Mexico finally beats Japan at something (if IWRG counts), previews, AAA video game

IWRG (THU) 10/22 Arena Naucalpan [EdR]
1) Comando Negro b Halcon 2000
2) Exodia b La Rata
3) El Hijo del Diablo & Gringo Loco b Pendulo & Star Boy
4) Black Terry, Pirata Morgan, Tóxico b Brazo de Plata, Chico Che, Suicida
5) Flor Metalica b Atsuko Emoto [hair]

Flor Metalica was bloody and repeatedly attacked 3 on 1 (with Bushi helping distract), but Kimura accidently hit Emoto in the third fall, leading to Flor Metalica winning via superplex. Flor Metalica proved herself better at fighting off the Japanese threat than both Black Warrior & Toscano combined.

Though the semimain was about building up a Black Terry/Chico Che hair match, the finish was Pirata fouling Porky and getting away with it. Porky appears to be an independent, as he said in Guadalajara.

Outside of his help in the main event, Bushi is a tecnico – he’s also hurt, so Star Boy replaced him here. Gringo Loco, who found himself a Love Machine mask to match his gear, actually picked up a win here. The tecnicos immediately demanded a rematch.

La Rata is bringing a (cage) rat with him to the ring.

AAA (WED) 10/21 Salon West, Celaya, Guanajuato [el Sol de Bajio]
1) Mascarita Sagrada 2007 & Octagoncito b Mascarita de la Muerte & Mini Abismo Negro
2) Estrellita, Gran Apache, May Flowers b Billy Boy, Polvo de Esterllas, Tiffany
3) Monster Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown b Alan Stone, Crazy Boy, Extreme Tiger
4) La Parka Jr. & Marco Corleone b Kenzo Suzuki & Silver King

This is just your normal AAA spot show (though well attended judging from the picture.) However, two notes:
– Clowns say they’re at 486
– semimain recap says “Tiratnes” was the referee. Did they get the father/son confused?

Previews of tonight’s Arena Mexico shows
Luchando Libre
OEM: “after several weeks of confrontations” between Volador and Averno “finally agreed to a title match”. Several weeks = 2?
Notimex
ESTO
Televisa Deportes writes more about a 13 year old race car driver who will be at the show. The 13 year old won a 24 hour race. I know they switch off drivers in those competitions, so it’s not like he’s driving the whole time, but that still seems many layers of insane.

Anyway, the wrestling. Tonight’s a night of (virtual) rematches from last week’s hair match show. Warrior and Yujiro slip into a trios (and possible set up for No Limit’s next opponents), Averno vs Volador is three falls this time, the semimain is now the main, and Poder Mexica face Fantastma/Valiente/Mascara (instead of Stuka this week) in a near rematch. With that tecnico trio switching a close to the current CMLL trios champs, perhaps they’re headed to a solution to the national trios titles limbo status – Poder Mexica attempts to win the world titles and vacate the Mexican ones? Dunno.

Last week’s show seemed to do surprisingly well attendance. I don’t think this one will – a title match isn’t exactly a hair match – but you can see why they would be content enough to dwell on things for another week.

Also, the Lucha Libre Premier tapings previews
LuchandoLibre
ESTO – bringing the point leader update:

11 Jack Evans
09 Elegido
07 Marco Corleone
06 Dr. Wagner Jr.
(Sexi Star is mentioned as -1. No else is mentioned.)

Now, this was the point totals last they told us:

9 Rain
9 Jack Evans (and has since added 2 points for best spot on show, so 11)
9 Mesias
9 Elegido
9 Marco Corleone (*think* he since got 1 bonus point, so 10)
9 Dr. Wagner Jr.
6 Octagoncito
6 Sexi Star
6 Rocky Romero
6 Pimpinela Escarlata
3 Mari Apache
3 Zorro
3 Mascarita Divina
1 Sugi (includes his bonus point)

Please note, these points are not something I did myself (and somehow screwed up on), this is what AAA’s website said. This is not a big surprise; Alan noticed Sexi Star bizarrely had a -1 for a match where Fabi actually got DQed, so the points they’re using on the actual TV show seem to divert with what we’ve been given. It’d be nice if, before or after this taping, someone on AAA’s side explain what is going on for the points (and why we should care), but what appears to be happening is typical: they had an idea, it had questionable merit, they only sort of followed thru, it doesn’t really make sense.

