Day: May 29, 2011

Averno, Nakamura makes an impact (on Panther’s skull), Super Crazy gets a haircut,

thecubsfan 14 Comments

A few stray thoughts on Averno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlwcvQFqko

No news, you may want to skip the editorializing. Entertain yourself with this video (thanks Rob!)

– I don’t know about SuperLuchas, but I did not talk to Averno to get this story. I did not need to, I had multiple people knocking on the door to let me know, and those people had people urgently passing along that news. Within hours of the mask match announcement, this story was getting around to everyone except the few people in the bubble at the top of the CMLL heichary. It’s unfair and illogical to expect us out here to keep it a secret when few inside there were. Decent media (and whatever the heck this blog is) isn’t responsible for cleaning up their messes.

If SuperLuchas had decided not to publish the story and I had decided not to publish the story, the story was still getting out. It had been getting out (ask Kid Zombie!), it was just going to be a matter of time until someone in front of a loud enough microphone let it out.

Mistico played everything very close to the vest, and the story didn’t get out until after he left. Averno clearly told one too many people about what he was up to, and it took off like wildfire. If you want to be angry at people for letting out secrets, start with the first guy who did.

– Been watching Twitter mentions of Averno all day. I can’t be absolutely certain of this, but I believe 99.999999% of the comments talked about how Averno and WWE. No one mentioned La Mascara, no one seemed slightly interested in how that affects the Jucio Final match. It’s a sure thing that people on Twitter are much more likely to be interested in WWE and there will be a lot of CMLL fans who just find out about all of this on Monday when they stop by a newsstand. They’re smart enough to figure out what it means for Jucio Final even if it’s never explicity said, but I do think we overestimate the impact of results like this getting out. Fans go for the show as much if not more as the result.

– A lot of people read the story today, which was great. A lot of people walked away not really understanding the story, which is not as great.

– the match people seemed to use most often to show Mistico working with Averno? The NJPW match from January. We’re a very tiny part of the wrestling internet, people can’t even find lucha matches.

– I would’ve have loved to talk to someone in CMLL to about this before printing to get their opinion. If, say, they had opened lines of communication by just telling me WHAT IS GOING TO BE ON YOUR TV SHOW, this might have been accomplished. Instead, they don’t get a voice and I’m surprised with Volador/Garza vs Maximo/Rush matches. There are no winners in this arrangement. If you ever decide you don’t hate me, my email is always over on the right.

Results

photo by CMLL

CMLL (SUN) 05/29/2011 Arena Coliseo [Cesar, CMLL, Record]
1) Artillero & Ramstein b Freesbe & Principe
Rudos take 2/3.
2) Hooligan, Rayo Tapatío I, Rayo Tapatío II b Guerrero Maya Jr., Hombre Bala Jr., Super Halcon Jr.
tecncios took falls 2/3. Maya & Bala challenged Los Rayos to a mask match again.
3) Dr. X, Nitro, Skándalo b Ángel Azteca Jr., Ángel de Plata, Sensei
Rudos took 2/3.
4) Black Warrior, Metro, Valiente b Euforia, Mephisto, Vangelis
Tecnicos took 2/3. Warrior showed off a new neck crank submission on Mephisto for the win.
5) El Alebrije, Psicosis, Shinsuke Nakamura b Blue Panther, Strong Man, Super Porky
1/3 for the rudos – finally, the Invasors have found the missing piece! Nakamura KOed Panther with the Boma-Ye (knee to the head.) Lights went out at the end of the second fall.

Alan smartly pointed this out in chat: this is not near the level of card CMLL would has  put out against a Perros del Mal show. Could be the Perros aren’t considered something to worry about now, could be worrying about other stuff.

PdM (SUN) 05/29/2011 Plan Sexenal [@thegladiatores, Mi Lucha Libre (6), Record (1-5), Record (6), The Gladiatores]
 ***3rd Anniversary Show***
1) Drastik Boy & Keira b Dinastía & Sexy Pólvora
Originally a singles match with the men.
2) Celestial & Cósmico b Mr. Aguilita & Talisman Jr.
Celestial did another dive off a balcony here.
3) el Ángel, Golden Magic, Heaven, Skayde b Ek Balam, Guerrero Negro, Maldito Jr., Samot
Heaven & Guerrero Negro were added to this match. Not sure if it’s the MTY Guerrero Negro. Golden Magic beat the large Ek Balam with a plancha. Balam was strechered out.
4) Peligro & Pesadilla b Black Fire & Low Rider
Peligro replaced Ragde and pinned Black Fire.
5) Bestia 666, Halloween, X-Fly b Tony Rivera, Turbo, Zumbi
Perro destroyed the tecnicos. Zumbi went thru a table for the finish.
6) Super Crazy L Psycho Clown , Monster Clown, Damián 666, Murder Clown, el Hijo del Perro Aguayo [cage, hair]
Brawl started out of the cage and included weapons. Damian took a stapler to the forehead. First out was Perro Jr., who was actually booed and chanted against. He was followed by Murder, Damian, and Monster. Super Crazy tried to put Psycho thru a table, Psycho stopped him and spinebusted him thru the table and left. Super Crazy was shaved in the ring.

