn’t want to be associated with what they considered lowbrow programming. Even if WCW had remained successful like the were in 1996/1997 it wouldn’t have meant much for their future.
Really, I don’t see the comparison between the two. You guys sound like Meltzer. I will be convince when Jack Evans and Ruckus start main eventing shows on a weekly basis over Cibernetico,Zorro,Mesias,etc. If you want to listen to Meltzer, even he said that’s not going to happen. Chill out
@ Bruce: Russo never booked himself into a title match against David Arquette. Arquette won the title by pinning Bischoff and lost it in a cage match to Page or Jarrett or another lackluster guy. Russo booked himself into the World Title scene later that year. And furthermore, Russo and Ferrera were signed because WCW ratings already were miserable and the company lost millions of Dollars each month. Russo did not kill WCW, he was just one of many nails in the company’s coffin.
@Ringo: WCW was going down hill when Russo came in and he was brought in to reverse this, but instead he drove it down even faster. It was salvagable when he came in but Russo made it so that the dammage was permanent.