CMLL (SUN) 11/30/2014 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Bengala & Leono b El Rebelde & Espanto Jr. 
Tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Sensei, Soberano Jr., Star Jr. DQ Cholo, Nitro, Ramstein
Tecnicos took 2/3, the last by excessive violence. Ramstein & Cholo feuded heavily with Star Jr. & Soberano Jr. and were DQed for refusing to stop beating him up.
3) Misterioso Jr., Pierroth, Sagrado b Blue Panther Jr., Stigma, Tritón
Triton replaced Pegasso on Monday. Rudos took 1/3, Pierroth beating Stigma with a powerbomb cleanly.
4) Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Virus b Fuego, Rey Cometa, Stuka Jr.
Virus replaced Bobby Zavala. Rudos took 2/3, with Gran Guerrero counting Stuka’s torpedo splash and putting him in the Pulpo Guerrero
5) Marco Corleone, Titán, Valiente DQ Ephesto, Terrible, Vangellys
Tecnicos took 2/3, the last when Marco missed a splash in the corner and Terrible choked him over the top rope until the referee called the DQ. They challenged each other to a hair match (in what appeared to be hype for Infierno en el Ring)
6) Volador Jr. b Mephisto
Volador took 2/3, the last with the top rope huracanrana for the win. There was a fire drill immediately following the match.
Feed had what are now common Arena Coliseo problems. It didn’t get up until late and it was up and down for the first three matches before working fine the second half of the card. (Video/Sound issues above are because of those feed issues.) Volador and Mephisto are both into two short falls and third fall which are very little more than big moves and kickouts and everything they did here is what they do all the time in these matches in the exact same way so it didn’t do much for me. Others liked it more. There was also a whole Tirantes Is Evil subplot that didn’t seem to go anywhere, but might have helped rally support behind Volador.
All the GIFs from that show (that I didn’t overwrite by accident) are here.
Guerra de Titanes will be on conventional TV in Mexico. I haven’t seen AAA’s TV yet, but the comments mentioned the TV ad for the show is running. If you order using your remote, it’s 229MXP for SD and 298 for HD. That’s about $16.50 and $21 in US Dollars. Since AAA’s doing this on normal PPV already and the stream seemed to go fine on Friday, expect an announcement about a iPPV sometime this week. TripleMania was $15, this show figures to be the same.
IWRG was supposed to have a tag title defense between the Oficials and fellow rudos Eterno & Canis Lupus. +LuchaTV has highlights of last week’s match which set this up; the two teams ended the match by teasing a double apuesta match, and it is the time of the year where IWRG typically ones a big one to close the year. Instead, Oficial AK47 did not appear on tonight’s show and the tag titles were declared vacant, which is standard in these situations but obviously blows up whatever they had planned.
Estrellita will be out at least three weeks with a spinal injury, spending the next two weeks in a neck collar after being dropped on her head Friday by Dallys la Carbinea. Dallys has been using a sit down thru the legs piledriver of late, which has seemed like an unnecessarily dangerous wrestler from a still inexperienced wrestler for random women’s matches. It’s a strength move too, and if Dallys really missed the bodybuilding competition because of a health issue, then she might have not been at full strength. It also may not have been her fault, and we won’t know unless it airs (and it might only in one of the highlight packages they do because of where it was on the card.)
Lucha Underground is the third new major series for El Rey. The second one, El Matador, was renewed before it even premiered – but then canceled a few days ago. That’s weird. The canceling announcement coming out on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the ideal day to announce someone you don’t want to be talked about much, is also weird. The story says the change of plans occurred because there was a lot less international interest in the show than they anticipated. This is a reminder that El Rey is not a lucha libre philanthropy channel which is going to air things forever. It may not be necessary for LU to make money now but there’s got to be at least a path to profitability, which I think Lucha Underground has.
It’s also an indication that El Rey can always change their mind about episode counts and renewals – not that necessary will here, but that’s not the surest indicator of success. The best possible news for Lucha Underground would be an announcement of a toy deal or a video game deal. They’ve set themselves up with those in mind already. If they can convince someone else those can sell, those are the additional revenue sources which can convince El Rey they’ve got something worth keeping around. (Selling in the same international TV – getting the show picked up in the UK or Mexico or wherever – would be nice but probably is not a big difference maker.) I don’t think there’s a set timeline for that happen and it may just be getting interest from those sorts of people which are enough, but that’s the indicator to look for with this project.