Crowd looks strong. Perros first show was in December 2008, I’m not really sure how the math works out to make this a third anniversary. It has been a very long year for Perro Aguayo Jr., it may feel like it should be December.

Forjando Un Idolo – final

I’m about three matches behind at the moment, but this was a really fun and interesting tournament. We make fun of CMLL for all the tournaments they run, and we will probably make fun of the more in the near future, but I have no problem with them if they’re like this. A ‘top star’ version of this tournament would be fascinating; I don’t think they’d do it, but it won’t stop me from hoping they might.

As good as the tournament was, the effort was better. It was great to be able to watch (almost!) every match in this tournament, and I hope it was successful enough for CMLL (or anyone else) to try more projects like this in the future. Thanks especially to Mr. Alexis for his hard work.

CMLL in Japan

NJPW 05/29:
BOSJ: TAKA Michinoku [4] b Mascara Dorada [2] (9:45)
Dorada’s next match is  June 2nd, vs DDT’s Kota Ibushi. Had this wrong in the chat earlier: It’s also a TV taping, so likely not on YouTube.

REINA 05/28:
Tomoka Nakagawa [O] & Silueta b A*YU*MI & Seuxis [X] (14:33)
A*YU*MI is Ayumi’s masked persona. Silueta challenged her for the X-LAW Women’s Championship.

Video of those CMLL matches on these shows seems to be going up on this YouTube channel.

Other news

On Saturday’s IWL show, Los Porros kept the IWL trios titles, despite the (unadvertised) appearance of US indy wrestler Mad Man Pondo. He’ll be back for a match with them in June. Mike Segura won a Royal Rumble with the help of a mystery man. Black Terry Jr. posted a lot of photos.

Rob has highlights from 08/94 AAA and 10/15/94 AAA shows, a Mr. Aguila video, plus classic vignettes from the time AAA visited an Old West Town (?!?!?): Chucky kicks Cuije’s mask, Barrio Boys suffer a tragic loss, and the Chivas Rayadas are born.

SuperLuchas #415 has the Averno interview, but it also has a lot of other good stuff in there including a long interview with Dorian Roldan. If you’d like more gossip, you can find out Astro Boy’s AAA name a few days early.

Links

Lineups

IWRG (THU) 06/02/2011 Arena Naucalpan
1) Dinamic Black & Tritón vs Dark Devil & Imposible
2) Freelance, Golden Magic, Mike Segura vs Alan Extreme, Carta Brava Jr., Comando Negro
3) Dr. Cerebro vs Multifacético [IWRG IC WELTER]
4) Negro Navarro & Trauma I vs Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Pirata Morgan and Máscara Año 2000 & Máscara Año 2000 Jr. and Hijo del Solar & Solar I and Hijo del Pantera & Pantera and El Brazo & Hijo del Brazo

They’re trying Cerbero/Multifacetico again! Thought I wonder if that title match was supposed to be set up last week and might not be happening now.

Main event is a father’s son tag. Not sure if they’re going to do the same rules (kids all in first, fathers replace them) as previous times.

CMLL (SUN) 06/05/2011 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Nube Roja vs Quca
2) Hierro & Leo vs Ángel del Mal & Drago
3) Leono & Metalik vs Exterminador & Infierno
4) Delta, Diamante, Metro vs Cancerbero, Euforia, Pólvora
5) La Máscara, La Sombra, Valiente vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto

Looks like a good show. First time the new Metalik has broken out of the first two matches.

IWRG (SUN) 06/05/2011 Arena Naucalpan
1) Dragon Fly & Tritón vs Alan Extreme & Imposible
2) Eragón, Freelance, Golden Magic vs Comando Negro, El Pollo Asesino, King Drako
3) Hijo del Pantera, Multifacético, Pantera vs Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro
4) Monster Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown vs Bestia 666, Damián 666, X-Fly [IWRG IC TRIOS]

Psycho Circus are defending. Can X-Fly be a five belt champion?!?!

