taped 2014-03-11 @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara Sky Kid & Smaker vs Artillero & Súper Comando for the Occidente Tag Team Championship: Disappointing. Sky Kid and Smaker came off as over rehearsed and slow. It really stuck out when they only half tried at teasing their first dives, instead going to their alternative positions, counter a counter Artillero & Super Comando hadn’t fully tried yet. They knew what spots they wanted to do but couldn’t pull it together as a match, and I’ve never seen a high flying team be so slow climbing the ropes in general. Artillero & Super Comando didn’t bring much special to the occasion, outside of Comando’s big bump at the end, and the match was missing any sort of intensity.
Polvora celebrates too soon
taped 2014-03-16 @ Arena México Marco Corleone, Máximo, Rush vs Kráneo, Negro Casas, Niebla Roja: Cut down for time, including Marco somehow going from holding Niebla’s legs to punching Kraneo in the face over a camera switch. There wasn’t a lot of Casas/Rush here to begin with, and the only extended in ring period is the end of the third fall (which also ends suddenly.) The other four guys are fine, but nothing much to write about the match. We need the Kraneo/Marco lightning match some day.
Zacarias runs to escape Rush’s wrath
Volador Jr. vs Ripper: Also cut down for TV, though the full one wasn’t much better. Ripped isn’t the best choice for a ‘my move your move’ exhibition, and that bit works better when people think both guys might win. (Ripper needed to cheat a lot more, it would’ve helped.) They didn’t screw up anything, but they weren’t interesting. The crowd came off as more into it very late live than they did on TV.
indy (SUN) 04/13/2014Arena Coliseo Monterrey [LuchaMania Monterrey] 1) Fire Warrior & Havok vs Arleuin & Nemesis 2) Omega & Tony Boy b Metalik Boy & Mini Angel Justiciero 3) Larry Miranda Jr., Máscara Púrpura, Simbolo b Falcon Kid, Misionerio, Muerte Extreme Purpura won with the Red Star Press on Misionerio. 4) Charles Lucero b Alberto Dos Rios [hair] Alberto took the first but suffered a back injury (after being sent into a ringside chair) in the second and Lucero beat him in the second and third to win. Lucero said he was happy to win but not by injury, praised Dos Rios and offered him a title shot, but warned him not to get too big of a head.
CMLL (TUE) 04/15/2014Arena México [CMLL, Yahoo! Deportes]
1) Bengala & Molotov b Camorra & Disturbio Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pierrothito b Eléctrico, Pequeño Halcón, Último Dragoncito Pequeno Halcon replaced Fantasy. Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany b Estrellita, Silueta, Syuri Match with a lot of noticeable flaws. Rudas took 2/3, Amapola beating Syuri. They talked back and forth about Sunday’s title match.
4) Star Jr. b Dragon Lee [En Busca de un Idolo] Felino was the guest judge. Dragon Rojo replaced Shocker. Star Jr. submitted Dragon Lee in a spectacular match. Star Jr. scored a 9, 10, 10, and 6 for a judge score of 35. Dragon Lee scored 8, 9, 8, 5 for a total of 30 from the judges.
5) Soberano Jr. b Cachorro [En Busca de un Idolo] Soberano beating Cachorro means everyone in the competition has won 1 and lost 1 after two matches. Soberano Jr. scored an 8, 9, 8, 5 for a total of 30. Cachorro scored a 7, 8, 7, 7 for a total of 29.
6) Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. b Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Virus Reyes del Atlantida took 1/3.
7) Marco Corleone, Máximo, Stuka Jr. DQ Dragón Rojo Jr., Misterioso Jr., Rey Escorpión Tecnicos took 1/3, the last when Maximo kissed Dragon Rojo and faked a foul. Escorpion declared that wouldn’t happen in the title match on Sunday.
Judges thought the first En Busca de un Idolo match was much better than the second, but then gave them about the same scores. That’s been the common pattern in this tournament: the judges scores don’t vary as much from match to match. The differences will add up, especially with a seven match round, but the differences in poll numbers will add up much more.
Women’s match was not good at all, but the problems were not with Amapola and Syuri. Syuri wasn’t a big part of the match. Maybe it’ll work out better Friday.
CMLL (TUE) 04/15/2014Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [@acogdl]
1) Virgo b Demonio Rojo
2) Demus 3:16, Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Violencia b Angelito, Astral, Stukita Rudos took 2/3.
3) Esfinge, Magnus, Stigma b Canelo Casas, El Rebelde, Maléfico Tecnicos took 2/3, Magnus beating Malefico with a backcracker.
4) Arkángel de la Muerte, Boby Zavala, Sangre Azteca b Fuego, Gallo, Tritón Rudos took 1/3.
5) Super Porky b Kráneo Porky won with a middle rope splash in a one fall match.
6) La Máscara, La Sombra, Valiente DQ Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto Tecnicos took 2/3. Mephisto fouled Valiente for the DQ, then took his mask after.
Gallo and Arkangel have unresolved issues over the FULL Championship, and the FULL Twitter was teasing their match tonight as a set up to another title match.
AAA has a taping tonight in San Luis Potosi. It’s going to be a quick turn around on production of that show, since it should be the episode that airs this Saturday on TV. AAA has put significantly more emphasis on Saturday’s TV taping and this show will air a few hours before that taping, which makes this one more opportunity to promote the show in Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera show. It figures that any big surprises will be held back for that event. I don’t expect Sin Cara or Averno to show up tonight (though “Averno” might not be able to show up ever, since CMLL owns the name. Fredo had an elegant solution.) I do expect the current feuds to keep getting set up – Alan/Chessman, Psycho/Texano, Faby & Drago vs Sexy Star & Pentagon Junior. The main event, Cibernetico, Fenix and Parka versus Black Warrior, Hijo del Perro Aguayo, and Jeff Jarrett, sounds like a hot mess but maybe they’ll come up something to get a crowd reaction.
