Volador KOs Sombra, Averno/Panther, IWRG Champions Caravan

CMLL (FRI) 08/09/2013 Arena Mexico [CMLL, Terra]
1) Disturbio & Guerrero Negro Jr. b Oro Jr. & Stigma
Stigma brought Espiritu Maligno’s mask to the ring, but still lost.
2) Delta, Fuego, Guerrero Maya Jr. b Misterioso Jr., Puma, Tiger
Tecnicos took 2/3. Puma was strechered out after taking the Sacrifica Maya.
3) La Máscara b Titán [lightning]
La Mascara won in a quick match.
4) Blue Panther, Rush, Super Porky b Averno, Felino, Negro Casas
Averno replaced Taichi on Monday. Panther submitted Averno. Rush & Negro feuded as well, but the post match promos were pushing Averno vs Panther.
5) Atlantis, Marco Corleone, Shocker b Kráneo, Psicosis, Último Guerrero
Marco got the win for his team. UG and Atlantis ripped each other’s mask, Atlantis leaving UG uncovered after the match.
6) Mephisto, Mr. Niebla, Volador Jr. b La Sombra, Mistico, Valiente
Straight falls for the rudos. Volador used brass knuckles to knock out Sombra before the match, beat up Sombra with the stretcher after the match, and took his mask for good measure.

Mexican band Reik and Korean group MBLAQ were in attendance.

Busy night for the stretcher! That main event kind of sounds like something that might give Sombra a little time off. It’s also the kind of angle that might set up a Volador suspension. Instead, they’ll just be back around Sunday. They again are pushing Volador/Sombra as strong as possible in hopes that people consider them an equal main event as Atlantis/UG. It seems unlikely to happen because the average lucha fan seems to value history and longevity much more than current match quality, but maybe I’m not reading the right fans. It’s depressing how little “having great matches” means to people who write about lucha libre on the internet, especially if you’re writing in spanish.

Matches 2/5 were taped for Fox. 4/6 will air on GalaTV, maybe the lightning match if they have time.

Terra recap thinks Psicosis is “Nicho el Millionario”. Wrong one!

LuchaWorld looks back at El Costalazo Issue #5, from 1975! I should do a magazine roundup soon, but mine aren’t quite that old.

Mistico tells a Puebla newspaper that he would’ve have beat Averno if not for the support of the crowd and implies they’ve come around on him. The crowds have not been as harsh to Mistico recently, but it definitely varies from show to show.

Porra Fresa previews Arena Puebla’s card.

Texano Jr. has a Facebook fan page.

Cronicas y Leyendas look back at Hijo del Santo unmasking Espanto Jr.

Lineup

IWRG (THU) 08/15/2013 Arena Naucalpan
***Caravana de Campeones, 2013***
1) Imposible vs Golden Magic [IWRG IC Light]
Imposible’s first defense
2) Dinamic Black vs Heddi Karaoui [IWRG Rey del Ring]
Dinamic Black’s second defense
3) Hijo de Pirata Morgan vs Eterno [IWRG IC MIDDLE]
Hijo del Pirata Morgan’s second defense
4) Pirata Morgan & Pirata Morgan Jr. vs ? & ? [IWRG IC TAG]
Piratas challenge whoever’s the champions after Navarro/Trauma I defend the titles against Eterno/X-Fly on Sunday. Navarro & Trauma would be going for their ninth defense.
5) Trauma II vs Súper Nova [IWRG JUNIORS]
Trauma II’s first defense.

Could be a very good show. Unclear how that title defense is going to work if Eterno & X-Fly win – is Eterno going to have two title matches? Maybe someone else will be subbed in.

CMLL (FRI) 08/16/2013 Arena Mexico
1) Metálico & Sensei vs Nitro & Skándalo
2) Estrellita, Marcela, Silueta vs Amapola, Princesa Blanca, Princesa Sugheit
3) Marco Corleone, Máximo, Thunder vs Kráneo, Morphosis, Psicosis
4) Máscara Dorada, Mistico, Valiente vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto
5) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Negro Casas vs Black Terry, Negro Navarro, Solar I
6) La Sombra vs Volador Jr. [super libre]

This is a really packed show, with a super main event and two others they might have used to main event on another show.

Blue Panther wants to wear his mask here, just for the first fall, as part of his 35th Anniversary. It’s CMLL, so I assume they’re having Panther do this publicly not because they’re waiting for approval (they probably already have it), but to prepare the fans for this happening.