12/14 AAA TV Lineup (Puerto Vallarta)

AAA TV (SAT) 12/14/2013 Hard Rock Hotel, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
1) El Elegido, Jennifer Blake, Mascarita Sagrada vs Dark Cuervo, Mini Abismo Negro, Taya Valkyrie
2) Angélico, Australian Suicide, Jack Evans vs Daga, Steve Pain, Toscano
3) Blue Demon Jr., Cibernético, Fénix vs Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagón Jr., Silver King

Air Date: 01/18, which is probably around when we should expect the next taping. (12/28, 01/04, 01/11 are best of under the normal system. AAA TV schedule info remains Top Secret so we’re guessing here.)

Everyone has a nice three day vacation and also they put a house show on TV. It’s listed as a three match card – maybe they’ll bring in some locals to make the card a little longer, but they really don’t need to for this audience. This should be a fun paid trip.

It’s a house show type lineup – Toscano being on the wrong side is very much AAA house show, though he’ll be better on that side. That second match would be very good on a normal but expectations should probably be kept in check for this sort of event.

Nothing really dependent on Guerra de Titanes (which means it won’t be until the end of January where anything follows up on that.) Does it bug AAA that they have to frequently bring in Blue Demon to have a big name people recognize? This would be bug me.

12/08 AAA TV Results (Nayarit) – Guerra de Titanes

AAA TV (SUN) 12/08/2013 Auditorio de la Gente, Tepic, Nayarit
***Guerra de Titanes, 2013***
1) Dinastía, Ludxor, Venum b El Apache, Machine Rocker, Mini Charly Manson
Venum pinned Machine.
2) Angélico, Fénix, Jack Evans b Juventud Guerrera, Pentagón Jr., Steve Pain
Juvi replaced Eterno (injury). Fenix got the pin. Rudos attacked the tecnicso after the match, and Mexican Powers ran them off. Everyone danced.
3) Pimpinela Escarlata L Taya Valkyrie, Mamba, Jennifer Blake, Faby Apache, Pasion Kristal, Polvo de Estrellas, Sexy Star [cage, hair]
Mystery person was the returning Sexy Star. Polvo de Estrellas replaced Yuriko. Last two were Mamba and Pimpi, with Sexy Star coming back in to stop Pimpi from leaving and getting out herself again. Mamba and Pimpi both bled, both tried to leave but were blocked. Mamba finally escaped and Pimpi lost his hair. Mamba avenged his mask loss to Pimpinela.
4) Blue Demon Jr. b Electroshock [AAA LA]
Blue Demon Jr. is champion and kept his title with a half crab/amrbar. First defense. Seconds were Aerostar and Fenix.
5) Monsther Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown b Hijo del Fantasma, Silver King, Texano Jr. [AAA TRIOS]
Psycho Circus are champions and kept the titles with Canadian Destroyers on Texano Jr. and Silver King (who took the pin.) Third defense.
6) Cibernético, el Hijo del Perro Aguayo, El Mesías, La Parka b Daga, Jeff Jarrett, Parka Negra, Psicosis
Mesias pinned Jeff Jarrett and then a billion things happened. Consejo ran out to help the rudos. Perro turned on the tecnicos post match, so maybe the Perros del Mal are together after all. Zorro came out for the save, but also turned rudo. Karen went after Marisela, Faby made the save, but Sexy Star attacked her. Konnan and Dorian announced all the rudos (Consejo, Perros del Mal, Zorro, Sexy Star, possibly more) are part of a new La Sociedad.

Air Date: 12/14 and 12/21, probably.

AAA recap here.

Let’s handle the undercard in one paragraph: some good matches, and somehow we ducked out of getting the Mexican Powers in a match on this show. That was great. There’s no explanation about why Yuriko was not in the cage match; AAA never mentioned Eterno’s injury so I guess it could be the same thing. First two matches sound like there were also great – they’ll probably air on UTDN so that’s something to be excited about. Everything else was keeping the status quo.

And the main event was the return to the status quo. As best I can figure, this a return to La Sociedad after about 10 months, with the last iteration ending when Dorian and Konnan were fired back in February. It’s really hard because there’s no clean delineation – Konnan and Dorian showed up back on TV with hand wave explanations in the same roles. If there were ever supposed to be actual differences between La Socieded and the foreign legion and Konnan and Dorian with the Perros del Mal, they’ve never come thru on TV. Maybe if you’re completely enveloped by the product, you see how this is different than which came before it, but they can’t and haven’t gotten that idea across. The people on this side of the barricade look see as a 10 year unbreaking stretch of Konnan (and later Dorian) leading an army of the same heels against the same tecnicos.

This is not just the cranky people in the luchablog sphere reacting negatively. There’s 82 comments right now on AAA’s Facebook message about the new Sociedad, and they seem to be 82 comments groaning about this idea coming back. Reaction elsewhere has pretty much the same. It’s not people being upset their tecnico heroes were foiled, it’s people frustrated we’re back to this bit once again.