El Rey’s Lucha Underground store has quietly vanished. I know TKD ordered a Drago’s t-shirt and was told they were out of stock. I’d like to the promotion was so hot that that all the shirts sold out in the first day, but I’m guessing it might be some merchandise right issues going on. Hopefully they get it sorted out soon – if not enough sources of revenue was a reason El Matador was canceled, you’d like to make a really obvious one available for Lucha Underground.
Black Terry Jr. has photos of the CaraLucha show. A surprisingly small turnout for that show. It looks like Fly Star & Impulso won the tag team tournament.
Fusion-Ichiban ran the same night and maybe some of the usual audience went there? Maybe some of the CaraLucha audience was actually on the show, as part of the Psycho Circus versus 32 Zombies match. Psycho Circus won, and then beat the Rockers in a real match. Mickie Knuckles beat Ludark for the women’s (“KAWAI”) title, which I presume means Mickie is headed back to the US to win back.
SuperLuchas and MedioTiempo both have articles about recently deceased famous comedian Chespirito’s lucha libre references and references to him in lucha libre. Octagoncito was wearing a Chapulín Colorado outfit tonight on the AAA taping in Tuxtla.
Voices of Wrestling and LuchaWorld has reviews of the latest Lucha Underground episode.
LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.
+LuchaTV has interviews with Texano and Alberto after Friday’s show.
Super Libre had Pantera & Fishman as interviews.
Edecan Lover has a Aly music video.
BxB Fly has music video of 09/08 Arena Puebla, 09/09 Guadalajara, and 09/09 Arena Mexico
Lucha Libre in Japan
11/30 NJPW: La Sombra & Tetsuya Naito b Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima – they won again (probably more about preventing Kojima/Tenzan from breaking too far away.) They’re now in a big tie. Video already up.
Lineups
IWRG FILL (WED) 12/03/2014 Arena Naucalpan
1) Magic Dragon & Vaderus vs Skanda & Voltar
2) Aguila Oriental, Chicanito, Dragón Blanco vs Guerrero 2000, Psique, Sexy Girl
3) Adrenalina, Aramis, Black Drago vs Magnum 44, Ultimoc Aballero, Vmaprio Metalico II
4) Black Niko, Galaxy, Marduck vs Merceneario De La Muerte, Payaso De Plata, Payaso Extremo
5) Black Angel, Blue Monsther, Fly Boricua vs Anubis Black, Extraño, Hip Hop Man
6) Araña de Plata Jr., Atomik Star, Dragón Celestial, Electro Boy, Metaleon, Power Bull, Saruman, Sky Ángel vs Arkanos, Balack, Danger King, Impacto, Moto Cross, Principe Negro, Rayo Star, Skull Metal [Copa Higher Power]
FILL vs Sexy Gym (Dr. Cerbero) trainees rematch.
Last match between these two teams had no finish. Balack was one of Arkangel trainees at the bodybuilding tumbling exhibition – you don’t forget a guy who spells him name Balack and puts it on his gear. It’s common for aspiring luchadors to train with multiple maestros, for education and strategic purposes.
Blue Monsther missed the last one of these and I thought he might have finally made into the land of real luchadors (or at least Comando Elite), but he’s back here in the purgatory that is the semimain on a FILL show. He’s been on these shows now for 3 years without making it on the real shows once.
Also, if someone can figure out what package I exactly need to buy on internetv.tv to get access to AYM Sports, I will gladly try and record IWRG off their stream. They’ve changed the options greatly since the last time I tried this.
DTU (TUE) 12/16/2014 Arena Aficion
1) ?, El Junior, El Nene, Kalibus vs ??, Corazon Latino, Osrisis, Sombra De La Noche
2) Jhonky & Lanzeloth vs Cotty Santiago & Low Rider
3) Jimmy, Kevin, Ovett vs Ángel o Demonio, Artikus, Rocky Lobo
4) Chica Ye-Ye & Violento Jack vs Cíclope & Yuriko
5) Drastik Boy © vs Aero Boy [DTU AI]
6) Crazy Boy & Niño Hamburguesa vs Black Fire & Slayer Pack [DTU NEXO, semifinal]
7) Miedo Extremo vs Crazy King, Jorge El Intruso, Colmillo Blanco, Ursus, Dance Boy, Paranoiko, Hacker, Amo de la Noche, Talaxys, Príncipe Halcón, Siniestro [mask, hair,cage]
Random apuesta match: check, it is a lucha indy show. Of maybe more note, that’s the other tag team tournament semifinal (the first is on 12/07 in Rio Blanco, Veracruz) and Drastik is defending his title in his home building. I have many theories about why Nerd Tony isn’t with his two friends – studying for the Mexico equivalent of an AP English test – but I will spare you.