Day: July 2, 2009

07/19 AAA TV Taping (Zapopan)

thecubsfan 12 Comments

AAA TV (SUN) 07/19 Auditorio Benito Juarez, Zapopan [mariotepicense @ box y lucha]
1) Gran Apache, Mari Apache, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Cinthia Moreno, Pasion Kristal, Polvo de Esterllas
2) Aerostar & Fabi Apache vs Billy Boy & Sexy Star [lumberjack]
3) El Elegido & Gronda II vs Joe Lider & Nicho el Millionario
4) Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero vs Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans and Sugi & Teddy Hart
5) Dr. Wagner Jr., Laredo Kid, Marco Corleone vs Killer Clown, Psycho Clown, Zombie Clown
6) Cibernetico vs La Parka Jr., el Mesias, Kenzo Suzuki, Electro Shock, Chessman, Charly Manson, Silver King, Octagon, Zorro [battle royal, #1 Contenders, AAA HEAVY]

2009 AAA TV Chart
Projected Air Date (#898)
Mexico: 07/26
US: 08/15

Ah, the taping where Stuff Happens. Those are always fun. Note, we’re jumping over the 12th here (not to mention tomorrow’s, but at least we have a lineup for that.) Things can change.

Only Cibernetico & Mesias have been pushed as the next contender to this title, so they’re the co-favorites. Cibernetico’s probably ahead, since he’s just back. Winner gets the shot at Verano. This might be the same deal as the one Chessman one, where they do it Royal Rumble style. Besides the winner, there’s the Silver King/Parka and Chessman/Charly feuds, plus the first appearance of Zorro since TripleMania (again, unless he appears on 07/12.)

If the Psycho Cirucs is in the semimain here, that would seem to indicate they’re still undefeated at this point.

Triangle tag has some stories lead into it, I guess. Alex with Teddy doesn’t make sense now, but Alex has had rudo moments of late, plus Konnan’s made the point that Koslov should be in the Legion multiple times. It’s possible he could join that side before this match. “Sugi” is Takuya Sugi, who’s had a dozen gimmicks but is best known as El Blazer in Japan. (Doens’t look like he’s ever just wrestled as Takuya Sugi, weirdly enough.) He’s another guy Konnan had talked about bringing in to do the TNA X Division/ROH styles. Sugi will surely be on the 07/19 show as well.

Elegido & Gronda is a weird enough team, but it’s probably also the re-entry point for the original Gronda. Unless something happens again.

I’d guess the wrestlers in the opener will come back to be the lumberjacks in the segunda. This is the first match back for Gran Apache since the injury angle, that I’m not sure anyone remembers.

MMA in Arena Mexico, notes

thecubsfan 1 Comment

indy (TUE) 06/23 Arena Aficion [Proyeccion Luchistica]
1) Atena & Guerrera Cephei b Flor de Luna & Princesa Legna
2) Lady Rabbit & Zeuxis vs Dark Magic & Xena
3) Judas el Traidor, Pandemonium, Zakura b Exotico, Maldito Jr., Metro
4) Silencioso b Ricochet [mask]

A local doing the Mucha Lucha gimmick, as a rudo. No name mentioned.

indy (TUE) 06/30 Arena Coliseo Monterrey [RFC]
1) Angel Negro b Trivial
2) Mini Gato Volador & Mini Ninja b Coquito Amarillo & Mini Hator
3) Pancho Tequila & Street Boy b Principe Guerrero & Saiko
4) Black Mamba, Rey Demonio Jr., Simbolo b Angel Dorado Jr., Angelus, Golden Boy
5) Kaientai, Pierko el Boricua, the Beast b Hombre sin Miedo, Humbero Garza Jr., Ninja

Worth pointing out for the picture alone. Puerto Rico has annexed Monterrey.

CMLL (TUE) 06/30 Arena Mexico
1) As Jr. & Super Camaleon b Inquisidor & Semental
2) Astro Boy, Guerrero Maya Jr., Tony Rivera b Caligula, Messala, Polvora
3) Euforia, Hooligan, Nosferatu b Fabian el Gitano, Flash, Horus
4) Dragon Rojo Jr., Lizmark Jr., Misterioso II b Blue Panther, Mictlan, Valiente
5) Hector Garza, Hijo del Fantasma, La Mascara DQ Averno, Terrible, Texano Jr.

