Friday night results, Kato Kung Lee, Lucha World Cup

CMLL (FRI) 05/06/2016 Arena México [@RobViper, +LuchaTV, CMLL]
1) Hombre Bala Jr. & Súper Halcón Jr. DQ Espanto Jr. & Hijo del Signo
Referee screwed up the finish
2) Blue Panther Jr., Pegasso, The Panther b Fujin, Raijin, Skándalo
Referee screwed up the finish (again)
3) Ángel de Oro, Fuego, Súper Porky DQ Bobby Z, Hechicero, Vangellys
Tecnicos won in straight falls.
4) Rey Bucanero b Titán [lightning]
Bucanero win in 7:02.
5) Rey Cometa, Valiente, Volador Jr. b Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas
Tecnicos took 2/3.
6) Marco Corleone, Terrible, Último Guerrero b La Máscara, Rey Escorpión, Rush [Relevos Increíbles]
Rey Escorpion got along with Rush, did not get along with La Mascara

I didn’t see this show. It didn’t sound like a show that needed seeing, with CMLL just killing time and doing little.

Kato Kung Lee has not passed away as of the time of this writing. He’s been in bad health at the hospital for a week, and word he had passed away spread last night, with both major promotions announced he had passed away. CMLL even did a moment of applause. The family got word out about 20 minutes later that he had not passed away, but was still in delicate condition.

Edit: there are now reports again Kato Kung Lee has passed away.

Konnan, Roberto Figueroa and Aldo Farias have a new “podcast”, a Spanish language variation of what Konnan’s doing with MLW Radio. (It’s not a podcast if I have to watch it on YouTube. It’s a video with a really boring picture for an hour.) Konnan was as anti-AAA as expected, saying the three tools AAA has to keep luchadors around are “lying, intimidation and fear.”

Konnan says AAA told Octagon they’d let him use the name on independents, which appeared to be what was happening before the Octagon Jr. situation started.  Konnan also said AAA first tried to get Flamita to take the name Myzteziz Jr., which Konnan thought was a bad idea (Myzteziz didn’t mean much) and Flamtia didn’t want to do. There was a story in the WON after Myzteziz left that AAA wanted to keep using that name, which seemed like a bad idea at a time and still seems like a bad idea. Konnan said he’d have Fenix and Pentagon Jr. on the show soon, which seems politically difficult as long as they’re working for AAA.

(Edit: added a word I missed and cleared up the above paragraph on 05/10)

One of Konnan’s big points early on is how AAA may feel like they’re a big deal, but all the international stuff their luchadors are doing is because people watch Lucha Underground, and no one really pays attention to AAA itself. I went to AAW last night to see Fenix & Pentagon, and you absolutely get that feeling from the crowd. There actually was a Mexican family with a noise maker and a Perros del Mal shirt, and there were others who have followed those two in Mexico, but you could sense most of the crowd was into them because of a show on an obscure US cable network that the ratings systems say nearly no one actually watches. The people yelling “break his arm!” were doing it because of that show, not because of anything AAA’s done. The people excited for Drago coming in next month are because he’s looked cool in LU, not because of anything they’ve done with him in AAA (because they haven’t done much with him in AAA.) Lucha Underground has a buzz and cool factor, and AAA is pretty much in obscurity.

The subtext to this is, if you’re a Pentagon Jr. & Fenix or anyone else getting US/international bookings and really like them, you simply need to stay in LU to keep getting those bookings. AAA is not necessary.

(Aside 1: Had AAA nailed TripleMania last year, maybe this is a completely different conversation.)

(Aside 2: Pentagon Jr./Fenix was very good and the crowd ate it up. They’re not cheap nowadays, but they also seemed like they were a significant draw for a big indie turnout. People only following LU has a benefit too; this matchup is something that was done a lot in trios in AAA, but it was really only done a couple times very early in the first season of LU and then both guys have moved in different directions. It’s still very new for LU fans.)

(Aside 3: this is Konnan working with the same people Arturo Rivera said he’d be working with on a new promotion, but they insist they’re just doing this as a friends and not going into business together.)

Konnan says he’ll finally talk about AAA & LU on Tuesday’s MLW Radio show. That’s the second part of the show with Dave Meltzer, which was obviously taped and cut in half to stretch in two weeks. It would’ve been weird for Dave not ask, but the other co-hosts have been careful not to bring up the either subject when Konnan’s been on the last few months.

Today’s CMLL show is back at Arena Coliseo, has La Mascara, Super Porky, Titan versus Ephesto, Luciferno and Ripper. Best match might be Tiger & Puma versus Esfinge & Blue Panther.

This week’s AAA TV is up. It’s a Mother’s Day themed episode, with Mary & Faby and their children appearing (and also they have a match.) Those two are also announced as being on the Mexico team for the AAA World Cup, with the last spot a mystery person. Maybe someone outside AAA, because the suspense doesn’t make sense for AAA.

The Lucha World Cup spot now lists Oudou (Akebono’s promotion) & Zero1, so that’s probably the second Japan team this year. The Notimex story said more info would be announced about the tournament on Monday.

Ricky Marvin, Nicho and Pirata Morgan talk about their qualifier.

La Parka has a column in Record now. Record was doing an autograph signing with AAA luchadors today

That Monterrey Elite lineup with “Mr. Elektro” and others for May 15th must mean the one with Bobby Lashley & Caristico versus Rush & Volador Jr. as a main event must’ve been canceled.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

RobViper has a music video of last year’s Heroes Inmortales.

Segunda Caida reviews Atsushi Onita, Mil Mascaras & El Hijo del Santo vs. Tarzan Goto, Negro Casas & Giant Warrior.

Valiente, Dragon Rojo and Omega Labs are holding a weight loss competition. (Them helping other people losing weight, not them losing weight.)

Lineups

ELITE (WED) 05/11/2016 Arena México
1) Príncipe Diamante & Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pierrothito
2) Ángel de Oro vs Golden Magic, Metaleón, Argos, Rey Cometa, Tritón, Dinamic Black, Puma [ELITE MIDDLE, pre eliminatoria]
3) Máscara Dorada, Máximo Sexy, Rocky Lobo vs Magno, Rey Escorpión, Último Ninja
4) Volador Jr. vs Xtreme Tiger [Liga Elite]
5) Hijo de LA Park, La Parka Jr., Súper Parka vs Cibernético, Mephisto, Sharlie Rockstar
6) Carístico vs Último Guerrero [Liga Elite]

Caristico and Ultimo Guerrero is a rematch from Puebla. Volador squeezes in one more match before heading to Japan.

Ultimo Ninja makes his ELITE debut in the tercera. Magno may or may not be there; he actually wasn’t there this past week, with Karonte Jr. in his spot instead.

ELITE and the poster doesn’t really say what they mean by a pre-eliminatoria, but the guessing is it’s some sort of seeding match for a tournament. I hope that’s not the complete field, I’d be disappointed if Jinzo didn’t make it.

CMLL (FRI) 05/13/2016 Arena México
1) Eléctrico & Último Dragóncito vs Mercurio & Pequeño Nitro
2) Estrellita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola, Tiffany, Zeuxis
3) Blue Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr., Titán vs Bobby Z, Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora
4) Stuka Jr. vs Cavernario [lightning]
5) Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
6) La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush vs Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible

Good for Shocker not to be the worst wrestler in his return to a Friday night main event. Bad for the rest of us. That main event is going to be awful.

Cometa/Cavernario appears to be dropped out of nowhere. 3/4/5 coul dbe good anyway.