IWRG FIL (TUE) 06/07/2011 Arena Naucalpan
1) Aerocross & Mascarita de Oro vs Mini Infierno Kid & Mini Zumbido
2) Pikachu & Volaris vs Guerrero 2000 & Muerte Infernal
3) Dance Boy, Sky Angel, Tonatiuh vs Flama Infernal, Monster Blue, Serpiente Dorada
4) Hijo de Clímax, Rolling Boy, Saruman vs Dark Devil, Halcon 2000, Keshin Black
5) Alan Extreme, Centurión, Dinamic Black, Dragon Fly, Eterno, Fresero Jr., Golden Magic, Tritón vs Demoledor Azteca, Extreme Boy, Impulso, Kamus, Ojo de Tigre Jr., Oscuro, Vaquero Rocanrolero,Wotam

IWRG defends itself against GYM Ojo de Tigre. Better name: Extreme Boy or Alan Extreme?

Perros Del Mal 3rd Anniversary Show chat

thecubsfan

and whatever else you want to talk about! I’m going to watch the last hour of the Cubs game, maybe.

Chat: Click Here

Radio Feed: radio.thegladiatores.com

Possible video feed: ustream.tv/channel/tvc-deportes1 – down at the moment.

Averno has signed with WWE, expected to drop his mask at Jucio Final

thecubsfan 40 Comments
Averno & Mistico, 2010 (photo via Record)

Averno, one of the top rudos for CMLL for the half decade, has signed a contract with WWE. Averno is joining the US promotion to resume his feud with Misitco (now Sin Cara) as an unmasked heel. The plan was for him to lose his mask to La Mascara at June 17th’s Jucio Final, but plans may change as this news gets out. Multiple sources have confirmed to me both Averno’s signing and his imminent mask loss.

WWE has been unhappy with Sin Cara’s matches so far. Atypically, they’ve sought to resolve this by bringing in more agreeable opponents for him to work with. The story I was told is WWE went to Sin Cara and asked him that if he could work with anyone in the world, who would he most like to work with. Obviously, he picked his long time rival (and probably close friend) Averno. WWE earlier had Averno in for a tryout last October, the same tryout Mistico and Diamante were at (and which Durango Kid helped set up), but decided not to sign him at that time. Things have changed, and Averno secretly signed with WWE during their last tour of Mexico.

It’s worth noting this is not actually an expanded WWE raid of CMLL luchadors or lucha style wrestlers in general. They want Averno to fill a specific need. I do not believe this directly increases (or decreases) their chances of signing anyone else from Mexico. To put it simply, WWE signing Averno does not mean they’re about to sign Fantasma or Sombra or anyone else.

This is also a big risk for Averno; he’s coming in for a defined spot, but there may not be plans past that; compare Averno to Tyson Kidd, who works the style they WWE prefers, is very good at it, and is barely on their roster. Dropping your mask and going to WWE in hopes of a big push worked out for Alberto Del Rio, but not so much for Rey Ortiz. Since the plan is for him to work against Sin Cara, I expect he will be brought to the main roster quickly, and not go to FCW.

Averno has not informed CMLL of his WWE signing. Instead, Averno only told their programming department he wanted to lost his mask ASAP and, if they weren’t willing to do it, he would go to whichever outside promoter could pay him the most to drop it. CMLL agreed to do it there and scrambled their plans for June (a cage match which would’ve included the Gen11/Rayos feud and probably other rivalries; no loser had been definitively been decided), putting Averno’s mask loss in on 06/17. Mascara Dorada would’ve been the preferred choice to win the mask, but he’s locked in with NJPW comittements. It’s unknown if other people were considered, but CMLL is said to be a very divided and unhappy place at the moment, and politics surely played some role in the decision (as they do in most.)

As I write this, I believe upper CMLL management is still unaware of Averno signing with WWE (though I’m the impression that many other people in the company, which again speaks to the fractured nature of CMLL) and would’ve been when the card for next Friday was announced. Averno is not yet on any of the big six cards next week (GDL/Puebla/Mexico/Coliseo), but I do not believe that has anything to do with this news, and he is scheduled to work shows in Queretaro (Tuesday) and Xalapa (Wednesday).

I have declined to post about this because of that, and because early release of this information may cost people’s jobs, and may cost Averno a big payday. That’s not really worth being first, to me. I’m posting this story now because the word has gotten out to enough people that there’s really no way it can be kept as a secret any more. SuperLuchas has put the Averno to WWE portion on their cover, out today, though they are not confirming the mask loss.

It’s possible that CMLL may pull the match – as much for the betrayal as the result getting out –  (though that would mean Averno would just find someone else to pay for the mask), but the CMLL way tends to be to ignore the world around them. Also, they’d be able to beat soon to be WWE star on the way out, and CMLL thinks that would mean a lot to their fans. We’ll see.

Sorry I had to spoil this result for everyone. Didn’t want to know who was going to win myself, but can’t tell this story without telling that part.