AAA on Televisa: 2017-06-17

Recapped: 06/20/2017

All matches taped at Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal on 05/26/2017.

Matches: 

Aerostar & Drago beat Australian Suicide & Bengala for a AAA World Tag Team championship match
(7:59, Dragon’s Lair on Bengala, via AAA, good)

Máscara de Bronce defeated Venum  Lanzeloth, and Raptor in a four way Oportunidad de Oro elimination match
(8:30, via AAA, ok)

• Raptor code red Venum (5:34)

• Mascara de Bronce 450 splash Lancelot (7:07)

• Mascara de Bronce code red Raptor (8:30)

El Mesías & Pagano © beat Dark Cuervo & Dark Scoria for the AAA World Tag Team Championship
(14:19, Pagano Air Raid Crash Scoria, via AAA, ok)

What happened:

Mesias & Pagano defeated Cuervo & Scoria to win the tag team championship. The match was originally a non-title match, but made a title match by Vampiro (off screen) before it started. Mesias looked disinterested in being there until the titles were on the line, and he and Pagano had no issues while winning the titles.

A new concept, “Opurtunidad de Oro” debuted. The match was a four way elimination match, where the wrestlers would be awarded attaché cases with special contracts in order of their elimination. Venum was out first, and was given a shot at the mixed tag team titles if he can find a partner. Lancelot was out second, receiving a spot on TripleMania in a legends battle royal. The debuting Raptor (Atomic Boy in a dino costume) got a trios title shot with two partners of his choosing. Mascara de Bronce won the match, and received a case containing a contract for a Heavyweight Championship shot whenever he wants.

Aerostar & Drago won a spot in the Verano de Escandalo tag title match by defeating Bengala & Australian Suicide. (The match was said to be with both Pagano/Mesias and Cuervo/Scoria, and no mention of any change to that lineup was made after the main event tag title change.) Suicide acted like a normal tecnico most of the match, but shoved referee Copetes into the ropes late to knock Bengala off the top rope. Suicide wanted to try to win the match himself, missed on his usual finish, and Drago beat Bengala shortly after. Suicide sarcastically offered Bengala a handshake after the match, but Bengala walked out on him.

The show began with Faby Apache and her two non-wrestling sisters Nancy & Jessy. It’s bookended by a Lady Shani’s parentes talking about their daughter, who thanks her father for Father’s Day.

Noti AAA talks about AAA partnering with Mexico City on a health promotion. There will also be a special Panini magazine for TripleMania.

The referees have new “MILANO” shirts. Tirantes’s suspenders would cover up part of the logo, so he’s stuck having them just hang from his pants this show.

Thoughts: 

This show had three matches about at the same level. Nothing bad, though not really came together to be great. I liked them in descending order.

The opening tag match was good as a spot fest. It never developed as more than being one dimensional, and it wasn’t crazy enough to really stand out, but it still felt different and more interesting than most things around here. The crowd was ready to boo Suicide, partly for the same reasons the Mexico City crowd always boos Angelico and maybe partly because they figured out he’s supposed to be the rudo, and maybe the match would’ve felt like it had a story if Suicide worked a rudo for the whole match instead of just one spot near the end. It really made no sense that everyone was fine with him when he attacked them all last time we saw them, and Bengala looks like a dope to continue to team with him, but so it goes in AAA. This had Drago & Aerostar doing neat things and that’s all I ask for.

The four way was also just kids doing crazy stuff and it worked for being that, coming off as exciting if sloppy indie match dropped on to this show. Mascara de Bronce looked the best and deserved winner, though I wish him missing a dive to the floor meant something a bit longer. Raptor is a more identifiable character than Atomic Boy, but the mask looks too much like a rudo goon for a guy who’s supposed to be a tecnico, and he struggled with moves while trying to figure out his character. It might have helped if had more time in the outfit before this TV Match. AAA did a generally ok job presenting the concept (though it sure looked like the ‘contracts’ were just random printouts), though I was left wondering if the match would’ve been more over if they announced the prizes beforehand: the crowd treated the match like it was not that important and maybe would’ve gotten more into the finish if they knew it was for a title shot.

The tag team title match just didn’t hang together for me, even though the effort was there and they worked closer to a tecnico versus rudo story than the opener. They even bypassed the hardcore spots to just make a move match, something that should appeal to me more but I couldn’t get into for some reason. Cuervo & Scoria still aren’t clicking as characters, and this featured a lot of Pagano trying to impress with what he can do and doing it not well. (He’s also the king of standing around and watching blankly while obviously waiting for his next spot.) The crowd was into this match and into Pagano, so I don’t argue with the decision at all, it just wasn’t for me.