New trios champions, Polvora vs (someone), Guerreros vs Misterios

CMLL (TUE) 09/20/2011 Arena Mexico [CMLL, Record]
1) Camaleón & Metatrón vs Artillero & Camorra
Metatron replaced Freesbe. Camaleon was hurt in the match, but Metatron still won.
2) Demus 3:16, Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Olímpico b Eléctrico, Pequeño Halcón, Último Dragoncito
Electrico is back from a knee injury. Pequeno Halcon replaced Astral. Rudos took 2/3, mostly thanks to Demus.
3) Raziel, Virus, Yoshihashi b Pegasso, Rey Cometa, Sagrado
Rudos took 2/3 to win it.
4) Blue Panther, Héctor Garza, Jushin Lyger DQ Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Texano
Straight falls for the rudos. Blue surprised Terrible with an armbar in the first, then Bucanero fouled Garza in the second. TRT said they’d win the cage match and beat up the tecnicos.
5) Olímpico, Psicosis, Volador Jr. b Ángel de Oro, Diamante, Rush [MEX TRIOS]
Rush took the first, when Volador missed on a front cracker and took a senton. Oro & Diamante beat Psicosis & Olimpico in the second. Angel de Oro & Olimpico were eliminated in the third, and Volador got that backcracker on Rush to take the win and the titles. Olimpico wept with joy.

In the post match interview, Olimpico explained this win meant so much to him because it’s come one year after he lost his mask, with people thinking his career might be over, and his son’s career definitely over, but he’s proved here he still has some fight left.

I wish today was a day where I had more time to develop this argument, but after this finish, I’m convinced CMLL had a great build to an anniversary show, but it was just in the wrong order and for the wrong matches. That sounds insane, but CMLL had Sombra winning the Universal Tournament, an on-form Volador beating everyone to set up him winning the Mexican trios titles, and Sombra vs Volador facing off in a big title match. Done in that order, spread out on Friday night show over six to eight weeks and peaking at the anniversary, would be a meaningful memorable feud. Instead, it was something shuttered off on a Sunday show where only the hardcores really knew about it before it happened and few casual fans saw.

CMLL has good matches, matches people already care about seeing or can easily be talked about caring. They just don’t put them in places in the best places or with the best promotion. The problem isn’t the talent or even the ideas, the problem is the lack of vision to see what will be accepted as bigger matches and the authority to put them in the places they belong and not waver on it.

I think CMLL needs more people to sign with WWE and give notice about when they have to be out by, because that’s the only time CMLL’s built well to a big match in the last two years. Left to their own choices, CMLL can’t make a solid decision until it’s well past time to make one and everyone suffers as a result. The decision making power needs to be taken away.

CMLL (TUE) 09/20/2011 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Fuego en el Ring]
1) Thunder Boy b Acertijo
2) Lluvia & Marcela b La Seductora & Princesa Sugheit
3) Fuego, Metro, Sangre Azteca b Cancerbero, Pólvora, Vangelis
Fuego feuded with Polvora throughout, and demanded a title shot after the win. Polvora was noncomittal.
4) Pierrothito b Bam Bam [MEX LIGHT]
Pierrothito took 1/3 to keep the title.
5) La Máscara, La Sombra, Máscara Dorada DQ El Alebrije, Mephisto, Mr. Águila
Mephisto fouled Dorada in the third.

Pierrothito says he always delivers 100%.

Other News

The mystery AAA taping at noon at Arena Lopez Mateos next Tuesday is a free show. Still no idea what the video shoot is for (entrance videos? show intro? nothing in particular?)

Arturo Rivera says he will return to AAA broadcasts at Heroes Inmortales. I used to think he was not very good at paying attention to the matches, but more people talking may mean less “star shooting press” calls.

Today is the actual anniversary of CMLL’s first show. The official history article about the changing stars over the last 78 years includes no mention of El Mistico or El Hijo del Santo, among others and as usual.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Sr. were scheduled to wrestle in Tijuana this weekend. They didn’t, with Super Astro & Arandu losing the semifinal by DQ and then immediately wrestling in the main event instead. On Twitter, Chavo Sr. said Tijuana commissioner Rey Misterio Sr. prevented them from wrestling because “he couldn’t beat me in matches.” I see! There’s probably some truth to Misterio being the issue here: every show in the last few months, regardless of who’s been the promoter, has used the new Hijo del Rey Misterio in one of the top matches as if it was a rule implemented by the new man in charge. This show did not use him at all.

