AAA taping in Toluca, Dragon Lee/Mascara, Elite results

ELITE (THU) 07/28/2016 Arena México [+LuchaTV, Box y Lucha]
1) Astral & Último Dragóncito b Pequeño Warrior & Pierrothito
2) Hechicero & Raziel b Heddi Karaoui & Pantera
Raziel replaced Blue Panther.
3) Jinzo & Rocky Lobo b Puma & Tiger
Very good.
4) Rey Escorpión b Máscara Dorada [Liga Elite]
Said to be very good.
5) Hijo De Dos Caras, La Máscara, Magno b Ángel de Oro, Golden Magic, Volador Jr.
La Mascara replaced Diamante Azul and pinned Volador.
6) Teddy Hart b Xtreme Tiger [cage, Liga Elite]
Long match. Xtreme Tiger did the required dive off the top of the cage. Teddy fouled Tiger and escaped.

Show seems like it had the usual level of turnout, maybe a little bit better, but really good matches. 3/4/6 were the standouts. This will air on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Reports different if the main event was considered a Liga Elite match or not; we probably won’t know until that TV show. Mascara Dorada & Rey Escorpion talked about their match, which appears to have been the best match of the night.

Tonight’s another Friday with both major promotions running, though in different places in Mexico. CMLL has it’s usual show in Arena Mexico, while AAA continues the road to TripleMania in Toluca. (The shows are about 90-120 minutes apart, depending on if Mexico City traffic is simply bad or if it reaches all the way to horrific.)

CMLL’s seemingly inconsequential main event is Marco, Maximo & Volador versus Shocker, Terrible and Ultimo Guerrero. Volador & UG have issues in Puebla, but that may not even come up tonight.

The big match on the night is the semimain, where La Mascara is again spotlighted, this time against Dragon Lee. Mascara had Dragon Lee beat two weeks ago in the Leyenda de Plata, only for Rush to run in to save his brother. Dragon said he didn’t want that help and that he wanted Mascara’s mask. La Mascara refused the mask match, but Dragon Lee is getting another shot at him in a singles match. Mascara versus is still considered the most likely Anniversary show for lack of any other promoted options; a Dragon Lee win would give them other options. (Shocker being around might mean something as well; he keeps jogging in and out of these feuds with no explanation.)

The other feud carrying over from previous weeks is another Rey Bucanero/Super Crazy trios match, with Vangellys, Bobby Z, Golden Magic and Sharlie Rockstar filling out both teams. Bucanero was talking about having either a title match or a hair match against Crazy, and it seems like one of those must be coming up soon. The concern is the hair match is actually the secondary apuesta match on the Anniversary show, which would be a significant step down from the quality of the previous years.

There’s nothing much going in the other three matches, but they generally look good. The old Estetas del Aire (Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Valiente) trio reunites to face the Peste Negra team of Cavernario, Felino and Negro Casas in what should be a pretty good match. Fujin and Raijin team up with old man Okumura against the somewhat useful team of Soberano Jr., Pegasso and Oro. The minis are in the opening again, with a good foursome: Electrico & Ultimo Dragoncito vs Mercurio & Pequeno Nitro.

CultIcon also previews today’s show.

CMLL’s show will start at 8:30 pm and airs on ClaroSports as usual. The show is not listed as airing on NJPW World today. Their schedule lists CMLL as next airing on August 20 & August 27, which are random seeming Fridays to pick this far ahead of time. Could those dates the first rounds for the Universal tournament?

AAA has it’s second to last taping prior to TripleMania tonight in Toluca. Some of the drama has been taken away from this show by announcing the TripleMania lineup last night, and it seems a general problem that the most interesting things involving AAA seem to be happening away from AAA’s TV tapings.

