Arena Mexico preview, Mil Mascaras, El Rey

Today’s CMLL show is simply build up to Juicio Final.  Rush and Negro Casas meet in the main event trios, Marcela & Blanca meet in the segunda (they’ve avoided doing the 2 women vs 2 women since the match was announced) and even Atlantis & Dragon Rojo face Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Escorpion in the semimain. Rush told ESTO he’s done with hair matches after he beats Negro Casas, because there’s no one better to beat. Rush has said this before; he’s said this repeatedly. Rush having absolutely nothing to do after beating Negro Casas is maybe the only solid reason for him not to actually beat Negro Casas next week. (CMLL never seems to be thinking three steps ahead, so this may not be a real problem to them.)

In another interview, Rush says he hopes to retire Negro Casas and wish he was around in the time of Sangre Chicana, Perro Aguayo and Pierroth when there were real rudos.

Tonight also has the 50th anniversary show for Mil Mascaras in Arena Coliseo Guadalajara. The main event is Canek, Negro Navarro, and Rey Bucanero vs Sicodelico Jr., Mil Mascaras and new champion Hijo de Dos Caras. I’ve read the plan was for Dos Caras Sr. to be teaming with his brothers, but he’s recovering from leg surgery. R de Rudo talks about Mil Mascaras telling stories at the press conference for tonight’s show. Mil has a few more matches scheduled this summer and doesn’t appear anywhere close to retiring.

On this past week’s MLW Radio podcast, about 54 minutes into the show, Konnan’s asked about the risks of being burnout by booking for two different promotions (as AAA Mexico and AAA US basiscally are.) Konnan says he’s not because while he’ll be on-air talent and maybe an agent for the El Rey show, he won’t be writing it like he thought he might be. Konnan ends with “That’s all the information I can give for right now”, which sure suggests there’s more to this. Konnan had previously repeatedly talked about having a role with the writers, where he’d be making sure they didn’t get too far away from lucha libre. If we’re to believe this (off the cuff, definitely more to it) response, then maybe there’s no one doing that now. Or maybe they got someone else with different sensibilities? I don’t want to make too much out of this, it’s only a tossed off comment, but the growing sense I get in general about Lucha Libre: Uprisisng is it’s pretty much an El Rey/Mark Burnett production and AAA is more or less simply supplying the talent. Maybe the people of AAA are coming to the United States, but AAA Mexico itself isn’t making the trip. I have no idea if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it’d be a different thing than we thought were getting at the beginning of this.

(The silver lining on this cloud of indeterminate color: you really don’t have to be following AAA now to jump in on the El Rey show. I mean, AAA TV has generally been good of late, but there’s no new need to get up to speed because it seem more like a new start. That’s really for the best.)

I’m behind on listening to these things so they may have announced it and I haven’t heard yet, but it appears Hijo del Fantasma will be turning up on that podcast soon. I’m sure that’ll be interesting.

TerceraCaida has posted highlights than didn’t make the show on it’s Lucha+ channel: an LA Park promo, Xtreme Tiger positive on TNA, Xtreme Tiger on fake Facebook pages, a 666 family promo, Rey Horus challenging Bestia, and highlights of Damian 666 & Bestia 666 vs Rey Horus & Xtreme Tiger, Imposible & Emperador Azteca vs Centvrion & Dinamic Black and Zumbi & Relampago vs Golden Magic & Rayman,

Rob has highlights of 05/02/14 AAA.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

Segunda Caida reviews the 2006 Infierno en el Jaula and Lucha Azteca 06/14

El Hijo del Santo writes about El Santo.