Alvarados versus Casas/Shocker, Dragon Lee vs Virus tonight, El Dandy back

CMLL (SUN) 12/07/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Domingos Familiares]
1) Explosivo b Relampago Azul
2) El Chakal & Furia Nazi b El Tapatío & Índigo
3) Demonio Maya & Sádico b El Divino & Virgo
4) Infierno, Jocker, Maléfico b Esfinge, Exterminador, Omar Brunetti
Infierno replaced Cavernario. Esfinge and Exterminador had problems leading to the rudos win.
5) Gallo, Máscara Dorada, Valiente b Cavernario, Hechicero, Pierroth
Cavernario & Hechicero replaced Olimpico & Sagrado. Tecnicos took 2/3, Dorada defeating Hechicero.

Olimpico might be one of those most out of luck with changes here. The majority of his matches this year have been in Guadalajara, and he’s only had 4 CMLL DF matches all year.

CMLL (MON) 12/08/2014 Arena Puebla [Periodico Enfoque, Periodico Enfoque (Photos)]
1) Disturbio & Inquisidor b Asturiano & Meyer
2) Lestat, Magnus, Sensei b Akrón, Hijo del Signo, Policeman
Lestat and Policeman are feuding.
3) Dragon Lee, Stigma, The Panther b Cancerbero, Hombre sin Nombre, Raziel
Cancerbero was stretchered out after a Dragon Lee attack.
4) Ephesto, Mephisto, Pólvora b Dragón Rojo Jr., Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr.
Polvora beat Dragon Rojo and demanded a title match.
5) La Máscara, Marco Corleone, Máximo b Negro Casas, Shocker, Último Guerrero
Marco was back wrestling after Sunday’s injury. Maximo & Mascara beat Casas & Ultimo and challenged for the tag titles.

Don’t think they’re actually doing Lestat/Policeman. Pretty sure they’re doing Polvora/Dragon Rojo. Dragon Lee has a sound strategy, take out Virus’ soldiers before their title match.

This week begins what was long considered the ‘off season’ from CMLL. Historically, they’d stop running Arena Mexico, move everything to Arena Coliseo, and many of the luchadors would disappear for long stretches to visit their hometowns or wrestle elsewhere. Some of that’s still going on – Rey Escorpion hasn’t been seen since he lost the title to Angel de Oro, but he’s wrestling indies and my assumption is he’ll be back in CMLL – but nowadyas CMLL moves all of it’s shows from Coliseo to Arena Mexico and occasionally stumbles into some exciting lucha libre matchups. There’s plenty still to look forward to in the next couple months

• CMLL will likely hold an Arena Coliseo Tag Title match on 12/16
• CMLL will hold a cibernetico for the vacant welterweight championship on 12/26 (and maybe a final the following week)
• Mistico II is returning at some point, which will be a thing.
• FantasticaMania is about 6 weeks away (and we’d figure to get those lineups in the next month)
• Lucha Underground has a big ladder match tomorrow and will introduce a championship in the following episode
• Also, that Key thing is getting resolved in the next few episodes, and some of the best matches from the first tapings are still to come
• and those next Underground tapings are a month and a half away, which should include some new people and maybe we’ll be able to get a sense of how El Rey believes things are going
• IWRG will have a couple more year end shows; there’s plenty of matches they’ve teased which would be good ways to end the year
• (and also it seems like I’m getting to record it.)
• AAA’s Guerra de Titanes will eventually make YouTube! As will the other pre-GdT taping, and we’ll eventually see their 2015 plans
• and tonight might have one of the best matches of the year

By all reports, there were some fantastic matches at Guerra de Titanes. I’m really looking forward to watching them. It’s possible Virus versus Dragon Lee for the Super Lightweight Championshp could be on the same level as those. Virus wrestles a style that’s different than anyone else does (or gets to do) in the big two matches. Dragon Lee probably can’t do as much on the mat as Fuego or maybe even Titan, but we get to find that out for sure in this match. Dragon Lee definitely can do as many crazy high spots as those guys (maybe crazier, maybe not always as successful.) They’ve been running into each other in trios since En Busca de un Idolo and have had magically fights so far. I could not be more excited for the full length match.