CMLL put up the results for the opening two. So now you know.

Arena Mexico will be host to a MMA show on July 11. This is the first show; the first show I’ve heard of, I’m sure. It’s a show by Total Combat, which I’ve never head of but surely have seen flipping thru WON. Tickets are going from 100 to 1100 ($7.60 to $83.58). The article the Gladiatores points to says the DF Box Y Lucha commission will be regulating the show.

Tonight’s the big Juvi vs Dr. Cerebro hair vs hair match in IWRG.

AAA says they’re still taping on the 12th. Hooray. I’m really running the Hooray thing straight into the ground.

The Gladiatores talks to Dr. Wagner Jr. about not making that Perros show. As usual, when not standing next to someone from AAA, Wagner says he’s free to work with anyone he wants. They also have a video interview with Chico Che.

Villano IV wants to take the masks of Ultimo Guerrero and Atlantis in revenge for his brothers. He’s surprised CMLL hasn’t booked him to team with Villano V of late and isn’t sure why – though he guesses Ultimo and Atlantis may be scared of him. Outside of wrestling, the Villanos have been running their new gym, which has been open for a month.

LuchandoLibre previews tomorrow’s Arena Neza show

The Wild Weird World of Sports has lots of high quality photos from the Rey Misterio Sr. benefit show.

Box Y Lucha has a video interview with Mohicano I & II

LuchaWorld has Robert on CMLL TV from 04/26, 05/03, CadenaTres from 04/19, 04/26, plus KrisZ’s news update.

Lineups:

CMLL (SUN) 07/05 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Bengala & Principe Valiente vs Camorra & Cholo
2) Astro Boy, Metalico, Starman vs Inquisidor, Polvora, Semental
3) Fabian el Gitano, Flash, Mictlan vs Bronco, Hooligan, Loco Max
4) La Sombra, Mascara Dorada, Volador Jr. vs Naito, Shigeo Okumura, Yujiro
5) Hijo del Fantasma, La Mascara, Mistico vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas

I think everyone was under the impression Mistico and Felino had a title match Sunday. Perhaps someone later decided Fan Appreciation Day was next week?

CMLL (MON) 07/06 Arena Puebla
1) Centella de Oro & SWAT vs Ares & Policeman
2) As Jr., Guerrero Maya Jr., Starman vs Inquisidor, Puma King, Tiger Kid
3) Pegasso, Rey Cometa, Stuka Jr. vs Arkangel de la Muerte, Dr. X, Virus
4) Sagrado, Shocker, Toscano vs Atlantis, Heavy Metal, Lizmark Jr.
5) Hector Garza, Mistico, Shocker vs Ephesto, Mephisto, Terrible

Besides the opener, the change here is the rudo sides got switched in the semimain and main.

CMLL (TUE) 07/07 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Skaxy vs Angel del Mal
2) Samurai vs Fraile de la Muerte
3) Drago vs Palacio Negro
4) Mr. Trueno vs Asesino Negro
5) Neutron vs Infierno
6) Flash & Mictlan vs Hooligan & Loco Max
7) La Sombra, Mascara Dorada, Volador Jr. vs Naito, Negro Casas, Yujiro

La Parkita (original)/Espectrito II notes

thecubsfan 23 Comments

So, the Parkita/Espectrito II story went viral sometime last night. White people like midgets and sex and death, I guess.

There’s really not much more to say, but since there’s a billion links to stories, I might as well include some of them.

– The women involved are not in custody. The police have put out a sketch of one of the women and they’re working on the second.

– AAA sends their condolences, then spends a couple paragraphs making it absolutely clear that these guys were not AAA wrestlers at their time of their death, didn’t really have permission to be using the names they were using, the current AAA La Parkita is a completely different wrestler, and the Espectrito name has been retired since Antonio Pena’s death. (I wonder why they’re so sensitive about this.)

– El Universal runs thru the usual list of recent deaths. (Oh, Abismo, right.)

– Pariso de la lucha libre has photos from the funeral. Record talks with Espectrito about his brothers. Universal talks with the family left behind, including their mother (who couldn’t stomach watching them wrestle) and the children, one of who was secretly training in his father’s career.