The main event is another Psycho Clown/Pagano match, this time in bull terrier rules. “Bull terrier” is known as a chain match outside of Mexico, with AAA usually using touch all the corner rules. AAA’s often had this match with a rudo referee, where the referee grabs the chain to stop the tecnico from getting to the fourth buckle at some point. Given Psycho’s remarkable rate of losses, this might be a time where he gets a win just to break the pattern. On the other hand, maybe Hijo del Tirantes costing the match is the justification for next taping’s “winner chooses the referee” stipulation. It’s going to be a ref heavy finish, either way.

The foreigners aren’t in AAA for this show, which leaves a lot of people who’ve been fighting Team Trump instead. The strange trio of Texano, Aerostar & Drago face Perros del Mal (Pentagon Jr., Daga and Joe Lider) in what should be a good trios match. Daga & Lider are semimain event on this show even though they were omitted from the TripleMania card announced yesterday; maybe they’re in the Copa TripleMania. The Apaches, Chessman and Averno are all on this show, which suggests they’ll get involved in each other’s matches once again. The tag champs team with Ricky Marvin against Argenis, Bengala and La Parka, while the Apaches team with Elegido against La Hiedra, Super Fly and Hijo de Pirata Morgan (a trio who literally never wins, and should be encouraging Averno to interfere.) Hijo de Pirata turned up in IWRG last Sunday, and suggested that wasn’t a one off, so there’s a slight chance he might not be in Toluca for this show. He hasn’t quit on Facebook yet, so I think AAA’s probably safe on this one.

It’s less clear who’s actually wrestling in the other matches. Jack Evans & Angelico have a normal tag match on TV for the first time in 392 days. We don’t know who they’re facing. It’s listed as a mystery team on the card, and AAA hasn’t hinted anything (which seems to be the normal procedure now.) We do know Matt Cross & Paul London and Fenix & Fantasma are scheduled to be teams at TripleMania, and it’s possible either team could make their first appearance as a pair tonight. (None of them have given anything away on Twitter.) It could also just be someone else, it doesn’t have to make sense in AAA. The opener is scheduled to be a rare AAA minis trios, with Lanzeloth, Mini Abismo Negro and Mini Histeria against Dinastia, Octagoncito, and Mini Drago, only Mini Drago’s quit the company and AAA hasn’t acknowledged it. The most likely switch is Lanzeloth moving to the tecnico side, and Mini Psycho Clown or Mini Psicosis being added to the rudo team.

AAA’s show is listed as starting at 8:45pm local. They usually get going about 20-30 minutes late, so figure more around 9:10. The show should air on August 13 & August 20th.

Aerostar will be in CHIKARA’s Rey de Voladors tournament, during the weekend of September 2nd. That’s the same weekend as PWG’s BOLA. I wouldn’t think AAA would run a taping the weekend after TripleMania, and it looks like a bunch of people are booked in the US anyway.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

LigerFever has a recap of the latest Podcast, with Blue Demon Jr. as a guest: part one, two, three.

So Cal Uncensored has a good interview with Thunder Rosa/Kobra Moon.

Segunda Caida reviews Gringo Loco & Skayde Jr. vs DJ Z & Bandolero.

Cross Arm Breaker reviews Emilio Charles Jr. vs Shocker.

Uproxx talks about Lucha Underground’s appear to latino fans.

Latin Flyer has a quick english language interview with Tiago (ex-Mini Charly Manson), who explains the name.

Teddy Hart has been added to ColiseoMania 4. Also, Pirata Morgan & Hijo del Pirata Morgan will face Garza Jr. & Ultimo Ninja for the Llaves y Candados tag titles.

A women of wrestling photo exhibit is opening in Monterrey this weekend, and there’s a lucha libre festival in Long Beach.

Ensenada’s Boxing, Lucha Libre, MMA commission has new regulations for shows, only the second time they’ve updated them since 1973. There’s no mention of wrestling, but I was amused to find out this only now make it legal for women to participate in combat sports in that city. Women had been on wrestling shows prior, mostly when AAA came thru.