Terra has an interview with Black Panther & Cachorro. Blue Panther didn’t either of them to wrestle and instead go to school (Black Panther learned nutrition, Cachorro learned acupuncture), but Cachorro wanted to be a luchador since he was young and secretly started lucha libre without telling his dad. Black Panther wasn’t as interested until his father lost his mask.
CMLL (MON) 04/21/2014Arena Puebla
1) Black Tiger, Leono, Tigre Rojo Jr. vs Espanto Jr., Fuerza Chicana, King Jaguar
2) Dark Angel, Estrellita, Syuri vs Amapola, La Comandante, Tiffany
3) La Máscara, Stigma, Stuka Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora, Rey Escorpión
4) Asturiano vs Espíritu Maligno, Blue Center [mask, hair]
5) La Sombra, Mistico, Valiente vs Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
I wonder how they’ll end up doing the triangle match; they’ve historically done a series of singles matches in that istuation.
CMLL (TUE) 04/22/2014Arena México
1) Bengala & Robin vs Cholo & Inquisidor
2) Angelito, Fantasy, Stukita vs Mercurio, Pequeño Warrior, Pierrothito
3) Dark Angel, Goya Kong, Syuri vs Amapola, La Seductora, Zeuxis
4) Hechicero vs Soberano Jr. [En Busca de un Idolo]
5) Súper Halcón Jr. vs Star Jr. [En Busca de un Idolo]
6) Marco Corleone, Stuka Jr., Tritón vs Terrible, Tiger, Vangellys
7) Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
Hechicero will have no problem spinning around Soberano. Marco is going to look 8 feet tall next to his partners. Guerreros team up two straight night, maybe at least one will be setting up a title program.
Syuri’s working pretty constantly (so the women are pretty much on every show for the next week.) She’s against Amapola in every match. I wouldn’t rule out Amapola winning the title to set up a quick rematch.
CMLL (TUE) 04/22/2014Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) El Divino & Virgo vs Mr. Trueno & Rey Trueno
2) Magnus & Stigma vs Acertijo & Sádico
3) Gallo, Pegasso, Rey Cometa vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Kamaitachi, Shigeo Okumura
4) Black Panther, Diamante Azul, Sagrado vs Mr. Águila, Ráfaga, Ripper
5) Blue Panther, La Sombra, Valiente vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto
Whoever’s putting together these cards seems to believe Averno will still be in CMLL on Tuesday. Maybe he will! Main event might be more about Valiente versus Mephisto either way.
Tercera is the probably 52MX match, an increasingly rare Pegasso/Rey Cometa team up. Arkangel & Gallo again as well.
taped 2014-03-16 @ Plaza de Toros La Monumental, Monterrey, Nuevo León
discus forearm of doom
Daga vs Argenis, Australian Suicide, Súper Fly for the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship: Good opener and good job giving Daga something to do. This had good action all the way thru, and (almost) no dumb pinfall broken spots. Argenis was the weak link but had a couple of okay spots. Super Fly looked better than I was expecting, though there’s no way you would’ve known he was meant to be a rudo at this point. Australian Suicide didn’t get a lot to do early but was showcased strongly by the end of the match. Daga held it together and was the right man to get the wins. If they knew how good the discus clothesline spot was going to look, I bet they would’ve ended the match with it. Still, the interference spot was not much and the match still kept going for long enough that Daga seemed impressive for going thru all three opponents.
so many spins
Fénix vs Crazy Boy, Joe Lider, Niño Hamburguesa, Último Gladiador, Pentagón Jr., Steve Pain, Eterno in a domed cage match: A lucha libre hardcore cage match. There were some big spots, they largely didn’t mean anything, people climbed out at random intervals and I was generally bored. I’m pretty certain I would’ve lost my mind had I watched it live after a 45 minute delay, but it was fine enough for what it was on TV much after the fact if way too long. Niño had no problem climbing the ladder to escape, and might have been able to climb down on his own, but AAA sent help even before he tried (at least as we saw it on TV) and it was a very slow descent. He wasn’t the only one who needed the ladder; Crazy Boy made sure to climb up right away before they could destroy it, and Joe Lider struggled escaping too. I couldn’t tell if Pentagon actually lost his grip or meant to do a move from the top of the cage onto Fenix – his later teasing of death via falling off the cage makes me think he meant to do it. It’s almost as if this stipulation made it unnecessarily difficult for the performers. I’ll give the cage one thing, it was pretty hilarious to see Pentagon just easily crawl back in thru on of the wide gaps on the bottom to help out the table spot. He should’ve thought of that sooner!
Pentagon is helpful, unbothered by the cage. (Note the Chessman like luck with the ‘table’)
Cibernético, Electroshock, Psycho Clown vs Jeff Jarrett, Máscara Año 2000 Jr., Texano Jr.: Usual Jarrett goofery. Belts were found and used to slap people in the back. Roldans had issues with each other. Bad wrestling sequences occurred. Karen shrieked a lot, and then less so when I hit the mute button and then got something thrown in her face again. Texano got nearly beat a half dozen times. The whole end game didn’t seem to go right and took longer than normal, but they ended up where they wanted at the end. Jeff losing to Cibernético by guitar shot would make it seem like this was over, but it was actually Jeff losing to Joaquin guitar shot. That means six more months of Roldan/Jarrett feuding.
