Drone debut, Lucha Underground preview & tour

CMLL (TUE) 10/18/2016 Arena México [CMLL, CultIcon]
1) Akuma & Metálico b Metatrón & Robin
2) Fuego, Pegasso, Rey Cometa b Disturbio, Okumura, Virus
Okumura replaced Arkangel. Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Skándalo b Star Jr. [lightning]
Skandalo Driver for the win.
4) Ángel de Oro, Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. b Hechicero, Misterioso Jr., Sagrado
Tecnicos took 1/3.
5) Atlantis, Stuka Jr., Valiente b Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Vangellys
Tecnicos took 2/3.
6) Diamante Azul, Máscara Dorada, Mistico DQ Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
tecnicos took 1/3, the last a DQ when Mephisto fouled Dorada

I’ve only watched the fourth match so far. Drone was very much spotlighted and worked with Hechicero most of the match; they were doing all they could to get the character over. Drone talked post match, where he’s trying really hard to do a fake voice. He was treated like a new wrestler in the match (complete with Angel de Oro giving him the traditional kick to the backside for a debuting guy), but he didn’t wrestle like a new guy. He kind of wrestled like a guy trying to hide his identity, not really doing a lot but simple stuff in the first fall before doing more complex stuff in the third. The presentation came off as if Drone was meant to be the big star of the group; he may have started on a Tuesday tercera, but it felt like he’d be moving up soon.

Drone’s been guessed to be Hombre Bala most frequently. Drone didn’t do any of the trademark Hombre Bala spots, but did use the same rope flip moonsault that Bala’s used from time to time. I didn’t pick this up originally, but Drone also has the same piercing near his mouth that Bala does (though it’s a different colored stud there now.) I’m not sure it’s Bala, but there was nothing to dissuade you if you already believed it was him. As of now, Drone has no next match listed, while Bala is scheduled Monday in Puebla.

Also after the match, Angel de Oro talked about his ROH trip. He, Fuego and Titan are off to Japan for three weeks. They start on the 21st (Friday), and that first show will air on NJPW World at 4:30AM CT with the quarterfinals of the Super Juniors Tag Team tournament.

The main event definitely seems like it’s starting up a trios title program. Lucifierno is making the main event two weeks in a row and they’ve already got a singles match set up, so it’s surely a trios title defense and probably on 11/01. That also means Dorada is still around on 11/01 (and we’re taking it day by day on that at this point.)

Lucha Underground 3×7 is called Payback Time. Things announced:

• Matanza versus a Dial of Doom winner for the Lucha Underground championship
• Mil Muertes versus Prince Puma – video
• something with Fenix, Drago, Aerostar (implied to be a trios match)
• something with Johnny Mundo trying to get a title shot (again)

There’s previews of the next two episodes out if you know where to look. I believe there’s a big announcement on this show, but they could always change things around in editing. Things are going to happen.

(I think I’m not going to be around Twitter much tonight, but everything should get done on the normal schedule.)

Son of Havoc said he’ll be in Phoenix for the Lucha Underground show. Taya’s said she’ll be on the San Diego show. Ricochet has mysterious passport issues which are causing him to miss the first few days of the NJPW tour, which would also just happen to allow him to make his (first priority) show in Phoenix. I (or you!) could spend the next few days trying to figure out who’s on what LU shows, but the things I know are

• Not everyone is going to be on all the shows.
• Lucha Underground long ago worked out who’s going to be on which shows
• Lucha Underground isn’t going to promote who’s on the shows (or the matches) because they’re promoting the brand and/or not very good at this

Lucha Underground luchadors working the shows were told weeks and maybe months ago. Those bookings can always be adjusted, or people could (fairly) assume these shows weren’t ever happening and might have already booked themselves elsewhere, but Lucha Underground could’ve rolled out a list of talent at about the same time they announced these events. Instead, it took them four days after Cricket announced the shows to acknowledge it themselves and everything else is going to be a surprise. “The shows will be good! I wish they did a better job of promoting!” – the eternal Lucha Underground frustration.

These shows came up briefly on the latest MLW Radio. show. Court Bauer happened to eat dinner with Dorian Roldan in New York recently. Bauer said these shows are low risk (Cricket’s covering it, I’d guess) and they’d be thrilled if they drew 1,000 fans for each show. They expect the shows to be very good and hope that increases interest. Maybe that tells us a little bit of why Lucha Underground isn’t doing some bigger tour: if they don’t think they can draw more than 1,000 fans for free, than a larger scale (and paying) tour seems economically unwise. (On the other hand, they’d probably draw better if they advertised it more than six days ahead of time. I hope they advertise it on TV tonight.)

