Day: March 10, 2015

CMLL (MON) 03/09/2015 Arena Puebla [Periodico Enfoque, Periodico Enfoque (fotos)]
1) King Jaguar & Toro Bill Jr. b Arkalis & Paris
2) Asturiano, Shockercito, Último Dragoncito b Espíritu Maligno, Pierrothito, Saurón
3) Blue Panther Jr., Fuego, The Panther b Cancerbero, Okumura, Raziel
Okumura replaced Virus (personal issue?)
4) Kráneo, Morphosis, Terrible b Blue Panther, Máximo, Super Porky
Dos Leyendas talk followed.
5) Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero b Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr.
Guerrero pulled his Mistico’s mask to beat him. Clearly headed to a trio title match.

CMLL announced the Okumura for Virus sub ahead of time (!) and wrote this:

Y nuestro apoyo para el pequeño maestro en el difícil momento por el que está pasando.

That sounds serious. Hope all turns out fine.

The only other CMLL match change so far is Pequeno Violencia being pulled from Sunday’s show. He must not have been as close to return as was hoped. Pequeno Universo replaces him.

Today’s CMLL Arena Mexico show has Mistico, Titan and Valiente versus Kraneo, Polvora and Rey Escorpion, which has some promite. CMLL has an interview with Rey Escorpion which affirms he and Polvora are still grand amigos. Best news possible. Maybe they can recruit Mije to be the new third member of the Revolucionarios. Escorpion says some people suggested he didn’t belong in CMLL and those people are idiots. He is correct. Delta versus Sagrado is the lightning match, good odds on the rolling suplex making an appearance.

Guadalajara has all four Ingobernables, but split among two matches. Mascara is in a semimain with little hope, while the other three face Casas, Shocker and Terrible in the main event. The tercera is another Panthers/Cats battle, with Esfinge & Okumura as the third wheels.

CMLL’s website has announced a deal for fans who purchase tickets to watch Dos Leyendas in Puebla and Guadalajara. Those fans can use those tickets as free admission to a shows in Arena Puebla and Arena Coliseo Guadalajara for the rest of March and April. (It’s unclear if you get in free just for one show during those months or for all shows in those months. It’s got to be one show but it’s not translating well for me.)

Essentially, they’re not making anything on those showings, but hoping to get people going to the arena. Except, if you’re so into CMLL to go to a movie theater to watch Dos Leyendas, you’re probably either already going to the arenas or have chosen not to go. Maybe this is a much a gesture to the people who run those arenas – if they’re scared of TV driving people away from arenas, maybe they’re scared movie theaters will as well and are trying to do something to help them out.

AAA referees will be wearing new shirts courtesy of new sponsor Cementos Moctezuma. The sponsorship was announced before Friday’s TV taping. I don’t know how effective this is, given I can’t remember who was the last referee shirt sponsor – Comex? – but they’re also getting ad banners and such. Pepe Casas was included as a referee; he hasn’t been on TV since about TripleMania, but he is still around.

Psycho Clown says he’s dreamed of making the Rey de Reyes finals and is visually holding the sword. I’m visually that too and it doesn’t end well. The man goes off on mad stomping rampages, I don’t trust him with sharp objects.

AYM Sports caught up with Taya, Psycho Clown and La Parka at the Rey Misterio Jr. press conference. Ads for the Rey de Reyes iPPV have been airing pretty regularly on the TV channel.

+LuchaTV has the after the show video from their return show, highlights of Arez, Belial & Impluso vs the Neza Kings, La Resistenca vs Tortugas Ninja and Kriminal Boys vs Sky Stars and talks to the newly expanded Kriminal Boys after the match.

Mr. Niebla lost the main event trios match to Big Neurosis and the Ninja in Arena Coliseo Monterrey.  The last paragraph of that recap mentions a marriage proposal was accepted at the show.

San Luis Potosi luchador and trainer Rudy Valentino passed on Monday. He was 73. SuperLuchas has an obit. El Sabor del Ring has a video interview with him from last year.

RobViper has highlights of 11/14/14 CMLL.

Damian, Halloween and Nicho reunited for a win in Tijuana.

This weekend’s Coliseo Coacalco show has Gronda XXX and Guerrero Maya Jr. teaming up.

Update: Hijo del Santo has downgraded lucha from “in agony” to “dead“. Guess he’s not promoting a show this year since lucha libre is dead and all.

The usual periodic story about lucha libre in Laguna not doing well. This article is accompanied by a picture of Pierroth, which is just way too easy. They focus on Arena Olimpico Laguna’s shows, which are drawing very few people on Thursdays. There’s at least 9 different arenas in the area – including Arena Coliseo Corona, which Ultimo Guerrero either runs or has some involvement with – which may also be an issue. The show not being good may also be an issue.

Sagrado talks about his personal struggle of only being able to see his kids once a month. They and his (ex?)-wife are living in Acapulco now. He claims his left the priesthood (which is part of his gimmick) and instead majored in graphic design when he decided to become a luchador, and his partners thought he was crazy until he actually made his debut. The article mentions Sagrado as being from Monterrey; he’s been listed as from Guadalajara prior but that appeared to be a worked hometown.

Chilango has info and addresses for three luchador run restaurants: Scorpio Jr. (& wife), Babe Face’s right outside of Arena Mexico, and Shocker’s Che Guapo. The last one might have changed location. Every year we go, we mean to have rice from Babe Face but it hasn’t worked out yet.

Tickets for the UFC 188, on 06/13 in Arena Ciudad de Mexico (and hopefully with Cian Velasquez not getting hurt before the show this time) will run from 7000 to 350 Mexican Pesos. That’s $448 to $22.42, very pricey for Mexico but in line with usual UFC tickets (even cheaper than usual on the low end.)

Fuerza Guerrera‘s still sure the referee for his match with Negro Casas was crooked.

DJ Spectro looks back at a 1980 Ruleta de la Muerte.

Lucha Libre in Japan

This sub head has returned! It’s REINA news, you probably don’t care.

The 03/25 REINA show will have two title matches

• Syuri defends the CMLL Women’s Championship against Silueta
• Amapola defends the CMLL-REINA International Championship against Maki Narumiya

Narumiya is one of the pair of Japanese luchadora who came to Arena Mexico late last year – she’s the one who did not have a title match.

Silueta going from not being in Arena Mexico to being sent to Japan is odd, but no odder than usual for REINA/CMLL news. I’m struggling to come up with a scenario where Silueta could get a world title shot in CMLL against a Mexican challenger right now. She probably won’t be winning in either scenario, but she’d be better for the shot. REINA does better booking CMLL women than CMLL, generally. (They also still seem to be building to Kana vs Syuri, which makes one believe Syuri is going to have that belt until they get around to doing it.)

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 03/16/2015 Arena Puebla
1) Black Tiger & Robin vs Guerrero Espacial & King Jaguar
2) Lestat, Soberano Jr., Tigre Rojo Jr. vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Nitro, Toro Bill Jr.
3) Dragon Lee, Stuka Jr., Tritón vs Kamaitachi, Okumura, Sangre Azteca
4) Atlantis, Máximo, Super Porky vs Ephesto, Kráneo, Mephisto
5) Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero

Trios title match on 03/23 unless something odd happens.