Anyway, it’s also worth noting 20 points by December is the mark to make the final, and it’s going to be really tough to get there if they’re done to one taping a month. Either they’ll be taping again real soon, December is no longer the end, or the 20 point thing will be ignored. (Bet on the last option.)

Today starts a big 3 day electronics game expo in Mexico, and it’s logical there would be a presentation for the AAA game. Sure enough, there’s a press release out today saying Konnan & Elegido will be presenting a XBOX 360 demo of the game tomorrow afternoon. The important news is buried in the last line, where it says they’re planning for a 1st half of 2010 release. Earlier, it had been said to be for this Christmas. When it got to late October, about a month before the game should be coming out, and nothing had been said about the game in a long time, it’s no surprise it’s being pushed back. I’m just pleased to find out it still exists!

There will probably be more about AAA’s game this weekend, but…
– that they have an 360 demo makes me wonder a bit about the PS3 version (porting from 360 to PS3 has been difficult for video game producers)
– there’s a new English language website for the game: http://www.heroesdelring.com/, with not a lot of new content besides badly translated English. The trailer is the old trailer, and the six wrestlers profiled are ones we already knew where in (including Charly Manson! Maybe he’ll be back before this game is out!) There’s spots on the wrestler profile page for 16 profiles of wrestlers. I hope that’s just a website thing. I really really hope that’s just a website thing.
– CNN Expansion writes about the game in terms of the start up Mexican video game industry. The accompanying pictures appear to be of the DS version and/or the year 1996. I can only identify the second as La Parka because I can see the health meter. Is there guy on top Zorro? Who else has a full head of hair and beard (and no facepaint?) Hope it plays real well. The Dr. Death Steve Williams guess is as good as any – make him an boss character, with everyone going for revenge for that pinata match.

Shocker explains Strong Man was nervous early on, so if you didn’t observer great technique then, he’ll have it soon. Meanwhile, Strong Man has been giving everyone diet and exercise tips. Great. Shocker says his group is now Guapos International and he’s working at new members, but he doesn’t want to say them until it’s confirmed. (Everyone assumes this to mean Val Venis.)

Terrible talks about this weekend’s trip to France.

There’s a post on SML about this Zorro not being the first Zorro (maybe that the Promo Azteca Zorro was different? – or maybe there was just a different one in Monterrey?) that I don’t quite follow.

Ohtani’s Jacket looks back at Mascara Ano 2000 vs Perro Aguayo.

LuchaWorld has the new Slammin’ Stan 16, where it doesn’t appear I owe money (yet), and KrisZ’s Lucha Junket..

The Argentina basketball federation made a surprise visit to Giant Gonzalez, bringing him a new fridge, clothes, a TV, a copy of a movie he was in, and food. Gonzales – noticeably not standing in the pictures – says he hopes to return the favor by coming to a game next Sunday.

CMLL (TUE) 11/17 Arena Xalapa
1) Crazy Man & Gore vs Caballero NEgro Jr. & Rey Tiburón
2) Dr. X, Jason la Máquina, Skándalo vs Caballero Ninja, Eslabón Perdido, Rey Pantera
3) Loco Max & Virus vs Ángel de Oro & Ángel de Plata
4) Lady Apache, Lluvia, Luna Mágica vs Amapola, La Nazi, Princesa Sujei
5) La Sombra, Místico, Volador Jr. vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto

Notable only that this seems to indicate a planned return date for Luna Magica. Hope the custody situation resolved well.