AAA posted Garza Jr. versus Johnny Mundo, which did not air on their TV show.

11/03 Arena Aficion has a loser loses hair cage match with Ultimo Guerrero, Lizmark Jr., Terrible, Scorpio Jr., Alan Stone and Barbaro Cavernario (which probably means Scorpio or maybe Alan losing.)

Shogun lost his mask to Makro in a cage match on Arena Coliseo San Ramon’s anniversary show.

Valiente is happy to be in the Universal final.

Psycho Clown is still angry.

Dr. Wagner Jr. still is talking up the mask match with Psycho Clown.

The crew from +LuchaTV is now working with MedioTiempo.

Photos from the Mucha Lucha Atlanta show this weekend.

The Texas Standard interviews Xavier Garcia, author of a series of kid’s lucha libre books.

Lineups

IWRG (SUN) 10/23/2016 Arena Naucalpan
1) Máscara De Ángel vs Adrenalina
2) Black Dragón & Cadilac vs Araña de Plata & Skanda
3) Dragón Fly, Emperador Azteca, Hijo del Alebrije vs Demonio Infernal, Picudo Jr., Violencia Jr.
4) Danny Casas, Pantera I, Zatura vs Killer Jr., Negro Navarro, Trauma I
5) El Hijo del Diablo vs Black Terry [hair]
6) Imposible © vs Trauma II [IWRG IC MIDDLE]
second defense

First IWRG show in two weeks, though both of those matches were set up by previous weeks. Both should be good. Zatura is much higher than usual for his occasional apperance.

CMLL (TUE) 10/25/2016 Arena México
1) Shockercito & Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Nitro & Pequeño Olímpico
2) Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit, Skadi vs La Comandante, La Seductora, Tiffany
3) Drone, Rey Cometa, The Panther vs Kráneo, Pólvora, Ripper
4) Atlantis vs La Máscara, Valiente, Gran Guerrero, Johnny Idol, Vangellys, Stuka Jr., Bobby Z, Blue Panther Jr., Hechicero, Esfinge, Misterioso Jr. [NWA LH, cibernetico, #1 Contenders]
winner faces Rey Bucanero next week
5) Diamante Azul, Máscara Dorada, Mistico vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto

Main event is a rematch. Cibernetico had been announced before; I thought Valiente, Idol and Stuka were contenders before. Valiente’s got his win in the Universal tournament, so that cuts down the field a bit more. Tercera should be pretty good.

CMLL (TUE) 10/25/2016 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Capitán Cobra & El Yaqui vs Évola & Mr. Apolo
2) Mágico, Robin, Soberano Jr. vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Maléfico, Nitro
3) La Jarochita, La Vaquerita, Silueta vs Dalys, Metálica, Zeuxis
4) Dragón Rojo Jr. © vs Blue Panther [CMLL MIDDLE]
16th defense
5) Dragón Lee, Máximo Sexy, Rush vs Mr. Niebla, Shocker, Último Guerrero

The most middleweight defenses we have is Satanico with 19th. We’re probably missing a bunch, but that’s the number we have. Dragon Rojo is getting close. He’ll probably get one closer after this defense over Panther (which appears to have a one week build); that match should be interesting, but a title change seems unlikely.

Evola/Yaqui’s Sunday feud crosses over for at least one night.

DTU (FRI) 10/28/2016 Arena Neza
1) Masizito & Porrito vs Erwin & Irving
2) Diva Salvaje, El Exótico, Yuriko vs Lokillo, Moria, Niño De Cobre
3) Princesa Sugehit & Zeuxis vs Lady Maravilla & Zuzu Divine
4) Hormiga & Neza Kid vs Charly Madrid & Oscar Sevilla and Mike Segura & Sádico
5) Jimmy & Kevin vs Gallego & Mr. Cóndor
6) Dragón Rojo Jr. & Pólvora vs Aero Boy & Drastik Boy
7) Halloween & X-Fly vs El Gio & El Junior and Cíclope & Toxico

I’m pretty sure I was at a show where Halloween said he did his last extreme match ever!! (in DTU). My heart is broken unforeseeable mistruths. In more useful analysis, I guess this means Halloween is officially done with AAA to be working a show with CMLL guys.