Day: April 20, 2017

Daga has his most high profile US indy match this Saturday in AAW in LaSalle, Illinois (about an hour or so outside of Chicago) against NJPW’s Michael Elgin. Daga’s been in AAA and had a small role in Lucha Underground, but isn’t as known as most of the Mexicans who came before him (Penta, Fenix, Aerostar, Drago, Fantasma) and hasn’t been as featured as Mil Muertes/Mesias, who’s also debuting Saturday.

Daga hasn’t shown the ability to connect with a crowd of Penta, and doesn’t wow you with flying moves like Fenix. Daga’s more a straight ahead MMA influenced striker, wearing his opponents down with kicks and elbows and chops and hopefully winning the fans over by his willingness to take the same punishment. In Mexico, he’s the very real black & white straight man who stands as a contrast to colorful and sometimes farcical opponents. In the US, where there a few less colors and a little less levity, he’s going to have to fight very hard to stand out. I think he can do it, but this is going to be test.

At the last AAW show, I was asked which Daga matches would be worth checking out before he debuted, to get a sense of how he wrestles. I immediately recommended the Fenix singles match from last year, arguably the best 2016 AAA match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OCthZaF47w&feature=youtu.be&t=00h18m26s

but the person had already seen it and I was stumped for a second answer. Which was not the greatest endorsement of a guy I like.

It’s not totally my falling as a lucha libre person – AAA seemed to think highly of Daga, but rarely scheduled him for singles matches. His only other AAA TV singles match was the apuesta match with Australian Suicide. That match was alright, but marred by usual AAA single matches issues. Daga’s had a few more singles since he’s left AAA (including one with ACH where ACH steals the show in usual fashion) but nothing that jumps to mind as a great exhibition for Daga.

Daga’s match with Texano in Season 2 Lucha Underground was great for both guys, but LU didn’t put that one online. You kind of have to go back all the way to his dream match against Davey Richards in 2011 for another spotlight singles match, who’s style Daga’s greatly resembles. (That’s also my guess why Elgin/Daga is the match; Elgin had some very highly rated matches with Davey Richards, so maybe Daga can recreate some of that.)

There’s plenty of other Daga of matches, if you’re willing to watch Daga matches where he’s not always the focus and there’s more people around. The four way for the AAA Fusion Championship wasn’t a 1 on 1, but was a pretty good match. It’s a shame the title didn’t amount to much.

There are plenty of tag matches from the last couple years though. Daga, Steve Pain and a changing third partner were a much enjoyed rudo trio in AAA in 2014-2015, and were part of a strong core of TV matches during that period

Daga & Steve Pain challenged Angelico & Jack Evans for the tag titles in 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPIobr36l_I&feature=youtu.be

They welcomed Fireball (Flamita) back to AAA in an superb TV match right before that year’s TripleMania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWqp6zOkxp8&feature=youtu.be&t=00h26m26s

they had a really good three way tag match with Angelico & Jack Evans and Pentagon & Joe Lider, which played off Daga’s split allegances in his own group and the Perros del Mal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Z_A_5PgOk&feature=youtu.be&t=00h05m06s

and they meshed well with Australian Suicide & Speedball, in one of Mike Bailey’s last matches with AAA (and part of the long build to Daga/Suicide)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5PHh5md_nQ&feature=youtu.be&t=00h18m40s

The best match of this run, at least to me, was an oustanding trios match with Aerostar, Bengala (Ricky Marvin) and Argenis, with Hijo del Pirata as the third rudo. This isn’t all Daga being great – Aerostar & Pain have an unreal chemistry and I’m disappointed we haven’t got to see them go one on one somewhere – but everyone comes out of this match looking good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux8RKian9v4&feature=youtu.be&t=00h23m00s

These matches are generally against smaller or same sized people, guys who don’t look a lot like Michael Elgin. (Not many people look like Michael Elgin!) Daga’s challenge on Saturday will be to adapt what he can do – the strikes might not be as effective against bulldozer, and he’s probably not going to take a headscissors. It’s going to be tough, but he’s got to not give up, and let the crowd know too that he’s to he’s going to keep fighting. Daga’s old catchphrase was #DagaEsLucha – Daga is Fight, and he’s got fight a lot on Saturday.

CMLL (TUE) 04/18/2017 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, CMLL]
1) Espectrúm & Sádico b Neutrón & Star Black
Star Black replaced Javier Cruz Jr.
2) Magnus, Oro Jr., Vaquero Jr. b Arkángel de la Muerte, Metálico, Ráfaga
3) Marcela, Sanely, Silueta b Dalys, Metálica, Tiffany
4) Ángel de Oro, Blue Panther, Valiente b Kráneo, Luciferno, Mephisto
Tecnicos took 2/3.
5) La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush b Atlantis, Carístico, Diamante Azul
Rush snuck in a foul on Diamante Azul

That set up Rush/Diamante Azul for next Tuesday in Guadalajara.

There’s a special one off Thursday show tonight in Arena Coliseo. It’s branded as a CMLL show and is promoted on CMLL’s site, but it may be more of a copromotion along the lines of Elite, since they’re doing a lot of things CMLL doesn’t. They’re running an unusual day, they’re running two kickboxing matches, and they’re bringing in people who don’t normally work CMLL. The goal of the show is honor Ringo Mendoza & Herodes Sr., both who’ve battled health issues during recent years. The main event is Rey Bucanero, Terrible and Ulitmo Guerrero versus Villano IV, Canek, and Rush. It’s notable Villano IV is included, since he was working with AAA in some capacity last we knew. There’s a special Solar & Blue Panther versus Negro Navarro & Black Terry match in the undercard. CMLL Informa proudly talked about how the show will not air on the internet – they think that’s going to get more people to show up instead of staying home, though it was only mentioned on the stream the fewest people watch – so there’s little chance we’ll see this card. People did do fancams of Elite shows in Arena Mexico before they got TV, but this is probably just going to be a lost show.

