Lucha Underground 2×21: Six to Survive

twitter arguments, but in real life
twitter arguments, but in real life

Results

Pentagon won a Six To Survive match [great]

  • Johnny Mundo eliminated King Cuerno (4:19, Fin de Mundo)

  • Taya eliminated Ivelisse (8:24, northern lights suplex double stomp)

  • Pentagon Jr. eliminated Taya (13:49, package piledriver)

  • Pentagon Jr./Fenix beat Johnny Mundo (22:15, combo wheelbarrow splash)

  • Pentagon eliminated Fenix (34:51, package piledriver)

Developments

teamwork!
teamwork!

This was a one match show, with only the six people in the match and four other characters appearing on the show. There were no vignettes before or after the match, so the only developments were in the match. This was a no DQ, no countout match, with some fighting at ringside.

There really weren’t many of those either. King Cuerno was eliminated first due to the sudden and angry return of Mil Muertes, who pummeled Cuerno. (Catrina was with Mil.) Striker pointed out Muerte’s new (red) eyes, which I missed last week.

medal winning dive
medal winning dive

Taya and Ivelisse kept up their feud during the match, with Taya winning clean. (All the pinfalls were clean besides Mil appearance.) Taya helped out Johnny during the match, while Fenix refused to strike Ivelisse when they were in the ring together.

Dario & Matazna appeared at the top of the stairs after Pentagon won. (Vampiro refused comment on the win and stayed out of it.) Pentagon threatened to break both men’s bones.

Thoughts

???
definitely teamwork!

This is obviously a sequel to All Night Long, another show long match with multiple falls, though they didn’t announce it this time. Both took place near the end of their season. Last season’s one was for the title, this one was for a shot at the title.

The common person between the two is Johnny Mundo. This was Mundo’s third match of the taping (with a fourth the next day), and he didn’t show it. His big dive was superb, and his work inside the ring was nearly as good. Mundo remains the MVP.

This match really didn’t pick up for me until it was down to Mundo, Pentagon and Fenix. It was disappointing King Cuerno got removed so quick – we could’ve had that Rey de Reyes qua lifer with Mundo as Flamita! – and it didn’t seem like a strong night for Ivelisse. Some of her moves didn’t look good, and Fenix refusing to fight her doesn’t help. Taya’s finishing sequence looked good, but the section with four people seemed slowed down – or maybe just dragged out to make sure they got to the time.

into the Dragon sleeper
into the Dragon sleeper

Fenix and Pentagon was awesome as always. It really start with the nice double team to beat Johnny, and it may have been weighed down a little by having to wrestle for 25 minutes before they got to it, but they both came off as huge stars having a big match once again. The crowd – which sounded quiet for the first half, not as raucous as I remember the All Night Long show – really got into the back and forth between the old rivals. Doing the submission hold battle to start was cute, and it would’ve been nice if they could’ve found a way to bring that in again more near the end. Maybe they didn’t quite have time with all the big moves they were doing. This was another strong performance for them. Their segment is worth watching even if nothing else (which will work well when they post just that part.)

I was spoiled going into this, like I am most of the time, so I knew this was going an hour and knew the winner. I think Pentagon winning probably wasn’t a surprise anyway, because he was clearly on a road to meet Matanza once again and no one else really has been positioned as an alternative for Ultima Lucha 2. The good thing is I think that’s the result most people wanted to see, and giving people what they’re craving often works better than giving them a left field surprise.

That’s one down. They’ve got the rest of the card to fill out.

if the superkick doesn't break his head, the destroyer will
if the superkick doesn’t break his head, the destroyer will

Ultima Lucha 2 Card

  • Matanza Cueto (c) versus Pentagon Jr. for the Lucha Underground championship

  • Dragon Azteca Jr. versus Black Lotus

  • (probably something with Marty & Killshot)

AAA on Televisa: 2016-06-04 

AAA in 2016
AAA in 2016

Recapped: 06/11/2016

What happened: Psycho Clown won a spot on the Lucha World Cup team (which had already started the day before this episode aired.) He then lost to Pagano in the main event. Los Perros and Nicho cost each other matches.

What was good: Nothing. If you haven’t seen Pagano and want to see what he’s about, I supposed to the main event is good for that. Otherwise, skip this show.