I have no feeling about whether Virus is every going to keep his title; he’s always facing a young guy who could use a big win, that’s kind of the gimmick, but he’s always still Virus and having Virus with a championship is a good deal. Dragon Lee is a bunch of fun and I’ll be happy for him if he wins, but the matches Virus has been doing are very rare in CMLL and will be near extinct if Virus doesn’t have title defenses to get singles matches and wrestle his unique style. (Ideally, everyone would be learning from what Virus is doing and adapting the good parts to their own style, but realistically everyone’s emulating the Volador/Ultimo Guerrero style and it’s hard to see that changing given their relative positions.) I want more awesome Virus matches, we’re probably only getting awesome Virus matches as long as he has that title, I hope he has that title forever.

That’s not the main event! It probably should be the main event, but the world title goes to the semimain over a trios match building up an Arena Coliseo tag team match. That match – Sombra, Guerrero Maya Jr., and Delta vs Hechicero, Barbaro Cavernario, and Euforia – should be a really good match as well. The top 5 matches all look good, though maybe the segunda is less good with Metatron replacing Flyer in the segunda. Also, Sombra replaces Maximo in Sunday’s main event.

Felino says he’s stayed in the cage and went after his rivals while others ran away, so who’s the real loser. (Felino is.) He vows to continue feuding with Rey Bucanero.

DoradaFan has highlights of 09/30/2014 CMLL.

+LuchaTV has an interview with Dinastia and Alberto about their title wins, while Black Terry challenges Solar to mask vs hair.

Pictures from a CMLL calendar being offered on Amazon.

Fuerza Guerrera promotes the upcoming Leyendas Inmortales show.

Bitch Magazine writes about Sexy Star as a wrestling turning point.

Don’t try to subtweet Octagon!

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 12/12/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Dr. Frezzer & Explosivo vs El Yaqui & Furia Nazi
2) El Divino, Ídolo Jr., Javier Cruz Jr. vs Chakal, Jocker, Sádico
3) Esfinge, Exterminador, Magnum vs Maléfico, Mr. Trueno, Rey Trueno
4) El Dandy, Flash I, Flash II vs Pitbull I, Pitbull II, Satánico
tag champs in non-title action
5) Oro Jr., Rey Cometa, Soberano Jr. vs Canelo Casas, Hijo del Signo, Mr. Águila

You may remember seeing a lineup for a debut Friday show yesterday. That didn’t happen now. The best guess is that card was intended to be a Sunday card but no one passed along word that there were no more Sunday shows; Sombra being moved onto the Sunday DF show suggests it was a decision made in the last week. The Domingos Familiar page, being promoted on the last few Guadalajara posters, only mentions the change in passing.

A main event with Canelo Casas and Hijo del Signo – and also Soberano and Oro as much as we like them – is not something that’s going to get people to check out a Friday night show. The semimain is there to be the actual draw, including a return of the Flashs and Pitbulls (added by surprise a few weeks ago) and noted retiree El Dandy. That lasted about 6.5 months.

CMLL (MON) 12/15/2014 Arena Puebla
1) Black Tiger, Lestat, Milenium vs Ares, Centauro de Fuego, Guerrero Espacial
2) Hombre Bala Jr., Oro Jr., Súper Halcón Jr. vs Espíritu Maligno, Fuerza Chicana, King Jaguar
3) Ángel de Oro, Fuego, Stigma vs Hechicero, Puma, Tiger
4) Dragón Rojo Jr., Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Pólvora, Último Guerrero
5) Negro Casas & Shocker © vs La Máscara & Máximo [CMLL TAG]
Shocker & Negro Casas second defense

Maximo & Mascara winning the tag titles would break the idea of the Ingobernables – and it’s hard to make sense of it with Rush & Sombra attacking Maximo multiple times – but it’s CMLL so it doesn’t have to make sense. Probably a defense anyway. Kind of wonder if this tag title match was planned for a while and Maximo’s just replacing rush.

Dragon Rojo/Polvora goes on. Hechciero with the cats could be fun. Lestat’s now on the show every week, as if a major change has happened. Is he the new Guadalajara booker?!?!? (no, he’s not.)