Over the weekend, Cerebro Negro lost his hair to Flama Infernal in Arena Queretaro. There’s video over here, and they seemed to be interviewing various people as they come thru Arena Queretaro on that channel.

Record has a laughable interview with Fernando Gutiérrez Arce, who says he runs a promotion called Lucha Libre Estelar. He claims to have 87 luchadors under contract (though that switches to “more than 50” later in the article), and has been promoting shows for a year in Mexico and the US. (Very quietly, I guess.) Gutierrez  claims he’s oh so close to signing a TV deal, but he doesn’t want to hurt the deal by mentioning the network. (Why is he talking about it at all, then? At best, this is an AYM Sports type situation.) Gutierrez goes on to talk about touring Japan and the United States in 2012, just to make sure everyone reading this knows he’s just making stuff up. The photos are nice, but I bet Record is responsible for that part, they’ve always been good at that. The rest is ludicrous and doesn’t pass a smell test.

Even if I was wrong, which I’m not on this one, the article fails to mention a website, a facebook account, a phone number, a building, a date, or anything else indicting when a LLE show might be happening and how you can check it out. If you are actually selling something for real, you probably should have a product for people to buy. It’s a complete failure of an interview.

Quien Pinta Por La Corona visits Puebla the first weekend of October. Article says there’s three more stops before a late November final.

Box Y Luchas has interviews with indy luchadors Destino & Arumi

 

Rob has highlights of 09/06/11 CMLL and writes about five happy things in lucha libre.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

Links

• CMLL’s 3M tape mask contest winner will be announced Friday.
• Video of Santo & LA Park in Bolivia.
• An article about current and future Nuevo Laredo lucha stars.
• Sexi Star wants to be Miss Televisa Monterrey
• Martha Villalobos will be featured on a TV show tonight.
• AULL hosts a fourway for the tag team titles this weekend.
• Box Y Lucha #3044 has Sin Cara vs Sin Cara

Lineups

Lady Apache replaces Dark Angel on Friday.

IWL (SAT) 09/24/2011 Arena IWL
1) ? vs ?
2) ? vs ?
3) ? vs ?
4) ? vs ?
5) Dance Boy, Freelance, Naruto vs Misterio, Rey Krimen, Violento
6) Kansuke vs Latin Star
7) Heddi Karaoui & Tony Rivera vs Epidemia & Heavy Boy
8) Daga, Juventud Guerrera, Suicida vs Low Rider, Scorpio Jr., Zumbido
9) Cerebro Maligno, Cerebro Negro, Epitafio, Fantasma de la Ópera, Sepulturero I vs Alfred Dino, Ángel o Demonio, Big Memo, León Rojo, Ovett

When it comes down to it, the business plan behind IWL really seems to be “fans around DF really want to pay to see Los Porros in main events, and just haven’t gotten enough chances.”

IWRG (SUN) 09/25/2011 Arena Naucalpan
1) Rolling Boy & Tritón vs Dark Devil & Imposible
2) Astro de Plata Jr. & Saruman vs Alan Extreme & Keshin Black
3) Astro Rey Jr., Eterno, Golden Magic vs Carta Brava Jr., Picudo Jr., Polifacético
4) La Parkita (AAA), Mascarita Divina, Mascarita Sagrada 2007 vs Mini Monster Clown, Mini Murder Clown, Mini Psycho Clown
5) Black Terry, Durok, Freyser vs Bestia 666, Damián 666, X-Fly

Another Carta Brava/Golden Magic match, which means IWRG set ups to title matches last longer than CMLL ones.

CMLL (TUE) 09/27/2011 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Javier Cruz vs Evola
2) Leo & Metatrón vs Apocalipsis & Inquisidor
3) Ángel Azteca, Sensei, Starman vs Exterminador, Loco Max, Malefico
4) Pólvora vs Sangre Azteca [MEX WELTER]
5) Héctor Garza, Máximo, Shocker vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Texano

Just to repeat: it was Fuego who feuded with Polvora, not Sangre. Huh.