Day: September 19, 2014

Tonight’s show airs at 8:30 pm on Terra. You can find out more details at this link.

1) Blue Panther, Cachorro, Dragon Lee vs Felino, Puma, Tiger

The match which most transparently exists just to get people on the card. CMLL even changed it around for that purpose, adding Blue Panther and Felino to that match after just announcing the other four. The original match would have been a crazy spot fest, and the dads may slow it down while adding more sense to it. Puma and Tiger are very good but never get past a certain level. This is probably about getting young promises Dragon Lee and Cachorro up to that level.

CMLL women do not often make the Anniversary show, which usually results in complaints from the luchadoras and their supporters. This match – for a trophy which will never be mentioned again in two weeks – is a correction for that this year, at least. It’s a normal elimination cibernetico, maybe lasting long enough to give everyone a moment and then eliminate them. All the tecnicas (Marcela,  Estrellita, Sugehit  and Goya Kong) either have titles or recently won big matches, which means it’s probably a ruda winning this match. Amapola hasn’t won many big matches of late and would seem like a good bet in usual CMLL terms in spreading the wins around. She would also be a great winner for ensuring a good match. There are combinations of women here who could make for a very good match and for a very trying one.

There are a lot of fun luchadors in this match, but this one seems about the decidedly unfun Thunder. After a unsucessful and error filled run as a tecnico, Thunder pulled a more than welcome disappearing act this year. It was hoped he had returned to Australia for good, but he apparently was training as a rudo under Satanico for a big return. It is always nice to see a promotion give a new guy a big chance, you just wish it was not someone who had already wasted his first chance. (Usual bit of a tall guy with muscles getting many shots.) This is his first match back. CMLL lined up three of their most popular tecnicos as a tackling dummiesand has had successes turning unpopular faces into strong rudos. Thunder will be the star of this match by design and will likely win, but it is more about he impressive he looks. This is happening even if Thunder trips over his own two feet, but it would more palletable if he did not.

4) Rey Cometa vs Cavernario [hair]

There are a few unsolved mysteries with this card. Sombra, a face of the company, being left off the show is one. Cavernario and Rey Cometa as the second apuesta match is another. At times, CMLL has hinted at a similar match with much bigger names. Even when CMLL finally settled on this match, they promoted it in such fashion that few even knew it was happening. (Maybe even the people producing the TV?) It’s a shame, because this match deserved weeks and months of hot trios to build it up and instead is going to sneak up on people as one of the best matches of the year. Rey Cometa is a spectacular high foyer and Cavernario is capable of doing anything at any time. The weekly criowd has adopted Cavernario as their own new star, and the match should be great enough to pull in those just showing up for the bigger match. Neither apuesta outcome is really in doubt and this match, like the Thunder one, is about showcasing a potential new drawing card. Cavernario is still years away, but that’s obviously the plan and why he will win.

Rush has headlined the two biggest Arena Mexico houses of the year. He will semimain this one in a tag title match with La Mascara against Negro Casas and Shocker. Rush beat those two men in rough hard hitting hair matches. The much older Rush victims did win these tag titles in between, but have been otherwise trounced in this feud. There is no real next challengers for Shocker and Casas with a win, unless Sombra is swapped in, but the way thus was added suggest something is up. My wild guess is a Shocker/Casas breakup, but this us the hardest important match to pick by a wide margin.

The saga of Atlantis and Ultimo Guerrero started ten anniversary shows ago, when a wildly pro Dr Wagner crowd rebelled and CMLL felt forced to eventually turn Atlantis rudo in response. (Same as Sombra last year.) Atlantis lied with Guerrero, then they broke up and became mal amigos. The only problem is Ultimo Guerrero stopped having new matches ten years ago, running out the same singles match every tine since. This match is where the casual fan has the advantage. Coming in fresh and not knowing which move is kicked out of everytime will only help your appreciation. Those of us who have bought a ticket are paying for the moment where Guerrero tries for his invincible Guerrero Special inverted superplex, and we find out what happens next.