AAA #851 (09/20)

taped 08/17, aired 09/20

Much to rant about here. Let’s start by killing my credibility and then working it back.

Crazy Boy is better than Chessman. Wait, no, let’s not say things that make people spit out liquids at the screen. The match with Jack/Teddy vs Crazy/Ricky was significantly better than the one with Jack/Teddy vs Chessman/Ricky. It pretty much has nothing to do with Crazy Boy. The match was much tighter than the week prior, and built around keeping him out as along as possible. The finish was just as dumb – remember when Jack & Teddy were good enough to actually beat people on their own? Oh, those long ago days of two months ago – but everything leading up to it was much more enjoyable.

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What’s the point of
– bringing back the Mascarita Sagrada gimmick, and then making it a filler? (not saying they should push this guy either, but the character is special enough that it shouldn’t be diluted like this)
– turning Cinthia ruda, and not giving her more wins?
– Billy winning every week, but being in the same spot permanently? I’d actually prefer a program with the Pirates than this limbo.

And then there’s top two matches. Obviously someone had the idea of putting over the young guys for various reasons. It would’ve been nice if they actually did. Doing two finishes with the same guys in the same way on the same show (in the same hour!) kills the impact of either of them. It’s not a big huge surprise upset if it’s happen twice in the last forty minutes.

Even if it was just one, it’s not as if they actually put Super Fly or Aerostar over in any meainingful way. Aerostar knocked himself out a dive, crawled back into the ring hurt, and el Brazo fell into a pin. Electroshock utterly destroyed Super Fly and got pulled into huracanrana for a flash three count. Neither guy appeared on the level on their competition – Super Fly was treated as if he was many levels below Electro with the ease he was handled. Yes, they won, but AAA’s never treated weekly trio wins as meaning anything at all, so it doesn’t have much credibility when talking about these. Neither finish was shown the following week – you only know Super Fly won because Electro comes out and kills him.

If they truly want to build up Super Fly and Aerostar so they’re on the same level as at least upper mid guys like Alan Stone and Elegido (if not higher), they’ve got to be able to get the same offense on the rudos that those guys do. Anything else makes confirms that the aAir FOrce guys aren’t on the level.

The irony here is AAA “helped” their young high flyers exactly how WCW would with the cruiserweights, and there’s plenty of people in this promotion who should know how that worked out. Rey Jr. didn’t get over because people fell backwards into pins for him, he got over because he had awesome matches and he earned wins.

(file note – just for fun, I tried to convert this to commercial-less AVI like the FSE shows, but it’s still 1.2 GB and I figured that was too much. Once I get to the 2h30m shows, it may drop enough to make it close to 1 GB and worthwhile, but should there be anything else I should be trying? Can I safely cut down the screen resolution?)

Lucha Listen-In Podcast #1

thecoolkidstable.net’s Tony Galvan and I have started a new lucha libre podcast. We taped the first episode about a week ago, and it’s now up to listen right here. It’s a post-Anniversary look at where CMLL and AAA are right and now and where thing are going.

Let me know what you think. The plan right now is to do these monthly. Thanks to Tony for setting this up.

10/09: Paco Alonso on CMLL, Dr. X, Mistico out longer?, Pena, Ovaciones/WWE, Marco/Lizmark

Bam Bams new look/CMLL
Bam Bam's new look/CMLL

Paco Alonso, living in a different world than the rest of us:
– “we are not sleeping on our laurels”
– “we believe we have three or four guys who can be as good as Mistico, or better”
– “lucha libre is now in a boom”
– plans for CMLL to go to Russia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia hasn’t been a country since 1992.

Meanwhile, while everyone thing is supposedly running great in CMLL

Dr. X tells SoloLuchas that if he doesn’t get matches and TV time to be promoted by the end of the year, he’s leaving. He says he’d never looked at going to AAA or leaving for IWRG, but if they came calling now, he’d probably end up going – he’s done all he can, but CMLL isn’t giving him oppurtinies or matches. Dr. X asked for time off when his wife miscarried theri child, but CMLL asked him to work and he worked. He worked when his father died. Now, CMLL won’t give him any work at all.