Where can I watch it: It’s on AAA’s channel Read More

Dragon Rojo remains champ, Dorada still in CMLL, Lucha Underground, AAA/BOING

Dragon Rojo wins
Dragon Rojo wins

CMLL (TUE) 06/14/2016 Arena México [CMLL, Notimex,thecubsfan]
1) Metatrón & Sensei b Akuma & Camorra
13:39. Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Hombre Bala Jr., Magnus, Starman b Canelo Casas, Espanto Jr., Nitro LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 14 DE JUNIO DEL 2016 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
16:51. Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Fujin, Okumura, Raijin b Fuego, Pegasso, Stigma LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 14 DE JUNIO DEL 2016 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
12:00. Rudos took 1/3.
4) Bobby Z, Euforia, Vangellys b Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 14 DE JUNIO DEL 2016 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
13:30. Rudos took 1/3.
5) Dragón Rojo Jr. © b Guerrero Maya Jr. [CMLL MIDDLE] LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 14 DE JUNIO DEL 2016 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
16:39. Dragon Rojo took 2/3 in a good match, the last with an inverted Gori Stretch. 14th defense. First TV defense since February 2015.
6) Kráneo, Pierroth, Rey Escorpión b Máscara Dorada, Súper Porky, Titán LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 14 DE JUNIO DEL 2016 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
10:57. Rudos took 1/3. Pierroth replaced Ripper.

The title match was interesting and you should watch it. The rest of the show wasn’t that interesting. Attendance was low.

There was no mention of Mascara Dorada being announced as part of WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic. Apolo Valdes did talk to Dorada about the situation, and he says he asked CMLL’s owner Paco Alonso for permission before he agreed to be part of the tournament. He did the same before joining NJPW for a year, and Alonso gave his approval for that. This time, Alonso didn’t say yes or no, and left it up for Dorada. Dorada was recruited to the tournament by his friend Finn Balor, and feels he’s going as a representative of Mexico and CMLL – he says he’s still with CMLL and only working those dates. Dorada wanted to use his original name of Metalik, but WWE wanted to add Gran to it and he was OK with that. He’d like to face Ibushi during the tournament. (Dorada also talked to +LuchaTV about these things after last night’s main event.)

WWE’s expected to offer deals to those who do well in this cruiserweight tournament. Should Dorada have no problem adjusting to WWE rings, he figures to do well enough to earn that offer. It’ll be another crossroads when Dorada reaches that points – Dorada himself said everyone wants to go to WWE when talking about Anderson & Gallows joining a few months ago, but I believe he was sincere when he explained he didn’t stay with NJPW because he missed his family too much. Joining WWE would mean he’d be away from them again, or they’d have to uproot to a different country for an uncertain future.

Lucha Underground tonight is episode 21 of the season. Matches announced:

  • Sexy Star vs Johnny Mundo vs Pentagon Jr. vs Fenix vs Taya vs Ivelisse in a Six To Survive match (elimination match) where winner gets title match with Matanza at Ultima Lucha 2.
  • and nothing else. Hmm.

There’s a clip of that match up already.

AAA & Boing held a press conference announcing Bonig’s sponsorship agreement. Boing’s been around since the start of the year – they’re the advertisement on the video screen with the fruit characters, and they market fruit drinks mostly at children. Instead of using their Boing characters for each fruit, the new advertising campaign will use AAA luchadors. Here’s a list of each AAA wrestler matched with their fruit:

  • Bengala: Pineapple
  • Drago: Orange
  • Elegido: Mango
  • Chessman: Strawberry
  • Mini Abismo Negro: Guava
  • Pentagon Jr.: Apple
  • Psycho Clown: Grape
  • Fenix: Peach
  • La Parka: Soursop/Guanabana
  • Mascarita Sagrada: Tamarind

I was totally unfamiliar with the last two until I wrote the last section.

AAA posted the complete Mesias versus Dr. Wagner Jr. from TripleMania 17 (2009), one of the best matches in TripleMania history, as a preview to their match Thursday in Naucalpan.

Still trying to figure out the Elite International tournament. Slightly different names are showing up in different places, which suggests some of these names may not be right (and it’s Elite, so they probably will change.) This recap of the press conference adds Sabu to the list, listed as a participant from Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Arabia is because Jinder Mahal is already the India guy, I’d guess) Sabu’s been in Mexico before, working for AAA, XL-AW and other groups, and this would be his Arena Mexico debut. I hope Titan gets a photo with him.

That site usually posts press releases, so it may be accurate. This site I don’t believe I’ve linked to before, but they list participants from Italy and Guatemala, which would get us to 16. Marco always works as the guy from Italy, but it’d be weird to hold that back as a surprise. Guatemala is much tougher to figure, though CMLL does have an occasional relationship with the FMLL promotion based out of Arena Guatemala Mexico.

Carxyus says CaraLucha will have an Arena San Juan anniversary show on June 24, with Volador Jr. participating. He’s surely be running into Flamita again.

RobViper has a music video of 05/18/10 CMLL.

Alejandro Saez/XL mentions he first met with WWE officials back at an international tournament in Brazil in 2014. William Regal was at that tournament.