Here’s the thing: Konnan and Dorian are smart people. Smart enough to know this would go over like a lead balloon. This is a pretty objectively unappealing concept, one you only do if the the other options are even less appealing. You’re always going to make what you believe is the best option at the moment, which means AAA must’ve had a pretty dismal view of how things had been going in the 10 months without La Sociedad.

And so the next move is to continue moving everything back to what it was 2012. They walked back the tecnico Perro tease (as a plan which makes no sense, and something that should’ve been a much bigger deal since the TV has been focused on it), Zorro’s reset back to the crazy rudo he was before the last time Sociedad turned on him, and more is probably coming. (Sexy Star’s getting her belt back real soon.) Sociedad didn’t include Consejo back in the day, and it’s about time to let that concept go anyway.

Regressing is not interesting, but maybe it’s more profitable. We have no reliable measures of how AAA’s business is doing, but maybe they know a lot about how 2013 did compared to 2012. Sometimes the best business decisions aren’t the best creative ones.

AAA loves running big angle at Guerra de Titanes. It always seems the worst time of the year to me, since you’re putting everything on ice thru the holidays and intentionally doing little in February. It seems like a sure fire way to reduce any impact. I’m glad for AAA doing it that way this year. AAA has another taping left, but this should be the last one to air this in 2013 before the usual two/three weeks of Best Of. It’ll be nice to have a break.

Apolo Estrada wins WWS Welterweight Championship, Tercera Caida, Casas/Volador

IWRG (SUN) 12/08/2013 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG]
1) Fulgor I & Fulgor II b Atomic Star & Electro Boy
2) Bugambilia, Diva Salvaje, Miss Gaviota b Avisman, Fulgor I, Imposible
Fulgor I worked twice, replacing Kalim Black
3) Bombero Infernal, Dragón Celestial, Golden Magic b El Hijo del Diablo, Picudo Jr., Tony Rivera
Bombero beat Rivera.
4) Apolo Estrada Jr. b Dr. Cerebro [WWS WELTER]
Vacant title. Dinamic Black was previous champion. Hijo del Diablo (Apolo’s second) hit Cerebro with a chair to give Apolo the first fall. Doc seemed about to win the third fall when referee Capu stopped him from striking with a closed first, and Apolo took advantage to get in a power bomb for the straight fall title win.
5) Fuerza Guerrera, Trauma I, Trauma II b Alan Extreme, Toscano, Veneno
Rudos took 1/3. Veneno seemed about to finish Trauma I when Fuerza (previously eliminated) hit Veneno with a chain to give the rudos a win.

Sunday’s Tercera Caida special was all from Friday night’s Tijuana show, including footage of the top two matches and interviews with Hijo del Santo and Rey Misterio Sr.

CMLL promo for next Friday’s show.

Atlantis rates this year a 10 (out of 10), because he (kind of) risked his mask in the 80th anniversary. He’s going on vacation in a couple weeks – this interview appeared to have been done last Monday, so he’s probably done in seven days. He hopes to get that mask match in 2014.

Hijo del Signo says there’s nothing to rumors of him going to AAA. What? Atlantis makes more sense than Hijo del Signo. Signo isn’t lighting CMLL on fire but would be an atrocious fit with AAA.

Chik Tormenta wants to prove she’s a better luchadora from Guadalajara than Silueta.

Gym del Valle held it’s holiday party/award presentation.

Lineups

IWRG (SUN) 12/15/2013 Arena Naucalpan
1) Alfa & Omega vs Fulgor I & Fulgor II
2) Dragón Celestial, Hip Hop Man, Látigo vs Araña de Plata, Kaling Black, Zurdog
3) Diva Salvaje, Golden Magic, Miss Gaviota vs Douki, Imposible, Oficial 911
4) Alan Extreme, Máscara Púrpura, Veneno vs Fuerza Guerrera, Súper Nova, X-Fly
5) Dr. Cerebro vs Apolo Estrada [hair]

That main event could go either way with those two guys. Should at least be interesting. Apolo’s already taken Oficial AK47’s in the last few weeks. Oficial AK47 was out of his mind on last night’s TV.

There’s a Tuesday (FILL) show and a Sunday show announced for next week, but no Thursday show. Maybe there’s not one? Maybe FILL airs on AYM? That would be amazing. Maybe they just haven’t gotten around to promoting Thursday’s show.

CMLL (SUN) 12/15/2013 Arena Mexico
1) Leono & Robin vs Akuma & Inquisidor
2) Astral, Fantasy, Shockercito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Warrior
3) Súper Halcón Jr. vs Cancerbero [lightning]
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Sagrado, Stuka Jr. vs Misterioso Jr., Puma, Sangre Azteca
5) Blue Panther, Rush, Thunder vs Pólvora, Rey Bucanero, Tiger
6) Máximo, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Felino, Negro Casas, Pierroth

Looks like Negro Casas versus Volador is a real thing; the timing may depend on if/when Volador is going on vacation for the holidays. Will Rey Bucanero actually return this week?

No Namajague this week. I have no idea why I’m putting this in this paragraph, but NJPW announced a new masked man named El Desparade El Desperado would debut on their 01/05 (day after Tokyo Dome) show. No CMLL luchadors on the Tokyo Dome show this year, as was the case last year.