Month: April 2009

AAA #877 (03/28)

thecubsfan

AAA #877, 03/28/09: I enjoyed the different way of getting into the usual promo. It’s almost as if they realized doing the same bit over and over was kinda lame, but obviously it hasn’t lasted. Still, everyone’s so tightly anchored to their level on this show, I’m happy when even Elegido seems like he’s going to break out for a night.

The rest of the show wasn’t as amusing, but the first two matches were good. I think the Morenos/Billy/Apache matches would be stronger with a couple minutes being taken away from the rudo dominated period but it was still fine.

videos: first, second, third, fourth main.

04/30: rescheduling, Deportes Martinez, IWRG

thecubsfan 1 Comment

Flu updates:
– Rescheduled: The Wagner/Torreon show will occur sometime near the end of May. There’s also plans here for a special series of shows whenever the flu lifts.
– Rescheduled: May 8th AAA show in Colima will now be June 5th. This would seem to mean AAA’s message yesterday that only shows up to the 6th are being affected is wrong.
– No one’s quite sure if today’s kids day show in Zacatecas is affected, but everyone assumes so.

Ovaciones has El Hijo del Santo heading to China for ten days. He also talks about the Deportes Martinez story here.

Also in Ovaciones, IWRG has apparently used this time off to think of dumb ideas: they announced plans for a light heavyweight title. That’s be the sixth different weight division title, plus the Rey del Ring has been defended like a title. They run 3 shows a week, max, and they really need to 10th championship? Perhaps the better move would to take back possession of some they’ve let drift away, and there is also a mention in the article of asking Negro Casas to defend his IWRG Middleweight Title or hand it back to the promotion – it’s been dormant since the IWRG/CMLL falling out. Mistico and Canek also have titles that have long gone dormant.

Blue Demon Jr. has followed Santo to the press to complain about Deportes Martinez. According to Demon, Martinez is saying he owns the right to Demon’s mask, which Demon argues with.

El Manana talks to Laredo Kid about his childhood. Which was about 15 minutes ago.

Kcidis draws Dark Saint and shows you how.

DTU posts a video report from Televisa Monterrey.

There’s a new blog following the Traumas. A fine idea.

LuchaWord has KrisZ’s news flash, and Robert on CMLL GDL 12/30/07 and 01/06/08 and FSE 02/15/08 and 52MX 02/16/08.

CMLL LATV #138 (03/28)

thecubsfan 2 Comments

CMLL LATV #138, March 28:
– Saturno is so young and thin – he seemed taller than Bam Bam, so he probably won’t be a mini when he fills out – that he really stuck out versus tank mini rudos like Pierroth and Violencia. Still strange that they didn’t do a background here, since it’s not like him being Boomerang and Gran Cochisse’s son wasn’t going to end up obvious to all.There wasn’t much here of interest beyond him; minis were fine, but they’ve done more.
– I’ve been conflicted on the Mistico/Negro matches since I’ve watched it. For sure, it’s a breath of fresh air not to put up with the short short long bit they’ve been doing – the second fall in particular was worked like a fall, not an impediment to part where they really wanted to work. Plus, Negro’s more enjoyable in a big match as a rudo than a tecnico right now (though it’s a trade off with him doing less in trios.) I just felt I need something more out of Mistico and didn’t really the moonsault sidewalk slam – it’s part of Mistico’s 2009 plan of doing more dangerous stunts to prove how much people should love him, but it’s really was him burning of someone else’s finisher for a near fall in his own match, and a move Negro didn’t seem to have any idea to take. Even more, this feud has been all about each guy biting each other’s finish, which gets remembered for the earlier falls but not for the finish. I thought the match was good, but a little bit less than I’d need to say Yes as a must see 2009 match.

Regardless, pretty nice bonus to get to see it, when I’d thought it wouldn’t turn up for a while longer. And neat editing to give us more of the match by cutting out the slow crawls back into the ring post-dive.

videos: minis title match
download: megaupload

EDIT: download link corrected.

Lucha Times for 05/01-02

thecubsfan 4 Comments

box. So this is easy. Or pointless. Both.

AAA-US: Ah, the delay actually helps out (for a month). There’s weeks of TV left here, including a Silver King/La Parka Jr. match and two matches in the Cruiserweight Tournament, plus a main event of Chessman/Scoria/Zorro vs Charly/Mesias/Vamp. This is the Monterrey taping, where AAA management found out sometime during the day (during the show?) that Abismo Negro passed away, but did not tell the talent until the conclusion of the show.