Ovaciones mentions Bracito de Oro, Fire, Mascarita Ano 2000, Pequeno Gigante, the original Octagoncito among many from IWRG, AAA and other promotions who attended.

– El Manana talks to AAA and Nuevo Laredo wrestlers, who says sometimes it’s more dangerous outside of the ring than in it for a wrestler

– El Sol de Mexico says the minis were working for CMLL. That’s wrong, of course. Espectrito II is listed as Espectrito Jr. all over the place, too. As LuchandoLibre pointed out to me in an a tweet, a lot of the obits (including the ESTO one) have Parkita’s debut as 1995. It’s actually 1992; ’95 is more about when Parkita was dropped from AAA

AAA signs licensing deal with Cookie Jar Entertainment

thecubsfan 18 Comments

The big news of the day is a press release AAA posted on their site yesterday evening. They’ve named Cookie Jar Entertainment as the exclusive licensing agency for AAA. Cookie Jar Entertainment the right to use AAA wrestlers and names on products; action figures, masks, books, back to school items and collectibles are specifically mentioned, with the target time as early 2010. Of special note to those who read this blog, there’s a mention of “the first series of lucha libre AAA in English.” There’s no ETA mentioned on that.

That’s what we know, based on the press release. What’s missing and how it’s said is interesting. While it’s pushed as a partnership of AAA and Cookie Jar, no one from AAA proper is quoted. Instead, speaking for them is Steve Ship, listed as CEO of Lucha Libre USA. That group is actually the local promoters for the US tour of shows, as well as those in charge of the PPV they did last year. In interviews prior to the latest tour, Konnan’s sounded unhappy about how AAA’s partnership with the US group was going, but the last tour seemed like it went well, and obviously the relationship has to be going well for both sides to expand it like this. I’d figure, though, that these are actually the US licensing rights and Televisa still owns the Mexican ones; Televisa surely has some sort of control here.

As I alluded to in the comments, Cookie Jar Enterainment is a strange fit with AAA. From that list of items they hope to put out, the target audience looks like 6-12 year olds, and Cookie Jar aims for the same age range. The actual product seems so much different. Cookie Jar owns the rights to such things as Strawberry Shortcake, Inspector Gadget*, and the CARE BEARS. That’s a bit of a departure from Crazy Boy breaking a light tube over Joe Lider’s back and the camera zooming in to watch blood flow.

However, AAA’s anime seems a lot closer in tone. Makes me wonder if that’s possibly the AAA we’ll end up seeing in the US; just a lot of marketing and editing (or separate tapings) to focus on the kid-friendly aspects of AAA – lots of minis, comedy (that’s safe for all ages) and people in colorful costumes doing high spots – while cutting out the soap opera and the hardcore bits and the sexual elements. WWE’s gone to a PG product, CMLL’s banned bleeding and restricted un-family friendly brawls, perhaps this is a sign AAA will be going in the same direction.

This doesn’t mean a lot to the product at the moment, but it could be a sign of where they’re going.

Cookie Jar uses Immersion Games to create games for it’s characters. Immersion is making the AAA game, so that’s the obvious meeting point here.

* obligatory cheap joke: most of Dr. Claw’s plans are better thought out than AAA’s stoylines

07/04-05 Lucha Times

thecubsfan 10 Comments

chart

AAA-US: Last show before TripleMania, which doesn’t matter much if you still can’t see it. Psycho Clowns make their monthly appearance.

52MX: Infernales vs Flash/Metalico/Cometa, Metal/Misterioso/Sangre vs Dorada/Mictlan/Valiente

LATV: last week’s episode was #108, from August 30, 2008. If you can sense an order to which episodes are airing, you’re better than me. I’ve got the next episode listing on the cart, but who really knows.

—

CMLL-MEX: Lightning match is listed as fourth, so it’d air on TV. Of course, this is the week it’s Felino vs La Mascara. They may change it around, they’ve done it before. Main is Sombra/Mistico/Volador vs Averno/Ephesto/Mephisto, maybe setting up a title match next week.

AAA-MEX: The results I just went over a post down. Cibernetico’s first match back.

FOX: Women’s trios, Panther/Shocker/Toscano vs V5/No Limit

C3: Set up for next week’s trios match, plus the Romanos make TV.

Puebla: Tag team title match.

Monterrey: Maybe?