CMLL put up highlights of Barbaro Cavernario vs Dragon Lee. This is the footage Rosalío Vera seems to be shooting at ringside, so it’s possible he really just record highlights and not a complete match, but it also shows how it easy it would’ve been for them to stick someone at ringside with a camera.

AAA posted a video with Taya & Johnny Mundo explaining Mundo won’t be in Tijuana. AAA had originally announced Kross/Fantasma for Tijuana, then did a in-ring bit in San Luis Potosi last week where Vampiro made it Mundo versus Fantasma in a title match instead, and now are back to the original match. It’s weird, Mundo & Vamp and everyone involved probably should’ve known Mundo wasn’t going to be in Tijuana before they ran the angle to change the match, but they did it anyway. Maybe the idea is to get Mundo heel heat for backing out Whatever reason, Mundo is the first person who got one over on Vampiro in storyline (and pretty easily.)

+LuchaTV has an interview with Jeff Jarrett from the AAA press conference. AAA separates himself from most people in his position by naming many different AAA luchadors with ease. I’m sure that comes off as sarcastic but it’s actual praise. Ed Nordholm talked about the copromoted show, which will happen in North America.

This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentioned the meeting Eric Van Wagenen had with Penta, which EVW mentioned about a week ago. The added details here is Penta was offered a new & improved contract, with higher pay ($1500 per match) and a push as the main guy in the promotion. However, he would have to agree not to wrestle in CMLL, Impact and The Crash, and generally not for any promotion that works with Konnan. Pentagon is believed to still be under the original seven season deal, so he’s not close to leaving Lucha Underground even if he turns it around, and a contract based on matches worked only is worthwhile when Lucha Underground is actually running matches – even if Pentagon likes this deal, there’s no real incentive for him to sign (or reject) at this moment if it is as reported. This is a story that probably will go nowhere for months. CMLL & The Crash being on that list are people AAA are against, and LU itself doesn’t seem like a friend of Impact, but AAA does and it’s all very confusing.

El Rey announced a new chief marketing officer. El Rey’s marketing presence has been pretty minimal, maybe we’ll see more in that area.

MGM announced a deal of Women of Wrestling. The press release says the MGM is hoping to take advantage of it’s success with Lucha Underground to do more in wrestling. MGM’s success has been at getting LU distributed internationally, and I’d suspect part of the idea is to use the relationships formed getting LU in places to also offer WOW.

Vampiro is angry about something. My guess was people thinking Impact + AAA meant trouble for LU (which it doesn’t), but Vampiro’s not very specific. We did learn he will not be appearing on Impact.

Kushida was on Wrestling Observer Radio for an interview. He was asked his thoughts Dragon Lee (and Volador, but didn’t answer about him) and said he likes lucha libre, but sometimes lucha libre doesn’t have a story, and that Dragon Lee would need to wrestle more in US and Japan to learn that part and improve. I still think Dragon Lee’s immediate future is outside of Mexico, which is another reason it’s disappointing when matches like Cavernario/Lee aren’t captured – it’d be foolish to assume they’ll be happening forever.

MDA in Arena Coliseo Monterrey on 05/07

• Masada vs Rush in a cage match
• Octagon vs Fuerza Guerrera
• Mini Hator vs Mini Difunto for the Nuevo Leon Mini Welterweight Championship

RIOT on 05/20 in Arena Femenil Monterrey

• Chik Tormenta vs Christi Jaynes
• UnMexicans (Kaientai & Lord Byron) & Dowki versus Los Mimos de Siempre (Kamikaze, Kratoz, Erik Ortiz)

AAA posted this week’s Zona Ruda with Mamba & Lady Shani interviews.

Dr. Wagner & son head to women’s promotion Stardom for a special match on May 3rd. This will be Dr. Wagner’s first match in Japan in three years, after also doing a guest appearance in this promotion in 2014. A Black Tiger is listed on the other side in the mixed trios match, which could be Silver King. Nosawa would fit as well, since Wagner worked for Nosawa’s Tokyo Gurentai promotion that time and could again.

CMLL catches up on the current life of Soberano: waiting to find out who he’ll face in Copa Junior, popular in Japan, and feuding with Misterioso.

Matt Farmer put together a list of 1977 Arena Mexico & Coliseo lineups & results.

CultIcon writes about Magnus.

SuperLuchas has a transcript of a good interview with Mascara Sagrada, who talks his feelings on winning Fishman’s mask. They also start a look back at 1979 in lucha libre.

Funcion Esterlar has with Hijo del Coco Amarillo and Angel Siniestro Jr.

Lineups

The Crash (FRI) 05/05/2017 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) Douglas James, Oraculo, Serpentico vs Black Danger, Jonathan, Último Maldito
2) Arkángel Divino, Astrolux, Black Boy vs Diamante (Elite), Famous B, Látigo
3) Garza Jr., Jack Evans, Último Ninja vs Bestia 666, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Jeff Cobb
4) Flip Gordon & Ricochet vs Mr. 450 & Sammy Guevara
5) Daga vs Zack Sabre Jr.
6) Penta Zero M & The King vs Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson

Full card for the Tijuana show. The two top matches are going to be the big deal matches, but 2/3/4 could all be pretty good. Latigo worked the The Crash show in Aguascalientes, and I believe this is Diamante’s debut with the promotion. Pirata gets into an actual match as well.

The Crash also appears to be recording something around it’s February show; maybe TV, maybe for YouTube? Hopefully soon, it’s a two month old show.