FOX – and for that matter, 52MX, CMLL-MEX, C3 and probably even Ras de Lona: all the shows appear to still be on the schedule, none of the tapings for the CMLL shows happened, so what they show is a mystery. Easiest thing to do is to pick a random rerun, so that’s the bet here. FOX/LATV, 52MX and C3 will not have new footage next week for sure, though the main show will be back on if shows resume next Friday.

—-

AAA-MEX: One taping left in the can here, with the four way for the title shot at TripleMania. Also, Jack vs Tiger, Clowns back on TV, Metrosexuals and Aregnis and minis on TV.

What I need to know: how many people more people need to go before Jesse or the remaining Consgrados get back on TV?

AAA #877 (03/21)

thecubsfan

AAA #877, 03/21/09:
– this Air Force/Poder de Norte match wasn’t going to be as good even if Angel didn’t pass out during it, but it really did put everyone out of sorts. They rushed Angel to the back so fast, there must’ve been tons of concern about the severity. Glad he’s okay, wish he’d stop after passing out the first time next time.
– Hermandad vs Air Force, not so good, though they did a better job of not indulging every impulse than Hart Foundation vs Mexican Powers (was this the match that was suggested to use to flesh out the luchawiki move gallery? because they did every move ever, and then did a finish that had little to do with any of them, and then Hijo de Tirantes screwed that up.)
– La Parka vs Silver King was a waste of time.
– They kept Charly out of the main event as much as possible, but they could’ve helped him more by giving him some better wrestlers one the rudo side. This was a week that they needed the Dark Family, which they figured out later.
– There was also a Abyss/Abismo match

04/29: Cancellations, Santo vs Deportes Martinez

thecubsfan 5 Comments

Today’s list
– Canceled: Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, until the anniversary show on May 8th. Apolo Dantes uses the opportunity to hype up that show! (Cesar compares this show to the Perros.) This is only the 3rd suspension of shows in that building – once the arena was shut down for a while because of a riot at a boxing show, and the other time was in the aftermath of the Guadalajara sewer explosions of 1992.
– Canceled: Tijuana lucha libre, until May 6th
– Canceled: Lagunera Lucha Libre; only confirmed for the next couple days, including the Wagner show Friday. They’re not yet prohibiting the Sunday shows, but they’re telling people not to go to them.
– Canceled: Psicosis and Histeria’s DF show, scheduled for today.

Other news:

RFC notes reaching 9 years of writing about lucha libre. Congrats.

AAA wants it clear that it’s only canceling spot shows thru May 6. The May 18th date is their next TV taping, but other shows from the 7th to 18th are still on at the moment.

(Reforma via SuperLucha) Hijo del Santo is threatening a lawsuit against Deportes Martinez for selling Santo gear without permission (or paying Santo.) Most masks and other merchandise sold in Mexico appears to be unauthorized, but it’s a situation that’s been the norm for decades. It’s not a surprise Santo is fighting this, because he’s been so protective of his image and brand, but the twist here is Santo is inviting in CMLL, AAA and independent wrestlers to join in the lawsuit. If Santo was successful here, it’d could be a big change in the status quo, changing the way both stores like Deportes Martinez and the mask vendors outside of buildings do business. So much so that I kind of wonder why Deportes Martinez didn’t try to get this quietly settled (Santo asked for too much? That seems like Santo’s move.)

Ovaciones also has a interview with Toscano about his rehab (he’s about six weeks out), and a generic profile of Dr. Wagner Jr. (old enough that it doesn’t mention anything about AAA.)

Jornada talks to Chritian Cymet and Orlando Jimenez, the writers of the Viva La Lucha magazine series, which was supposed to start Monday but who knows this week. Here, it’s said each edition will come out every second week, so this is going to be a long run. Cymet apparently has a crazy huge Santo collection.

Informador interviews Satanico, who says he saw Dr. No about 30 times before he used the name. He also tells the story about sneaking into to debut without his trainer’s permission, being awful, and being forced to train two more years. Satanico is proud of facing El Dandny in five hair matches in Arena Mexico, and that record is not getting broken any time soon.

SuperLucha says Dark Phoenix is one name under consideration for Dark Angel in TNA, and confirms that she’ll continue in CMLL. HOORAY!

The San Fran Decider writes about Lucha Va Voom’s show there. It must be fantastic to be Tom Kenny right now; you’re Spongebob, and occasionally you get to be a wacky lucha announcer.

Cesar rates Hector Garza.

Lucha y Box En Aztecas catches up with Mini Dracula.

SegundaCaida has their 26-100 most enjoyable wrestlers of 2008. They’ll be breaking down 25 to 1 day be day.

OJ watches the 04/23 version of Terrible Cerebros vs Navarros.

Wrestling Observer has their AAA recap.

Anyone notice that CMLL’s news page links to SuperLuchas’ tag page. That’s something that’d happen if they just cut and paste from SL.