Jack Evans/AAA, Volador advances to a Universal final, Elite, LU, Lucha Memes

CMLL (FRI) 10/21/2016 Arena México [ESTO, thecubsfan, Yahoo! Deportes]
1) Eléctrico & Último Dragóncito b Demus 3:16 & Pequeño Olímpico
14:00. Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) El Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón b Blue Panther Jr., Esfinge, The Panther
15:01. Rudos took 1/3.
3) Estrellita, Marcela, Sanely DQ Amapola, Dalys, Metálica
13:30. Tecnicos took 1/3, the last when Dalys accidentally dropkicked the referee for the DQ. She and Marcela fought post match.
4) Euforia, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero b Marco Corleone, Máximo Sexy, Rush
9:39. Rudos took 1/2. Rudos took 1/2. Rush and his partners did not get along at all.
5) Atlantis b La Máscara & Rey Bucanero, Volador Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr., Dragón Lee, Luciferno, Ephesto [CMLL Universal, battle royal]
3:10.
6) Dragón Lee b Luciferno [CMLL Universal, eightfinal]
3:55
7) La Máscara b Ephesto [CMLL Universal, eightfinal]
3:40
8) Volador Jr. b Dragón Rojo Jr. [CMLL Universal, eightfinal]
3:30
9) Atlantis b Rey Bucanero [CMLL Universal, eightfinal]
2:30
10) La Máscara b Dragón Lee [CMLL Universal, quarterfinal]
4:32. Rush distracted the ref and Dragon Lee, setting up La Mascara’s win
11) Volador Jr. b Atlantis [CMLL Universal, quarterfinal]
1:46.
12) Volador Jr. b La Máscara [CMLL Universal, semifinal]
6:06

Another surprise in this tournament. Volador makes a lot of sense as a Universal winner – he and Rush are the big names who haven’t won – but it’s not like CMLL to book a tecnico/tecnico tournament final and it definitely seemed like La Mascara was going to advance when he got to the final. In retrospect, Mascara used up his finishing move (Rush distraction spot) one match too early. (He used the campana earlier.) CMLL continues the slow build to something with La Mascara, Rush and Dragon Lee, but it’s not happening next week. Volador in a singles match is happening, which has generally been a good thing.

The aimless women’s matches finally have an aim. It’s not a particularly new one – Marcela/Dalys’ last title match was in March, but it seems as if they haven’t stopped feuding since. It’s better than nothing.

ELITE (FRI) 10/21/2016 Arena Lopez Mateos [+LuchaTV, R de Rudo, SuperLuchas]
1) Hijo del Pantera & Rocky Lobo b Luzbel & Tanque Infernal
listed as Pantera, but actually Hijo del Pantera.
2) Emperador Azteca, Hijo de LA Park, Zumbi b Diamante, Imposible, Karonte Jr.
money thrown in.
3) El Bandido & Golden Magic b Argos & Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.
Dr. Wagner Jr. replaced Hijo de Dos Caras. A fan tried to get into a fight with Wagner during the match and was thrown out. Golden Magic and Argos feuded.
4) Cibernético & Sharlie Rockstar b Mr. Águila & Zumbido
Hellbrothers won with a Cibernetico foul on Aguila, then teased a big surprise soon.
5) Rey Escorpión b Blue Demon Jr. [Liga Elite]
Escorpion used a mask pull to win. Demon challenged for a mask versus hair match, Escorpion said no.
6) Carístico b LA Park [cage, Liga Elite]
A chair got in the cage and Caristico bled. Rey Escorpion came in the cage and attacked both guys. LA Park threw Caristico out of the cage (?) giving him the won, which gets him a match with Rey Escorpion (?), and Caristico came back in for a three way fight.

There was some live video floating around of the main event, but I didn’t have a chance to watch it and I don’t quite understand what happened. (I’m not even sure I have the finish right; different sources seem to explain it differently.) I understand it’s the usual Elite finishes.

