AAA on Televisa: 2016-05-28 

Recapped: 06/04/2016

What happened: Texano & La Parka worked together in the main event and made saves for each other, but still aren’t friends. (Texano has seemingly is now using a spinning side slam for his finish instead of the sit down powerbomb.) Hernandez returned as member of Team Trump, though he didn’t wear the shirt. Averno & Chessman kept the tag team titles over Argenis & Suicide by DQ. They offered an open challenge, the Apaches asked for it, and Averno refused.

What was good: Nothing. I wouldn’t be watching this show right now if I didn’t know that a) people who aren’t around now may be back later on, b) the show is bound to get better at some point, if by random chance than for no other reason and c) I wanted to have some context of what was going on by then. But this was a really lousy show among a stretch of them, and AAA’s goal seem to be something other than “put on a good wrestling show.” It will get better but it’s going to require some patience.

Where can I watch it: It’s on my channel and AAA’s channel.

Previously: Halloween got beat up. Pentagon Jr. got a Lucha World Cup spot. Texano Jr. and La Parka had an uneasy alliance.

Texano Jr. gives a “Viva Mexico” speech, in reference to recently visited evil foreigners. He’s interrupted by Zorro and the Xinetez. Zorro explains he’s working the Team Trump, and will be with a surprise of theirs in the main event. Cuervo and Scoria jump Texano, and Zorro cane shots him. La Parka makes the slow save. He walks to the ring with a chair, which is enough to scare off the other three guys. Texano and Parka have a momentary standoff and Parka leaves.

Match 1: Bengala, El Elegido, Niño Hamburguesa vs Dark Cuervo, Dark Scoria, Taurus
Plaza de Toros La Concordia, Orizaba, Veracruz, 05/14/2016
Video: Lucha Libre AAA, thecubsfan

Winner: rudos (Taurus superplex Niño Hamburugesa)
Match Time: 7:00
Notes: Entrances are cut out. Bengala is no longer waring the the shoulderpads, or didn’t bring them along for this replacement bit – he’s in for Garza JR. Hamburguesa went for his splash, but was stopped and suplexes off by Taurus.

Review: [ok] Basic undercard match with some good spots if not a lot more. It didn’t really go that long, but there wasn’t a lot of here to check out beyond the man beast. Even Bengala seemed more subdued than his recent performances, and I could not recall anything Scoria or Cuervo did after the match ended. Taurus helped Elegido & Hambruguesa look as good as they could look, but it seems like that skill would be more helpful up the card. (The great dive catch on Bengala made me wonder how many times we’d get to see that a week if CMLL didn’t miss the boat on this guy.) At least he won in the end.

Match 2: Averno & Chessman © vs Argenis & Australian Suicide for the AAA World Tag Team Championship
Plaza de Toros La Concordia, Orizaba, Veracruz, 05/14/2016
Video: Lucha Libre AAA, thecubsfan

Winner: Averno & Chessman
Match Time: 7:07 (first eliminations at 4:36)
Notes: No entrances here, though Zuniga mentions this is a rematch on the house mic. Tirantes is being dragged out as they cut in, though it’s barely visibly and they call no attention to it – they probably wanted to cut the angle out for whatever reason, but Zuniga was already talking. Copetes is referee. Fight begins before the whistle. The técnicos do dives on opposite side of the ring (I think) to start and they miss Suicide’s one. No replay either.

The match is wrestled completely 2 on 2. Chessman cradles Suicide (and uses the ropes) after Suicide misses his tornillo shooting star press at the same time as Argenis beats Averno with a Spanish fly. Even though every single other match on this show is always a single fall match, everyone goes on as if elimination rules is completely normal.

Argenis has a pin on Chessman, but Averno pulls out the referee. Suicide slowly chases Argenis around with a chair, and Copetes deals with him. Argenis pins Chessman with a Spanish Fly and gets a visual pin, but the referee misses it. Suicide drops the chair, and Averno gets it without Copetes seeing. Averno thinks, for a while, about hitting Argenis with the chair. He instead decides to hit Copetes from behind. Suicide picks up the chair, but Averno fouls him. Argenis finally gets up, Averno sings at misses at him, then tosses Argenis the chair and turns around Copetes to see Argenis hold it. Copetes immediately stop selling, looks around at the fans to get a reaction, then raises Chessman’s arm.

Review: [below average] they had a rushed four minute match and then when into a ridiculous absurdly. It’s obvious they believe the rudos will get more over by a contrived cheating win then actually pinning someone, but it generally comes off as something I feel dumb for watching. Suicide got some nice dives, I guess. I couldn’t understand why they would end the match with Argenis & Chessman instead of the other two much better wrestlers, but maybe they thought Averno could do bits in the match better. This was a waste of time.

After the match, Averno offers a dream chance for any AAA wrestlers. They need new challenges, so any tag team who wants a chance can face the present and future of the division. Mary and Faby Apache come to the ring. Faby says Averno didn’t win fairly, but the Apaches want to challenge anyway. Are they scared? Averno says he doesn’t know their names, and thought they were food vendors from outside the arenas. Averno says the offer is not open to women like them. Averno tries to put his hand on Faby’s shoulders, Faby slaps it away, and Averno’s angry she’d treat a world champion again. Faby slaps him away again, and Chessman has to hold Averno back. Faby says no more talking, time to fight. Averno and Chessman bail.

Noti AAA

• Lucha World Cup hype

• clips from the Mexico Lucha World Cup announce

• The Roldans and AAA visited special children

• Website plug

Match 3: La Parka & Texano Jr. vs Hernandez & Zorro
Plaza de Toros La Concordia, Orizaba, Veracruz, 05/14/2016
Video: thecubsfan, Lucha Libre AAA

Winner: Texano (spinning side slam)
Match Time: 9:00
Notes: Zorro’s entrance is cut; we join with him introducing Hernandez as the surprise Team Trump member. Hernandez uses the LAX music – which features Konnan prominently, so that’s weird. Hijo del Tirantes is referee. He’s biased towards the rudos, until Texano used the spinning side slam and Tirantes counted normally. Texano refused a handshake from Parka post match, but eventually came back to save Parka when the Xinetez and Hernandez attacked. Cuervo and Scoria get beat up and Hernandez is dropkicked off the apron.

Review: [ok] a house show main event of no particular importance. They didn’t do much to tell any of the stories they had going in – Texano & Parka didn’t really have any tension, no one was too surprised or interested about Hernandez being there – and the match wasn’t entertaining. Hernandez was OK but didn’t seem to mean anything. The story they’re telling about Texano slowly going to the técnico side (but fighting it) is OK but seems to be overshadowing the idea that he’s the champion.