AAA’s show in Arena Queretaro sold out yesterday.

great match roundup, week of 2016-05-28

Matanza is strong
Matanza is strong

The long list of recaps

I changed the grade on Team AAA/Team Japan other matches. The Lucha World Cup matches are structured so different from normal matches and I struggle to find useful ratings for them.

rating matches TV Show taped
excellent Cage vs Matanza © [LU CHAMP] Lucha Underground: 2016-06-01 2016-01-17
great Jack Evans, Johnny Mundo, PJ Black © vs Dragón Azteca Jr., Prince Puma, Rey Mysterio [LU TRIOS] Lucha Underground: 2016-06-01 2016-01-16
great Pentagón Jr., Psycho Clown, Texano Jr. vs Akebono, Ikuto Hidaka, Masato Tanaka [Lucha World Cup] and in a tournament quarterfinal match AAA PPV: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
good Esfinge, Stigma, Tritón vs Bobby Z, Puma, Tiger CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
good Último Guerrero © vs Stuka Jr. for the NWA World Middleweight Championship CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
good Diamante Azul, Máximo Sexy, Mistico vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
good Son of Havoc vs Daga Lucha Underground: 2016-06-01 2016-01-17
good Dr. Wagner Jr., Dragón Azteca Jr., Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Eli Drake, Ethan Carter 3, Tyrus [Lucha World Cup] and in a tournament quarterfinal match AAA PPV: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
good Fuego, Pegasso, Tritón vs Fujin, Okumura, Raijin CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
good Estrellita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
good Rey Cometa, Stuka Jr., Titán vs Cavernario, Felino, Mr. Niebla CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
good Ángel de Oro, Golden Magic, Último Ninja vs Argos,Magnus, Rey Escorpión Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-06-03 2016-06-02
good Carístico vs Máscara Dorada in a Liga Elite match Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-06-03 2016-06-02
ok Bengala, El Elegido, Niño Hamburguesa vs Dark Cuervo, Dark Scoria, Taurus AAA on Televisa: 2016-05-28 2016-05-14
ok La Parka & Texano Jr. vs Hernandez & Zorro AAA on Televisa: 2016-05-28 2016-05-14
ok Black Tiger & Meyer vs Ares & Fuerza Chicana CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
ok La Vaquerita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs La Comandante, Tiffany, Zeuxis CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
ok Astral © vs Saurón for the CMLL World Pequeño Estrellas Championship CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
ok Carístico & Negro Casas vs Máscara Dorada & Mephisto in a relevos increíbles match CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
ok Blue Panther Jr., Soberano Jr., The Panther vs Cancerbero, Raziel, Virus CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
ok Blue Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Hechicero, Kráneo CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
ok Allie, Kc Spinelli, Taya vs Aja Kong, Sumire Natsu, Yuki Miyazaki [Lucha World Cup] and in a tournament semifinal match AAA PPV: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
ok Maybach Taniguchi, Naomichi Marufuji, Taiji Ishimori vsApolo, Mil Muertes, Spud [Lucha World Cup] and in a tournament quarterfinal match AAA PPV: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
ok Blue Demon, Canek, La Parka vs Cage, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Johnny Mundo [Lucha World Cup] and in a tournament quarterfinal match AAA PPV: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
ok Shockercito & Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
ok Atlantis, Marco Corleone, Valiente vs Negro Casas, Shocker, Último Guerrero CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
below average Averno & Chessman © vs Argenis & Australian Suicide for the AAA World Tag Team Championship AAA on Televisa: 2016-05-28 2016-05-14
below average Ángel de Oro, Máximo Sexy, Valiente vs La Máscara,Shocker, Último Guerrero CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-30 2016-05-30
below average Acero & Aéreo vs Demus 3:16 & Mercurio CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
below average Flyer, Magnus, Sensei vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Hijo del Signo, Nitro CMLL Internet Exclusives: 2016-05-31 2016-05-31
below average La Máscara vs Pierroth CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-06-03 2016-06-03
below average Bobby Lashley vs Xtreme Tiger in a Liga Elite match Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-06-03 2016-06-02
watch later Dinamic Black vs Cerebro Negro IWRG Zona XXI: 2016-05-28 2016-05-22
watch later Imposible © vs Freelance for the IWRG Intercontinental Lightweight Championship IWRG Zona XXI: 2016-05-28 2016-05-22

Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-06-03 

Mascara Dorada
Mascara Dorada

Recapped: 06/10/2016

What happened: Caristico & Bobby Lashley picked up 3 points in Liga Elite.

What was good: I liked Caristico/Mascara Dorada and the trios match, though maybe not as much as I thought I wuld.

Where can I watch it: It’s on CMLL’s channel and on AztecaDeportes.com. Read More