Cibenrnetico & Sharlie were teasing a new Hell Brother. I think Averno & Chessman are happy in AAA at the moment (and have some level of influence in their current storyline), so it’s unlikely to be one of them.

Jack Evans and AAA

Jack Evans was fired from AAA for his comments to SoloWrestling (translation here), the same website reported today. I’ve been told the same separately. As usual, AAA hasn’t acknowledged the situation publicly and Jack’s stayed away from saying more.  In the past, Jack’s been fired from AAA and later hired back. I don’t know that’s going to happen here, I’m hoping it’ll be happening, and it seems like a thing that ought to eventually happen given the lack of bodies in AAA at the moment. AAA’s historically been better than average at letting go of grudges and hiring people back when it made business sense for them to do it, so I hope my rare bit of optimism is warranted.

If you missed it, Jack’s long interview with Spain based Solowrestling about a month essentially got summarized down to “La Parka is bad at the techinical aspects of wrestling (but he gets himself over, so Jack realized there were more than moves to wrestling)” and “AAA hasn’t been as good since Konnan left.” It is the position of this author that both those statements are 100% accurate, and statements most people would agree with, but AAA viewed those comments as harsh criticism. AAA’s taken so many hits in the last couple years that there’s a strong “you’re with us or you’re against us” bunker mentality (which sometimes peeks thru on social media) and Jack’s mouth put him in the against us category. He acknowledged he was going to get in trouble for what he was saying while he was saying it, and that’s where you’ve got to just not say it. I agree with what Jack said, but wish he didn’t cost himself his job over it.

There’s more at stake than wanting to see a certain guy in a certain promotion. Jack’s got a wife, Jack’s got a kid, but I’m not sure if Jack has legal status to stay in Mexico if he’s not working in AAA. He theoretically could try to get in CMLL, but AAA likely holds his work visa and could make it impossible for Jack to work anywhere else. This could be an issue. I hope it’s not.

There’s some ripple effects from AAA letting go of Jack. Back around the start of Lucha Underground Season 2, AAA warned it’s luchadors that they would not be able to work for LU if they no longer worked for AAA. It was an attempt to keep people from walking out of AAA to work on US indies (where AAA would no longer get a cut of their pay.) That didn’t seem to work. Flamita definitely hasn’t been back in LU since he left AAA, but both Sexy Star and Rey Fenix have left AAA, and Sexy Star wasn’t taken off Lucha Underground tapings. (Rey Fenix also was part of the Paley Center Lucha Underground panel – with Dorian praising him! – but I believe he might have technically not quit AAA at that point though both sides knew it was coming.) Jack’s been fired by AAA, but he’s still part of the Lucha Underground live events this week as far as we know. I’m not sure the wrestlers totally believed it, and there’s only one person where this matters a lot (Pentagon – and it already seems like he’s shifted AAA to third priority), but firing Jack from AAA exposes it as an empty threat.

The other bit is Jack & Angelico have generally been a package deal, so I’m not sure how much we’ll see if Angelico in AAA if this doesn’t get fixed. I don’t think Angelico is going to quit (nor would I put it on him to do so), but they’ve already been looking to do more Europe and US bookings in the last year, and this is only going to push them more that way. Angelico’s still on the Star Battle Show (tomorrow this week!) and the TV taping after, but he’s not on the rest of the tapings and maybe he’ll be around even less going forward. Angelico is good and over and AAA doesn’t have enough people who are both at the moment. They also just don’t have enough people in general, so every potential lose hurts more.

The best case for everyone is Jack gets hired back in December or January and everything goes back to normal.

(The one positive luck for AAA is they’ve had great timing in change the tag titles this year, even if it seemed a bad move at the time. Angelico & Jack were stripped of the titles in January, then both ended up hurt for months while AAA used it to set up the Apaches angle. Angelico & Jack got the tag titles back, only to lose it Drago & Aerostar – maybe just to raise that duo’s value or because Jack & Angelico were going to miss Heroes Inmortales – and now Jack wouldn’t be around to be champion anyway.)