– echoing the story that was teased in Box Y Lucha, the Wrestling Observer is reporting Mistico re-injured his shoulder trying to get back to wrestling quicker, and will be out until late November or early December.

Antonio Pena’s remembrance was covered in a couple places. La Oreja talks to his family, and notes Konnan held Pena’s remains hostage at a mass in his honor. SoloLuchas gets quotes from Aerostar, Super Fly and Polvo de Estrellas.

Some reactions around about the Ovaciones story yesterday. SuperLuchas notes the general pattern of seeing lucha libre as unblemished and WWE as the devil incarnate, and seems to wish for more honest arguments if arguments are going to be made. To one of the major points in the story, they relate a conversation with DF Commissioner El Fantasma about Super Astro and Ultraman remasking (as Rey Jr. has done). Fantasma cited the rule allowing wrestlers to remask after five years, and has no problem with them choosing to use the same mask. Guess that’s our answer for Silver King too.

Ovaciones also runs a followup interview with El Fantasma, talking about Rey Jr and his mask. It’s back to the regular guy on the lucha beat, by the way. Fantasma says Rey did not wear the mask in CMLL, asked for permission just to wear into the ring, and the commission had no problem with that at that time, so there’s a history of working with Rey on these issues. They’re not so happy with Rey putting up his mask again in WWE (against Kane, this past Sunday), but it’s out of their jurisdiction. Fantasma sees WWE getting on Televisa/TV Azteca as similar to when lucha got back on TV in the 90s – at first, it will hurt attendance because of curiosity, but people will slowly return to the shows because it’s so much better live. Fantasma notes he’s got no authority to take WWE off TV anyway.

ESTO’s notes column has some good info today: as mentioned on CMLL TV, Marco and Lizmark square off in a hair match next Friday. That’s right in the middle of the WWE Mexico Tour, so I guess plans are now to compete instead of laying low (even though they’re so not worried.) Also, Blue Panther will have a anniversary show on October 30th (a Thursday show?)

Speaking of the WWE Tour, Superluchas says WWE Mexico promoters OCESA want to use Dos Caras Jr. for those shows. Seems a bit last minute to happen. CMLL’s probably got him booked for next week!

Luchando Libre posts the TVC Deportes video of the Goddess vs Princesa Sujei finish. I think Goddess was trying for a top rope legdrop, but it’s not very clear. Post match, Goddess says Sujei got lucky and she’s not giving up. This article notes Hiroka, Sujei’s cornerwoman, interfered a lot. The Luchando Libre post notes Hiroka did interfere, but the match was pretty much dominated by Sujei anyway. The Notimex interview with Sujei says they drew 10,000, thus proving Princesa Sujei. People will go to shows if the tickets are 30 pesos, good to know. Sujei hopes to beat more Canadians in her future. (BEWARE, MENTALLO!) I presume Sujei also dislikes hockey, maple surup and The Tragically Hip.

SuperLuchas has more from El Dandy’s meeting with the Box Y Lucha comission; they were originally going to suspend him 3 months from any show in the nation before it got cut down to one month in DF, and that was only because he didn’t attack Demon after he gave him a piledriver. I’m sure they’ll be right on suspended everyone else who’s used a piledriver, and they’re surely not just helping promote a group that has no TV and needs bits like this to remind people they’re around between shows.

Hablando de Catch has photos from the Katharsis lucha libre museum exhbition.

This article about AAA seems to be slightly delusional. It says AAA signed an agreement to send Rey, Eddie and Juvi to WWE, has Vampiro and Cibernetico as new stars and talks about Konnan unable to wrestle after receiving a kidney transplant (well, that one may be close.)

Judging from the preview last week, it looks like the contestants on (US’s) The Amazing Race will be wrestling Boliva’s Cholitas on this Sunday’s episode.