Other Stuff

That first Lucha Underground live show (with that same Jack Evans) is tomorrow in Phoenix. There’s an article in the Phoenix New Times to promote it, which adds Ricky Mandell and Kevin Kross to the list of people working the shows. The poster for the 10/30 Houston show has main events of Drago vs Johnny Mundo (nunchuck match) and Cage vs Matanza (Lucha Underground championship) with Vampiro as guest enforcer for both matches. Marty Martinez, Ivelisse, Taya, Joey Ryan, the Mack, Pentagon Dark, and Mil Muertes are LU wrestlers on the show. Paul London, who was seen in the trailer but hasn’t yet debuted, will be there. Saltador is also listed; that may be the name of someone we haven’t seen on the show yet. Surprisingly, (Hector) Garza Jr. and Ultimo Ninja are also listed; Multimedios broadcasts into Houston, so they may actually bring their own following to the show. Like with the Austin show in the spring , these shows generally seem as if they’re meant to be happening in sync with what’s happening on the show right now, not where they’re at the end of Season 3.

There’s no CMLL show this Saturday. Sunday has Mr. Niebla, Pierroth & Rush against Gran Guerrero, Shocker and Ultimo Guerrero as the main event, and Mistico, Stuka & Volador vs Felino, La Mascara & Mephisto as the semimain. CMLL should set up a main event for the 10/30 Dia de Muertos show, but it’s not clear that they will.

This is a busy indie weekend. Cara Lucha runs tonight with Extreme Tiger vs Rey Fenix vs Fly Warrior. This is Fenix’s return to the promotion as an indie guy (previously appearing there when they were working with AAA), and also Rey Escorpion’s return to building as part of Elite. He teams with Templario against Black Terry & Zumbido in a very random looking match.

Lucha Memes is running on Sunday. They’ve got Hechicero taking on the debuting Sammy Guevera as the main event, and Ronnie Mendoza versus Dragon Lee as another big match. Flyer, Soberano and Star Jr. face the Kamikazes del Aire and Impulso versus Mike Segura promising looking matches.

Rey Fenix will be on the 11/18 Muchas Luchas (Guadalajara) show, as will be current champion Rayo Star. Rey Fenix will also be on 11/26 The Crash show.

CMLL mentioned Dragon Lee will also be part of the ROH’s 12/04 Philadelphia taping, in addition to the PPV two days before in New York.

Gringo Loco & Isaias Velasques versus DJZ & Laredo Kid is the 10/30 GALLI main event.

Box Y Lucha had an interview with CMLL edecan Paola, who revealed that she’s Ultimo Guerrero’s daughter.  The interview mentions it was a one time thing, and Paola wasn’t mentioned in CMLL head edecan Erika Canceso’s list of women currently working in the role (posted last last night when people were asking her if different people were still around.)

Ex-CMLL luchador Delta will put up his mask against Galactar in Monterrey on 11/27 in a mask match.

Matt Farmer posted 1979 EMLL & UWA results.

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 10/28/2016 Arena México
1) Bengala & Flyer vs Apocalipsis & Metálico
2) Oro Jr., Pegasso, Soberano Jr. vs Disturbio, Okumura, Virus
3) Estrellita, Marcela, Sanely vs Amapola, Dalys, Metálica
4) Carístico, Dragón Lee, Mistico vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
5) La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush vs Euforia, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
6) Volador Jr. vs Valiente [CMLL Universal, final]

This will be the first of the three Dia de Muertos shows. I had though it could be an iPPV, but there’s no sign of one.

The newest version of the Ingobernables team up for the first time in the semimain, though it’d be much more effective against the group of tecnicos in the fourth match. We don’t know if Elite are running Friday, and if Caristico is double booked, quite yet. Putting him in the fourth match would help him make a second show though.

Third match is a rematch from this week. Opener is a challenge. I had heard an idea that Drone would end up being Flyer, and I bet Flyer wishes that was correct.