LuchaWorld has Robert on 03/31/06 AAA (the famous show where Kaoma joined the Vipers! also the Air Force debuted) and 04/08/06 CMLL. KrisZ’s news update is also up.

Next NWA Mexico Show Lineup

NWA MEXICO (WED) 10/25 Centro Banamex
1) Hermano Muerte II vs Okawa
2) Fantastico vs Angus
3) Black Spider vs Pendulo
4) Incógnito vs Mango
5) Solar I & Super Astro vs Black Terry & Negro Navarro
6) Dos Caras Sr., Máscara Sagrada, Sinestro vs Cien Caras Jr., El Hijo del Solitario, Mascara Ano 2000 Jr.
7) Adam Pearce vs Blue Demon Jr. [NWA HEAVY]

Not so sure of the date, becuase SuperLuchas just says it’s happening between the 23rd and the 25th. This part of the Congreso Mundial del Deporte ’08 expo, so they wouldn’t be trying to draw a crowd as much as put on a show for the crowd that’s already there. This doesn’t include a NWA Lightweight Tournament, so I don’t know if that’s just happening later or what. This is different from the date floated earlier this week too.

I’m expecting Dandy to cost Demon his shot at the title, but he’d still be suspended at this point.

09/30, 10/07, 10/14 Guadalajara

dos Truenos
dos Truenos/CMLL

CMLL (TUE) 09/30 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Quazar b Milenio
2) Egipcio b Impostor
3) Samurai b Depradador
4) Metatron b Super Maquina
5) Metal Blanco & Palacio Negro b Mr. Trueno & Rey Trueno
6) Dos Caras Jr., Leon Blanco, Rayman DQ Cien Caras Jr., Máscara Año 2000, Universo 2000
7) Negro Casas b Último Dragón

A little late, I know. Cien Jr. stole Dos Jr.’s mask in the semimain. Negro snuck in a foul in the main event.

CMLL (TUE) 10/07 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
6) Dos Caras Jr. & Marco Corelone b Olímpico & Último Guerrero
7) Atlantis b Alex Koslov [NWA LH]

Awwwwwwww. Alex won the first, but Atlantis snuck out the second and won the third in Atlantida. Corelone’s knee was still bugging him here,but not enough to stop him from winning. Look at Dos just keep working shows he’s booked on. That’s either super professional or a sign that the Reforma story might have not been on the up and up.

CMLL (TUE) 10/14 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Virgo vs Azazel
2) Impostor vs Fraile de la Muerte
3) Carlo Roggi vs Rafaga
4) Palacio Negro vs Rey Trueno
5) Metal Blanco, Metalik, Sagrado vs Mr. Águila, Mr. Trueno, Toscano
6) Dos Caras Jr. & Marco Corelone vs Atlantis & Cien Caras Jr.

Yes, Dos is booked even next week, and it seems like they’re having him do a program with Cien Caras Jr. I don’t know what’s going on here.

10/11-12 Lucha Times

box FWIW, if you like it when I go off on rants in the guise of setting up a recap, you’re going to like the next two days.

AAA: Verano de Escandalo! Never did hear what aired when, but the mega title match is for sure this week and everything else is a solid guess.

52MX: minis match and random main event tecnicos vs random main event rudos

FSE: Loco vs Tony in a hair match, Perros vs ShadowMictlan/Sagrado/Volador

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CMLL: 1:45. one more Dos Caras appearance?

AAA-MEX: despite what AAA’s said, they’re still listing as starting at 5 this week. They’re back up to 3 hours, next week seems to be back to normal, and it’s always likely this week’s guides still have it back at the old starting time. You’re basically on your own, but you will be getting the taping this past Sunday with Konnan’s urn snatching, the Stones reunited and Cibernetico/Parka/Super Fly vs Jack/Teddy/Zorro.

C3: mask match, tecnicos vs Pesta Negra